Chromehounds demo out...but n/a in NA

After winning over fans in droves, Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace has hit a few snags with its faithful, thanks to some disappearing acts by a few Arcade titles (such as Texas Hold 'Em Poker and Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting) and the Prey demo. While today's news from the pipelines of Xbox Live may appease some, Xbox 360 owners in Canada and the US will likely see their frustrations grow even more.

Chromehounds, the mech game from publisher Sega and developer From Software, has hit XBL in demo form. However, as stated on MajorNelson.com, the blog of Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb, the demo isn't available in the US and Canada.

Before North Americans begin spinning communist conspiracy theories, it should be noted that Marketplace content is often region-specific. Hryb explains that each area of the world has its own ratings classifications and requirements, licensing laws, and cultural preferences.

The omission of North America is curious, though, as Sega is planning to launch the game worldwide, and the US is a market that no publisher can afford to pass on. Given the game's T for Teen rating, and barring protest from a robot-activist group, the demo's content probably isn't the reason Sega passed on the region. The most likely scenario is that the Chromehounds demo has been given as an exclusive to a print magazine that will hit newsstands around the game's July 11 launch.

For more information on Chromehounds, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.