OXM July 2007 Demo Disc Recap

I got the July edition of Official Xbox Magazine yesterday. I got a chance to check out the demo disc today and I'm really starting to get annoyed with OXM. There are only two game demos on the disc and they are Monster Madness and Armored Core 4.

The Monster Madness demo has been out on the Marketplace for a month and a half and it still sucks. The Armored Core 4 demo has also been out for a while now. It was pretty fun the first time around, but not enough that I'd play the demo again.There are a couple decent videos on the disc about Eternal Sonata and My Beautiful Katamari. If you are intersted in either game the the videos were pretty good.

The disc also has demos for four Xbox Live Arcade games: 3D Ultra Mini Gold Adventures, Boom Boom Rocket, Gyruss, and Pinball FX. Again, I suspect there are here for those who do not have broadband access and can;t get on Xbox Live to try them, but since I've already tried them I did not care to play the trial versions again.

The only decent thing about the July Demo Disc was that it had an unlockable gamer pics from Kamatari. If you are into that game then you can now have a gamer picture that reflects that.

OXM June 2007 Demo Disc Recap

I got the June edition of Official Xbox Magazine in the mail Friday. I got a chance to check out the demo disc today and I'm pretty disappointed. While I don't recall seeing any of these demos on the Xbox Live Marketplace previously it is quite possible they were and I just never noticed. I gave all three demos a chance even though I was pretty sure going into it that I was not interested in them. I was correct.

The Major League Baseball 2K7 looked promising, but the controls were just so complicated for hitting and pitching that after one inning I quit playing it. I've never really been into baseball games so the controls were completely foreign to me. I was going to quit after my second batter, but by some random luck I got a single hit and kept playing thinking maybe it was something I did.

The second demo on the disc was Star Trek: Legacy. After waiting for it to load for 5 minutes it was still only at about 75% loaded. I checked in the magazine and they have a note saying it is a 3 minute load. I gave up on the demo and just restarting my Xbox 360. I doubt this demo is worth the time it takes to load so I'm not even going to bother trying it again.

The final full demo is Winning Eleven Soccer 2007. I gave it a try and it went ok. Soccer games are not really my thing, but I was able to do a decent job moving down the field and taking shots. I lost, but only by one point. Maybe it is just me, but the graphics don't really look that good. I don't know if the full game looks better or not, but since the game has been out a few months I would think the demo's graphics would be about the same as the full game.

The disk also has demos for four Xbox Live Arcade games: Alien Hominid HD, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Worms. Since I've already tried all of them I did not bother playing them again. However, for the people out there who do not have access to broadband internet access it gives them a chance to get these games.

The one decent thing about the June Demo Disc was that it had an unlockable theme for PGR4. It looks pretty decent and is much better than the stupid unlockable artwork that they normally have.

Game Magazines Dying?

I've heard a lot of people say over the last year that gaming magazines on their way out. With the internet you can get the same information sooner. Game reviews and previews for games in this months Official Xbox Magazine were up on game sites like IGN and GameSpot a month ago. OXM has their demo disc that adds some value to their magazine, but all of the demos they have have also been available on Xbox Live Marketplace. A few were delayed until a while after OXM released, but for the most part all of the demos on the OXM demo disc are already on the Marketplace by the time the magazine gets to my house. I guess people who don't have broadband access may like the demo disc, but broadband is growing. Will there be anyone in 5 years that doesn't have broadband internet access if they really want it. Without new demos what value does OXM provide that I can't get elsewhere? Official Playstation Magazine ended last November and it provided a demo disc as well. OPM not only provided a demo disc, but it does not have an easily accessible way to download the demos like the Xbox 360 provides. If OPM could not make it with better circumstances what chance do gaming magazines without demos have? Personally, I still subscribe to OXM. I've thought about canceling but every few months they'll get an exclusive early review or interview that interest me just enough to keep my subscription. I canceled my Electronic Gaming Monthly subscription years ago when I realized I could get all the same info online. I've got a few months left on my OXM subscription before I decide about it, but unless they come up with some great content I don't see myself renewing the subscription.