Hey, remember BlackSite? What's that? You don't? Allow us to refresh your memory: Unreal Engine 3, aliens, rain, Clancy-esque squad controls. Ringing any bells? There we go. It seems BlackSite is hoping to make more of an impression, as a new demo has been released on Xbox Live Marketplace. We haven't gotten a chance to take it for a spin yet (it's nearly a gig, so the download is taking its sweet time), but the description lets us know two things. One, it is a new demo, and two, you'll be fighting your way through "the streets and backyards of a small American town." As you well know, there aren't nearly enough backyards in FPS games, so you should probably give BlackSite a try.
Ah, who doesn't love a good demo? It's not quite like getting a free game, but it's close. Every day we turn on our beloved 360, hoping to see some shiny new demos winking at us coquettishly. Suckers that we are, we download them all, regardless of whether or not we're likely to enjoy the game. Today is extra special though, because not only do we have two new demos on Xbox Live Marketplace, but we have demos for games we've been eager to try. The first is Conan, which gives us license to chop, hack, and bludgeon hapless foes (and who doesn't enjoy that?). The second demo is for The Simpsons Game, which has been looking more appealing all the time. We're hoping that the demo gives us a nice long look at the self-referential humor that has been present in the recent trailers. But hey, whatever happens, they're free, right? Go give 'em a try.
Fans of hyper-violent action rejoice, for Conan is on the way. No, not that Conan. We're talking about Conan the barbarian. The kind that pulls men apart with his teeth. THQ has announced that a demo for Conan (not to be confused with the MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures) is scheduled to arrive on XBLM next week. Specifically, the demo should arrive on Monday. To get an idea of what exactly we're in for, you may want to check out Joystiq's impressions of the game from earlier this year.
There really isn't a lot more to say than that is there? Yup, the headline pretty much encapsulates the whole story. We'll just reiterate then, okay? A demo for Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. As with most demos, you will get a chance to sample a small portion of the game. Having sampled the game, you are expected to make a decision regarding the purchase of the full retail game. Ubisoft probably hopes that your decision will be somewhere in the region of "yes." So there you go, download demo, play demo, make decision. Easy, right?
According to the official Stranglehold blog on IGN, a demo should be arriving on Xbox Live Marketplace soon. The demo is finished and has been sent off to Microsoft for approval. In other words, we should see it by early next year. We kid, we kid! The demo is reportedly packed with content including lots of interactive objects and more combat than you can shake a dove at. The demo also contains some "hidden" content and gags as well. We're not sure what that means exactly, but we can't wait to find out.
If you haven't already, we suggest you check out Joystiq's recent hands-on session with the game.
Attention demo lovers, we've got brand new, fresh squeezed demo for you this morning. What in the world could that demo possibly be? Chances are, you've already read the headline and you know it is, in fact, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights. If street racing imported cars on hot nights is your thing, you'd best download it and check it out. If you do, be sure to come back here and tell people what you think.
If you happen to live in Europe (and we know many of you do) you'll probably also want to check out the FlatOut demo that just released too. Now where is that The Darkness demo, hmmmm?
The Rainbow Six: Vegas demo showed up in Europe last week, and now it's available -- the English version -- in Japan as well. Unfortunately, fans in the US are still out of luck, unless they finagled a UK profile or grabbed the latest OXM. Worse, not everybody seems happy with Ubisoft's effort this time around. For those who have played the demo, is everything coming up sevens (or sixes rather) in Vegas?
While gamers in the UK will get their first roulette spin with Rainbow Six: Vegas tomorrow, the demo date for fans in the US isn't so certain. Luckily, the kind-hearted souls at Britain-based Xboxic have published an obvious (and slightly shady) emergency work-around for their mates across the pond.
The current hockey demo showdown (NHL 07 vs NHL 2K7) on XBLM is bringing back fond memories of EA vs. 2K rivalries of yore. For many grid iron gamers, that old football favorite, ESPN NFL 2K5 for Xbox, still compares favorably with the latest Madden in several respects, especially presentation (Half-time highlights with Chris Berman!). Would Madden 07 really be a better game if EA didn't have a monopoly over the NFL license? How do you think the NFL 2K series would have developed given the chance?
A belated multiplayer demo for Far Cry Instincts: Predator is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The 344.48mb download features 1 map and 5 game types for a max of 16 players. People who played this game last Spring will recall that it just didn't seem like enough of an improvement over the well-executed Xbox version to be worth the money. Not that it matters with a free demo.
I just got around to messing with the Just Cause demo for an extended period of time and I have to say it's just so ... mediocre. Blocky characters, loose controls -- another half-baked effort from Eidos. I know this game has its totally overdosed fans (and I know it's a demo) but, aside from Madden, I'm developing a serious aversion to "next-gen" games that are also headed to the PS2.
Reader Ciaran reports that the demo for Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is available in the UK. Can anyone else confirm? And if so, how is it?
By the way, UK gamers can also download something called the "The Cuban Brothers Game With Fame Trailer." That's cool, but I'm not sure about the "fame" part. The only Cuban brothers I know are Fidel and Raul.
Xboxic goes hands-on with The Darkness and seem impressed. They also got their mitts on Splinter Cell: Double Agent, I although I found their take on the latter game a little dismissive. Sure, it's "just another Splinter Cell game," (with plenty of next-gen polish) but since when is that a bad thing?
Posted Jul 31st 2006 8:30PM by Ken Weeks
Filed under: News
Here's your typical pair of 14-year-olds with toddlers in the room exposing some glitches in the demo for one of the year's most non-kid friendly titles, Saints Row.
Posted Jun 20th 2006 2:40AM by Ken Weeks
Filed under: News
Nothing like an un-sourced German gaming site rumor to get your demo date hopes up:
SEGA gave some new info about [Chromehounds] today!
30/06 a theme pack and the demo will be downloadable from marketplace
11/07 a second theme pack will be available.
15/07 part pack 1 will be on the marketplace
15/08 part pack 2
15/09 part pack 3
Sounds good!!!!!!
I read the news on various German game sites, so a link wouldn´t be useful I suppose...
I played Chromehounds at E3 and found it to be pretty generic stuff, but I'd still like to see the demo (with multiplayer) released before the disc hits stores on the 11th of July. Unfortunately, June 30 is a Friday, and we all know MS doesn't release new stuff on Fridays. I'd start hoping for July 3, but a holiday week doesn't sound like a safe bet either.
Ah, who doesn't love a good demo? It's not quite like getting a free game, but it's close. Every day we turn on our beloved 360, hoping to see some shiny new demos winking at us coquettishly. Suckers that we are, we download them all, regardless of whether or not we're likely to enjoy the game. Today is extra special though, because not only do we have two new demos on 
While gamers in the UK will get their first roulette spin with Rainbow Six: Vegas tomorrow, the demo date for fans in the US isn't so certain. Luckily, the kind-hearted souls at Britain-based Xboxic have published an obvious (and slightly shady) emergency work-around for their mates across the pond.
A belated multiplayer demo for Far Cry Instincts: Predator is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The 344.48mb download features 1 map and 5 game types for a max of 16 players. People who played this game last Spring will recall that it just didn't seem like enough of an improvement over the well-executed Xbox version to be worth the money. Not that it matters with a free demo.
I just got around to messing with the Just Cause demo for an extended period of time and I have to say it's just so ... mediocre. Blocky characters, loose controls -- another half-baked effort from Eidos. I know this game has its totally overdosed fans (and I know it's a demo) but, aside from Madden, I'm developing a serious aversion to "next-gen" games that are also headed to the PS2.
Reader Ciaran reports that the demo for Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is available in the UK. Can anyone else confirm? And if so, how is it?
