Torchlight two-hour trial released

Perfect World Entertainment is offering a two-hour trial version of Runic Game’s excellent action-RPG, Torchlight. After trying out the game for a few hours, players will then be prompted to purchase the game for $19.99. I can tell you that you don’t need two hours with this game to know that it is a lot of fun and worth a mere $20, but for those that don’t want to believe me, you can grab the demo at torchlight.perfectworld.com.

If you need more proof, you can check out my ill-prepaired and executed review of the game.

Tropico 3 demo hits Xbox Live

Kalypso Media has released a demo for Tropico 3 on Xbox Live today, giving would-be dictators a chance to rule with an iron fist on Microsoft’s console. The game demo is available for download Worldwide from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Gold Subscribers and will be available soon for Silver Subscribers.

The demo features two full missions from the Xbox 360 version of the game called “Banana” and “Second Chance.” In “Bananas” the abdication of the old president of St. Helena provides the perfect opportunity for your rise to power. Now as the head of state it is your job to lead this small island nation to a new age of prosperity. In “Second Chance” a band of rebels led by your twin manage to drive you out of your own island. Taking the entire treasury, you hitch a ride on an old fishing boat, seeking refuge in your summer residence on the island of El Acantilado - but your most loyal followers are close by. Your goal in this mission is to build up the island and bring prosperity to it.

Grab the demo from Xbox Live Marketplace now. For more information on Tropico 3, visit kalypsomedia.com. Be sure to check out Troy Goodfellow’s excellent Tropico 3 PC Review before you go.

OpFlash: Dragon Rising PC demo released

Codemasters has finally released the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising PC Demo at the game’s official web site, www.flashpointgame.com. The demo features the first mission from the full game. Details on the demo and the first mission can be found at the link above in the “Public Affairs.”

In the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising PC demo, gamers take on the first full mission, ‘Dragon Rising’, in single player or co-operative multiplayer. As part of a Special Forces squad inserting behind Chinese PLA lines, players must eliminate a strategically critical radar station and missile sites to allow the USS Iwo Jima, carrying the main USMC battalion, to safely approach the island of Skira.

Dante’s Inferno demo in Dec.

Visceral Games will release a demo for Dante’s Inferno in December, according to an announcement from the EA studio behind Dead Space. The Gates of Hell demo includes the entire opening level and gives players a taste of what Visceral Games has in store for players when the game is released in the early part of 2010. The Gates of Hell demo will introduce players to the game’s hero, story and action-focused gameplay. The game will trace Dante’s battles from the surface all the way to the Gates of Hell. Look for it in early Dec.

Dante’s Inferno will be released in North America February 9, 2010 and in Europe on February 12, 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation Portable. The Gates of Hell demo will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Xbox Live Silver members get L4D2 demo today

By the time you read this the Left 4 Dead 2 demo should be available to Xbox LIVE Xbox LIVE Silver Members. The Left 4 Dead 2 demo, which has already been made available on PC and Xbox LIVE Gold Members, features gameplay taken from “The Parish” campaign, set in the New Orleans French Quarter. Playable by 1 - 4 players over local or Internet connections on both the Xbox 360 and PC (with two-player split screen available on the Xbox 360), the demo features all the new boss infected zombies and many of the new melee weapons included in the full product.

Coming to Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, the follow-up to Valve’s zombie survival game adds melee combat, a deeper co-operative gameplay experience, and lots of brutal weapons like chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more. The game also offers AI Director 2.0, which offers improved scaling of zombie spawns and boss battles with the new and familiar Infected at key moments in the game based on your performance.

The game also promises more of what players want including cooperative campaigns, Versus campaigns, Survival maps, and a new competitive game mode called Scavenge, all available at launch.

For more information, visit www.l4d.com.

Left 4 Dead 2 demo available for pre-order customers

It’s official! Valve Software passed along word this morning that the official Left 4 Dead 2 demo is now available on Xbox Live to those customers that pre-ordered the game. For those that didn’t you’re going to have to wait a week longer. See how it works? Anyway PC users will also be able to grab the demo if they pre-ordered via Steam.

For more information on the game, the demo and anything else you want to know about Left 4 Dead 2, check out www.l4d.com.

Left 4 Dead is set for release on Nov. 17 via Steam and traditional retail.

Medal Wars demo available now

A demo for Medal Wars is now available on PC at www.medalwars.com. Medal Wars is an cartoon style action-RPG set in the chaos of World War 1. The demo features the first act from the game. The full game will offer three character classes with unique attributes and weapon skills, 24 areas to explore, an advanced combat system that offers a deep targeting system, an on-screen inventory and full multiplayer support for Local Area Network and internet.

The demo doesn’t require much to run: Windows 95, 98, XP, Vista; Pentium 500 or equivalent; 64 MB RAM; 20 MB available hard drive space and a 16 MB video card. If you can meet those meager requirements then you should grab the demo now at the link above.