So apparently Sony has put up some demo kiosks in the states for people to come check out. They have demos of Fifa 14, Super Motherload, Knack, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Contrast, and Pinball Arcade. You can check for demos near you here: http://experienceplaystation.com/
There's one about 5 minutes from my school, so yesterday I grabbed a friend and checked it out. My impressions are below. Let me know what you guys think as well if you check one out. When I showed up there was only one group playing, so we didn't have to wait long. Once we got it, it was about 20 minutes before anyone else showed up to play. Maybe you guys will have similar luck! The store employees only seemed roughly aware of what the thing was. They asked us a few questions about the games and how we liked it, but nobody asked us about preordering and they didn't hover around us. I appreciated that.
Knack
I didn't actually play any, but the people in line before us were playing it. Overall it seemed to match the early impressions I've heard. It just looks boring. It's a throwback to old run and jump platformers, but it seemed kind of lifeless.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
This was the first thing I loaded up when I got to my turn. I loved the original, and this seems like it will be a great followup. It controls really smoothly with the PS4 controller, which was actually a bit of a turnoff. Screwy controls are part of what made Octodad fun. I think I'll play this one with a mouse when it comes out, but everything I saw of it looked great here. This was the high point of the demos I played.
Contrast
Oops, the demo didn't load. Moving on!
Fifa 14
Yep, it was Fifa. The ball control stuff looked great. EA was right to brag about it this year. The graphics looked fine, and players didn't get as fuzzy as they do in modern sports games when the camera pulls out too much. The crowd was still an EA sports crowd.
Super Motherload
Didn't play much of this since some people finally stepped in line as we loaded it up. Reminded me of Steamworld Dig. Dig to get stuff. Take it to the surface and get money. Use money for upgrades. Rinse and repeat. Seems like there's probably some story here with some voice work that I found enjoyable.
The Controller
Definitely a big step up from the PS3 controller. It felt pretty good to hold and I love the feel of the joysticks. We tried flicking the touch pad during a few games, but none that we played seemed to use it. I still think I like the 360 controller better. The rounded sides fit better in my hands. Still, I imagine I could happily use that controller if I purchase a PS4 down the road.
Overall
It's more or less what I expected, I suppose. I knew coming in that the only demo game I cared about was Octodad. Therefore it's unsurprising that it's the only one that left an impression. Graphics seemed good, particularly in Knack. Nothing about it was terribly awe-inspiring, but it was nice to see high quality textures all around, not much aliasing, and a smooth framerate. I guess neither of the new consoles have done anything to win me over yet.
Log in to comment