Europe to Get ‘Killzone 2′ Demo Free of Charge

Wed, Jan 7, 2009

We Americans have to pay for our "Killzone 2" demo, but according to CVG, European PS3 owners will be able to download the demo for free, lucky blokes. For yanks, Sony Computer Entertainment America made the demo accessible only by entering a code awarded after putting money down on a pre-order.

It’s not the first time the US branch of PlayStation has "charged" for a demo. Back in the day, demos distributed by magazines used to be available only through purchase at stores or as part of special package deals (like buy a Pizza Hut pizza and a two liter, and get a PlayStation demo free). Of course, the Internet and digital distribution were supposed to make disc-based demos a thing of the past -- and they basically did -- but the ol' "pay to sample" routine seems to be rearing its ugly head again.

On the bright side, it's easy to create a European PSN account and just download the demo for free, even if you live in the US. As of now, SCEE hasn't given a date for the demo's release, other than it will come out before it ships to stores.

I don't know about you guys, but even if I have to wait an extra week or two I'm just getting me some Euro demo goodness. No way I'm paying to try a game I'm not even excited for. (And yes, I could pre-order and then cancel it, but that's still more work than just making a Euro account and downloading it for free.)