Red Faction: Armageddon PC demo hits OnLive exclusively (for now)

You may have already noticed, but cloud gaming service OnLive and publisher THQ have developed quite the relationship. First the two began offering free games and hardware as pre-order bonuses, and now they're offering an exclusive demo for Red Faction: Armageddon. While it's already available to Xbox 360 owners via Xbox Live, the only way that PC (and Mac) users are going to play the demo in the immediate future is through OnLive.

The service calls this an "industry milestone," saying that the demo will remain its exclusive until Armageddon's retail release on June 6. An OnLive account (free) is required to play the trial, which concludes with an offer to pre-purchase the full game from a retailer or the streaming service. Doing the latter will also net buyers instant access to Red Faction: Guerilla and a free MicroConsole system, in a promotion originally launched earlier this month.

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OnLive Exclusive: Red Faction Armageddon PC Demo

OnLive-only PC Pre-release Demo is Videogame Industry Milestone

OnLive Exclusive from May 26, 12PM EDT/9AM PDT till June 6 Game Launch

OnLive is excited to announce that the PC demo of Red Faction Armageddon is exclusively available on the OnLive Game Service, marking the first time a major new videogame title is only available to PC gamers through OnLive cloud gaming prior to release through traditional downloads or discs. While OnLive has been releasing new major game titles on the same day and date as PCs and consoles, Red Faction Armageddon marks the beginning of a new era in videogame distribution, where OnLive's ability to provide an instant, frictionless demo on almost any PC, Mac or HDTV (and soon mobile) makes OnLive the universal demo platform of choice.

PC gamers' first look at THQ's sci-fi thriller Red Faction® Armageddon™ won't come from a disc or hours of downloading. There will be no complex installation. No high-performance PC or high-end video card is required: PC laptops and netbooks are just fine. Or use a Mac®. And, best of all, gameplay is instant.

Users new to OnLive will be playing within a minute, after a brief FREE, no-strings signup.
After the demo, gamers are welcome to pre-order the game from any distributor they prefer, whether to order a disc or a download. Or, they can pre-order the game for instant play from OnLive for $49.95, bundled with a free copy of Red Faction Guerrilla (playable instantly) and a free OnLive Game System, a $170 value. The moment Red Faction Armageddon goes live at 9:01PM PT on June 6, they'll be playing instantly, whether on PC or Mac, or on a TV through their free OnLive Game System.

OnLive is a great way for console gamers to demo Red Faction Armageddon, too. No big downloads or making room on the hard drive. Full game play is instantaneous. Dust off that old computer, click on the link and check out the game. If they like it, they can pre-order the disc from any retailer for their console. Or, pre-order the game from OnLive and get a free OnLive Game System to play Red Faction Armageddon instantly on their TV the moment it is available, and of course, to be able to demo other games instantly on their TV going forward.

"Today marks a milestone for the videogame industry," said Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO, "Not only is this the first time a major game pre-release PC demo is available exclusively from OnLive, but it's the first time a game platform is encouraging gamers to buy a game on their preferred platform, whether or not that is OnLive. It shows the ubiquity of OnLive's patented technology, both as a frictionless way to check out games for all platforms, and as a game platform itself."

The OnLive Game Service is free of charge for instant game demos and OnLive's exclusive social features such as OnLive's massive spectating Arena featuring both multiplayer and spectator voice and text chat, and OnLive's Brag Clip™ videos for sharing your awesome gaming exploits. OnLive's growing game library offers the hottest new titles the moment they are released for rentals or full purchase ranging from free promo games, to $2.99 rentals, to $53.99 AAA new releases. Or, try OnLive's exclusive all-you-can-play PlayPack bundle featuring 50+ recently-released games for just $9.99/month.

"We're excited to be first in introducing Red Faction Armageddon to the PC gaming community," said John Spinale, OnLive VP of Games and Media. "While we have a rapidly growing base of OnLive-only members, many members game on other platforms in addition to OnLive. Hassle-free demos, particularly combined with massive spectating, are a great way to check out games before buying them, and OnLive demos are just a click away, be it on PCs, Macs, TVs or mobile devices. OnLive is looking forward to working with publishers, retailers, websites as well as other platforms to help seamlessly connect gamers with games."

Stay tuned for more groundbreaking exclusive announcements from OnLive that will be transforming the videogame industry to the benefit of gamers, developers, publishers, distributors and device makers.

For more information about OnLive's Red Faction: Armageddon pre-order promotion, visit www.onlive.com/go/red-faction-armageddon.

About OnLive
OnLive is the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, premium game titles to any HDTV via the OnLive Game System or nearly any PC and Mac® via a small browser download. The OnLive Viewer app is available for the iPad and is coming soon for Android tablets. OnLive technology is backed by hundreds of patents and patents pending. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&T, British Telecommunications (BT), The Belgacom Group and HTC. More information is available at www.onlive.com.

OnLive and Brag Clip are trademarks or registered trademarks of OnLive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.