Is it okay to \"review\" a demo?
What do you guys think about posting one's impressions about a game demo before the game is released?
Personally, I have not problem with a "demo review," as long as it is made clear that the reviewer is only assessing the demo and has not yet played the full game.
But apparently some people take offense at this.
A gaming blog/podcast that I watch recently gave some impressions on the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum demo. They were lambasted by fanboys for judging a game before it was even released, even though the reviewer in question made it clear that these were just his impressions after playing the demo only.
I also posted some thoughts about the B:AA demo after playing it. Of course...I have no fanboys. So no one threw a fit...
But what do you think? Demo impressions: good or bad?
-Book
Comments (8)
I'm conflicted on demo reviews. Since the demo is not final code, as a reviewer mentioning glitches and problems is a bit pointless because you don't know how old the code is and setting up people to think the game potentially has problems is wrong in my opinion. So you can comment on how it plays , is it fun, does it look good, stuff like that but mentioning problems with it i think should be left out of thes tyeps of reviews.\r
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Another reason i'm conflicted is that everyone can download the demo and formulate their own opinion. Its free. So because of that i'm not sure why it's even necessary, you're not beating anyone to the punch really, well i guess silver people need to wait for the demo but everyone who's gold gets it the same time as the reviewer.\r
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So i dunno. I don't read demo impressions personally so i guess that shows were I stand on the topic. I want to know what the impressions are of the full game's final code and I'd prefer to have that information a few days ahead of the release.
Demos are fair game. You would think the publisher would put it's best foot forward so it would make sure the demo really reflects the best parts of the full game. So I think it follows that if the demo blows then the game will also.
\"So you can comment on how it plays , is it fun, does it look good, stuff like that but mentioning problems with it i think should be left out of thes tyeps of reviews.\"\r
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I'm right there with you, Tank. Glitches can and probably will be fixed. I'm talking more along the lines of visuals, the general themes, narratives, etc.\r
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\"Another reason i'm conflicted is that everyone can download the demo and formulate their own opinion. Its free.\"\r
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Again, I totally agree. I think it would be appropriate at the beginning of such a \"review\" to issue a disclaimer encouraging people to play the demo for themselves and formulate their own opinions.
@Venom I totally agree with you that they should be judged on their demo, but there have been many cases where if I judged a game solely on the demo, I would have missed a great experience... for example, Red Faction: Guerilla. I didn't like the demo at all, but after hearing all the positive reviews after release I bought it anyway, and this is currently one of my favorite games.
I think demos are a great way to say \"This is what I saw, this is what I liked, and this is what I want to see int he full version.\"\r
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If you say that it's a demo only, and make it clear that any glitches may be because it's only a demo... then you are golden.\r
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As for a \"review\"? I dunno if it's actually a \"review\" but more of a \"first impressions\" piece. \r
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see what I mean?
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The sunshine is crunchy today Book !
demos are released to boost interest in the game and to give the potential customers a good idea of what to expect from the game.\r
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Most of them have warnings about bugs or glitches...and that its a demo.\r
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So to me...as long as the reviewer gives their impressions of the demo as such and nothing more....then thats fine.\r
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No you can't get a 100% review off of a demo. But chances are if the demo isn't good....then the final product will need some changes or suffer the same impression.