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[demoban]

Release: Katamari Damacy TGS 2003 Demo (SLPM-60213)

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Hey there!

I know it’s been about a year since this blog last got updated with any new drops. You know how these sorts of things go. Hopefully to make up for it, I’ve got some good news: I finally got my hands on one last Japanese demo disc for Katamari Damacy, the one that Namco gave to the public during TGS 2003, and it’s up for you to check out right now!

For those of you not already in the know, that makes this the third such demo for Katamari Damacy I’ve uploaded to this blog. Previously, I’ve dumped a demo that was released through Japanese game magazine Dengeki Playstation, as well as one that was distributed only to Japanese retailers. Chronologically speaking, this is, to my knowledge, the earliest publicly available demo for Katamari Damacy by several months compared to the other two demos, so if you’re one for documenting the series’ history, in terms of playable content you can get without breaking into Namco, this is probably as early as you’re going to get.

Here’s a brief breakdown of the actual demo contents compared to the other two discs:

Contrary to what I had previously thought, this demo doesn’t contain a wholly unique level per se. The level used in this disc was later reused for the magazine demo. Still, it is a level that was made specifically for demo purposes and can’t be played in the final retail game. (As a reminder, the retail demo has its own entirely unique level that’s wholly different from this demo and the magazine demo that’s also well worth checking out if you’re a fan.)

In terms of structure, this TGS demo and the magazine demo are very similar. The King of All Cosmos does have lines of dialogue that are different to varying degrees, but the actual flow of events is otherwise more or less the same. The ending to this demo is unique in that the King of All Cosmos invites you to listen to a music track for five straight minutes. If you don’t press any buttons, the music will indeed continue for about that long before the demo resets, which is behavior that’s not present in the magazine demo.

That said, as an earlier version of the game than the previous two demos, there are some minor visual differences that you can pick out compared to them, such as a different-looking UI and katamari. I believe there might be some very minor differences with respect to the actual level when it comes to object placement compared to the later magazine demo, but that’s probably best determined by someone with better analytical skills than me.

The music used in the actual demo level is, I believe, an older, rougher cut of music found in the final game. It was also used in at least the later magazine demo, but I bring it up because the retailer demo proved to be a treasure trove for unused and rough draft music, so, as the oldest available demo of the bunch, this might well prove to have some goodies of its own.

That’s about it for the actual demo. This archive also includes a bonus set of scans produced by yours truly of the packaging and instructions included with the demo, the design of which is as charming as ever. They’ve been scanned at 600 DPI, but no cleanup work has been done to them whatever, so if they look a little “raw,” that’s why. People are absolutely welcome to clean it up themselves if they like, but if you do choose to repost the scans elsewhere, please include a source link back to this post! It took me three years and a decent chunk of money to finally acquire this demo and provide what are easily the highest fidelity scans of the slip cover art online, so a little recognition of that work when sharing this content is greatly appreciated.

Have fun!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Dengeki PS2 D61 (SLPM-61051)

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And now for Christmas present #2 in the form of a second Dengeki PlayStation 2 disc!

This disc is notable because it features a playable version of Capcom’s PS2 version of Catan, which never officially got past an online beta test held in 2003 before being quietly cancelled. Based on the German board game of the same name and with art by Susumu Matsushita, the man of a million Famitsu covers, what makes this rendition interesting beyond the online functionality was the fact that it was planned to be a freely distributed game. As this Japanese article describes, the client would be free to download to the PS2 hard drive, with actual gameplay accruing a monthly fee. (So far as I can tell, no actual price was ever announced due to the game’s cancellation, however.) Beyond basic multiplayer functionality, players would be able to use coins that they would receive monthly for things like bets on matches, as well as items to decorate their avatar. Notably, a PC version was also in development by Capcom and players from both versions were planned to be able to play against each other. It even appears that Capcom was considering bringing this overseas, judging by a video posted on IGN circa 2002, which features its fair share of visual and UI differences with what’s seen on this disc. While obviously this business plan isn’t without its flaws, bear in mind that this was at the dawn of free-to-play-looking business models even being conceived within Asian markets within the PC space, let alone for the rest of the world and for consoles especially. Things might not have obviously panned out for this game, but it wasn’t without its ambitions for the time, at least.

Based on this article and other research, it seems that the beta itself was only distributed online through the PS BB Navigator, meaning that the chances of finding that data on a Japanese hard drive in 2017 are pretty slim. While this demo does have an install option present in the main menu, I can’t get it to activate, even when emulating a PS2 hard disk; whether that’s deliberately by design for this demo, I can’t entirely say for certain. It’s not completely without any functionality, however! There is an offline component that teaches players how to play Settlers of Catan, as well as a “test” mode that more or less functions as a way to play a full 4-player game with three AI opponents. Parts of the UI are clunky, but otherwise it seems perfectly playable as it is, provided that you’re literate in Japanese.

All of this is to say that, to my knowledge, a dump of any version of this game hasn’t existed online in wide circulation and while it might “just” be for an adaptation of a board game that you can through plenty of other means at this point, it’s not every day that a cancelled Capcom game shows up in this manner, let alone one that was experimenting with the business side of things, so in that regard, I’m content.

Beyond that, the most notable demos for readers outside of Japan are bound to be ones for Silent Hill 3 and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, although the former had been out for several months by the time this issue of Dengeki PS2 was rolling around and the latter was just around the corner, meaning that you probably shouldn't expect too much content that’s different from their respective retail releases, if at all. That said, in I believe a first for this blog, the Silent Hill 3 demo does feature a language toggle that lets you play it in English, which, hey, as somebody who works in game localization, I find that to be pretty neat!

For the full content listing, check out the breakdown below.

Magazine Name: Dengeki PlayStation 2 (Dengeki PS2) Issue: D61 Publication Date: 2003/8/22

Demos (Red): -Catan (cancelled game) -Atelier Viorate: The Alchemist of Gramnad -Torakapu/Trouble Capture: Dash -Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution -Private Nurse Maria (movie included) -Silent Hill 3 (movie included)

Special (Green): -Capcom New Game Footage Special.   -Monster Hunter   -Onimusha 3   -Resident Evil Outbreak   -Onimusha Blade Warriors   -Gregory Horror Show   -Mega Man X7   -Auto Modellista: US-tuned

Movies (Blue): -R: Racing Evolution -Castlevania: Lament of Innocence -Altered Beast -Nightshade/Kunoichi -Nobunaga no Yabou Online -Kikou Heidan J-Phoenix 2: Joshou-hen -Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly -Monster Rancher 4 -Hungry Ghosts

Save Data (Yellow): -Memory card files for various games.

Happy holidays!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Dengeki PS2 D66 (SLPM-61070)

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Hi! It’s been a while, huh? I know I said I had more in store for Demoban, but as you can probably guess, things ended up going a little dark instead in order to focus on a big project for work. But I didn’t want this blog to languish for too long because some of these discs I have lying around in the backlog are especially deserving of a wider release. So, here’s the first of two Christmas presents today in the form of another Dengeki PS2 disc!

What makes this one from early 2004 special is that it has another demo from Katamari Damacy! And not only that, as if the last Katamari demo I dumped didn’t spoil us enough with lost content, this one also features its own unique level that isn’t present in the final game and was custom built to show off the game! The opening sequence plays out much like that other demo, but as soon as the level loads, it becomes clear you’re playing in a completely different sandbox. And much like that other demo, if you take the time to hack the timer so you can roll up everything in the level, you’ll see some fun easter eggs that are otherwise nearly impossible to witness during normal gameplay.

That’s easily the biggest highlight of the disc, but some of the other things to be found on this disc are fun on their own merits such as the footage from the initial press conference where Final Fantasy XII was first revealed way back in 2003. For a full content breakdown, check out the list below!

Magazine Name: Dengeki PlayStation 2 (Dengeki PS2) Issue: D66 Publication Date: 2004/2/27

Special (Green): -Final Fantasy XII reveal press conference and initial trailer

Demos (Red): -Shadow Hearts II -Firefighter FD 18 -Katamari Damacy -Cy Girls/Cool Girl -Cambrian QTS: Kaseki ni Nattemo -Simple 2000 Series Vol. 44: The Hajimete no RPG: Densetsu no Keishousha

Movies (Blue): -Furasera: Hurrah! Sailor -Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax -Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -Death by Degrees -Kaena -Popolocrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken -Kuon -Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo

Save Data (Yellow): -Memory card files for various games.

Museum (Purple): -Phantom Brave -Monster Hunter

There’s one more disc I plan to upload here either later tonight or sometime tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that!

Happy holidays!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Vib-Ribbon Demo (PAPX-90101)

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A big package full of demo discs came in the mail from Japan today and you know what that means: a marathon of demo updates coming your way, work commitments pending. Most of the demos in the backlog for now consist of magazine discs, but there are also a handful of neat one off single game demos in the batch, including this one for Vib-Ribbon that I’m going to use to kick things off, if only because, like many, I have an enormous soft spot for the Other NaNaOn-Sha PS1 Music Game That Isn’t Parappa or Lammy.

Anyway, this demo is fairly limited in scope. You can only play through the first verse of the first song in the bronze course before you’re kicked out to the admittedly cute scene screenshotted above telling you to go buy the full retail version. No other courses are available to play and obviously the music CD import functionality is disabled. Trying to pick any of these options has Vibri tell you that you can’t play them, which isn’t something she ever says on the final retail disc under any circumstance so far as I know. The actual gameplay is otherwise identical to final game insofar as you can actually play it; you’re just basically going through loops for that initial verse like you do in the retail game, if I’m not mistaken.

Do note that unlike retail Vib-Ribbon, to my knowledge, this demo doesn’t really work in emulation. While it’ll boot, in most emulators, you’ll get no CD audio and the course won’t properly play, instead just kicking you immediate to the screen prompting you to buy it. no$psx works “best” in that it plays the tutorial music and lets you actually play the game, but still, none of the actual music plays. I have confirmed that this dump runs on real PlayStation hardware, so if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s that route.

(Edit: Japanese Twitter user dolly_silent messaged me to say that he recalled this demo being used at a retail kiosk, which lined up with my own suspicions that this was a potentially a retail-oriented disc given its very brief playtime. I didn’t mark it as such because the disc itself doesn’t include any of the usual language to that effect and still won’t until I can 100 percent confirm it, but figured it was worth noting!)

Enjoy!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Dairantou Smash Brothers DX Jitsuen-you Demo (DL-DOL-DALJ-DIS)

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This disc has also been sitting on the old backlog for a while. As the name indicates, this is a Japanese retail kiosk demo disc for Super Smash Bros. Melee. Content-wise, you get two different demos: a 10-minute one for the Adventure Mode (although it ends after the Zebes escape sequence if you’re fast enough) and a two-minute standard multiplayer demo with the default set of characters and (I believe) stages, albeit without the ability to tweak fight settings. This basically looks and plays like the final game, so I wouldn’t expect anything drastically different at all, but given the relative rarity of Japanese GameCube demo discs online, hey, more is better than less, right?

Beyond those two demos, there’s also a demo for Pikmin, which is a little different from the retail game and has previously appeared on a separate demo disc that I’ve dumped here. There are also some videos for both games to watch, as well as a montage video hyping the GameCube launch window. All told, not the fullest demo disc, even by GameCube standards, but not without its merits, either.

Enjoy!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Silent Hill Demo (SLPM-80363)

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Now here’s a demo I’ve been procrastinating on forever: the Japanese standalone demo for the first Silent Hill. This demo might already be publicly circulating in some circles, as it’s certainly known within the Silent Hill fan community, but hey, nothing wrong with posting this for posterity, right?

Content-wise, I don’t believe this is substantially different from the US demo, if at all, although that does contain some content unused in the final game if you go digging around from what I understand. This demo was produced later than that, if I’m not mistaken, and lets you play through either the opening segment of the game or the school section. Casually playing it, it sure plays and looks like how I remember it, but I’ll leave it to the experts to determine whether there’s much of note on here.

Enjoy!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Zettai Zetsumei Toshi Demo (SLPM-60174)

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Hello again! I’m still alive and thinking about Japanese demos, I swear!

Tonight I bring you all a standalone demo for Zettai Zetsumei Toshi, better known overseas as Disaster Report. I’ve technically already covered this demo before, as it also appeared on PlayPlay 2 Volume 3, but being the series superfan that I am, when I found out that a standalone version of the demo existed, I felt compelled to track it down and bring it to you all as a matter of principle. Judging by the file creation dates on this disc, while this disc was technically mastered a few months later than the PlayPlay 2 “version,” upon testing it, it seems to be essentially identical, including the portions that are different from the final game. While not as drastic as some of the Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 2/Raw Danger demos I’ve previously posted, there are a number of small differences worth nothing. These include, among other things:

An altered name entry screen, complete with a unique character portrait and ominous background music not used in the final game.

Tutorial movies that take place in a park level that’s not at all present in the final game.

A system where players can hold onto certain types of rails and shimmy along them, similar to what’s seen in the sequel.

Incomplete voice acting (ie: not all scenes that have voice acting in the final game are fully acted in the demo).

Different presentation style for cutscene dialogue and dialogue choices.

In the included trailer video, Natsumi wearing a different outfit from the final game and Mari using a backpack.

Slightly altered item layouts, most notably a bigger backpack in the second major area after climbing down from the highway.

A closeup camera angle when talking to Mari during main gameplay that isn’t used in the final version.

It’s nothing extremely revelatory, as in execution it’s otherwise by and large still the same opening sequence as presented in the final game, but it’s noticeable if you’ve played through the retail version before, especially in its original Japanese. Either way, I’m happy to have it up finally because this means that essentially, save for one other magazine demo of this game that’s likely just also this same demo, I’ve assembled every known demo released for the entire Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series yet! Should I get that last magazine demo, I’ll of course throw it on here, too, but I’m calling it good enough for now.

There’s plenty more to come in the old backlog, so stay tuned!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 22, 1996 September (PCPX-96042)

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We’ve come to the end of the line for now with DemoDemo Volume 22, although I’ve still got about half of the discs remaining to procure. This disc sees a bit of a facelift with its UI, but otherwise not much else has changed about it, barring the fact this is a disc solely devoted to demos and gameplay teasers. I hope you like Soukoban and pachinko because those are the highlights of this disc when it comes to stuff you can play!

Anyway, here’s the full breakdown:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 22, 1996 September PCPX-96042

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (signified by "Demo Play" in orange; left to right, top to bottom):   -Genei Tougi: Shadow Struggle   -Gallop Racer   -Kyuukyoku no Soukoban   -Pachinko Daisuki   -Leading Jockey: Highbred   -Mighty Hits   -Building Crush

  Movies (signified by  left to right, top to bottom):   -Apo Nashi Gals: Olympus   -Tsuri Baka Nisshi   -Megatudo 2096   -Lulu   -Victory Boxing: Champion Edition/Kensei: The King of Boxing   -Vegas Casino/Super Casino Special   -Karyuujou   -Sore Ike x Kokoroji: Heart ga Oshieru Koi, Kekkon, Jinsei   -Revelations: Persona   -Kekkon: Marriage   -Zoku Gussun Oyoyo   -Slime Shiyou   -AubirdForce   -Jigsaw Island: Japan Graffiti   -Brain Dead 13   -Kuro no Juusan

I’ll probably be moving on to more PlayPlay 2 PS2 demo discs, as I have the majority of those on hand now, although I’ll probably veer off into other tangential areas from time to time since those discs are bulky and take a little while to wholly document. There’s still lots to come with this blog, so stick around!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 21, 1996 August (PCPX-96038)

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As I don’t happen to have DemoDemo Volume 20 on hand, we’re skipping that one for now and moving on to 21 for the time being. And as if to balance things out again sanity-wise, this DemoDemo disc is much saner and tamer compared to the previous. No weird commercials or anything like that this time, but if you’re into either tennis, fishing, or snowboarding games, I suppose this disc has you covered demo-wise. Here’s the full listing below:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 21, 1996 August PCPX-96038

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Smash Court   -Gekka no Kishi   -Steeldom   -Lake Masters   -OverBlood   -Nyanto Wonderful   -Cool Boarders   -Senran

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen   -Kyuukyoku no Soukoban   -Tonzura-kun   -Tokyo Shadow   -CRW: Counter Revolution War   -International Moto X   -Oukyuu no Hihou: Tension   -Pojitto   -Death Wing   -Megatudo 2096   -Toaplan Shooting Battle 1   -Hyper Rally   -Slime Shiyou   -Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball   -PO'ed   -Fuuun Gokuu Ninden   -KuruKuru Twinkle: Onegai Ohoshi-sama   -Yellow Brick Road

Request PlayStation: -Model view for Sentou Kokka Kai

One more DemoDemo disc to go and then we’re done for now! The end is in sight!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 19, 1996 June (PCPX-96032)

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We’re down to the last few DemoDemo discs I have on hand and this one’s kind of a doozy. While the playable demo offerings are solid for Western readers by way of Namco Museum Vol. 3, which lets you play Ms. Pac-Man, and Tecmo’s Deception, the real stars of the show are a pair of just weird, weird ads. One of them’s a probably racist(?) Wipeout ad and the other is just a transcendental one for Destruction Derby, both of which you can view by clicking on the links.

Anyway, what do you say we just get to the content listing so we can move on from this harrowing disc? Cool? Cool.

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 19, 1996 June PCPX-96032

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Namco Museum Vol. 3   -Shin Fortune Quest: Shokutaku no Kishi-tachi   -Mushi no Idokoro   -Tsuukai! Slot Shooting   -Andou Mitsuru Man Pro no Akuukan Sappou   -Tecmo’s Deception: Invitation to Darkness   -Lupupu Cube: Lup Salad   -Race Drivin' a Go Go   -ClockWerx

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Velldeselba Senki   -Studio P   -King's Field III   -Idol Janshi Suchie-Pai Special   -Ugetsu Kitan   -Sea Bass Fishing   -Arc the Lad II   -Crime Crackers 2   -PAL: Shinken Densetsu   -Twilight Syndrome: Kyuumei-hen   -Time Gale & Ninja Hayate   -Slam 'n Jam '96 featuring Magic & Kareem   -Turf Wind '96: Take Yukata Kyousouba Ikusei Game

Request PlayStation: -Commercials for PlayStation hardware, Wipeout, and Destruction Derby.

Sorry,

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 18, 1996 May (PCPX-96027)

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In terms of structure, this DemoDemo is strange in that it splits it demos equally between the accessible sections for reasons I couldn’t wholly tell you. That being said, you better love yourself some scrolling shooters and puzzle games, as they by far constitute the bulk of this disc’s playable content. If you do happen to like shooters in particular, though, it’s worth noting that Dezaemon+ demo on here is neat in that aside from letting you play sample content, you can even mess around with the series-defining shmup editor for things like graphics and sound, although you understandably don’t seem to be able to actually save any content you make within the demo. With that out of the way, here’s the full content breakdown:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 18, 1996 May PCPX-96027

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Victory Zone 2   -Circuit Beat   -City Bravo   -Dezaemon+   -Kyuiin

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Kowloon's Gate   -Samurai Showdown III   -Hokuto no Ken   -Sonic Wings Special   -Expert   -Creature Shock   -Bonogurashi: Kore de Kanpeki Disu   -True Pinball   -Ebisu Yoshikazu no Ooana Kyoutei   -PoPoLoCrois Monogatari   -The King of Fighters '95   -Shutokou Battle   -Feda: Emblem of Justice Remake   -ThunderStrike 2   -ClockWerx   -Meru Purana   -Extreme Power   -Kojima Takeo: Mahjong Teiou

Request PlayStation:   Playable demos for the following games in clockwise order, starting at the top:   -BreakThru   -Mezase! Senkyuuou   -Kururin PA!   -Unstack   -Tecmo Stackers/Deron Dero Dero

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 17, 1996 April (PCPX-96026)

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It’s back to a somewhat boring content lineup for this volume of DemoDemo PlayStation, unfortunately. People who follow me elsewhere might think that I might be at least intrigued at the prospects of a pachinko RPG demo by way of PachiPachi Saga: CRFRPG. But, as it turns out, you only have one very brief battle throughout the entire thing and the rest of the time is spent just hitting the Circle Button to advance dialogue for upwards of 10 to 15 minutes. Very riveting stuff to play in a store kiosk context, I’m sure!

At the very least, there are some interesting extras by way of player-submitted enemy art for Controller-kun no Tabi, which I talked about previously in DemoDemo Volume 10, as well as a model viewer for a Macross game, but that’s about it. Check the content listing below for a full breakdown of what you’ll find on this here disc.

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 17, 1996 April PCPX-96026

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Mezase! Senkyuuou   -PachiPachi Saga: CRFRPG   -The Shinri Game   -Unstack   -Road Rash   -Melty Lancer: Ginga Shoujo Keisatsu 2086   -Welcome House

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -PAL: Shinken Densetsu   -Dragon Ball Z: Idai Naru Dragon Ball Densetsu   -Ide Yousuke no Shin Jissen Mahjong (listed here under the seemingly temporary title Mahjong Jouzu: Mahjong ga Umaku Naru)   -Rise 2: Resurrection   -NFL Quarterback 96   -Mega Man X3   -Tail of the Sun   -Captain Tsubasa J   -Alien Trilogy   -Potestas   -Neo Planet

Request PlayStation: -Submitted enemy artwork viewer for Controller-kun no Tabi (as first seen in DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 10) from Japanese players. -Model viewer for Macross Digital Mission VF-X.

News PlayStation: -Playable demo and introductory video for Jumping Flash 2.

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 16, 1996 March (PCPX-96025)

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DemoDemo Volume 16 is probably the sparsest yet in terms of actual features in that it only has playable content and videos to watch, but it’s got one of the better demo lineups to make up for that. You’ve got your choice of stuff like Jumping Flash 2, Bust-A-Move Again, Asuka 120% Special: BURNING Fest., and even the Japan-only port for freaking Zork I (yes, that Zork, the old text adventure one). There’s also a sweet pachinko demo by way of Sankyo Fever: Jikki Simulation in case you just felt a hankering for some free simulated pachinko or something.

Anyway, here’s what you can expect to find on this disc in full:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 16, 1996 March PCPX-96025

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Jumping Flash 2   -Bust-A-Move Again/Puzzle Bobble 2   -Fire Pro Wrestling: Iron Slam '96   -Asuka 120% Special: BURNING Fest.   -Hyper Final Match Tennis   -Motor Toon Grand Prix 2   -PGA Tour 96   -Zork I   -J League: Virtual Stadium '96   -Sankyo Fever: Jikki Simulation

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Kidou Senshi Gundam ver. 2.0   -Tenchi wo Kurau II: Sekiheki no Tatakai   -Wolf Fang: Kuuga 2001   -Atena no Kateiban: Family Games   -DEFCON 5   -Johnny Bazookatone   -Revolution X   -Actua Soccer   -Pandora Project: The Logic Master   -Dragon Ball Z: Idai Naru Dragon Ball Densetsu   -Daisenryaku: Player's Spirit   -World Match Golf   -Melty Lancer: Ginga Shoujo Keisatsu 2086   -Loaded   -Potestas   -Actua Golf

Enjoy!

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 15, 1996 February (PCPX-96022)

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While still not necessarily an out and out winner per se, this DemoDemo disc at least has a handful of games you’re likely to have at least potentially heard of, with playable demos including such games as Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, Namco Museum Vol. 2 (although only Gaplus is playable), and Hyper Crazy Climber. There’s also brief trailer footage for Bonobono BonoBoard, a sugoroku game based on the Bonobono manga series that was apparently cancelled and is so unknown on the Internet that there’s all of like 100 hits for it when you Google it. My personal favorite thing on this disc might be the demo for Advanced Variable Geo, given its very bare bones, low-fi title screen that reminds me more than a little bit of the latter day bootleg period for Asuka 120%. I mean, just look at it; this is the first screen that greets you as soon as you boot into the demo!

Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Anyway, content listing time!

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 15, 1996 February PCPX-96022

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Motor Toon Grand Prix 2   -Namco Museum Vol. 2   -Champion Wrestler Jikkyou Live   -Logic Puzzle: Rainbow Town   -Hyper Crazy Climber   -Puppet Zoo Pilomy   -Advanced Variable Geo   -Double Dragon (Neo Geo fighting game port)

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Bonobono (AKA: Bono Board, cancelled sugoroku board game?)   -Twilight Syndrome: Tansaku-hen   -Doraemon: Nobita to Fukkatsu no Hoshi   -Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness   -Ring of Sias   -Ray Tracers   -World Cup Golf: Hyatt Dorado Beach   - PachiPachi Saga: CRFRPG   -Criticom   -Fire Pro Wrestling: Iron Slam '96   -Bust-A-Move Again/Puzzle Bobble 2   -Captain Tsubasa J   -Angel Graffiti: Anata he no Profile   -Sankyo Fever: Jikki Simulation   -Uchuu Goushouden: Bakuretsu Shounin   -Hyper Final Match Tennis   -Slam Dragon   -Blockids

Request PlayStation:   -Jumping Flash 2 introductory video   -PoPoLoCrois Monogatari trailer   -Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Ishin Gekitouhen announcement video

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 14, 1996 January (PCPX-96021)

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Another pretty quiet month for DemoDemo PlayStation all around. There’s a demo of The Firemen 2, the sequel to a pretty rad firefighting game on the SNES by Human, but there’s no music and you just fight fires with a slowly turning protagonist for a few minutes before you’re taken back to the main menu. Not the most exciting time all around. Beyond that, there’s some video footage of Kojima’s two adventure game PS1 ports by way of Policenauts and Snatcher, as well as a handful of Western games readers have possibly heard of, but that’s about it. Here’s your full breakdown:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 14, 1996 January PCPX-96021

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Epidemic/Kileak the Blood 2: Reason in Madness   -The Firemen 2: Pete & Danny   -Vehicle Cavalier   -Bogey: Dead 6/Sidewinder   -Grille Logic   -Namco Mahjong: Sparrow Garden   -Reverthion   -Miracle World   -Hi-Octane: The Track Fights Back   -Taiketsu Rumiizu: Meruhen Land

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Snatcher   -NBA In The Zone   -Suiko Enbu   -WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game   -Wolkenkratzer   -Floating Runner: Quest for the 7 Crystals   -Koten Tsumegoshuu: Shijin no Maki   -Touhaiden Akagi   -Policenauts   -Suikoden   -Chou Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko   -Magical Drop   -NBA Jam: Tournament Edition   -Cyberia   -LifeScape: Seimei 40 Oku Nen Haruka Na Tabi

Request PlayStation:   -D/D no Shokutaku trailer

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: Gekkan Nintendo Tentou Demo 2002 May (DL-DOL-D29J-DIS)

Download Link

We’re taking a quick break from DemoDemo PlayStation discs to bring you the first of hopefully many Gekkan Nintendo Tentou Demo discs, which, like DemoDemo, were a series of monthly GameCube demo discs that Nintendo sent out to retailers. American readers might be familiar with the Interactive Multi-Game Demo Discs, which essentially served the same function but for North America. These discs are fairly hard to come by, at least at a sane price, so they won’t get dumped with anywhere near as much regularity as the PS1 and PS2 stuff, but given how unknown they generally remain, they’re certainly high on the priority list every time I go shopping for new stuff to dump.

Anyway, this disc has an interesting mishmash of playable demos and videos to watch, with the standout here likely being the demo for Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO. While there’s a ten minute time limit imposed and most of the modes aren’t accessible, so far as I can tell, you can otherwise play with the entire roster on this disc and might even be able to do multiplayer, though I haven’t been able to test this. There’s also a very brief demo for Lost Kingdoms that’s basically a series of tutorial fights and then a quick boss battle; if nothing else, this relatively forgotten demo of a From Software game better teaches you the core mechanics than a lot of other RPG demos, so good on them, I suppose.

For the full breakdown of what you can find on this disc, read on below.

Gekkan Nintendo Tentou Demo 2002 May DL-DOL-D29J-DIS

Playable Demos (Yellow icons; 10 minute time limits each): -Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO -Bomberman Generation -Lost Kingdoms

Trailers (Blue icons): -Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse -Resident Evil -Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO -Bomberman Generation -FIFA Soccer 2002 -Crazy Taxi

News Bulletins (Grey icon):

-Super Smash Bros. Melee orchestra details -Animal Crossing e-Reader card series 3 announcement -Nintendo Book 2002 Spring bulletin

Back to PS1 demo discs now~

-Pepsi

[demoban]

Release: DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 13, 1995 December (PCPX-96019)

Download Link

It’s another DemoDemo PlayStation disc filled with a lot of Japan-only games you likely haven’t heard of, with a handful of exceptions here and there. I guess if you wanted to play Crazy Climber on something outside of MAME, you can do that with the Nichibutsu Arcade Classics demo? Well, it is what it is. Here’s your full listing of everything you can expect to find on this disc:

DemoDemo PlayStation Volume 13, 1995 December PCPX-96019

Demo PlayStation:   Playable Demos (Silver disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Beyond the Beyond   -Two-Tenkaku   -PD Ultraman Invader   -Robo Pit   -Tecmo Stackers/Deron Dero Dero   -Wizard's Harmony   -Project: Horned Owl   -Nichibutsu Arcade Classics   -Tadaima Wakusei Kaitakuchuu   -Metamoru Panic: Doki Doki Youma Busters   -Othello World II: Yume to Michi he no Chousen

  Movies (Green disc icons, left to right, top to bottom):   -Ridge Racer Revolution   -Kileak: The DNA Imperative   -Theme Park   -Yaku: Yuujou Dangi   -Kuma no Puu Tarou: Sora Wa Pink Da! Zenin Shuugou! (Sore Damessu)   -Matsukata Hiroki no World Fishing   -Gunbird   -Battle Arena Toshinden 2   -Dai 4-ji Super Robot Taisen S   -Welcome House   -Bogey: Dead 6/Sidewinder   -Tetsudou Ou '96: Iku Ze Okuman Chouja   -Reverthion   -Gionbana   -LifeScape: Seimei 40 Oku Nen Haruka Na Tabi

Request PlayStation:   -In-engine cutscne viewer for Sentou Kokka   -Rock & Mun DemoDemo Promotional Manga

-Pepsi