Welcome everyone to the Down-Low on what to Download. This past Thursday (well, Friday) the US store recieved four new demos. Two of them, Wet and Dirt 2, were on the UK store last week. And two new ones, NHL 10 and Fear 2: Reborn, are on the UK store as well this week .



Fear 2: Reborn

This demo is a look at the upcoming DLC for Fear 2. The premise of the demo is that you play as Replica Soldier Foxtrot 183, and there is a voice in your head compelling you to disobey orders from Replica Command. You go AWOL, and must escape Replica Outpost. The demo starts with you being surrounded by dead bodies, and hearing the voices of soldiers looking for you. You have to fight your way through multiple levels of the Replica Outpost. You will encounter normal soldiers, as well as heavy soldiers who look like armored mechs. The demo only takes about 10 minutes to complete, the length wasn’t the actual issue.

All of our staff members felt that this demo was majorly lacking. It doesn’t do anything new and, for the most part, it came off as mediocre. The full retail game was released back in February, and if you did not purchase it then there is little here to change your mind. You probably won’t miss much if you skip out on this one.

NHL 10

This demo covers EA’s latest installment in its NHL franchise, and it’s unusually big for a sports demo. There is a tutorial that shows you the basic shooting and checking mechanics. You also get to try out two game modes, the first of which is Battle for the Cup. This mode will have you playing as either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. You only play one quarter, but it’s enough to get a good feel for the game. The other mode is Be a Pro, which allows you to create a superstar and play in the prospect game. Be a Pro mode only allows you to participate in the third quarter, and you can only control your created player. And though the camera only follows you, not the puck, it’s still a cool concept and offers plenty of fun.

This was a pretty robust demo and was very enjoyable, with most of the staff offering significant praise for the demo. The graphics look excellent, and the two modes included, though short, really give a good taste of what to expect from the full game. If you’re an NHL fan, this is definitely the demo for you. NHL 10 looks to be a solid rental at the very least, and maybe even worthy of a full purchase.

Wet/Dirt 2

These two demos were on the EU store last week, and, in general, the staff enjoyed them. Wet has some interesting gameplay mechanics, and has creeped up most of our lists from “who cares” to “must rent”. Dirt 2 is extremely fun and looks absolutely amazing, and most of the staff agrees that this game is will probably be a must buy. For our full impressions on these two games, check out last week’s post here.

That wraps up the Down-Low on What to Download for the week of 8/31. To recap, Fear 2 comes off as a pretty uninspired FPS, and for the most part there is little reason to download it. NHL 10 is a very impressive NHL game. The demo has a lot to offer, and was really enjoyable. If you’re an NHL fan, than this game is definitely one to check out. The last two demos we looked at last week, were pretty interesting, though Dirt 2 takes the spotlight as a great offroad racer with slick graphics and tight controls.