Game demos are a common thing. Some gaming services offer many game demos for both upcoming releases and even for old games of long past. This is undisputedly a good thing. Who doesn't like a free sample?

This guy is psyched for free cheese

Free samples are common in many retail businesses. Take the supermarket or grocery store. Every once in while, a food-related store will offer a sample of a new product to customers. This was definitely a highlight of my childhood. I was dragged to the grocery store plenty of times. It would be easier to stomach if there was a free sample offer (see what I did there...). The best thing ever would be a free pastry sample at BJ's after an afternoon in the car. A brief, but effective, moment of bliss…

I feel the same way about gaming. The pinnacle of the wait for a game is the release of the demo. Not every game has an available demo. Unfortunately, some PC users get stiffed, and some recent demos have been XBOX Live and PSN exclusives. It still must be a time-consuming process for a developer to release a demo. They essentially release a self contained beta of a game, which must be more work for games released through physical discs. They need to make a small, self contained game available generally through downloadable means.

Still, a game demo seems like a great way to market a game. I rarely, if ever, purchase a game without knowing what I'm getting. I check the reviews, follow pre-release news/videos, and I'm skeptical to pre-order. A game demo is the perfect means for me to see if I should buy a game.

However, game demos can hurt the sale of a game. If a demo is poorly constructed or buggy, undoubtedly some who playit will not purchase the game. This goesthe same way for people who just plain dislike the demo altogether. If these people would have bought the game (and the demo convinces them not too), the developer would sell fewer copies. I consider it a great opportunity and gift from a developer to release a demo at all.

This brings me to Dead Rising 2: Case Zero.

Dead Rising 2 has no demo. It does have a prologue. This prologue has a trial, or demo. One can download the trial for Case Zero for free (an XBOX live exclusive). This is an entirely new business model. A self-contained game, with an available trial, that is completely separate from the Dead Rising 2 game. The game costs 400 MS points ($5), and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. This in itself is a great deal. There are many downloadable games and DLC priced higher that take roughly the same time to complete (besides the fact the Case Zero has incredible replay value).

Chuck is psyched about this $5 adventure. And chainsaws...

I loved Case Zero, and plan on purchasing Dead Rising 2 soon. Blue Castle Games and Capcom (the developers) have most likely sold more copies due to this fact (they do have all their bases covered, with a prologue and the Case West epilogue for Dead Rising 2). I don't actually know what the numbers are, or if you could correlate Case Zero sales to Dead Rising 2 sales, but this brings up an interesting point.

Should the demo model be replaced with essentially DLC? If we could get more of a game, but sooner, would we buy it. Some gamers are angered when within 24 hours a game's release, the developers release a statement about upcoming DLC. What if that DLC was offered sooner, as a demo of the game's mechanics and gameplay (as a stand-alone game, for a price).

This new business model could be revolutionary. Few people would pay for a demo, but for a prologue game itself (and for only $5!)?