PC demo for Bad Day LA ready for download
by Joystiq Staff 
{ Aug 15th 2006 at 9:55PM }
For those of you who were quick to dismiss American McGee and his street cred, now is the time for you to check out the man's work for yourself. A PC demo of Bad Day LA can be downloaded over at MTV, of all places.
If you're unfamiliar with the game, here's a quick rundown of what it is:
- You play as Anthony Williams during the worst day in L.A. history
- It's a cel shaded, third-person action/adventure game
- Comedy seems to be priority number one
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nigeria @ Aug 15th 2006 10:01PM
I would download the demo but its 230+mb and I don't have bandwidth to spare
dead_ox @ Aug 15th 2006 10:05PM
sounds kewl! Wasn't this Xbox only, though, like, three minutes ago, or am I just not "in teh kn0?"
Robert Summa @ Aug 15th 2006 10:10PM
As far as I know, if it was always PC and Xbox.
Grim @ Aug 15th 2006 10:14PM
I saw this a few hours ago, but haven't gotten a chance to download due to excessive multiprey. I had no idea comedy would play a role in the game which would be an exciting new twist on the old sandbox genre.
I thought the BDLA site was actually funny. The music sets the tone and the tidal wave and mob scene are great.
Dision @ Aug 15th 2006 10:16PM
Call me close-minded, but I'm not convinced that comedy should ever take precedence over gameplay.
Player1 @ Aug 15th 2006 10:18PM
This is so last gen since it's not on the Wii.
Chris Jeffery @ Aug 15th 2006 10:21PM
Count me in. I'm going to try it out.
GSI @ Aug 15th 2006 10:26PM
@ Nigeria:
Dang...if you're complaining about a 230MB download then you basically should just stop bothering with downloading stuff period. Most of the big game demos that are posted on FilePlanet are massive...hell Dark Messiah was 1.4GB.
McGeek @ Aug 15th 2006 10:29PM
Dude, homelessness and terrorist attacks are hilarious!
D-6 @ Aug 15th 2006 10:34PM
#5: Is it really that necessary for every single game on the planet to be gameplay-first? Growing up on NES, I love gameplay as much as the next gamer. But if a game can by enjoyed by someone due to it's other qualities, I don't see it as such a big deal. If I had my arms crossed all the time when it comes to lack of gameplay, I wouldn't have experienced games like killer7, Phoenix Wright and Kingdom Hearts II. Incidently, these are some of favorite games of all time.
I hate saying this being such a Nintendo mark, but sometimes I grow tired of gameplay-only/half-ass everything else (Recent examples being Mario & Luigi: PiT and NSMB).
#8: Well, if I'm out of bandwidth for the month, I'd hold of on downloading until it resets. I dunno who pays your internet but little downloads here and there while over a limit can be annoying to your wallet.
GSI @ Aug 15th 2006 10:44PM
Umm...where do you live and who is your internet provider? We've had Comcast Cable internet (now Time Warner) for a couple years. I've never had an internet service where I was provided a limited amount of download bandwidth.
KingOfGods @ Aug 15th 2006 10:50PM
"Well, if I'm out of bandwidth for the month, I'd hold of on downloading until it resets. I dunno who pays your internet but little downloads here and there while over a limit can be annoying to your wallet."
@D-6
You have to pay for your bandwidth? What kind of connection do you have?
D-6 @ Aug 15th 2006 10:52PM
I don't know if this is directed at me, but Canada. I use Videotron Cable Internet. Over here for some reason, they charge a premium price (At least in my view) for the unlimited service. In any case, I get more than enough per month (20 gigs download and 10 gigs upload).
GSI @ Aug 15th 2006 11:00PM
Paying for bandwidth...I'm sorry but that is just plain stupid.
chapu @ Aug 15th 2006 11:02PM
That game was abhorrent.
chapu @ Aug 15th 2006 11:02PM
Racist too
:) @ Aug 15th 2006 11:05PM
I agree with GSI, but back to what this article was about, im certainly going to try this and see if it keeps me entertained till a release date is announced for Project Wiki
Webimpulse @ Aug 15th 2006 11:07PM
Who says American McGee was losing street cred? Last I heard his comments on how the Wii was the only "next-gen" platform earned him plenty of street cred amongst gamers.
Dision @ Aug 15th 2006 11:08PM
"10. #5: Is it really that necessary for every single game on the planet to be gameplay-first?"
I don't recall saying that gameplay should always be first. I happen to agree with you that it's sometimes appropriate for other priorities to trump gameplay. But not every quality can sustain a game in lieu of great gameplay. Comedy, in particular, is a fickle thing, and it should always be subordinate to gameplay. If the gameplay is lacking, I'm not going to be amused.
Mike @ Aug 15th 2006 11:17PM
Oof, I can see why they say humour first. It's got great moments for sure, but the game play so far has been incredibly run of the mill.
Halladay @ Aug 15th 2006 11:19PM
chapu, which game specifically was abhorrent? If you're talking about Killer 7, the storyline was specifically dealing with US/Japan differences. I enjoyed the storyline a lot, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. The story was no more racist than stories of other media (For example, American history X, which BTW is a tremendous movie).
BTW, if we're going into the touchy area of racism in games, what about a certain plumber and his stereotypical accent? Not intentional, but still an eyebrow raiser to me.
Anyways, are there any specs for this game? I'm sure it doesn't take up much CPU processing, but I'd still like to know.
BritneyS @ Aug 15th 2006 11:29PM
And having his demo on MTV's site earns him even more street cred. K-fed ftw!
KingOfGods @ Aug 15th 2006 11:39PM
This game is horrible.....Too linear and I was bored after 2 minutes. it's going to need more than racial stereotypes for me to purchase.
Merus @ Aug 15th 2006 11:48PM
I was going to do both of Joystiq's suggestions by praising him for doing something different for once, but hasn't American McGee always been about style over substance? I recall Alice.
chapu @ Aug 15th 2006 11:56PM
To clarify:
Bad Day LA sucks. Gameplay is tedious, simplistic and dull. Dialogue lacks any wit and the humor is sophomoric at best. Racial stereotyping is simplistic as well. Calling it racist is probably not accurate and a bit dramatic, but perhaps I was offended at how stupid the humor was.
T-Bag @ Aug 16th 2006 12:09AM
This should be a free flash game for the mentally inept, i.e. Wii fans.
GSI @ Aug 16th 2006 12:59AM
"Mentally inept" huh? Who is the one calling thers childish names?
Oh yea that's right...you are. You are as bad as Darryl, Cage and countless others who think you have to "look cool" when you play games by only playing so-called "mature" titles.
pcox @ Aug 16th 2006 1:26AM
What is this shit.
If this demo truly represents what the full game is like then....
You know what, this game doesn't even deserve any more attention. It's really not worth it.
TheBlunderbuss @ Aug 16th 2006 3:06AM
It's endorsed by MTV.
I'm not getting it.
Waccoon @ Aug 16th 2006 4:19AM
@TheBlunderbuss: LOL
What disappoints me is that there are so few humor-related games out there, and the few that do exists usually aren't that funny. Since when did everyone decided the only way to make a game was some kind of WWII battlezone?
Probot @ Aug 16th 2006 4:41AM
The game starts out by introducing the most annoying character I've ever seen in a game. And against all logic, you're forced to play that role.
I like cel-shaded games, and the art style here isn't bad, but a lot of the character models are over used (there are dozens of people in hamburger suits like in the picture above.)
This is one of those weird games that is overly-violent and crude, so it can only be played by adults, but the humor is pretty juvinile. One part, at the end of the demo, was kinda funny, but that's one part in a 30 min demo.
That being said, I give it a 8.9/10.
WizarDru @ Aug 16th 2006 8:32AM
Waccoon: "What disappoints me is that there are so few humor-related games out there, and the few that do exists usually aren't that funny. Since when did everyone decided the only way to make a game was some kind of WWII battlezone?"
Since everyone voted with their dollars and the developers responded with more of the same. If people stopped buying WWII FPSs and tactical shooters, we might have different material. Most humor themed games fall flat in the market, especially as humor is so subjective. I found Psychonauts hilarious, but many people didn't. Some people loved Stubbs the Zombie, but most took a pass. Destroy All Humans worked for some folks, but it wasn't a runaway hit. The Tony Hawk series has a lot of humor in it, but that's hardly the reason for it's success.
And let's be honest, here: comedy doesn't make for as good or ready a base for a game's story than a serious action tale. Tom Clancy lends himself better to a game than Douglas Adams.
rDr4g0n @ Aug 16th 2006 8:54AM
wanna talk humorous games? there are 2 kings.
discworld and monkey island
what #31 said is true though, humor is subjective. most people are too stupid to 'get it' so its appeal and marketability are limited. its the sad reason that we have a market filled with unoriginal uninspired games: thats what sells to the unoriginal uninspired majority of society.
also american mcgee is cool, and bad day la seems like fun.
Rootbeer @ Aug 16th 2006 12:53PM
Between this and Conker, it seems like every "comedic" action game has to be based on a "bad day" and all the wacky things that happen to Our Hero on it.
I wonder why that is.