Are demos bad for the industry and developers?

whoelse from PS3Attitude.com:
"Game Demos have been part of the industry for as long as we can remember and offer gamers the chance to try out a game without taking any money from their pockets.

However we ask ourselves, are demos actually bad for the industry and developers?"

[butterfinger]

I could see demos being bad if they are based off of a pretty early build of the game (MotorStorm:PR initial demo), or if a much anticipated game's demo isn't what fans were hoping for (many people with the RE5 demo). Most of the time big-name releases don't see demos for the risk of it not living up to the hype (no pre-launch demo for Gears 2, MGS4, Fable 2, LBP, or Resistance 2). I do think demos are great for certain games, however, as sometimes a demo (especially for new IP) will make you want to buy the game (Mirror's Edge's demo got a couple of my friends on board). At least demos are always good for gamers:)

[himdeel]

I also think that when company's do offer demos they should be fairly recent/newer builds of a game. It should ALWAYS offer a good quality, stable taste of what a full build of a game can offer.

A company should never offer an extremely old build of a game as a demo that is super glitchy and frustrating to play ONLY to counter with, "It's just the demo...", knowing full well the finished product is equally as bad.

I think the Killzone 2 demo is an example of an old build demo that is good quality. Also Mirrors Edge demo was a good quality that I believe was an older build demo. The first Motorstorm:PR demo wasn't so good quality imo and I believe was an older build. The Dead Space demo although it came later was a good quality demo but I'm not certain of the time of the build.

[Trollimite]

any one who played the iron man demo knows this. i was going to buy the game because th movie was so awesome then a played the demo and it was the worst thing ever

on the other hand the afro samurai demo that came out yesterday made me go to a 24 hour walmart to pick it up

i guess its a double edge sword

[BigPappaPump]

You took the word right out of my mouth.

[himdeel]

...I enjoyed the demo much more than I thought I would. I'd consider buying it at a discounted price. The presentation of the game drew me in completely. It's pure fan service.

I just wondered if there was more weight added to the great katana swings in the full version. There was no rumble for his attack actions, movement or when feedback when you're hit by an enemy.

[NaiNaiNai]

works both way, im a big ace combat fan, so i thought i would like HAWX, but after playing with it i decided not to get it, T_T after 6 months of waiting. but ninja blade that was completely off my radar poped up on the japan downlaods got it, and i now have a new game on my list.
-nai-

[pixelsword]

-If you think a demo is bad for you, then make a great game, period.

-A demo counters critic and console bias; according to some Killzone 2 reviews, K2 doesn't look better than Gears 2... which is a flat-out lie. I've seen/played both games, and I now know that K2 look better than GeOW 2, but you can't convince people with a bias; luckily I don't have to because I can see for myself and tell others to do so. Overall, Killzone 2 does indeed beat Crysis in terms of quality, action, and things onscreen in the game. sure, Crysis blows away every game in terms of raw power and demos, but the sum does not equal the whole for Crysis as a game.

- I take demos over reviews. If there's a demo out showing a proper sample of abilities of the game, the reviews take a back seat. Rarely can you not get the grasp of what's going on in a demo.

- Bad demos often equal no sale because it represents the game as-is; and if not, then make sure it does. Motorstorm 2's first demo got the thumbs-down from me, but the second demo they put out convinced me to buy the game.