Demos for System Shock, Destroy All Humans, and five other upcoming games popped up on GOG

SHODAN sends her regards

Demos for seven upcoming PC games are playable today on GOG just in time for the store’s 2020 Summer Sale, and they’re absolutely worth a look. You might not be into all of them – and you probably aren’t even familiar with a couple – but I’m willing to bet at least one of the demos will speak to you.

The list includes Desperados III, System Shock, Destroy All Humans, Cris Tales, Vagrus – The Riven Realms: Prologue, Spiritfarer, and Carrion. I’m making a beeline for the two remakes, and then I’ll try to loop back for Cris Tales – it’s aiming to blend classic (Chrono Trigger) and modern (Persona 5) JRPG sensibilities.

Some of the demos are on the shorter side, but then there’s Desperadoes III. It’s over 90 minutes!

So far, I’ve only played the System Shock alpha demo, and I like what Nightdive is doing.

As you can see in the screenshots I captured below, this revival is super faithful to the original – but it doesn’t feel dated. It’s riding that line. In the demo, I woke up, inputted the classic keycode, smashed several mutants with a lead pipe, loaded my inventory with items I wanted to save for later but never got around to using (big mood!), and was ultimately gunned down by a cyborg. A fitting end.

While the combat is a little fiddly right now, Citadel Station’s ambiance is there in spades. I was sufficiently spooked. I’m not sure if anyone will be truly “blown away” – I kind of doubt it, actually – but as far as remakes of beloved 25-plus-year-old games go, I respect Nightdive’s commitment to detail.

Beyond the cool multi-demo promo, the wider GOG 2020 Summer Sale runs until Monday, June 15. Metro Exodus: Gold Edition ($29.24) and Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition ($11.99) are currently topping the best-seller list, but there are 3,000-some deals on the site. Check your wishlist if you have one.