Undoubtedly, one of the greatest aspects of the new age of video games is the ability to download and play console demos in advance. I would say this is my absolute favorite innovation – more so than the great graphics, unheralded immersion, or eleven year-olds calling me a “fag”. Gone are the days of staring longingly at the box, trying to infer if the latest version of Sonic is as good as the last. No more hoping the magazine review is not “sponsored” or the guy just has crap taste. Furthermore, no more PC demos that are buggy as hell or screw up your computer if they work at all. I’m looking at you, Crysis. Xbox Live is a good thing.

A few high-profile demos were released on Wednesday, so I thought I’d throw a few words out. First, one that has been on Live for a while – Pure. This is a perfect example of a demo selling a game, because the screen captures and the reviews make it out to be just another above-average ATV game. Actually, it is the spritual successor to Downhill Domination for which I have been waiting impatiently. By the way, if you haven’t played that PS2 game – check it out. I don’t even like racing games, but both DD and Pure are awesome fun. Both are more arcade/trick games (in the vein of the SSX series) than simulation.

The new Tomb Raider game demo is out, and it sure is purty. Well, at least the water is impressive. The way it shimmers and sighs against the cliff sides is some nice work. Call me anal, but a little wetness leftover on the rocks when the water retreats would have been awesome. The foliage, rocks, and squishy spiders do not stand out. Lara Croft, nearly killed off by the gawddawful second movie, is back and up to her same ol’ tricks. I fell off the cliff into that glistening water too many times, so the familiar trial-and-error game mechanic is in full force. If you are already a fan then go at it. Otherwise, skip it.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is not exactly a stretch for Square. You remember Square, right? Developers of the original BanKaz in 1998 on the Nintendo64, Kingdom Hearts, Chrono Trigger, and of course the juggernaut known as the Final Fantasy series. In summary, back in the day they were GODS. Peruse their list here. The Bushido Blade series alone made them revered. They are back for the first BK game on a non-handhold console since the original, and it is pretty fun. If you like those Mario-esque runaround and collect games, check it out. However, it has a cool unique mechanic where you build your own vehicles. You know the game is focused on vehicles because after walking around a bit, your tutorial guide says something to the effect of “you know you have vehicles, right? RIGHT?”. Again, this is where downloading the demo is awesome – normally I would not like these types of games and dismissed it outright. The vehicle aspect adds a little extra something, so I may wait and buy it used.

My point – download the free demos ASAP. What do you have to lose?