• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Do you miss video game Demo discs?

There was a time when you would buy for $1 or $5, or receive in a mag subscription, or receive when you ordered more than $20 at a fast food joint, a Demo disc for various gaming systems.

The Demo disc could contain 5 to up to 30 games, and can range from playable demos, to prerecorded gameplay, and even trailers.

Playstation and Xbox magazine, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Shoppers Food, Walmart, independent gamer clubs, DOS clubs, they were the best way to learn and try out new games.

Unlike modern demos sometimes the discs also came with bonuses, art, interviews, and ways to obtain games at discount such as coupon codes you had to write down. The demos were also much longer, and sometimes a huge chunk of the game finished or not is on the disc so if you were crafty you could access several other levels if you knew what to do, though most of the time the graphics weren't entirely complete.

Sometimes big game releases themselves had demos if you imputed a code at the start menu or in game.

Discs are slightly useless now since most games install data and rarely read the disc itself, but it would be cool if third and first party's put out demo collections digitally or on disc that you can get free through various means or for a cheap price like $1 or $2 with 20 to 30 games all in one interactive hub.

Some of the UI on the demo discs were freaking awesome and some even had multiple unique soundtracks. A digital version could link you to the game page at release and get you a discount you normally wouldn't receive. There are so many ways for demo compilations to be relevant again.

Gamepass is more of a trial with timed rotation, and you have to install and try out games one at a time and need to pay for a sub so it's more costly and not as convenient. I bring this up because I know someone will mention it.
 

nkarafo

Member
I fondly remember spending time with a bunch of PS1 demo disks. I still have some of them. Demo 1 was iconic.

I also remember some nice soundtracks, even during gameplay demos. I remember a NBA demo where there was this amazing music during gameplay that i don't think it existed in the final game.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
I never download demos, used to use the PS2 demo discs all the time though. They were brilliant. Had demos discs with Dark Cloud, Klonoa 2 and one of the Ratchet games on it - quality.
 

hybrid_birth

Gold Member
I used to have a collection of demo discs. They were from my subscription of Official Xbox Magazine. It was the only way for me to play demos at the time on the original xbox. I loved playing all sorts of new games each month. Not to mention videos of games. In the end I think I sold all my demo discs at a garage sale. But I wish I would have kept them to sell on ebay or something.
 

Raekwon26

Member
Internet didn't stop them for nearly 15 years. There's still plenty of room for free or cheap demo compilations imo.
Not demos, but the way of discovering new games is what I mean.

I think there was some reason why developers didn't like demos. Don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure I heard it somewhere.
 
as a kid we had a pc but never got any full games so relied on demo discs. my early PC memories are from playing demos. i don't miss them but i only have nostalgia for them.
 
Last edited:
I miss them, but far too many people slam demo's and judge them as finished products. Can't blame developers for not make demo's these days
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
I miss my mom telling me she isn't paying $9 for a magazine, while in the checkout line. I'd usually put it back and grab a comic off the spinner rack. But every once in a while...
 

saintjules

Member
Missing the days of Playstation Underground/Magazine subscriptions. I remember replaying the Chrono Cross trailer over and over again. Then I was able to get it on the PS Mag edition

dteBU59.jpg
 
Last edited:

gundalf

Member
Oh man I loved the PlayZone PSX demo discs, they did just not contain demos, but also reviews, videos, complete guides, cheat codes and save states!
 
Last edited:

zcaa0g

Banned
I view GamePass as those modern day demo disks. I don't mind buying a game outright, but I would like to know if it is shit first or not when an actual demo is not available.
 

Jeeves

Member
They were pretty cool because they got you trying out games you wouldn't otherwise; games that you wouldn't go out of your way to download a demo for. But hey, after you've tried out the one game you were already interested in and the disc is still in the console? Why not try out that other game belonging to a genre you don't normally play and maybe be pleasantly surprised?
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Yeah, demos in general were nice and I wish they were more common. The curation of a disc added something too, I suppose, but more than that I miss the prevalence of demos.

Even more than that I miss those crazy shareware CDs that would have like 100 DOS games on them, all kinds of goofy shit to explore.
 

GHG

Gold Member
Yes but now subscription services are my replacement.

It's far better than the barren days when things transitioned to being digital/online and you'd be lucky to get a demo without pre-ordering a game.
 

Dr Bass

Member
Yeah for sure. Same way I miss buying SNES games at Toys R Us. Yeah the current way is definitely better, but there is still, absolutely, something lost with not having everything on demand, and having something physical to hold when you do find what you're looking for.
 

Fbh

Member
Yeah they were fun.

I remember my Ps1 came with Tomb Raider 1 and an Eidos Demo disc with stuff like Soul Reaver and Gex. I played that more than the actual Full copy of Tomb Raider
 
I remember PS1 demo disk's used to have those Net Yaroze games on, probably what would be indie games today :messenger_grinning_sweat: I remember one that had a two player mode which seen you trying to destroy each others base with your aircraft. Was a good distraction for a couple of hours...
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
There's a electronics only shop connected to Goodwill in my town. They compile all kinds of stuff from my region, lots of random odds and ends. Occasionally they have old PSX demo discs, I usually pick them up. Last one I got had Grind Session on it, pretty cool. I don't miss Demo Discs but they're cool to have as a novelty.

One thing I do miss is the video show/demo content that was on PS3. 'Pulse' it might have been called? It wasn't anything incredibly special but it was entertaining content and sometimes had exclusives demos or mini games. I have probably 2 years worth on my PS3.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member

ZoukGalaxy

Member
I miss everything physical.
This and also game manual aka mini artbook.
Damn, I'm getting old.

By the way, PSVR got 3 physical demo discs, but not available separately (for physical, still available for free on PSN), but can be bought on ebay.
 
Last edited:

V4skunk

Banned
I used to love the pcgamer demo discs. It was also one of the only ways you could update your pc with the latest directx.
Psone demo discs from the official magazine was also top notch.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Yes, I miss more games having demos.
It's especially rare for a game to release a demo on PC
 

Stuart360

Member
I still remember that infamous demo disk for the 360 at launch that had all those demo's on it, including that Saints Row demo. Man me and my friend played those demo's to death.
I still miss gaming mags too, but as with most things, the internet has destroyed that.
 
Last edited:
A curated selection of demos on a disc always encouraged me to play through every one to completion.

Now, I download a handful of demos during Steam promo events and I end up uninstalling if there's too many dialog boxes or a boring tutorial.

Skatebird was endless dialog accompanied by fetch quests.
 
Nintendo figured out you could charge $60 for a demo and people will still buy it (1-2 Switch FTW...)
Joking aside I enjoyed demo discs. Especially the ones that came with PSX and OXM mags. The $9.99 Playstation underground discs sold in EBgames not so much.
The way news is released now sucks. Fake leaks dripped out by companies, "streamer" inside info most of it is controlled marketing campaign by the publishers anyway. Then it's regurgitated on Youtube.
Despite all the inherent flaws I prefer the way magazines handled news to this day. If there was a July 2021 issue of Nintendo Power I would be signed up for it!
 
Top Bottom