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Demos haven’t changed much in their short history. We’ve gone from demos on discs to downloadable ones, but that hasn’t changed the content of demos, just the way we receive and consume them. Crackdown 2 and Just Cause 2’s demos however, have the potential to change the way we think and play demos. Changes I believe are for the better.

It begins with Just Cause 2. In the demo, you are given 30 minutes to experience as much of the game as you can. While you can replay it as many times as you want, I felt (and assume others felt similarly,) losing whatever progress I made within the demo made it less desirable to continue playing after a single playthrough. Thankfully for myself and others, a “glitch” was discovered within a matter of days allowing players to play the demo for as long as they desired.

Whether the developers intended this glitch to be found or not, it not only created a little buzz for the game, but it also gave players the real taste they were looking for. Though my time with the demo didn’t lead to a purchase, the combination of the glitch, plus the infinite time the glitch allows definitely got my attention. Certainly more than if the glitch hadn’t happened.

Crackdown 2’s demo has a bit more legitimate of a revelation: Demo Achievements. There are ten 10-point achievements that can be unlocked during your half-hour time limit with the demo (which, surprise surprise, there’s also an infinite time glitch for.) Whatever achievements you unlock during the demo will automatically unlock when you pop in the retail game.

There are a couple reasons why this changes the face of game demos. For one, the achievements naturally drive players to experience what the game has to offer. An achievement involving running over X number of freaks in a vehicle entices players to try the cars of Crackdown 2 when they might miss otherwise. Another more obvious reason is the pull to buy the full version. For achievement whores the world over (and I put myself in that category,) knowing you’ve got relatively free achievement points coming to you makes a purchase a no-brainer.

Whether or not these demos gets people to purchase either of these games, the new concepts within them are enough to get them talking and interested. And really, isn’t getting attention half the battle?