I can not fully express what demo discs meant to me during the Playstation era. Demo discs opened up a door to a world that most people had never even seen the door to before. Demo discs not only gave us a glimpse of what was up and coming, but often times gave us a brief chance to experience it. Most playable demo did express that it did not reflect the completed product, but it was still an advertisement of sorts to stir up interest before that finished product was put on the store shelves. Admittedly many playable demos from those discs did have me hooked on a game before it was released.

One of my favorite playable demos was that of Rally Cross 2. The demo started off as if I was playing the full version. The 989 Studios logo showing up, followed by that unforgettable deep, digitized voice saying “9-8-9 Studios!”. Then the loading. Back in the day there was a lot of loading. Although I knew the demo was limited, I still played what was available. I must have played it hundreds of times. The racing alone was amazing, but Rally Cross 2 offered the ability to create your own track! Sadly the track editor was only advertised, it wasn’t available until the full release. The demo led me to believe this game was going to take the racing genre on the Playstation in a whole new level. Gran Turismo had already revolutionized racing games, but if Rally Cross 2’s demo was to be believed, amazing racing and the ability to build your own tracks would become THE standard.

Well, since that didn’t come to be, we all know Rally Cross 2 didn’t revolutionize the racing genre in the way that demo had me hoping it would. It took me quite a few years before I actually even got my hands on a copy of Rally Cross 2. To say I played that demo hundreds of times might be an underestimation, so when I finally found a copy I was excited to experience the masterpiece I expected it to be. I was quickly let down. I’ve played a lot of rally style racing games and I fully understand the controls are usually slippery. Rally Cross 2 has controls that make oil on teflon seem more controllable. I tried to stick it out, but I simply couldn’t get the hang of it. So, I went back to the demo. The controls were a bit slippery, but far, FAR more easy to control.

Now that I have the complete version though, how about that track editor? It’s actually kind of fun, albeit simplistic. You’re given a grit where you place tiles of track. You can create a circle track, or a winding track, but the only rule is you need to make a complete circuit, or else it won’t work. Where the track begins, it must also end. I believe you can even create shortcuts on the track, but I’ve not tried it. The normal tracks have shortcuts, so I don’t see why you couldn’t make them with the track editor. The issue, again, is that you’re racing against AI that don’t have to adhere to the same slippery controls as you. Even on your own track you may find it difficult to eke out a win.

One thing I’ve thought about is maybe it’s an experience curve. Maybe the car in the demo is set up for later in the game when vehicles become easier to drive. A tactic used in some racing games is to make the beginning car(s) so horrible the player strives to get a better car, that performs better. Maybe if I stuck to it, suffered through all the frustration I could unlock the same car used in the demo, as well as the same track, and compare them to some degree. Then I feel it could be a definitive conclusion as to whether the demo accurately represents the finished product, or whether it has been changed far beyond what the demo prepared me for. Maybe I’ll try that and report back, pending that I still feel as if Rally Cross 2 sorely let me down after I had been so hyped to give it a try.