As much as we love Nintendo, we're not such a fan of their policies regarding game demos - sadly, it's somewhat rare for them to ever release a taster of the game pre-release, and the company have even gone on record before saying that they believe demos actually decrease potential sales of the full games, as people are likely to just replay the demo over and over rather than buying the game proper... Having been tempted into buying many a game we weren't too sure about after playing a demo in the past, however, we're not entirely sure we agree with Nintendo's philosophy.
But finally, it seems like the tide may be turning, as Nintendo are set to release a number of demos of various 3DS games onto the Nintendo eShop - although none that have been made by Nintendo themselves, like Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land or Super Pokemon Rumble, you understand. What we do have instead is a rather decent selection of upcoming titles, which will be making their way onto the Nintendo eShop from tomorrow:
Resident Evil: Revelations
I'm hoping that's just a rather fetching red rug on the floor...
The horror-filled, T-virus laden, zombie-slayer Resident Evil: Revelations demo creeps onto the store tomorrow, ahead of it's release on the 27th January. Set aboard an abandoned cruise liner, (which has suddenly become all the more topical over the past week), you play as STARS agent Jill Valentine, as you comb the innards of the stricken liner searching for your former partner, the big-biceped Chris Redfield. But when reports start emerging that suggest the leaking ship may house a new strain of the dreaded T-virus, things may take a turn for the worse...
Cooking Mama 4
Yay, Popcorn!
Also on the 27th January (and more to my wimpy, girly tastes) comes a demo of Cooking Mama 4, which features the same simple stylus-controlled mini-games centred around food preparation you've come to know and love. Surprisingly addictive, you'll be swiping to slice, tapping eggs and swirling to mix as you prepare everything from pancakes, to instant noodles to octopus dumplings - and rated on your performance by the ever cheerful Mama.
Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater
Who can resist a man with an eye-patch?
Duck, crouch, and sneak about, all whilst trying to not accidentally press the wrong button and drop a grenade under your prone body in Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater, sneaking onto the Nintendo eShop some time in the near future. A 3DS conversion of the PS2 original, Metal Gear Solid 3D puts you, quietly, into the shoes of stealthy operative, Solid Snake, as he slithers about the jungle, in pursuit of an evil Russian, in a typically over the top espionage plot. And yes, you can eat snakes. Yuck.
Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Sonic resorts to unconventional wind power to make it to first place...
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games sees the rival mascots at it again, this time around competing in the upcoming London Olympics, along with the other inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom and Sonic land. Featuring a whole host of sporting-related mini-games, from canoe racing, balance beams and judo to hurdles, badminton and even competitive walking, there's loads to try your hand at in pursuit of those elusive gold medals.
Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure
Yay, Japan!
Winning the award for the most random title in the list comes Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure, which is something of a tricky one to sum up. Trailing around the streets of Paris in search of the Wristlet of Tiamat, which holds the key to lead character, Raphael's father's disappearance, you'll be swiping with the stylus, pressing buttons and tilting your 3DS to the beat of the music to return footballs, posing behind topiary to jumping across rooftops - and of course, a spot of disco dancing.
That's all for now - although there'll hopefully be more demos popping up as time goes on, as well as dates for the final three demos. All that remains now is to download all the demos and have a go - you may as well, seeing as they're free, and who knows, you may find you really like a game you'd never even thought about before!
