Demos

[Snotnarok]

I know from experience that demos don't always give an accurate indication of how much fun the full game will be. I played the demo for Devil May Cry 4 and thought it was kind of meh. Then some time later I saw the full game for cheap so I decided to pick it up anyway, and I played through Normal mode and am now doing another playthrough on Hard! I don't really understand why I didn't like the demo, it was the same game, just one level instead of all twenty. Maybe some games just need time to 'ripen', and their true awesomeness won't be revealed until you play for a couple of hours.
There's also the fact that playing a demo spoils the full game experience a bit, since you already know some of the features / things that will happen. For that reason I never play the demo if I know for sure that a game will be great.

I forgot about the DMC4 demo, I was dredding they lowered the difficulty like they did with 2 and ruined it, I got it anyway and liked it. Another game demo that lies to you, hmph!

 

[Antiparticle]

Another game demo that lies to you, hmph!

Yeah, like I said, demos are not always reliable. Sometimes they'll really fail to show how great a game is, but it's also possible that the demo makes the full game seem much better than it really is. (I worry more about the second possibility.) Still, with games costing 60 euro or even 70 euro these days (that's $83 - $97...) it's good to know as much about them as possible before buying them. So usually that's reviews, and the demo if there is one.

 

[WingedFortress]

I think demo's are good for new IP's and gameplay mechanics. Take Civ:Revolution for example, without the demo, I doubt many people would have taken the risk in purchasing it. Or Mirrors edge. Without a demo for that, I wouldnt have wanted to go out on a limb for such a new idea.

 

[Snotnarok]

My honest feel about researching games extensively is kinda ehhh....on the edge I guess? When I know I'll like a game, I think it's better not to look at it at all (or as least as possible) this way you're taken by surprise rather than "Oh that part in the video!". Though unfamilar games it's better to research because 60+ bucks? Yeah I'm not risking it on a demo alone.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I buy very few games, I only have 3 Xbox 360 games. I almost always use the demo, that's how I got Audiosurf and Portal, I loved the demos. I highly recommend judging the game off of what you think of the demo, not what other people think of the entire game.

 

[Mean Mother Rucker]

Does anyone remember the days of old? When Playstation magazines ruled the shelves? I do, because the demo discs included inside would last me a lot longer than the games I would buy (The games I bought would maybe last 4 days for me, from start to finish).
Demos that come on a disc are usually worth our time, but just ones we can find on the internet or on X-Box Live or PSN, in my experience, are worth about as much as popped bubble-wrap.

 

[meece]

I generally use beta's as my demo's....

Not as total indicators as to how a game will be but by the time it's in open or closed beta it's quite easy to see if you'll enjoy the gameplay or not...

and they're generally more complete than a demo so it's easier to tell if it's good or bad.