PS3 Demo: Dragon Age II

The original Dragon Age: Origins, was a great game that a sunk a lot of time into.  But, like many things, I hadn't gotten a bite of excitement from hearing about the coming of its sequel.  That is probably because I hadn't had my hands on the demo, which now I have.

And let me tell you: I. Want. This. 

The combat system always felt sluggish and became somewhat disinteresting in DA:O.  Bioware must have read my mind, because there is much more hack-and-slash active combat in Dragon Age II.  There's plenty to be strategic about as well, but sometimes you want to relentlessly mash the X button to swing a greatsword into your foul enemies.

The demo also made me care about the story, which is no small feat.  This was exceptionally aided by a returning character voiced by the divine Kate Mulgrew.  The graphics also enthralled me, making a really engrossing experience.  

Of all the demos I played, Dragon Age II was the best, and also least available: not coming out until March 8 and boasting a hefty $59.99 pricetag.  Post-spring-break, though: my eye is on this one, no questions asked...

PS3 Demo: Stacking

This is game in which you are a small Russian nesting doll (or matryoshka doll, thanks Wikipedia), trying to save your family.  Story be damned, you are playing one of those cute little dolls!  And you get powers by stacking into dolls larger than you!  The idea is so cute, I could practically die!

The execution, however, was a little busy.  I found myself hopping around into others, but had some trouble in understanding how powers worked, or what my objectives were.  This is a game to play to just have fun, and that's okay, but I was hoping for a little bit more. The humor is spot on with the game's motif, which is not to take itself too seriously (can you take yourself seriously when you are a game involving nesting dolls?).

I'm stuck between a want tag and not wanting the game.  The deciding point was going to be the price.  If it was cheap, it'd be a no-brainer.  The cost to unlocking the whole game is $14.99, or free, if you have a PlayStation Plus account.

While I had certainly seen the PlayStation Plus account advertised, I didn't know the details.  Access to some downloadable games (like Stacking) for free, and others for a discount; also some custom avatars and backgrounds, and a few 60-minute full-game demos.  Sounds interesting, except...

...$50 for a year's subscription!?

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like it would be a good deal, except the perks (I looked through them all) kind of suck.  If things got better, I'd seriously consider it, but for now, I'd much rather shovel over $15 for a fun game about nesting dolls than invest in a subscription that offers me very little.  In fact, even the $15 seems a bit too much now... sorry Stacking, but your demo was adorable and fun.

PS3 Demo: LittleBigPlanet 2

Did you like LittleBigPlanet?  Then you're going to enjoy LittleBigPlanet 2, which is the original, plus a bunch of new stuff.

The demo gives you three pre-built levels to play around in, which excellently showcase new items, like the grappling hook, and being able to "ride" on built creations.  It's a platform game, but now it's more.  With the new additions, games are being showcased online that are incredibly diverse, including a nice remake of Plants vs. Zombies.  Again, the joy of creation looms, though the demo doesn't give you the chance to interact with any level building tools.

The demo includes a couple of videos which are sure to get you excited, and the levels are a decent play.  If you are looking for a platformer, then LBP2 was probably already on your radar.  You could wait for the price to drop from $60 to something more reasonable, but by then, most of user-created levels will feature large amounts of phallic worship.