Dust: An Elysian Tale Xbox 360 Demo Review 10/10

    After playing the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo, I’m left with a very positive first impression. The demo introduced me to the world of the game, quickly threw me into spectacular combat, and then politely said it’s goodbyes. It didn’t waste my time. It didn’t repeatedly ask me to stay. It was a simple meet and greet that leaves me walking away with a smile on my face.

    The first thing you’ll notice about the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo is the gorgeous artwork that comes to life on screen. At the end of the demo a bullet point list tells how all the artwork is hand painted. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it myself. In a world of increasingly realistic experiences it’s nice to have a game like this to come back to. It’s 2D world is full of vibrant sprites that never leave you wanting more even though you’re only moving in the x and y directions. Much of the fun to be had in this game is the visual explosion of colors and characters as the main character, Dust, flies around whirling his magical sword. The demo had some tricks up it’s sleeve as it dimmed the lights in sections accenting specific hues. I can see how the developer could easily treat the player by adding in weather effects like rain or lightning to further the enjoyment to be had in the game.

(Screenshots don’t really do this game justice in the visual department. You’ll have to try it for yourself.)

     The characters remind me of any assortment of animes that you’ve probably already seen but it doesn’t hinder their quality. Dust is some sort of human fox that sprouts angelic wings for short bursts to double jump. He carries a magical sword, Ahrah, that is also a character. They’re both followed by Fidget, a cute and cuddly flying fox that helps you in battle. They’re all fully voiced. Fidget in particular sticks out because she sounds like your stereotypical anime sidekick, but her dialogue is written and delivered very well. Fidget is also very funny. I found myself smiling at some of the silly things she would say.

    In the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo you don’t get enough of the story to see where it’s going, but like many open world games, the environment was tiding me over. They created such a beautiful world that I am excited to learn more about it even though the demo was lacking story beats. In it’s defense, I’m glad they let what the demo does best do the talking.

    The music wasn’t anything special. The soundtrack is mostly background, but listening to your enemies get sliced by your sword was quite satisfying. Again, it’s your normal assortment of hack and slash sounds, but they’re very important nonetheless. While playing the game you’re fighting and juggling many characters so the extra emphasis on sonic feedback never hurts. Well, I guess it hurts the antagonists...

    Besides the graphics, the real fun of the game lies in the combat. It’s easy to initiate combos, launch enemies into the air, and no matter what you do it’s going to look pretty. Your skill comes into play when you find yourself narrowly dodging an enemies attack or juggling multiple combos for maximum damage and experience. It reminds me of Devil May Cry because your main attack is with your sword but you can extend combos by using your ranged attack.

    This demo really showed me a blueprint of what demos should be. They should be short and sweet. I was having fun 19 out of the 20 minutes I played. It only asked me to purchase the game twice; once after receiving an achievement and once after finishing the demo. The end of the demo was quite a treat as well. Instead of just blocking my progress and fading to black, I was met by a specialized demo cutscene, and then it faded to black. It was just a little wink that let me know the developer took the extra time.

    Dust: An Elysian Tale receives my first 10/10. As a demo, I couldn’t have asked for more.

    I will be buying this game, but not at the $15 price point. Maybe I’m just cheap, but with all the sales going on recently, and how long ago this game came out, I’d be more comfortable picking it up for $5. It’s replayability could be high with it’s many difficulty levels, but I only see myself playing through this game once. I will be waiting for the inevitable price drop.

- lvl 99

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo Review 9.5/10

    It’s getting dark. I was told that monsters come in the night. I don’t know what kind and I don’t want to know. I’ve decided my best option is to add a combination of dirt and wood to what looks to be a broken house. Half of the walls are there and if I can just build them up and enclose myself, I should be ok. My blood pressure rises as I realize that I don’t have enough blocks to fully enclose this house. I then decide to stagger the blocks (every other) so that nothing will be able to get inside. Whatever is out there will be able to see me and smell me, but hopefully not eat me.

    It’s now dark. Correction. It is now pitch black. I’m hiding in a corner of my ceiling-less house. I hear something. It sounds like faint hissing. I look out the makeshift window to see the only light in the area right now. What was that?! Something just walked past the two torches in the distance. It was too fast for my eyes to discern.

    I’m being attacked. I can’t see. The hissing is now immediate. I’m trapped and my hearts are quickly dwindling. I have to get out. I have to run...

    This is my second playthrough. I hope this one goes better. I’m not wasting any time so instead of waiting around in the tutorial area, I run to the small town I’ve been promised. It consists of a church, a well, and a couple of houses dotting a very short cement road. I’m impressed. There’s a person. Maybe one of the people who built and lives in this place? Something seems to be wrong with him. Trying to play it safe, I run inside one of the well built houses and shut the door behind me. This one has a ceiling. Sure enough, as this person walks up to the door, I can see that he seems to be a zombie and therefore a threat. It begins to rain. A tarantula is now also knocking on the door. But I’m safe. And there’s a bed here. I’ve been taught that if I sleep, then in the morning all my problems will go away. I hope the door holds.

    In the morning my guests are still waiting to get in. I’m trapped yet again. I don’t seem to have many options. I can’t go out the door. If I break down one of the walls, then I’ll just continue to be running. I could try to dig my way out, but that didn’t work last time. Then it dawns on me. I can run up. I can build myself steps leading out of the ceiling. I do this and escape as the zombie and tarantula miss my exit. I’m now standing on the roof of a house three doors down. I’m looking out on the vast landscape ahead of me wondering what other adventures await. This is Minecraft.

    The Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo perfectly represents the full game experience in a bite size trial. This game had a timer, but it was done in such a discreet way, not showing on screen until I had 3 minutes left. I have no idea how long I had played before that. This is a good sign that the game is fun and the timed trial was done right.

    The graphics and sound work incredibly well together. They’re both conducive to imagination and creativity which is what this game is about. Everything is made out of blocks, and though this may seem simple, it allows the player to think of something and build it just like that, one block at a time. There’s no need to plan out your project before you begin unless, of course, you want to.

The sound reminds me of the background music you would hear right before a light bulb appears over the head of your favorite Looney Toons character. Like the graphics and art style, it feels as though it’s aiding you in your creative thought processes. And when you're in danger, the music ups the ante, creating a sense of urgency that’s at both times fun and scary.

Throughout the demo I was asked If I wanted to purchase the game because I kept unlocking achievements. Usually this would happen after I crafted something for the first time. The game wouldn’t pause, but I lost control of my character until I essentially answered yes or no. It wasn’t annoying the first time, but the 5 or so times after that began to upset me. It would have been better if the demo would have just told me the first time that subsequent achievements would not be saved. That would have been enough. Minecraft doesn’t need help selling itself. The achievement reminders weren’t necessary.

The Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo has a robust tutorial that gives you options the entire way through. It starts you off with the basics of building and steadily works it’s way up. In fact, in the tutorial area of the demo the night and day cycle seemed to be drastically slowed down, if there at all. This allows you to experiment without feeling the rush of danger the night brings. The tutorial pops up when you begin to do something new, and if at any time you’d like to skip it, it gives you that option too.

One negative about the tutorial is that it does take out some of what makes Minecraft special. Instead of letting the player figure out all the inventions they can create, one at a time, the demo shows you everything from the start. I believe that in the PC version you had to think of everything and then actually create it. In the demo, and probably the full game, you’re given most every recipe you need. I understand that Minecraft on Xbox 360 is being marketed to a different audience than on PC, but still. It does detract from the overall experience, but for the demo it makes sense.

I played the demo twice and each time had a very different experience. I can’t say exactly how long those sessions lasted, but I never felt like it wasn’t enough. Not to say that I was tired of it, on the contrary, I wanted to play again. That’s one of the reasons this trial shines over others. The Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo boasts one of the most replayable demos ever and I didn’t even get a taste of the easily accessible split screen multiplayer.

I hope you liked the stories I told at the beginning of this review. I certainly enjoyed sharing them. I decided to start the Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo Review in this way because that’s what this game is about. Some of the best game experiences I’ve ever had are the ones that lend themselves to easily sharing with other people. The game does this and it does it better than any game I’ve played since Grand Theft Auto III.

The Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Demo receives a 9.5/10. It’s a near perfect demo that gives you so much freedom that even if you didn’t buy the game, you could be entertained for hours.

    If our resident Lord of the Rings expert, Skye, didn’t already purchase a copy of Minecraft for me, I would be buying this game at full price. Thanks dude!

One thing to note if you’re going to buy it, consider whether you would like to have a more original Minecraft experience. I believe you would find that in the PC version. It’s a trade-off though because the Xbox 360 Edition has split screen and Xbox Live co-op. With all this said, I assure you that even if you don’t do your research, you’re going to have a great time.

- lvl 99

Little Big Planet Karting PS3 Demo Review 7/10

    When this game was first announced I thought, “Oh look! It’s that game they should have made instead of ModNation Racers.” When Sony was pushing its Play, Create, Share campaign I knew this game would be made and I was confused why they didn’t just get on with an LBP kart racing game right away. I have played ModNation Racers and it’s a great game, but when LBP Karting came to be I was a little apprehensive about it. To me it seemed like it was probably going to be a clone of ModNation with Sack People instead of vinyl figures. However at the same time I was pretty excited to see Sackboy behind the spongy wheel of a tiny cardboard monster truck. I love the Little Big Planet franchise already so they at least roped me in with those cute button eyes. So I fired up the demo and gave it a spin. Get it, spin?

    When the demo starts you are shown a live action video like the ones from the Little Big Planet games only this time its all about people daydreaming and imagining things while behind the wheel. Which is, as always, a great way to deliver the idea behind LBP and it reminds you of all the crazy things you have daydreamed of while stuck in traffic. I know we’ve all had the same thoughts at one time or another: if only my car could fly or I wish I could launch a rocket at this jackass who won’t change lanes in front of me! Well, in LBP Karting, you can!

    Then came the part of the demo that I found pretty annoying: the dreaded forced tutorial. Like all LBP titles before it, Karting doesn’t throw you to any main menu after the intro video, instead it puts you right into the game. Since it was my first time playing, I got the tutorial. However, just like vanilla LBP, LBP Karting’s tutorials are fully voiced by that cleverly charming Englishman that somehow makes the whole ordeal bearable. Although I could have skipped the tutorial through the pause screen, I still found it slightly irritating that I wasn’t given the choice right off the bat. But it is through this tutorial that you choose whether you want to use the R2 button or the X button to accelerate.

After the tutorial you are then dropped into your Pod. For those of us who are unfamiliar to the Little Big Planet series, this is the area from which you jump into games and customize your Sackperson and your Kart. All of which are explained to you in the demo. This is one part of the demo that really shined because you actually have a decent number of options for customizing your kart and driver. You can build your kart from cardboard, paper, balloons, egg cartons, and more. From there you can hand pick everything from the wheels to the seat to the suspension of your vehicle. So if you want to drive a tank, you’ve got it. Or maybe you want a hovercraft? Even in the demo you have a wide range of possible combinations to create. Just click the random kart button a few dozen times to see firsthand.

    After I spent some time editing my ride, I jumped into the game itself. This demo has three playable levels: a standard race, a open area battle royale, and a game where you control a monster truck thrashing, robot dinosaur machine. The racing mode played like any kart racing game you’ve played before. You drive around the track while avoiding the weapons launched at you by your opponents. You can drift around curves just like games you’ve played before and you pick up weapons to use yourself. However there is a gameplay mechanic that was new to me for kart racing games that I learned from the tutorial: defensive weapons. The way this works is that some weapons, for example a box of explosives you can drop behind you, give you the ability to block incoming attacks. Whenever you are holding such a weapon and an opponent launches an attack at you, a blue shield pops up on the back of your kart signaling that, if you time your shot right, you can block the attack and suffer no ill effects. This is handy for when you finally get into first place and all the fire is on you. But on the flip side, you really feel the tension when you’ve got that lead and you are without defenses!

    The race in the demo was challenging but not too difficult and the track was gorgeous and very Little Big Planet in theme. I was able to get first both times I played, but never did I hold a constant lead.

    Then I tried the all out battle mode. This took me back to the days of the Super Nintendo Mario Kart, playing the battle mode with its hectic open areas and the constant barrage of weapons flying. This game nailed that feel in every way. There were multiple levels of elevation on the course with plentiful weapons and equally destructive road hazards. I could see this mode becoming a favorite to play among friends and rivals on and offline.

    The third mode of this game was a little harder to take in on the first time through. In it you control a robotic dinosaur machine from a top-down perspective and you are tasked with destroying as many monster trucks as you can in the time allowed. You can do this either by running them down or launching fireballs at them. Both of which were equally satisfying as you watch the little trucks ignite. I didn’t do very well at this, but I think that with a little practice and maybe more direction from the game I could get better.
   
    The most disappointing part of this demo was that you cannot create your own tracks or even edit the existing ones provided in the demo. This seemed very odd since it is really the whole point of Little Big Planet. So I didn’t get to see what the track building was like, but if their previous games are any clue it’s likely very good and simple to use.

    All in all I give this demo a 7 out of 10. While all the actual gameplay is really fun and the customization options are surprisingly robust for a demo, the forced tutorial and mostly the lack of a track building demo were quite disappointing. I do recommend playing this demo though to see its merits and see where it stands in the world of kart racing games. Playing the demo does make me want to buy the game, but this is mostly due to the fact that I’m already a fan of Little BIg Planet. But if you’re looking for a really fun new kart racing game with a unique soul, go check out Little Big Planet Karting.

- Skye

Dear Backlog Ep. 1

Dear Backlog is happy to share our first of many weekly podcasts! In episode 1 we talk about Spike VGA game announcements and trailers! We talk about our never ending backlog! And we figure out the real meaning behind "Red Dead Redemption".

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch PS3 Demo Review 7/10

 
    I’ve been looking forward to the PS3 dream-team mash-up of LEVEL-5 and Studio Ghibli ever since my heart got ripped out upon hearing the DS version wasn’t going to see US release. Luckily, the Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch demo was the last hope I needed to allow myself to get excited.

    Studio Ghibli is known for it’s gorgeous art and fantastical dialogue, but LEVEL-5 is certainly no slouch in that department. The first thing that the demo does is show it’s best part; it’s trump card. It’s simple, but quite effective. All you need is to see what the game seems to be animating with brilliant brush strokes to realize your time spent in this game is going to be magical. Not only is the narrative based on magic, but the artists have somehow crafted magical art. I never needed to know that I started the demo in a magical forest. I could see it. I could feel it. As you traverse the demo you’re met with bright bursts of contrasting colors that look as though they were delicately hand painted minutes before. None of the world is realistic. Instead, they trade texture for heightened fantasy that screams The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Studio Ghibli is often compared to the golden days of Disney, and after 5 minutes in the world, I got the same feeling I received when first seeing any number of Disney classics as a child.

 

    The music and voice over in the demo adds to the whimsical setting the art cascades. During the demo, the music stays light and pretty in the background while occasionally taking the forefront for a second or two. It made my soul bounce to it’s beautiful cadence as if I was singing along using the controller as my voice. The voiced dialogue makes the world jump out of the story book setting by further informing you as to who these characters really are. The protagonist, Oliver, looks and feels as if he doesn’t quite understand what is going on, but all the same is pushing forward to save his mother. This was confirmed by his voice. The actor spoke with naivety and wonderment, but also with purpose. I was happy I could read him. His confidante, Drippy, with his childlike nickname, looks harmless and innocent. This proved to be opposite as his dialogue was blunt and comical while the actor’s voice had a pirate-like quality. I was pleasantly surprised that I read this character completely wrong.

    Sadly, as soon as they win you over, they simultaneously push you away. After picking between two different points in the game, they drop you in, and then launch a timer. A dreadful timer that’s thirty minutes for the first part, and three minutes for the second. Granted the second part of the demo was timed thematically, but the first was arbitrarily thrown in there to make you speed through. I have never played a demo where a timer is fun, and this one proved not only stressful, but also unnecessary. Once you get to a certain point in the demo it leads you back to the title screen anyway, and it just so happened that by then, I still had 2 minutes left. This part of the demo let you roam the world map, so I understand what they were thinking when implementing the timer, but it’s so counter to what the strengths of this demo were. I wanted to stop and look at the wonderful imagery they’ve afforded me, but I simply couldn’t because I felt rushed.

    It didn’t help that there was no tutorial in the game. Well, let me correct myself. There was a large book that was filled with tips and tricks for the game, but since I was on a countdown, I didn’t feel as though I had time to read them. This led me to dying horribly against the first boss, which also happened to be the first monster you fight. I was greeted by a game over screen that left me feeling inadequate within the first five minutes. On attempt number two I managed to withstand the monster until my character retrieved a “one-shot” orb. This left me wondering how in-depth the battles in Ni no Kuni would be.

Battles happen in real-time, only pausing to switch characters.

    Later on, during the second part of the demo, I got a better sense of how battles played out. I saw many more delightful creatures and noticed that there is a weakness/resistance mechanic in the game. I never understood it well enough to really take advantage, but it seemed fun and simple. The controls of the Ni no Kuni Demo were quite bizarre though, as I couldn’t figure out how to call out attacks most effectively. It always felt like I was one step behind, and I found myself accidentally switching to the wrong characters.

    Throughout both parts of the demo you’re given hints at the overarching plot. The Ni no Kuni Demo does introduce you to the driving force of the game by telling you that Oliver’s mother died and now he’s trying to save her. You’re also introduced to the main baddie, but other than that, the demo leaves you feeling that the full game may deal with a heavier plot than the visuals would portray.

    The Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch demo started off strong, offering it’s beautiful painting for you to jump into. But just as quickly, it proves too good to be true. When the timer magically appears in the corner, you realize there is dark magic in this game. I’d rather have my eyes solely on the life of the world, then split time with a clock that’s counting down. But just as everyone would undoubtedly agree, it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

    One thing that deserves mentioning is that this game is still more than a month out. It doesn’t release until January 22. This concerns me because by that time, the demo won’t be as relevant. Normally, I like to play a demo two weeks or less before release. Definitely no more than a month before release. By the time January 22, 2013 rolls around, I’ll have forgotten about this demo and I fear many people who played and liked the demo will forget about this game. Timing isn’t everything, but the way this demo implements it certainly isn’t helping.

 
    The Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Demo receives a 7/10. It’s a beautiful mix of great and good parts, but very much tainted by the stress the clock lays on. It is still worth your time, and I suggest you download it.

    I will buy this game for the full $60. I think it’s worth it as a sum of it’s parts, but for me it would also be worth it for just the way it makes me feel; like a kid again.

-lvl 99

Guardians of Middle Earth PS3 Demo Review 9/10

Guardians of Middle Earth is the new MOBA (that is Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game just released for PS3 and Xbox 360. For those of us who are unfamiliar with this genre of game, it works basically like this: you control one character, in this case referred to as a Guardian, and you run down a lane from your base towards your enemy’s base whilst destroying defense towers that will hinder your ultimate goal of blowing up your enemy’s base. You are followed by a bunch of AI soldiers who will help you fight off opposing Guardians and, for the most part, simply be cannon fodder for the towers while you pick away at the tower’s health bar. Other players online then control different Guardians so the whole thing is a team effort. I had played a little League of Legends (a popular MOBA game) before and never really got into it, but if you throw a little Lord of the Rings into the mix I gladly give the genre another go.

This game starts off with a cinematic featuring Gandalf and his heroes of good against the Witch-King of Angmar and his dastardly group of evildoers. Plus Gollum who promptly tries to eat Gandalf’s face. An action-packed brawl commences with weapons and spells flying, and at one point I had to wonder how this scene made it past the copyright department at Marvel. Then just as the Heroes seem to have won the day Sauron himself steps into the fray. This has got to be good, right?

Middle Earth's Mightiest Heroes

This demo came in the form of a 60 minute trial so as a demo it's really just the full game with a timer. In this trial you are given various famous characters such as Gandalf, Eowyn, Gollum, and Legolas to use as your player characters. However there were some pretty cool side stage names a fan would recognise from the books like Beregond of Gondor, and Thrain the Dwarf that are also playable characters. There are some named orcs from the books for the evil side of the battle as well.

As the trial begins you are prompted to undertake the tutorial before jumping into the action, which I begrudgingly did even though tutorials usually are pretty tedious and unnecessary if you have half a brain to learn the mechanics. Seeing as how I’m pretty much a complete novice to this type of game I figured I could use all the help I could get. However I discovered that this tutorial was pretty straightforward and was over in no time at all.

After the tutorial finished and I exited back to the main menu, the game (like all trials) asked me if I wanted to unlock the full game. It did this also every time I finished a match. All in all, one of the least annoying trials I’ve played as far as nagging you to buy the game. 

Then it was time for the real action. At first the game only allows you to play an offline AI match, with no human teammates or opponents. Maybe if I were a MOBA veteran this would have annoyed me, but for the sake of a demo review, I preferred to rule out the possibility of some internet jackass ruining my experience so I only played offline. They give you the option of a single-lane match, with one road from yours to your enemy’s stronghold, and a three-lane match. First I played the three-lane choice and chose my Guardians and started play. The game starts and you are off towards your foe with your allied Guardians in step barrelling down the road. Soon your little minion soldiers spawn and bring up the rear and the action commences immediately with the quick death of one side’s Guardian. In this first instance it was, of course, me. But that didn’t hinder me and I had soon bagged my own kills and leveled up multiple times. The game has a simple level up system where you choose which special ability to improve then back to killing. Later you can choose to upgrade your troops and defense towers, which are just as easy to execute. After a long and drawn out battle, the forces of Mordor overcame the Free Peoples and I was sent back to the main menu in shame. However, I had increased my rank and could now unlock a few more features of the game. Of course I would have to buy the game to explore these features as my time was running short.

What I, sadly, could not do...

So I quickly launched a single-lane matchup, which promised quick brutality and set off again. The promise was promptly fulfilled and I was brutally defeated again. Perhaps I should have enlisted the aid of some more experienced allies online...

All in all this was a pretty great trial that I’d rank a 9/10. Not intrusive at all in its attempts to take your money and the time limit is long enough that you can get a good feel for the title. After playing this trial I would think about buying the game at some point, but it doesn’t immediately grab a spot on my priorities list. At $15 it seems like a pretty good deal, but you do have to pay another $15 for the season pass to access all of the playable characters. But if you’re into MOBA games and the Lord of the Rings, give this game a try. It may just be pitched battles between high-ranking names from the LOTR canon, but it’s very well made and pretty fun. Even if I was sorely defeated.

-Skye, Resident Lord of the Rings Expert

LEGO The Lord of the Rings PS3 Demo Review 10/10

Just to be clear, I am a huge fan of both the Lord of the Rings series and Lego games. That being said I’d like to think that I can put my franchise bias aside and give an impartial review for this game’s demo. Although, I don’t think that my bias should be an issue in this case because this demo was pretty amazing.

The segment of the game provided for play here was the Battle of Helm’s Deep as seen in the Two Towers movie featuring the original voice work from the movie to boot. So after a short cinematic from the film, done in Lego style with humorous details added, you are thrown into the beginning of the epic battle with the legendary trio of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Right away you are directed to use the characters various unique abilities and new inventories that make each character different and useful to game play. For instance, Gimili’s axe can be used to shatter cracked slabs of stone and Legolas can use his bow to shoot at targets from afar to trigger switches or you can switch to his dual daggers for a more personal approach to combat. And quite possibly best of all, you soon discover Aragorn’s special ability to toss Gimili the Dwarf at your enemies and puzzle switches alike!

This brings me to combat, which in my opinion, has always been the Lego series most lackluster aspect. This was my first concern when the demo started up in a huge battle scene. My doubts were soon put to rest as the combat in this game while still not hack-n’-slash caliber, was fun and even challenging at times. The fight has your characters in a struggle against incoming siege ladders that you must knock down by using all three characters unique skills all the while fighting the Orcs that slip by. Then, just as in the movie, when the battle seems most hopeless, Aragorn and the King Theoden saddle up and ride out to meet the oncoming horde. This puts the players in control of the riders and their horses as they charge through the legions of orcs that mass outside the walls where you slash at your foes while hitting targets to collect more Lego coins. Then in epic cinematic style, Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan ride into the valley to secure victory for the besieged heroes. Obviously this portion of the demo might come as a spoiler to anyone who knows absolutely nothing about the Lord of the Rings franchise, but such a person likely doesn’t have any interest in this game anyway.

           When the demo concludes, you are shown a quick screen tempting you to run out and immediately purchase the game with various facts and features of the full game; which admittedly, I was very tempted to run out and immediately purchase. In addition, unlike many horrible demos, I did not feel the game was pressuring me annoyingly to buy the game and at least it didn’t just fade to black while I was still trying to play it. (Yeah, I’m talking to you, Tony Hawk.) Then the game gracefully goes back to the main menu where you may succumb to the desire to press start and do it all over again.

Final verdict: 10/10 (theres the bias). I was already going to buy this game before I played this demo so I can’t say whether or not it would have persuaded me either way. That being said, playing this demo has moved this game up on my list of priorities. So if you’re at all a Lego or Lord of the Rings fan or if you’re looking for a fun game to play, que up this demo. It's a short download and a fun and epic ride.

-Skye

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Xbox 360 Demo Review 8/10

Over the last decade, Sega hasn’t been able to get a regular Sonic game right, but every time they make an All-Stars game they win gold. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed looks to follow this new tradition. The Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo is a straight to the fun test drive that gives the nostalgic arcade racer a new game to get excited about.

Most critics nowadays don’t like “Sonic” games, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like Sonic and the cast of characters that follow him around. The first thing you’ll notice about this demo is the way it takes full advantage of not only the flagship hedgehog IP, but also every other IP Sega has. Every course seems to be tailored after a specific Sega game world. In the demo you get to race on a Panzer Dragoon course and a Golden Axe course. I doubt fans of those games will be drawn to this game just because of a course or character from their favorite game, but regardless it really infuses the world of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed with unique backdrop and characters. Just like Mario Kart draws from its lush Nintendo library, Sega does the same with equal or dare I say better success.

Just like any great arcade racer you remember continuing countless times, this one follows the same formula. I’ve already said how the roster and courses harken back to the old days. It seems everything else does too. When you first start the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo you’re met with an intense cut scene of the cast racing with power-ups and flashy colors accompanied by a zany instrumental. The colors jump out from the screen and at first, just like the music, it seems to be too much. After playing the demo for about 5 minutes, you quickly realize the whole game seems too much, but then you’re overpowered by the nostalgia of the game, and just as quickly, you buckle yourself in.

In the demo they give you unlimited access to a regular race and a time trial, either of which can be played on an easy, medium, or hard difficulty. These are perfect for a demo, though I found the time trial to be too difficult even on easy. I finally beat the time trial on easy when after about ten tries I found out that you basically had to take the shortcut. I hope that doesn’t continue in the rest of the game.

There was a redeeming factor that could have helped me overcome this challenge that should be looked into further for the full game. In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed you can level up your characters after gaining experience in the races. I’m guessing that if I would have leveled up in the full game, I would have been able to beat this time trial easier. They don’t give you the ability to toy with the character growth mechanic in the demo, but I hope they put enough depth into it so the game can have even more mileage than it already seems to have.

The racing in the game is basically a carbon copy of Mario Kart. I’m not saying that in a particularly bad way, because they do it well and it’s fun. The way Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed attempts to differentiate itself is in the automatic transformation of your vehicles. This does give the game a distinct flare as you’re forced to adjust on the fly. I’m curious as to how this gameplay mechanic will pan out in competitive multiplayer. I was good at driving all the vehicle types except the planes, and someone may be able to edge me out in a race because of this.

At the end of the demo when I tried to exit the game, I was forced to watch a trailer I already voluntarily watched no more than 30 seconds prior. When demos make you do anything like that, it’s always an annoyance, though a small one.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo clocks in at an 8/10. It’s a solid demo that does the trick by simply offering you fun. If you’re into arcade racers, the Sega Brand, or just having a good time, then Sega All-Star Racing Transformed is definitely worth the download.

After playing the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo, sadly, I would not buy the game. The demo is great, but essentially we have played this game before. I would recommend it to die-hard arcade racing fans, but with a backlog like we have, it’s a pretty easy pass.

I would buy this game if it was $15 and I had a child who I could play alongside with. At this point in my life, I have neither of those.

-lvl 99