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Week Ten's demos spanned a wide range of genres, insuring the just about anyone could find something to try out. Let's take a look at how these games are shaping up so far.
Omerta: City of Gangsters
Omerta has come seemingly out of nowhere, and it’s a bit of a unique game to see on consoles at this point. This is a top-down Mafia simulation, where you manage your crew, strong-arm shop owners, and rob other gangsters. The demo gives you a taste of this simulation mode, as well as the combat, which plays out like any other strategy game released in the past few years. The graphics are bland, and you don’t get a great level of detail when you zoom all the way. In spite of that, though, the game seems expansive. There were quite a few maps in the demo that you couldn’t play until you get the full game, and the combat could potentially expand to provide a wide range of opportunities for hardcore strategists. As it stands, this is a solid demo for Omerta, and it may put the game on some peoples’ radar who otherwise would have never heard of it.
Another year, another Tiger Woods game. It’s all standard fare at this point, so a demo seems like an almost laughable gesture. In this demo, you’ll get to play as Tiger Woods himself through three holes. You can also take Arnold Palmer through a few holes in the new Legends of the Majors mode. At the end of the day, though, this is another golf game, albeit one that is pretty good. The caddy system from last year’s game doesn’t seem to be in place, so the game plays a little more difficult than it has in the past few iterations. At the end of the day, though, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 isn’t much different from all the other games in the franchise released this generation.
Knytt Underground
Knytt Underground is another game that hasn’t received much press, which is a little strange because the Metroidvania style game seems to fit all of the criteria for a hit downloadable game. Unique characters, setting, and dialogue? Check. A massive map that requires tons of backtracking? Check. Puzzles that range from stupidly easy to agonizingly difficult? Check. Knytt Underground simply managed to meet expectations in this demo. It doesn’t do anything to make it stand out from all of the other games just like it, which is a terrible sin for a demo releasing amidst all of these massive releases. The worst part about the demo, though, is that the character moves far too quickly and is very touchy to control, making precise jumps nearly impossible. Knytt will no doubt interest some people, but it’s hard to suggest that this game will be worth getting based off of this demo.
BIT.TRIP Runner 2
The BIT.TRIP series has always been about random, quirky gameplay, and this endless runner is no different. The gameplay, at least in the demo, is very simple, perhaps to a fault. Perfect a stage, though, and you have the opportunity to shoot your character out of a cannon into a bulls-eye, which is immensely satisfying, at least for the short while you can experience it here. The real selling point for BIT.TRIP Runner 2, though, is the music. Each stage has catchy songs that are enhanced by what you do on screen, which means you get a much better experience when you are successful than when you aren’t. This game will be worth it for a couple bucks, though if it gets too pricy than there isn’t enough variety to justify a purchase.
There you have it. All in all, week 10 was fairly successful. Be sure to check back soon for coverage on the demos released with Week 11!
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