After being in development for well over three years SEGA and Platinum Games have finally announced a release date for their video game Vanquish for the PS3 and Xbox 360: October 19. This week a demo was released, showcasing a prequel to what's to come in this upcoming title. I came out of this demo with many high hopes, but not without a couple concerns.

In the demo players take control of Sam Gideon, a government agent suited in battle gear to help the US defeat the Russians, who have captured a space station to use its energy to destroy various American landmarks. (You can add your own Cold War joke here.) During the Vanquish demo you take down enemy soldiers and the robots they control, leading up to a massive boss battle involving a giant robot with a weakspot or two. I won't lie and say that the boss battle here will probably take you a long while to accomplish, and you will probably die a few times before you figure out how to complete the level. This is why I believe that having a good strategy -- as well as a strong trial-and-error process -- will play an important key role in Vanquish during the long run.

Playing the Vanquish demo was similar in vein to many of the recent third-person shooters, including Gears of War and Monday Night Combat. You aim, shoot and sometimes chuck grenades at the opposing forces. If you are seriously injured during the fight the game slows down to a nice bullet-time mode, where while you search for cover to heal you can return enemy fire and still manage to dodge theirs. (At first I was confused as to what was going on when this first happened, and was thinking Gideon was near-death.) In regards to the boss battle players will have to weaken the robot in order for it to expose its soft spot. It's a tough battle, but fortunately if you do wind up dying you'll just start from the beginning of the battle, and not the start of the level.

Graphics in the game are gorgeous, and is perhaps the best-looking game SEGA has put out. On top of that the music and sound in the demo definitely knows how to set the mood and atmosphere in what's to be expected from the full game. The quality of its appearance and sound are nearly on-par with some of the CGI effects in the most recent of blockbuster films (especially the boss bot at the end, who looks like he could've just trampled on-set from the Transformers movies).

I had issue from time-to-time with the control scheme for the Vanquish demo, however, which may make it a tough sell in the long-run. Switching weapons is tricky (using the regular D-Pad on the PS3 version), and why they didn't put the grenade-throwing maneuver on L1 instead of the current Triangle-button is beyond me. (If shooting your gun is R1, it should have been a no-brainer to put grenade-throwing on the opposite side.) I do have to give credit with the aiming system, which helps to easily point out your enemies and fire when ready. Granted you'll have to do a little searching around to scope out for enemies, but once you find one of them killing them is literally as easy as a simple push of a button.

All together the demo for Vanquish has left me very optimistic about this game. If the rest of the game is anything like this demo then we can expect a mighty fine title in the end. Let's just hope they fix the control scheme near the end, or make it so you can do custom controls. I'd hate to waste perfectly good ammo because of where a certain button is placed.

Demo Grade: 8.5 (out of ten)

Ahoy, matey (and all that other stuff landlubbers think is funny about pirate-speak) it's Monkey Island! PC gamers from way back may know this game inside and out. For people who can claim the PS3 as their first console, they're in the dark. Now adventure games are back, and they continue to invade the PC.

Unfortunately, I think that this is not a great transition. You don't have to do much in games like Sam and Max and Monkey Island; hand-eye coordination is not a factor. Still, I feel like the controls were made for PC and little consideration was made in tweaking the controls so the movements are more smooth using your analog controller.

I hope that made any sense. The game itself is good. Just like Sam and Max, Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter1 involves finding items and using them to solve puzzles, and occasionally combining items. Also, it's funny. Not as funny as Sam and Max, though. Another thumbs down goes to the voice actor of Guybrush Threepwood.

I have never played a Tales of Monkey Island game, so I don't know if this guy is the original actor, but he's not very good.  In addition to that the female lead, Elaine, is much funnier than he is and is played by a more competent voice actor. Upstatged! That will not stop you from enjoying this adventure game, though. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1 is a good demo.

At first it was hard to love Planet Minigolf.

When I first played the game, I liked the menu design better than the game itself. That's not good.

As I played more and more, I realized that the game wasn't so bad, once you got the hang of it. The game feels a bit stiff. The behavior of the ball is irksome, and the way you swing your club is not my cup of tea. Power-ups are fun, but I would like to have a little more control over where my ball goes, not the funny ways I can send my ball towards the hole.

What sports games might learn from Planet Minigolf is customization. If you're a solo sport, especially, I think being able to outfit your character or give them accessories is fun. I wished customization extended to  changing the voice of the announcer. He is highly aggravating and loses his charm after the first time you hear him. Planet Minigolf is a good demo, but I don't would hesitate in recommending a purchase of the full version of this game.

Are you hungry? then let's check out Diner Dash.

If you like to play casual PC games, then you might have come across this type of game before: these are the restaurant games where you're taking orders in an ever-hectic environment, trying to please as many customers as you can.

It's a very basic game where you have to keep an eye on cues if you want to progress. There's nothing too complex about this game: a child could play it. The complexity comes in getting the customers from the door to their seats, and out of the diner before they get frustrated.

It doesn't take long before you're sweating and panicking as the  line at the door gets longer and you have to move from point to point.

Diner Dash is a good time killer, and that also makes a good demo.

Next is Voodoo Dice

There's dice, and apparently they have been cursed by a magic- or voodoo, if you will.

I cannot be too hard on Voodoo Dice. it looks good, it has an interactive menu and level select, and the game is extremely easy to learn.

Ten minutes into it, though, and I'm a bit annoyed. I think that this game is more for people who love puzzle games above all other genres. The demo is tolerable, but I don't want to flip around a die until I solve a puzzle. Maybe if you catch me on another day, I'd call this a good demo. Whatever Voodoo Dice lacks for me, it makes it a bad demo.

Why am I so mean to Voodoo Dice? At the moment, I need something simple, yet addictive. It probably doesn't get any more addictive than Peggle. Peggle is GREAAAAAAAT!

What's so great about Peggle? Well, for one, it's super simple. All you have to do is shoot a ball in such a way that you hit as many pegs as possible. You have a certain number of chances to hit the orange pegs on each level.

Another thing I love about Peggle is its style. It's wacky, full of anthropomorphic animals, and all of the parts that make up Peggle- the sounds, the effects, the bonuses- come together in what I think is the most addictive puzzle game since Tetris. I need no prompting to dub this a good demo that will probably charm you into buying the full version. I believe it's that good.

The summer's not over, and the demos never are. More to come!

Luckily I have this beauty on my PS3: Modnation Racers.

Who needs another cart racer? Well, maybe me! This game had me at its style of presentation.

Throw in the ability to play around with character and car customization, and you've got a definite good demo.

The actual racing is not novel, but the little touches of audio commentary, character gestures and other silly chatter  are the heart of this game.

I would have liked to actually be able to play as my custom character or my own pimped out car, but that's where a cheapo has to become a customer.

Modnation Racers is most definitely available for purchase wherever games are sold. I mean, it' months old at this point.

So here I am opening up the game once I downloaded it

Then here I am looking at the title screen

Aaaaand, here I am still staring at the title screen

Oh yeah, I DONT HAVE A ROCK BAND GUITAR. So I guess this is a good demo. I mean, it looks good. Nice title screen, and a nice menu screen. Aw, fuck me.

IT STINKS!

How bad does it stink? Well, it definitely stinks worse than the quality of my screenshots.

The camera stinks, even though you can control it manually.

The graphics feel like they wouldn't even test the PlayStation 2's capabilities.

The voice work is flat. When a Sound-alike Robert Downey Jr does better than Don Cheadle, who was ACTUALLY IN THE MOVIE AND IS A MOVIE STAR, you have problems.

Blowing up things is dull. They made blowing up things dull!

So don't buy it, don't rent it, and don't demo it. Well, OK, demo it, because it's free. Then DELETE IT!

What do you get when you take the explosions of Michael Bay flicks and throw them in a blender with the wrecks of the Burnout series? Well, you're supposed to get Split/Second, but what you do get in Split/Second is not quite the action racing spectacle the creators of this game intended.

I was excited that there was a new game that wanted to take arcade  racing to the next level. Split/Second fails because although you get spectacular crashes and Hollywood level explosions, I was disappointed by the sense of speed you get. Triggering explosions was fun, but making you feel as if you're driving at a dangerously high speed isn't there. This might be fun for a while, but this is a one-trick pony I could see wearing out its welcome pretty fast. So this is a bad demo for me.

UFC Undisputed 2010

PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!!

If you love UFC, there is no way you're going to hate UFC Undisputed 2010.

I'm interested in the online features shown in the demo, so much so that I was disappointed that I could not use them in some form in the demo.

That's alright, because I get to punch dudes - IN THE FACE!

I loved using Rampage Jackson, because he seemed to dominate, while other fighters I used weren't as hard hitting.

This demo was GREAT, but I wish they included a tutorial mode. You get thrown into the game, not knowing how to perform more advanced moves. Punching and kicking will give you a win, no problem, but I wish I could pull of some more complex moves. UFC Undisputed picks up a win, proudly wearing the good demo heavyweight title.

Lost Planet 2

Ahhh! It's time to hop in a VS suit and gun down some fools! As you read this, not only is the Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demo out, but the full retail game is out as well. So whether you're a little anxious to buy another game this month, or if you're such a fan of the original Lost Planet that you've already put in your order, you can join in on the multiplayer.

The controls have not changed for the game, but  I had that newborn feeling the first time when I hopped into this multiplayer. Once you get adjusted (or readjusted) into Lost Planet's control scheme, fragging people all over the world is only a matter of time.

A word of warning, though: you'll be lucky to survive one grenade, let alone two. If someone throws a grenade, RUN! What makes the multiplayer in Lost Planet 2 are the tactics you can utilize. Everyone has a retractable hook which you can shoot to be propelled up a structure, allowing you to gain a lot of ground instead of running everywhere. 

You can also jump into any turrets or VS suits you find on the map. I wish more VS suits were available in multiplayer, because fighting in a mech is never not awesome.

I enjoyed the Lost Planet 2 multiplayer a hell of a lot- probably more than the single player demo many moons ago. I think Lost Planet 2 is at least a rental. Maybe not a definite buy, but this would be a great rental. Don't blame me if you suck at the game, though.

Wakeboarding HD

How's it hangin, dudebrabro?

Every now and then I like to catch some super awesome gnarly waves, and Wakeboarding HD allows me to do that from the safety of my snuggly bed.

Wakeboarding HD is a perfectly competent game; it's challenging, looks good and handles well. Still, its lacking a little something. You get to play as 3 characters in this game, but there does not seem to be any advantage in picking one character over another. There is also no voice acting, so there seems to be no reason to have any characters to choose from. I know this is a downloadable game, so the budget may have not had it in the cards to include voices, but at least make the characters different!

I call this a bad demo, but only slightly so. Nothing is wrong with Weakeboarding HD at all, but as a person who is not very interested in sports, I need a little bit more to hook me.

I think this is the first time that Sam and Max have made it to the PlayStation, unless I'm mistaken.

Sam and Max are the oddest crime-fighting duo since, I don't know, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.

Sam and Max are a rabbit and a dog, respectively. There used to be (briefly)  a Sam and Max cartoon on Saturday mornings which sort of captured the spirit of these two.I think this will be a bit more "mature" than the cartoon was.

Sam and Max is an adventure game, but since its aim is ridiculousness and comedy, you need to expect the things you're able to do in this game to deviate from the norm.

Max, for example, has gained psychic abilities. Instead of having just plain old Force/Jean Grey powers, he accesses his powers the only way a homicidal bunny would. His teleport ability, for example, works like a phone. He can also turn into objects by copying them with silly putty.

Yep, odd.

For you kids out there, this game looks "ugly" The graphics feel like they are from nearly 2 decades ago, but please do not hold that against this game. I have see a lot of Sam and Max, but this demo is my first hands-on with it.

It has been a PC game for ages now, and I am not much of a PC gamer. Well, this is a win for the PC shunners, because now it's available on the PlayStation Store! I might buy it. It's like $20 or something.

Coach Frank is hateable

It's been a long, long, long, long time since I've played a skating game. Back when I played a skate game, Tony Hawk was the only game in town. Now Tony Hawk games are considered a horrible mistake that should be banished to a bargain bin. Then there's Skate.

As you can see, we are up to the second sequel for Skate, meaning that I've ignored this series for years now.

Skate is the go-to now for skating enthusiasts who game.  Just as Gran Turismo grew to be the "real racing simulator" Skate feels like it properly simulates what it is to ride a board.

You get quite a lot of demo here. If you want to learn basically every move there is to know in skateboarding, the demo has you covered.

Jason Lee is in this as Coach Frank. Yeah, it feels kinda random, even if Jason Lee has a background in skateboarding.

If you download this demo, I would like you to count how many times you hear Coach Frank go "Jeh jeh jeh cheah!" before you press the mute button.

BTW, Coach Frank doesn't seem to know the difference between male and female. Someone should have fixed that. I know there's only one female character here, but it's 2010. We can set up the dialog to correspond properly.

Skate 3 is not only lots of fun, but it is also challenging. Pulling off some of the harder moves is akin to playing some of the charge move characters in Street Fighter IV, if anyone can relate to that experience.

I'm really trying to hate these games, to find a bad demo, but these were really good! See you next time!

OK, so it's been nearly a month since a PS3 demo has been released on the PlayStation Store. Unfortunately for me, there is only one demo to play this week, and it's a sports game. Since I don't follow sports, will this be a good demo for me? Let's find out:

First thing I noticed is that EA saw it fit to show you how many teams will be in the final product- or maybe just tease you with all those choices in the menu.

All the scenery looks great, and the character models are, em, pretty alright.

Here's the entirety of what I know about soccer at this point: Kick a ball through the other team's net.

This may be great for soccer fans to check out, but it's all lost on me.

Well, maybe not all. I whipped Italy, one goal to nada. Just because I'm not into sports doesn't mean I'll lay down and take it while Utaly tramples all over me. No sir!

So, eh, I guess this is a good demo! Maybe people who have put years into playing Fifa will hate this, but I don't know whether this gameplay is good or lacking.  It doesn't utilize any fancy analog stick moves, so it reminds me of times past when I actually did play sports games and all the moves were simple button presses.

There is only one demo out this week, and it's called Brain Challenge.

I know that when it comes to the stereotypical  gamer, the only brain challenge they're into is how to perform the perfect headshot.

Still, there may be those of you out there who want to pwn with your intellect, not just through hand-eye coordination.

Brain Challenge is a series of quick games which challenge your knowledge in various categories. There is logic and math, for instance.

There are no complex button presses or series of movements to be made. All you have to do is be quick with the right answer.

If you want a hint on how I did with these challenges, here you go: stupid.

I hesitate to say that this is a good demo, because the demo only limits you to playing 5 minutes of gameplay. If I had any more time with this demo, I might have fared better. Maybe. I do give this a thumbs up because it's a challenging game, even if the demo is a tease and the graphics look better suited to a Wii rather than a PS3. (Sorry, Wii owners, but you know it's true)

The Brain Challenge demo also has online multiplayer, but it, again, is limited to 5 minutes of gameplay. So it's an alright game, but not that great a demo. This is the second demo I've ever downloaded that had a time limit. Just Cause 2 also had a time limit, but it wasn't a permanent time limit.

See you next week for more demoey goodness!

I am playing baseball. Again. You know what, though? I don't hate it! In fact, I think this is better than the other baseball demo I played last week.

The gameplay is basically the same as MLB 2k10, but The Show is- showier.

As the camera sweeps over the stadium, you can take in the great detail put into recreating the real locations. Then, when you get to look at the turf and the players, you get to see that the terrain looks spectacular and the uniforms move like real cloth.

It doesn't blow me away, but I think that if you like baseball and you appreciate a game that is pleasing to your eyes, I would suggest that you ditch MLB 2k10 and play MLB 2010 The Show instead. It'd a good demo, and probably a good game as well.

In the world of Feeding Frenzy, it's eat or be eaten. Is this a kid's game?

OK, so there's nothing M-rated going on here, not even t-rated; but how horrible is it to be devoured by a big fish? There aren't many games-  besides ones in the zombie survival horror genre- where you can be dined on.

If you've been hunting for a kid-friendly title (and your kids don't mind being eaten) then this is a nice downloadable solution for you.

There are many modes to play( including multiplayer) so there is replay value galore. Feeding Frenzy 2 is simple but challenging and fun. Not really something I wuld buy, but it is a good demo.

Megaman 10 also has a demo out.

I quite liked this game. I didn't mind it at all. However, the game looks just like any other Mega Man, so i'm not going to show any screens beyond the background from the crossmedia bar:

Alright, alright, here's the start screen:

The plot is about Rush coming home with a robot STD. Megaman is pissed, so he goes on a bloody rampage to kill everyone involved. You know, something like that. Maybe it also had something to do with shooting at lots of  robots.

I wonder how much of an audience is looking for this throwback style game, but for the series to turn its back on the state-of-the-art and 3D rendered  world, Capcom must have seen worth in going back to basics.

Even though I want my games to be 3d, I didn't find fault with Megaman 10.  I have some history with the series, and I am an "old man" so if you're in your teens, I don't know if you would want to play a side-scroller.

This game also has leaderboards and other online components you would expect from most games today, so the game isn't totally stuck in the 80's.

So all the games win this week. I have been defeated yet again! Come back later for some more demos. I hope that my time and hard drive space is not wasted on sucky demos.

So, here is my first good demo, the aforementioned Just Cause 2

"Alright, we get it. Let's move on with the demo!"

He can call upon weapons or vehicles at any time through the black market feature and hijack any vehicle that comes his way. What sets Just Cause apart from Mercenaries and any other similar games is that Rico Rodriguez has a grappling hook and a parachute, which leads to some very interesting gameplay.

With the grappling hook and parachute combo, you can basically make your way up any building or elevated object, jump off, deploy your parachute and get the drop on your foes.

Just Cause 2 is a great, fun, blow-stuff-up game. With all the things you are allowed to do, your experience will be totally different each time you play it. Don't expect a deep and involving story here, but who needs that all the time?

Next up is my bad demo, Major League Baseball 2K10.

Never mind that I don't watch or participate in any sports whatsoever (not even pro wrestling). Even if I knew the starting lineup of the NY Yankees by heart, I still don't think that I would enjoy MLB 2K10.

I didn't think that the game looks that good overall, the crowd noise didn't take that long to bother me, and I think there could have been a better control scheme for pitching; batting is just fine.

Major League Baseball is not exclusive to one company, so I think there might be a superior product out there. For me, this MLB game is not that product.

Don't leave yet, sports fans! Here is another good demo, Moto GP 09/10.

Again, I don't know a damn thing about sports, but I do enjoy racing games from time to time.

I played the Gran Turismo 5 demo, and it feels like more of the same in a prettier package. I still have GT4 sitting unfinished as well.

I might, then, take a chance on motorcycle racing. It's time for a change of pace! Racing in a car is enough of a challenge, but bike racing is even more of a hassle because you have to keep your bike steady and level, and pray that you don't wipe out.

This is not a Burnout style game where your bike will blow up, nor is it a crazy chase game like the Need for Speed series.  It's a simulator, so the focus is heavy on tweaking and customization, from what your bike looks like to what your rider wears.

If I played the full game, one thing I would hope for is that the voice of the disembodied guy (is he a trainer or something?) to be shut off. If you play the demo, you will either laugh or be irritated at this guy who sounds like a cousin of Mario and Luigi. Just a note: I don't need to have the choices of rider and mode to be announced to me.

So that's what's on the PlayStation Network for this week. I have no idea what's up next week, but it better be good!

This is a massive week, because there are a couple of big demos available. My first of 3 good demos is Darksiders: Wrath of War.

Read on!

Dante's Inferno got quite a bit of crap for being a blatant God of War clone. If it had done it like Darksiders, maybe it would have been taken more seriously.  Darksiders is inspired by action titles like GoW, but it also does more exploration, which also lead to it being compared to The Legend of Zelda.

Darksiders is its own monster, though. First off, main character War looks more like he belongs in Gears of War or Starcraft, and not an action adventure game. You can thank comics artist Joe Maduiera for those designs.

Darksiders is about War, one of the four horsemen, after he has been betrayed. Being, you know, the GOD OF WAR, he has quite a varied selection of weapons available to him. In the demo, I was surprised that I had so many weapons I could use.

Besides the character design, the colors are also what stands out. This is quite a brilliantly colored game. There may be monsters and dreary locales, but that doesn't stop Darksiders from looking pretty.

This demo was really good, if a bit late. Darksiders was available in stores a while before this game came out, but putting out this demo was a good idea. Now I want to at least rent this game!

Speaking of the God of War, here's God of War 3!

The big daddy of third person beat-em ups is back for its third (and most likely, last) iteration. When you first play the demo, you may feel like it's more of the same, but there are both massive graphical improvements and a big dialing up of the gore.

Now that I think of it, maybe the Darksiders demo was deliberately released at the same time as the God of War 3 demo? Pretty sneaky!

OK, back to the gore. This is only a demo, but I think it's safe to say that Kratos is not playing around. If guts spilling out makes you queasy, you can be excused from playing GoW 3.

To catch you up on the GoW 3 story, Kratos is mad. VERY MAD! You start the demo with all the weapons Kratos forcibly ripped from various gods, men and monsters. As the demo continues, it only gets more difficul. The hardest part is when you use your wings to navigate through a deadly maze, which angered and fired me up all at once.

If you avoided God of War for this long, I think you can still pick this up without knowing about the previous plot points. It helps to know why Kratos is so mad that he would rip peoples' heads off, but it's not absolutely necessary.  If you don't play this demo, Kratos will probably feed you your own spine. Probably.

Digger HD

I feel like my Good Demo/Bad Demo premise is slipping away from me, because I didn't think Digger HD was bad at all. It hearken's back to the past, but now it's a side-scrolling game with 3d character models.

Digger HD is good for people who want to purchase a title that hits their nostalgia spot. You might also want to show your kids what they missed out on in the  "good ol' days." Everyone else should steer clear. This is a simple game where you roam around like Pac Man, collecting riches and avoiding underground monsters.

That's it for this week. Next week is Just Cause 2!

Yakuza 3!!! Yakuza, for the U.S., is the little open world beat-em-up that could, with sequels that were in danger of  not coming to our shores. Now there's the Yakuza 3 demo, which puts me in a precarious position, since I haven't beaten Yakuza 2 yet.

If you love low resolution images taken straight off a TV screen, then you're gonna love these Yakuza 3 demo pics!

If this is your first time ever hearing of the Yakuza games, I first want to say that I think you are in for some fun gameplay. Yakuza is made by our eastern cousins, and once you play it, there will be no doubt of that. There are some Japanese games that prefer content over style, and Yakuza 3 still has a "budgety" feel to it, where you get stuck in a combo animation once you trigger it, and the stock bad guys would feel at home in Final Fight.

Yakuza has grown a lot from the last time I've seen it, though. Your camera control is no longer restricted, your weapon set-up has allowed you to switch weapons on the fly, and there is the graphical face-lift. Still, the game feels a bit stiff and of the previous generation.

When it comes to kicking ass, thought, it doesn't matter much what the game looks like. It's a joy to be able to take on a bunch of goons with any object in your sight, and when that doesn't work, use your fists and feet.

Each weapon you carry or pick up has a certain strength and number of times it can be used before it breaks. Unarmed, you can gradually upgrade your strength, learning new moves and combos. Our hero, Kazuma Kiryu, does some amazing moves, which is what makes me love this series. A fight can go as easy or as hard as you let it, limited only on your imagination and the skills at your disposal.

There are two issues I struggle with:

1. Why is Kazuma still slumming around the same neighborhood? We're up to the second sequel and he's still running around the same streets? I guess that makes it easy for newbies to pick up any of the series and get the same experience as people who've played more.

2. Why does anyone screw with or doubt Kazuma Kiryu? This is the 24 disease, where someone will look down on Jack Bauer, even though he's saved America countless times! Well, bring it on, gangsters. Kazuma's got a dropkick with your name on it!

This would make you think that Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing would be the bad demo for this week, especially since Sonic has fallen out of favor recently; but I don't have too much issue with the game.

This is Sonic's Mario Kart, so I think that it's good for gamers who want a detour from standard action fare or are looking for a family friendly title.

You are most likely familiar with the whole Sonic cast, but the rest of the lineup might be confusing for you. A lot of the Sega characters are from the Dreamcast era of Sega, so if you missed out on the lifetime of that console, you might not pick one of these characters from the short-lived beloved console.

This is a simple racing game, complete with the crazy special moves and power ups that are now standard for a game like this. After the great introductory animation, don't expect much more from this game. The fun will be in playing against other people in multiplayer or against friends/family locally.

There's only one demo that made a big splash on the PSN, and that is Heavy Rain. If you think that adventure games, detective noir, and quick time events are like a thousand ants crawling on your leg, this is not the game for you.

Still,  I would say that even if you are cautious about playing a game that is not constantly full of excitement, you should still take a chance on the demo.

Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain's spiritual ancestor, was about uncovering a larger mystery, with occasional quick time events. Heavy Rain takes it even further, where you can access the characters thoughts, trigger certain lines of questioning and, at times, do some character specific actions. So there is a lot more to do, but it's still pretty slow paced in comparison to games of other genres.

There are many characters to play as, and in the demo you get to play a PI and an FBI agent. Playing the Private Investigator gives you an inkling of how this game differs from Indigo Prophecy, and the FBI portion shows you how far this type of gameplay has come.

When you play as the FBI agent, you get to use the ARI system, a pair of glasses and a glove that allow you to analyze a crime scene, access records and follow trails (like pollen or footprints). Your glove is what lights up the area and exposes potential clues for you, but it only exposes a certain area. If you don't look around enough, you could miss some important clues. Even during conversations, options will pop up that you might miss, and you will never be able to ask them again.

Heavy Rain will be very challenging, and I will admit I had slight frustration. Sometimes doing the right command (especially circular motions with the analog stick) is tricky, and having time limits will freak you out!

As long as I'm talking negatives, let's talk the voice talent. In the PI segment, you meet a "lady of the night" whose son was murdered. Her acting is on the edge of being downright terrible. It also sounds like English is not her first language. It's the same with the FBI agent, who doesn't sound like an American. His acting is all over the place. At most, he's mediocre. We do have the PI, who is a really good actor and felt like a great fit for this game. I hope that we are in for more acting of his caliber, and not like the rest.

Heavy Rain is practically a buy for me, but I'll be starting with a rental. With so many good games that I have yet to play, I don't want another one sitting on my shelf.

This is my good demo, and the only new demo for this week.

It's great that we are in the generation where demos are available on your consoles at the press of a button, because it serves to either hype us up for a soon-to-be released game, or find enough reasons to skip a title. Here are two recent demos that caught my attention.

Dynasty Warriors: Strike Force