8 Coolest Things Gaming Doesn’t Do Anymore
3. Bonus Demos
They're not totally absent from modern gaming, but demos in general are not nearly as widespread as they used to be.
Once upon a time, they could found as free gifts in magazines or perhaps even in cereal boxes. If you were lucky to get something more than a piece of reflective plastic for your bicycle spokes, you might find a disc inside with one or several brand new experiences.
Very occasionally, companies would supply you a demo themselves with another purchase. A marvellous thing for gamers as it was simply more game, it was also a sly way to appeal to existing customers of a genre or series. Notable examples include arcade shooter Point Blank being featured under the inlay of Time Crisis for the PS1, and a demo of Wind Waker being packaged with the Gamecube Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition.
Even more fun, because of just how unique it was, was Naughty Dog hiding a cheat code in Crash Bandicoot games for upcoming Sony Spyro titles and vice-versa, which tied the franchises together and arguably led to their eventual GameBoy Advance cross-over games.
Because gaming these days is so often about locking a player into a single experience for as long as possible, demos for something entirely different are almost certainly never coming back.