Rockstar won't let you try before you buy
Category: Xbox 360, Posted: 03/02/2008 at 07:34AM CST by Creighton DeSimone, Staff Writer
Rockstar probably hates you. Secret insider ninjas (actually, VideoGames.com) have informed us that Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network will not be seeing a demo for the year's most anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto 4. A Rockstar representative was quoted as saying, "Most people know the concept of GTA anyway. I don't know that the demo is worth the time and effort."Most people know the concept of driving, but they still take a test drive in a car before the buy it. While it's true that not all games have demos, I think Rockstar is wrong for not putting one out. They are the ones who keep saying that this game is different than their other games. Showing off the new features (i.e. new targeting system!) to players, like myself, who are just burnt out on the GTA franchise would benefit Rockstar enormously.
And not worth the time and effort? My mind is taken back to a certain Halo Beta that was sold with a free copy of Crackdown last year. Normally I am not a sandbox gamer and Crackdown is not a game I would have picked up under normal circumstances. Fortunately, normal circumstances didn't occur. I played the demo. It pulled me right into the Crackdown world and made me want to be a super cop. It showed off just enough of the game play and just enough of the world that I wanted more. I wanted to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I wanted to make gigantic chain explosions. And I wanted orbs.
These days demos are extremely important. And having one that shows me how awesome all the new control and story tweaks are, was probably the only thing that was going to get me to spend my hard earned 60 dollars (er... 65.02 after tax) on GTA this April. I have yet to see anything that I want to do in Liberty City, so the way I see it: no demo from Rockstar, no dollars from me.
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Normally, I agree. And they are EVIL for not releasing a demo. But I would get GTA4 if I had to buy it bundled with Rock Star Table Tennis.
Meh, demo or no demo, I'm buying it either way. Yes, I will buy a game based on blind promise.
You got a problem with that? Then meet me out back. You, me, and my baseball bat can have a...civil discussion.
Heh. I'm way too bored right now...
Oh, I did mean to say--
R* did the right thing in the first place by pushing the game back. The fact that they did this, and didn't just drop a broken game onto the easily pleased masses and laugh all the way to the bank already gives me enough reassurance that they care about the game first, profits second. For good or bad, that's the impression I get.
Oh, and--
"I have yet to see anything that I want to do in Liberty City"
Really? From what I've seen and been hearing, the very first thing I want to do is push someone off of a bridge (or tall building)...the Euphoria physics system is sounding like pure gold.
I wish there was a demo for a lot of reasons...
1) I was a big fan of 1 and 2...yes the birds eye viewed versions...I had the most fun with these mainly because it was a new game and the idea of just driving around and getting as many cops to chase me was fun...since the third came out it has been pretty much the same game over and over again and its boring now...so just hearing gta4 doesn't make me all that excited...a free demo of the game i'll download and try it and if i like it i'll buy it without hesitation...
2) it takes place in liberty city which IS new york city...being a person who lives there watching the first trailer of the game got me really excited...i want to see more of nyc and see how similar it really is...problem is the idea of it taking place in my backyard doesn't warrant $60 if its as mediocre as the rest...
3) demos get me really excited about games and help me choose between one or the other...for instance skate vs. tony hawks latest p.o.c. after playing the skate demo i knew i had to own it...Playing the demo would help me figure out if i want gta4 over another game coming out in april...specifically nintendo's mario kart