PC Gaming Demos
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Honestly, the lack of demos on PC really sucks. Sure, there are a few demos on Steam, but it's rare that you get the same number of demos that the Xbox or PS3 end up getting. The big game demos that are on Xbox and PS3, don't mean that those games will get a demo on PC. I'm talking about multiplatform games that end up on 360, PS3 and PC. It's rare that you get a PC demo for one of the big multiplatform games.
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Yeah I remember the good old days of getting a pc gaming mag and getting the demo cd every month with new and interesting games to try out. It seems to me the introduction of connected consoles really put a damper in the availability of pc game demos. Shame really. Maybe that will change but I doubt it.
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I think it's a combination of the fact that 80 percent of PC games are downloaded instead of bought at retail, and I guess the publishers just feel like if people want it, they will just buy the full game, and don't want to bother with downloading a huge demo, and then also downloading the full game. Also, piracy. Some pirates claim that they only use the piracy as a way to demo games, to find out what to buy.
At least on the console side of things, you can rent games at Redbox for one day, to see if it's worth the full pop.
At least on the console side of things, you can rent games at Redbox for one day, to see if it's worth the full pop.
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Yeah the closed nature of consoles really helps in this regard. Still there used to be a thriving pc demo scene back in the old mag days so I don't really buy that as an excuse. I think they just don't want to expend the effort. The game industry really is run by bean counters now.
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I actually use forums like this, as well as podcasts. Rebel FM is a pretty good podcast. They are more oriented towards consoles games in a way, yet most of the guys on there play their games on PC. So, they will talk about the big console games, but usually they talk about playing the PC versions of the games. That's pretty much the way I am as well, so it works out pretty good. Weekend Confirmed is kinda similar. Console focus, but a lot of the dudes play their games on PC. All that will probably change when the new consoles come out, but at least for now it works for me.
I actually use forums like this, as well as podcasts. Rebel FM is a pretty good podcast. They are more oriented towards consoles games in a way, yet most of the guys on there play their games on PC. So, they will talk about the big console games, but usually they talk about playing the PC versions of the games. That's pretty much the way I am as well, so it works out pretty good. Weekend Confirmed is kinda similar. Console focus, but a lot of the dudes play their games on PC. All that will probably change when the new consoles come out, but at least for now it works for me.
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oh, forgot to mention. Gamers with Jobs podcast is an almost entirely PC focused podcast. It's actually a bit "too" PC focused if you ask me, with MMO talk, RTS talk and lots of indie PC game talk, (that I'm not that interested in), but other than that, it's a pretty good podcast. Sometimes they have really good guests.
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They usually talk about all the big releases of the multi platform games that also come to consoles. There is one dude on the show that likes to talk about the indie games, and then one dude that occasionally will bring up a MMO or RTS. It's worth a listen, because all these dudes are much more PC gamers at heart. Some of their episodes are really, really good, some just ok. Rebel FM and Weekend Confirmed are better overall (imo), because they are more consistent with their quality, but some of the Gamers with Jobs podcasts are really good. I listen to a ton of podcasts at work, and right now, here is how I rank my top 10:
1. Weekend Confirmed - not nearly as good as it was back in the day, but still No.1 (imo).
2. Giant Bomb - these guys don't really have a PC focus, but still a very good podcast. Brad is more of a PC gamer than Gertsman or Davis. Patrick seems to talk about indie PC games every once in awhile.
3. Rebel FM - Arthur Gies is one of those guys that can get on your nerves, but I actually think he's pretty honest and straight up. Some people can't stand him.
4. 8-4 Play - This is a console centric podcast that is based in Japan. So they talk a lot about Japanese gaming, and how certain Japanese games are doing, but very good usually.
5. Player 1 podcast - This podcast has really risen up the charts for me. These guys are kinda similar to me in terms of the games they are interested in, and the stuff they like to talk about. I can't remember if these guys mostly play on PC or console.
6. Geekbox - This is only partially game related. They talk all kinds of nerd stuff. Game of Thrones, the Avengers movie, comic books a little bit, and games. Some of the guys play their games on PC.
7. Podcast Beyond - This podcast is all Playstation related. It's IGN's Sony focused podcast. I listen to this for PS3 news, and for Vita news. Usually pretty entertaining, but some people think Greg Miller is way too childish.
8. Spill: The Loading Bar - This podcast isn't as frequent as the others. Sometimes long periods will go by without a new podcast. I only listen to the Loading Bar ones, but they also do short review podcasts for all the big games. I especially like Kevin Baird, as he shoots straighter than most.
9. Games Dammit - This is a 1up podcast. I used to like this WAY more than I do now. They kinda changed the focus, and the episodes are very much hit and miss.
10. Chatterbox - This is two guys who used to have a radio show in the Phoenix area where they talked about video games. They are no longer on the radio, but still do the podcast anyways. It's a pretty short podcast, and the topics can be kinda weird, but they usually have good discussions.
Also, if you want to hear a bunch about PC hardware with a gaming focus, check out "The Widget". They have long podcasts, but they are pretty good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by darthrsg /t/1415894/pc-gaming-demos#post_22154615
Don't mind indie stuff but I can do without MMO talk. There are other genres right?![]()
They usually talk about all the big releases of the multi platform games that also come to consoles. There is one dude on the show that likes to talk about the indie games, and then one dude that occasionally will bring up a MMO or RTS. It's worth a listen, because all these dudes are much more PC gamers at heart. Some of their episodes are really, really good, some just ok. Rebel FM and Weekend Confirmed are better overall (imo), because they are more consistent with their quality, but some of the Gamers with Jobs podcasts are really good. I listen to a ton of podcasts at work, and right now, here is how I rank my top 10:
1. Weekend Confirmed - not nearly as good as it was back in the day, but still No.1 (imo).
2. Giant Bomb - these guys don't really have a PC focus, but still a very good podcast. Brad is more of a PC gamer than Gertsman or Davis. Patrick seems to talk about indie PC games every once in awhile.
3. Rebel FM - Arthur Gies is one of those guys that can get on your nerves, but I actually think he's pretty honest and straight up. Some people can't stand him.
4. 8-4 Play - This is a console centric podcast that is based in Japan. So they talk a lot about Japanese gaming, and how certain Japanese games are doing, but very good usually.
5. Player 1 podcast - This podcast has really risen up the charts for me. These guys are kinda similar to me in terms of the games they are interested in, and the stuff they like to talk about. I can't remember if these guys mostly play on PC or console.
6. Geekbox - This is only partially game related. They talk all kinds of nerd stuff. Game of Thrones, the Avengers movie, comic books a little bit, and games. Some of the guys play their games on PC.
7. Podcast Beyond - This podcast is all Playstation related. It's IGN's Sony focused podcast. I listen to this for PS3 news, and for Vita news. Usually pretty entertaining, but some people think Greg Miller is way too childish.
8. Spill: The Loading Bar - This podcast isn't as frequent as the others. Sometimes long periods will go by without a new podcast. I only listen to the Loading Bar ones, but they also do short review podcasts for all the big games. I especially like Kevin Baird, as he shoots straighter than most.
9. Games Dammit - This is a 1up podcast. I used to like this WAY more than I do now. They kinda changed the focus, and the episodes are very much hit and miss.
10. Chatterbox - This is two guys who used to have a radio show in the Phoenix area where they talked about video games. They are no longer on the radio, but still do the podcast anyways. It's a pretty short podcast, and the topics can be kinda weird, but they usually have good discussions.
Also, if you want to hear a bunch about PC hardware with a gaming focus, check out "The Widget". They have long podcasts, but they are pretty good.
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