Blog Post: Tecmo does a demo right Subscribe to this RSS feed

As if you needed any more incentive to play the Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo, Tecmo has sweetened the pot and hopefully set a standard for future demos.

Still the best reason to play Sigma, but the demo reward is nice.

Still the best reason to play Sigma, but the demo reward is nice.

Back in the early days of the PlayStation, console demos were all the rave. Whether you were getting your first look at what the system had to offer via the system's JamPack discs, checking out a game months in advance on one of the late, great, Official PlayStation Magazine's demo discs, or buying a $50 game (Tobal No. 1 or Zone of Enders) to get a taste of a super-blockbuster (Final Fantasy VII or Metal Gear Solid 2), those brief snippets were little slices of heaven for gaming fans.

Somehow, the luster has been lost with this recent console generation. With companies churning out downloadable demos left and right on the Xbox 360 Marketplace and the PlayStation Network, the pre-release demo has been marginalized. Instead of buying a magazine or a new game and getting a disc, gamers simply have to click on an icon and, boom, you've got an Eragon demo wasting a gig of space.

Thankfully, Tecmo is fixin to make demos worth playing again. According to IGN, Ninja Gaiden Sigma's demo will have an effect on the final version available next month. Depending on how much you've played of the already-available demo, you will be rewarded with an undetermined amount of Yellow Essence--Sigma's in-game currency. Sure, while it's an innovative idea, it may not be the most novel approach, but it's still an ingenious move by Tecmo. It creates interest in a demo (always a good thing), while helping push potential buyers towards making the full purchase.

Contrast this with most current demos, which feature annoying and ineffective pitches, with little reward for repeat playthroughs. Xbox Live Arcade games, for example, will often hound you with requests to pony up the Marketplace dough, taunting you with upgraded features and achievements you've missed out on. Frankly, the most amazing thing about Tecmo's announcement is the realization at how right they've just done what other companies have been doing so wrong for so long.

Hey, thanks: IGN


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Blackbolt Blackbolt

Posted at: 06/04/07 at 7:59 PM PST

Wow...That is a good incentive to download the demo and get the game! Great marketing strategy by Tecmo! I've always like Tecmo way back when they had Tecmo Super Bowl! Kudos to them. I hope more companies follow their trend. Kudos to Tecmo!

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