The demos
Burnout 3:This demo is ONLY playable over Xbox Live.
SRS: Dear Namco, shouldn't you have had this demo a few months ago? I tried this briefly in a store when the game came out and it didn't do much for me then. The demo doesn't support 480P and is very bleh.
Mercenaries: Now this is more like it. Best description would be Grand Theft Auto War. Graphics look great(what we've come to expect from Pandemic). In the demo you have to destroy a chemical plant and 4 sam launchers. I started outside the entry gate and was told I could take it out by calling in a carpet bombing. I target it from a satellite view and a series of rolling explosions obliterate the gates. I move towards the smoking debris and just barely move out of the way of a speeding jeep. I gun down the occupants and drive into the base... Lots of cool stuff. As you destroy the sams, you gain the ability to call in supply drops. I called in some heavy weaponry supplies. A chopper comes flying in with a crate dangling underneath. Unfortunately, hostiles were in the area and shot it down(I narrowly avoided the falling debris). Thankfully, the crate survived and I was able to bust it open and grab a rocket launcher and some more C4.
The Punisher: Do you like violent 3rd person shooters? You're gonna love this. The level takes place in a museum(complete with an automated tour guide describing the exhibits). Graphics look great here as well. A thug has his back to you as he admires a pool of pirahna. You come up from behind and grab him. He has a special icon over is head indicating he has valuable info. You place his head over the pirahnas and you can push his head closer or pull it back. Hold it close enough for a right amount of time and he sings about the ambush at the top of the escalators and says to take hime with you and he'll stop them....NAH, in his face goes and there his face goes.
You can use thugs as human shields. You can carry 2 guns a la Halo and you can even dual wield(I love dual wielding 2 shotguns). You can shoot the guns out of thugs hands. The first time I did this I watched the guy run around a bit and then I spotted a gun that another of my victims had dropped. He went right for it and picked up so I finished him. Favorite moment: I dived toward a bad guy while dual wielding a shotgun. I fired both and I blew him in half.
emon Stone: 8.4
