So.Many.Demos.

In the last two weeks or so Xbox Live has been met with a deluge of game demos. I get excited about demos. For me a demo of a really anticipated game is like opening a present on Christmas Eve and getting a taste of what kind of awesome presents are in store on Christmas Day. I spent the last few days playing three of these demos to see what is in store for my holiday season this year.

The first of my game demos was Stranglehold. There is a very simple way to describe this experience...it's like participating in a John Woo movie. Seriously, that's it and it's wonderful. It's like a crazy action roller coaster the whole way through and I love it. There is also a Gallagher level of watermelon in this demo. Is the full game going to be this filled with fruit? I mean I'm not really complaining too much because the particle effects involved in bits of melon flying everywhere are fantastic. It really does feel like the Chiquita Banana woman should be walking through the game world though...

Next on the list was actually Beautiful Katamari. Don't freak out on me because I know this demo hit after the Bioshock demo. The thing is Bioshock took an assload of time to download and I was bored so I was trying to find something else to do in the meantime. Beautiful Katamari is...well it's more Katamari. That really isn't a terrible thing at all and the game looks nice and crisp and plays pretty well. I do admit to being pretty annoying by the analog sticks on the 360 pad for this game though. It doesn't bother me because the sticks suck but rather because they are not on the same physical line like the duel shock and it makes controlling the Katamari feel kind of strange. I'm sure I'll get used to it but it still bothered me at first. I really hope this game doesn't come in at more than $40. I love Katamari because it's so damn relaxing but I refuse to pay more than $40 for something that really isn't much improved from previous titles.

Last, but certainly not least, I finally got my hands on the Bioshock demo. There really isn't much more I can say beyond all the things you've probably already read on the web. I can say though that this demo elevated my excitement for this game from high to OMFGNEEDTHISGAMENOW. I don't generally get excited for game releases but I am pumped for this one. This game is everything I desired it to be. The world feels so unique but also genuine and I believe that Rapture could be an actual place. The game has amazing atmosphere and scared the shit out of me right in the first 5 minutes. The game engine is so convincing that I honestly thought I was still in the middle of a cutscene at the beginning of the game. I was actually starting to get pissed off that nothing was happening until I absolutely bumped my control stick and realized, this was no cut scene. The weapons and powers are so well integrated and different that I can't wait to see the variety of the rest of the weapons in the final product. I really am excited to go get this game on Tuesday, come home, turn off the lights and increase the sound, and get sucked into Rapture hardcore.

I really do love this whole demo experience. Back in my day you had to either blindly buy a game or rent it when it finally came out. I love being able to download a demo and see what a game is like before it's even released. Technology for the win!