The romantic in me would love to stare out the window, in moody lighting that frames my jawline detracting from the sleep debt I carry in the bags under my eyes, and question what happened to the days of video game demos. The cynic in me says a demo not being representative of its full version is a case for false advertisement worthy of gamer prison, but the politeness in me knows that sometimes plans don’t work out as intended– so not a hanging crime but maybe a few days in the drunk tank are in order. Worst of all, if the demo is different from the finished product the sales will probably be fine, but now you’ve got slighted fans to worry about like in the case of Bioshock Infinite, Halo 2, or Spore. If great games flub the sample platter then sales suffer. If the public is good at picking out quality games from a simple snapshot then mediocre games struggle to sell before they hit their launch window. Unfortunately for marketing departments, video game demos are a lose-lose-lose situation for game sales. But for every developer that makes amazing consumer-friendly demos, there are dozens more that are doing a disservice to their own product or taking advantage of their audience. With that being said, a great game with a bad first impression demo might be its last chance to make a connection, like the Viewtiful Joe demo from 2004 that corrupted my cousin’s memory card and wiped his progress in GTA San Andreas. If you know a game is a trainwreck before you buy it you simply won’t. They give too much power to the customer and create pressing demands during the development stage to always put the studio’s best foot forward. Without sounding too conspiratorial, I imagine that’s partly why demos have been taken off of the marketing pedestal. I’ve got a gold smelling nose like a truffle pig, shuffling through dozens of games at a time discerning between the bad stink and the good stank. I’ve got eyes of steel that can spot out a half-hearted asset drop half a mile away. It’s how I stay only marginally behind the curve in this crazy industry. I’ve probably spent more time playing video game demos than some people have spent on fully fleshed-out games. And due to the lacking presence of demo culture, I think now’s the best time to bring them back.Īdmittedly, I am biased. Maybe they take up too many development resources and diminish design flexibility. Demos have seemingly fallen by the wayside. And as I sat in my wet chair with a half-shaven mustache and conditioner still in my hair, I pondered what happened to the shooting stars of video game culture, their demos. I can’t get enough of the stuff, so when the developers announced a demo for Viewfinder was available I sprinted out of the shower to download it immediately. It’s a perception-based puzzle game, similar to Superliminal. It will be available on other PC platforms in the next week or two.I’ve been waiting for a game called Viewfinder for a while now. Glenn Pierce in creating puzzles for his “SomnaSculpt Dream Therapy” program? The level editor is available today on PC for Windows, Linux, and macOS through Steam. This is a game about breaking expectations and thinking outside the box. Everything is the opposite of what you think it is? That’s not correct either. In this game, everything is exactly what it seems to be! Wait, no… that’s not right. As you complete puzzles to get to the next exit, certain patterns and truths become more apparent. You play as someone who wakes up in a surprisingly lucid dream. Superliminal is a single-player first-person puzzle game that uses perception as a mechanic. The devs have created a few demo levels and uploaded them to the Workshop already, to help players get a sense of what can be done with the editor. The devs can’t wait to see what gets made! The devs have included a standard collection of objects from the main game, but they encourage players to import their own and get creative with it. Starting today, players can now create their own puzzles and levels, using any 3D models that they wish. This was just the first step of a much larger project. Pillow Castle Games initially launched the model importer alongside Superliminal’s Steam release, allowing players to import any 3D model into the Workshop, adjust its behaviors, and then bring it into the main game via the Workshop’s soda machine. Conan Exiles – Mounts guide and map locations.Last Oasis Quality Guide with Tips & Tricks.Conan Exiles Rhino Guide and Map Locations.Conan Exiles – Isle of Siptah Achievement Guide.Top 10 tips to help you master Planet Zoo.Clue/Cluedo: The Classic Mystery Game Review.
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