Below are a few of my favourite Amiga demo disks, retro gaming memories, with added nostalgia.
These demos were something I either bought the magazine deliberately for (Cannon Soccer, Christmas Dizzy, T2) or were something that just came with the mag, and turned out to be something awesome (Extreme Violence).
Below are a few thoughts on why I remember these particular demos so fondly.
Cannon Soccer – Amiga Format Cover Disk 54b
Cannon Fodder meets SWOS. What more could you want at Christmas? A great little idea and game this demo mash-up was a winning combination. I still enjoy giving this one a play now and then. One of the main reasons I actually remember this is the fact that it came on a green disk. It looked cool and kinda futuristic, so it made me buy Amiga Format, so it kinda worked on many different levels of awesome.
T2 and Christmas Dizzy – Amiga Power Cover Disk 33
Being a huge Dizzy fan back in the day I enjoyed seeing this Dizzy mini game release on the cover disk of Amiga Power 33, and bought the mag immediately. I also originally remember being slightly disappointed that the game didn’t actually have a Christmas theme to it and that it was in fact a Christmas preview of Fantastic Dizzy.
Despite this I enjoyed the opportunity to play anything new and Dizzy related (although I still wanted snow and Dizzy wearing a santa hat). The T2 demo was also a nice bonus and actually led me to buying the full game, however it was promptly destroyed when I lent it to a friend (who had clearly tried to copy it and failed) and returned the disks defective.
Extreme Violence – Amiga Power Cover Disk 24
Extreme Violence is a game I first played at a mate’s house on his Amiga. Finally, having discovered the cover disk again (in a bunch of disks I bought from a carboot sale) I had the opportunity to revisit this on my Amiga, and I still love it. Still one of my all time favourite PD games and cover disks, it is definitely one to cherish. I go into a little more detail about Extreme Violence in an earlier blog post here!
Thanks for reading, please leave comments below, bearing in mind the question:
What have been your favourite demos from your gaming past?
Cover disk scans from Hall of Light the Amiga Games Database!
Reality Glitch 
Given that both Sensi Soccer and Cannon Fodder were essentially forks of the Mega-Lo-Mania engine, the blend is not surprising. 🙂
The only game demos that I can recall making me want to go out and buy the game were Pang, Lemmings, Lotus 2 and Risky Woods (all CU coverdisks). But what the coverdisks really opened my eyes to was how the Amiga could help me make my own stuff – in terms of graphics, music and code.
I remember Cannon Soccer, great fun. As were both Cannon Fodder and Sensible Soccer. And I used to love the transparent floppies you would sometimes get with Amiga Format.