One of the really neat features of this Xbox Live business is the idea of the downloadable demo. I have a bunch of said demos for Live Arcade games, and sometimes they provide enough entertainment that I don’t need to download the full game. For example, the first bit of Sonic the Hedgehog is probably enough, since if I could, I’d download Sonic the Hedgehog 2 instead. Boom Boom Rocket is good for some fun, so sometimes I may drop by that game despite not wanting to throw down 800 Microsoft points for the full version. Dig Dug is fun and brings back fond memories, and if I had extra cash to use, I’d probably download it, but I don’t know if I’d really play more than a few levels anyhow.
On the other hand, some demos provide too much gameplay. Spyglass Board Games sounded like a good idea. It had chess, which the Live Arcade was sorely lacking. However, upon playing the demo, I found that the player’s point-of-view is absolutely terrible. It’s not a straight bird’s eye view of the board, which makes it really hard to see what’s going on. While one probably doesn’t play chess on a real board with a bird’s eye view, in real life, one would likely have more peripheral vision. You can kind of straighten Spyglass‘ chess board out to a bird’s-eye view, but it sort of cuts off a bit of the board at the bottom. I don’t wanna sound too picky, but if I can’t choose a clear view of the board, then what’s the point?
Of course, demos can also lead to purchases, and for all the free play I’ve gotten, Microsoft has squeezed money after I ponied up the dough for the full versions of games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. While this was a new game for me, most Live Arcade downloads I have bought have tended to be old classics, like Galaga and Mrs. Pac Man.
