Sam Parker Manager, Files and Assets

Now Playing: Champions of Norrath (PS2), Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)

Free Stuff

People like free stuff. That's no revelation, but it is pretty fortunate that there is so much game content that costs virtually nothing in itself. In fact, if you're looking for free stuff, don't just sit around waiting for the next hot PC game demo. It's just not every day that a demo pops up for games like Far Cry, Painkiller, and Unreal Tournament 2004. Demos are great exposure for the games, and they've certainly kept the DLX servers busy, but the fact is, there's a lot more out there--particularly if you have broadband, but even that is not absolutely necessary.

I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to playing more Far Cry, after giving the demos a try.

Every week there are new demos for lower-profile games, and we recently even had the chance to point the spotlight on completely indie projects that made it into the IGF finals. Even if small games rarely get the full preview treatment, these free files are a practical, democratic way for new developers to get the word out. It's pretty painless to install a self-contained demo and try it out, after all. In fact, I've recently been entertaining myself by sampling a wide variety of games--even some older stuff I haven't played for a while. When it comes to revisiting games, it's just easier to download a demo (and see if it'll run under newer versions of Windows) than to dig around for a CD. I just wish that I could try out console games without having to get my hands on a physical disc. Oh, I can appreciate that publishers would never want us downloading disc images for demo discs, but there has to be an easier way. How about downloadable demos via services like Xbox Live? Let's file that away on the wish list for the next generation of consoles.

But if all those 50MB, 200MB, and 600MB PC demos are daunting for modem users, beta tests don't have to segregate gamers by bandwidth. Public betas are mostly a PC tradition, and they can be an odd mix of promotional teaser and an actual part of the development process. More than a few online games, in particular, have seen their stars rise or fall by the buzz from those in a closed public beta test. It's not easy to get into most betas, and some really do require some work from testers, in terms of reporting bugs or even just getting the work-in-progress to work well. It's definitely worth the effort to at least apply for betas, either by watching the listings in the beta center or looking out for the GameSpot Complete beta contests that we run periodically.

If it weren't for free demos, I'd never find out about indie niche games, like Starshatter.

It's not as if there's no free stuff for console games--nearly all the truly snazzy, theatrical-style trailers are for console games--but you just have to work harder for it, with demo discs tied in to preorders and the like. But it is kind of amazing how much free PC game content is out there, both official and unofficial, and the Web makes most of it so easy to get. Beyond the no-strings-attached stuff I've already mentioned, there's also the amazing content available that can extend the life of games you already own. Like the generation of Half-Life mods that preceded them, Battlefield 1942 mods, such as Desert Combat and Eve of Destruction, might not be as polished as retail products, but they're still damn good. And some developers are more than a little generous with the free add-on content, like multiplayer maps, extra gameplay modes, and more. Just recently, there have been a number of bonus maps for Jedi Academy and Dungeon Siege: Legend of Aranna, and no one should forget the major multiplayer upgrades in Unreal II XMP and the completely free and stand-alone Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

Developers and publishers that support their games with quality free stuff deserve some kudos. Of course, as we've seen with other things on the Web, free stuff always costs someone something. But I'm not too worried that this gravy train will end anytime soon. Game makers can justify this free content as being promotional--it's tied in to generating word of mouth and customer loyalty for retail products. But since it's all so entertaining, I for one don't have any problem swallowing a giant portion of this kind of game marketing. I bet you don't either.