Demos

Activision has released a playable PC demo for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the just released game adaption of the third movie in the CGI animated series. Yes you can play with the characters from the movie like Scrat, Sid, Manny and Diego as they discover a lost world of dinosaurs. The demo comes from developer Eurocom.

Download the Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs demo (513 MB) at Big Download

The mighty Ambrosia Software keeps churning out great games for the Mac, never resting on its laurels. However, there is one title in its roster that continues to iterate, and that's a genuinely good thing, because it keeps getting better with each pass. The Escape Velocity series, originating on the Mac for the now-Classic OS in 1996, has seen its third version drop in 2002, called EV Nova. It has only recently been made available as a Universal Binary, hence its inclusion here in Mac Monday. Even if it weren't for that, however, this game deserves to be brought to the attention of an audience who may not have had the pleasure of playing its earlier incarnations.

At its heart, EVN's gameplay hasn't notably changed from the first version. You take command of a low-level spacecraft, and attempt to rise to power by trading goods throughout the galaxy, indulging in some combat along the way. The graphics are still glorious 2D, which in this case is a welcome deviation from the typical trait seen in game series that run for a while -- the Ambrosia devs know not to mess with a winning strategy.

This is the playable demo for Trine, the 3-player cooperative game that lets players solve physics-based puzzles together using different character types.

"Trine is a physics-based action game where three characters allow clever solutions to challenges created by hazardous puzzles and threatening enemies. The gameplay is based on fully interactive physics - each character's different abilities and tactics can be used to invent new ways to overcome obstacles and save the kingdom!"

Download Trine Demo (460 MB)
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This is the playable demo for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, based on the upcoming movie. The full game is scheduled to release on June 30th for the PC and consoles while the movie is due to hit theaters on July 15th.

Download Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Demo (595 MB)
Check out all Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince downloads

P.U.R.E. (Purify, Unify, Reclaim, Exterminate) is a real-time strategy game set in an apocalyptic future after the Fall of Mankind. It has been recently updated with new features and is now available for Linux. The updated demo can be download now. Continue reading after the jump for a list of new features. Visit the official website for more information or to purchase the full version of the game.

In P.U.R.E.: "Wage war in huge cities that are completely interactive, as you attempt to wrest control of another world for either the Human Resistance or the robotic Overmind. Build huge armies of mecha, tanks and aircraft as you fight to control the terrain. Finish off your enemies with spectacular super-units amid thousands of explosions."
Download P.U.R.E. v1.2 Demo (341 MB)
Download P.U.R.E. Linux Demo (329 MB)

This is the playable demo for the highly realistic military themed game ArmA 2. In ArmA 2, players take the role of soldiers assigned to the country of Chernarus, which is currently embroiled in civil war with numerous factions vying for power. The demo takes place on the small Chernarussian island of Utes, and includes the "Boot Camp" tutorial missions. Additionally, the demo has the "Trial by Fire" mission taken from the full campaign and single multiplayer map called "Mini Warfare" so players can get a taste of everything ArmA 2 has to offer. The full game is available now in Europe and the North American release is scheduled for early July.

Download ArmA 2 Demo (2.84 GB)
Check out all ArmA 2 downloads

This is the playable demo for Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships, an adventure game from HER Interactive.

"Your friend Bess Marvin is kidnapped and the only chance you have to save her is by solving a 300-year-old Bahamian mystery! Dangerous waters keep treasure hunters from exploring the reefs around Dread Isle, but this remote island might hide the riches of El Toro's lost fleet! Can you, as Nancy Drew, track down the treasure before time runs out?"

Download Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships Demo (240 MB)

The game is already out in Europe and will be made available via Steam on Friday but if for some reason you want to get the retail box version, ArmA II is heading to retail stores as well in the US. Today publisher Got Game Entertainment revealed their plans to release the Bohemia Interactive-developed game on July 7.

Meanwhile a post on the Bohemia Interactive message boards has announced that we can expect an ArmA II demo to be released sometime later this week. There's no word yet on what the content will be like but brace yourself for a big file; the final demo is expected to be about 2 GB in size.

Reflexive Entertainment, known for previously covered games like The Great Tree and Big Kahuna Reef 2: Chain Reaction, is back with a game in the life simulation genre: Sprouts Adventure. This time around, you're charged with helping a group of tiny plant-like creatures called Sprouts develop their society.

This game features a couple of twists on the standard gameplay, but if you're not already a fan, you probably won't find anything new in this iteration on the genre that will induce you to play more. Read on for exactly what I mean.

The patch updates Light of Altair to v1.01. The independently developed game involves creating and protecting interplanetary colonies. Patch notes are shown after the jump, and the demo can be downloaded here.

"Light of Altair is a sci-fi colony building game with a deep plot. Grow colonies from landing pod to metropolis, while sending off new spaceships to expand your territory to other worlds. You are not alone in space, 8 factions from different parts of the world are all following their own agendas in the solar system; diplomacy and orbital-combat are essential to learn."

Download Light of Altair v1.01 Patch (643 KB)
Download Light of Altair Demo (98 MB)

This is the playable demo for Delta Force: Xtreme 2, an action shooter where players take the role of a highly-trained soldier fighting in conflicts all over the world. System requirements are shown after the jump.

"In Delta Force: Xtreme 2, you'll take control of Delta Force, employing the most dangerous and effective commando tactics and state-of-the-art weaponry at your disposal to defeat the enemy. Track enemies across a variety of expansive landscapes scattered across the globe in 10 single-player scenarios, and take them down with more than 20 real-world weapons. Insert into danger zones using dangerous HALO jumps, and use choppers, tanks and high-speed watercraft to roar into the midst of the action. Create your own exciting custom levels with the Battle Editor tool, and battle players from all over in five challenging online multiplayer game types."

Download Delta Force Xtreme 2 Demo (290 MB)

If you have been wondering if Digital Illusions has any plans to release an open beta for their upcoming downloadable multiplayer shooter Battlefield 1943 the bad news is that there is no such beta planned. It's not all bad news, however as a Eurogamer chat brings word on an upcoming free version.

The game's producer Gordon Van Dyke stated during the chat, "No beta, but we have a trial version that lets you confirm what you already thought - that this game is the best USD 15 I will ever spend!" The game, which is basically a remake of several maps from Battlefield 1942 but using DICE's new Frostbite graphics engine, will be released for the PC in September following a console release this summer.

This is the playable demo for the adventure game, Return to Mysterious Island 2, inspired by the Jules Verne novel "The Mysterious Island." In it, players can assume to roles of two different characters - Mena, the young navigator the Jules Verne competition and Jep, her monkey companion. The game can also be synchronized with iPhones so that players can solve puzzles in the game while on the go.

"Return to Mysterious Island 2 begins with the crash of the helicopter that came to rescue Mina. She survived but is once again trapped on the island. All of a sudden, under her very eyes, an unknown disease afflicts the plants first, then the animal life. Mina explores the island to locate the infection source. She searches Captain Nemo's base in vain, then the ruins of an unknown civilization, and finally understands that it is outside pollution that threatens the island. The only way to save this natural wonder is to turn the shield back on. But if Mina makes this decision, she gives up -as Captain Nemo did before her- the idea of returning to civilization..."

Download Return to Mysterious Island 2 Demo (562 MB)

This demo for the aerial stunt game AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity is for the pre-release version of the game. The demo contains 9 of the 30 pre-release levels. Players can pre-order the complete game at the official website for $15 ($10 off full price). Pre-order customers will receive access to all 30 levels of the pre-release, additional content as it comes out, and the full 80 level game when it comes out later this year. That's a lot to scream about.

"In AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!, you dive off of a building and rely on quick reflexes to negotiate the intricate tangle of girders that make up the City. You perform aerial stunts at terminal velocity before parachuting into the arms of your cheering fans. While other skydivers have it easy, you have to earn the adoration of the crowds by gliding within an eyelash of that glass super-skyscraper at 91 miles per hour."

Download Download: Aaaaa...! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity Pre-Release Demo (120 MB)

This is the playable demo for Dawn of Discovery (a.k.a. Anno 1404). In it, players build and manage colonies that grow into a thriving empire. Dawn of Discovery will be available on June 25th 2009 for the PC, Wii and DS.

"Dawn of Discovery takes place in the year 1404, when King George's land is suffering from severe droughts and brutal famine. Aware of his people's distress, the king calls on his two sons, William and Edward, to acquire new territories in order to produce enough goods to satisfy the needs of his empire's inhabitants. Whereas Edward suggests aggressive means to collect the precious resources, his brother William offers a peaceful solution, proposing to explore new and unsettled lands in the south of the kingdom."

Download Dawn of Discovery Demo (1.67 GB)
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