Has a demo ever affected your choice?

[Master Kuja]

Definitely.

Magicka demo put me off buying it.
Crysis 2 MP demo put me off buying it.
Bulletstorm demo has put me off buying it.

Amnesia demo is making me buy it.
The demo for Recettear also made me very interested, so it made me buy that too.

Demos have been vital for me in saving me a shit load of money, as well as spending some on otherwise overlooked games.

 

[norwegian-guy]

Yes! In fact it's the only reason I play demos.

 

[manythings]

Ofcourse they do, that is the whole idea of demos

My question was what demos and why.

I get chastised for the last one, because it's evidently ridiculous to base your opinions off a demo because they have nothing to do with the game or something.

That's kind of true but it really depends on how old the demo is since a demo can be done and put out months in advance of a release so who knows what they have changed in the meantime.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

I think the only demo I've played in a long time is the Left 4 Dead demo and that made me want it instantly.
Downloading the Dragon Age 2 demo right now and it'll either make me want it more or turn me off about it. I'm more sure of the former~

 

[shadyh8er]

YES! I'm a firm believer in the "try before you buy" policy. For me, buying a game is a serious decision that shouldn't be made on impulse alone. Same reason I don't pre-order games.

 

[Xanadu84]

Certainly. I was going to avoid Magicka, but the Demo was brilliant. I was late to the Civ party, but Civ 5 Demo made me hop on board, and one week and a hundred hours later, my only regret was that Civ might be TOO good. Ive avoided games I wanted to buy untill I played the demo too, but those have since passed from my memory.

 

[manythings]

I think the only demo I've played in a long time is the Left 4 Dead demo and that made me want it instantly.
Downloading the Dragon Age 2 demo right now and it'll either make me want it more or turn me off about it. I'm more sure of the former~

PC or Xbox DA2 demo?

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

PC or Xbox DA2 demo?

Xbox. I have a Steam but my LIVE account is my main console.

 

[C95J]

I only usually get the demo if I am going to buy the game when it is released.

But sometimes the demo is the deciding factor to whether I get the game or not. The most recent example I can think of is when I played the Civ 5 demo, but then decided not to get it after playing it.

 

[UnderCoverGuest]

Yes. I downloaded the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo, and went from wanting it, to really, reeeeeally-going-to-buy-it-the-day-it-came-out wanting it.

And I did.

 

[General Torg]

Several times. A good demo is usually the only reason why I buy a game that isn't on sale.

 

[Infesord]

I know a few games I bought the full game too after playing through the demo. Off hand I can remember the Prey Demo, Saints Row 1 Demo and the Demo for VVVVVV. But I know there is a few more I liked the demo enough to get the full game.

And games I DIDN'T buy because of the demo? Can't remember them. Probably a good thing too.

But yeah like many people here are saying, Demos make a BIG impact on the industry.

 

[TheLefty]

Yes, oh god yes.

I was already pre-order Bulletstorm...then I played the demo. The opposite, I wasn't that interested in Arkum Asylum...then I played the demo.
These two examples go for numerous games, probably too many to count.

 

[Jamieson 90]

Yes, after I played the demo for Machinarium I was that impressed by the art style and sound track that I went and bought the collectors edition. Turned out to be a great game and a great buy.

http://machinarium.net/demo/

 

[GeorgW]

Well, I think the reason people play demos, at least I do, is to reaffirm if you're gonna like a game. So if it's not on your radar or a definite buy, then you won't even see the demo. But if you're waivering, then yeah, the demo can make a big difference.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Sometimes. It all depends on the game that I'm playing the demo for like if it's a demo for a gmae that I've either never heard of or don't know much about then it will.

If it's a game that I'm going to buy anyways, then no.

 

[SpeechMan]

Several times actually.

Most recent must have been Earthrise, altough beta isn't a demo, but after being admitted to beta I saw what the game actually was and steered away.

 

[elcamino41383]

Actually, demos frequently affect my decisions. For example, The Force Unleashed 2.
I liked the first one enough to get the sequel, when it finally came out. Oh look! They have a demo for the sequel! :lays the demo:: What the hell was that piece of crap I just played. Now I'm glad that I didn't waste my time.

This is the best way to describe how I feel. It's a nice deciding factor whether I'll want to bother with the game or not.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The Too Human demo made sure I never bought the game, even though I was really excited for it. (I mean, how the hell do you ruin that concept? It was such a great idea!)