Last year was an interesting time for console gaming. I would argue one of the major changes over previous generations was the almost ubiquitous console beta and preview demo. While PC players have been downloading early code for a test drive since shareware was a viable option for developers, the idea of a public (albeit limited) beta test is new to console gaming. The 360 was the big platform for this, with Shadowrun, Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4 beta tests being well received major draws throughout the year. The PS3 also got some love in the form of the Warhawk beta that launched shortly before the game released.

Then of course there was the continuing expansion of demos on both Live and PSN, and at this point, it would seem to me that the lack of a prerelease demo for a game means one of two things: supreme hubris, or a troubled title. Games that don’t get demos are immediately on my list of games to wait for reviews on, much like movies that don’t screen for critics are marked with road flares in my consciousness. I understand that demos take time and money to produce and can often put undue strain on a development team. And that argument would hold a lot more water with me if I didn’t know for a fact that developers almost uniformly create demos for the gaming enthusiast press to play prior to a games release. The difference is, press have embargoes and restrictions as to what they’re allowed to talk about after game demonstrations, while gamers will sing a titles praises or tear it apart at the slightest provocation, and that word of mouth can be powerful. The thing is, if a developer is making a game they’re proud of, a demo is the equivalent of putting their money where their mouth is and letting their product determine whether I buy it.
Such is the case with Burnout Paradise. While Alex Ward has often been known as a somewhat partisan member of the development community and routinely engages in diva-like behavior, the Burnout Paradise Demo shows his willingness to let his work speak for itself. What’s more, just weeks before its release, Criterion has increased the functionality of the demo, in effect making it a sort of last minute beta for the title:

Whatever your feelings about the demo, you should be interested to know that Criterion and EA are expanding the demo to allow more players on Xbox Live and include more Freeburn challenges. Multiplayer will now allow 8 players (up from 4) and there will be 13 new challenges added. These changes will be available starting today and will continue until January 14th. Well hey, that’s just a week before the retail game comes out! Boy, that’s some coincidence, huh?

I played the demo, and while it was gorgeous, Burnout has never really been my thing. Regardless, this shows balls, and I can appreciate that.

-Aegies

Let me start by saying that I was a big fan of the PSP release Katamari Damacy. I didn’t own a PSP at the time, but I wrestled the thing out of my roommate’s hands whenever I could, sometimes just listening to the ridiculous music. The strange theme music was so great that me and my roommate at the time would listen to MP3 versions of it when we were hanging out. Yeah, I know, we’re fucking nerds.

When I heard that a Katamari game was coming out for 360 I had mixed feelings. I was worried that the game, while great for a short handheld experience, wouldn’t translate well to the console. Some how the controls felt intuitive with the buttom scheme on the PSP. Moreover, I was worried that the game would not appeal to the 360 audience, since it isn’t a violent shooter. Don’t believe me? See Viva Pinata’s sales numbers.

The demo did nothing to assuage my mixed feelings. I was immediately excited when it started — hearing the theme music ringing in my surround sound rocked my soul! — but the game did not blow me away. However, this isn’t to say that it isn’t fun, quite the contrary, it is a really enjoyable demo. The addicting appeal of the original Katamari lives on, with you quickly just focusing on the ridiculous premise of trying to pick up bigger and bigger worldly objects. It’s hard to explain, you should try it.

That being said, I still have my worries. I sincerely hope that this game doesn’t release for an MSRP of 59.99$. Unless the online component is mind blowingly awesome (it isn’t contained within the demo), I just don’t see enough content to warrant the price. It is fun, but I don’t see myself having much time to dedicate to an expensive casual game when the season of gaming death is almost upon us. Again, I could be wrong if the online proves to be amazing.

The demo is worth a try, especially if you have never played the game in it’s other incarnation. Play through the demo a few times (it only lasts 3 minutes). The first time you might not like it, but by the end you’ll probably figure out why so many people fawn over this title.

Chufmoney

The release last year of GRAW was quite timely for the Xbox 360; it signaled the end of a title drought of sorts and led off the sort of monthly infatuation trend among 360 gamers. It wasn’t a bad game, by any means. It had a competent single player offering that offered a fairly workable (for the briefest of moments) cover system that worked better than virtually any before it, it had graphics that at times could be jaw-dropping, especially when you were introduced to a level via helo fly-over and seamlessly dumped into visceral firefights, and since this was the beginning of the current console era, I think we were all willing to ignore the Mexican streets that seem notably absent of, well, Mexicans. And you could blow up cars! Cars man. With enemies hiding behind them incinerated in the process.

The game also featured a serviceable co-operative sub-campaign and was arguably the first example of a meaningful (if not overpriced) content addition through Xbox Live. Chuf and I played through it, and we had a good time.

Unfortunately, 9 months hasn’t been kind to the game, and after playing the genre-redefining Gears of War as well as the excellent Clancy stablemate Rainbow Six Vegas, GRAW just doesn’t hold up very well. The graphics look piecemeal and inconsistent, the framerate is often atrocious, and the controls feel clunky, to be kind. The cover mechanic feels three times its actual age.

A few weeks ago, Ubisoft started releasing media for GRAW 2, which I’ll admit surprised me. 12 months turnaround for a sequel to a game that was delayed by over 5 months seemed awfully fast. I was just as surprised to see the demo for the title up on Live this morning, so I set it download before I left the house. Now that I’ve had some time to spend with it, I’m thinking that this title may have benefited from a delay as well.

First off, the game does look somewhat better than its predeccesor, and the levels and characters all look more consistent. The CrossCom has been revamped a bit to add more control over secondary resources like the UAV and the new MULE mobile resupply and exploration robot, and squad command and management has been slightly improved as well. Unfortunately, these are the least of the former games problems, and the issues which most needed attention don’t seem to have been fixed. The main character still animates really awkwardly, and worse, the framerate is about the same. This is a problem that’s plagued literally every Clancy title on the 360, and while Splinter Cell Double Agent is still the worst offender, GRAW 2 sits well behind Rainbow Six Vegas, and so far, doesn’t look as good. I feel that this is a fair comparison, given Vegas’s initial kickoff in a similar Mexican landscape. Worst of all, the control still feels under-responsive, and actions don’t feel as smooth as they should. With a sister title that many argue trumped even Gears of War in elegance of cover and control, this seems even more inexcusable.

The game comes out in roughly 2 months, so while it is theoretically possible that GRAW 2 could be in better shape upon its final release, right now it’s definitely looking like this will be the first Clancy title on the 360 that I’ll be sitting out.

Unless it has decent co-op, in which case, peer pressure and whoredom may force me to buy it.

-Aegies