In today's Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Dracosummoner talks about a game that sold him with its demo and then let him down in full release. Has that ever happened to you?
Have you ever played a demo that you absolutely loved, one that instantly convinced you to go out and play the real game ... which turned out to be a disappointment in comparison?
My poster-child example would definitely have to be Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions. The demo mission was simple in formula — destroy a bunch of Yakuza members' cars by plowing into them with your own car or forcing them into walls — but it was simply a joy to play.
Before I got into the Halo series, this demo was what originally convinced me to want an Xbox at all, since Playstation 2 and GameCube ports hadn't been announced at the time. The actual game, however, suffered from strange, out-of-place objectives, such as having to push someone else's car along a very narrow underground bridge with no side rails, as well as an overall lack of polish in the level and mission design. Now I kind of wish I could have just played that demo over and over.
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here. Oh, and that pre-made image thing? Novel the first time, but don't expect it to work twice.