"Try before you buy," is an age-old marketing slogan--and one that applies to three high-profile games this week. Today, Sony announced that it has released the multiplayer demo to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves via the PlayStation Store. The 1.3GB demo will feature four maps, four competitive modes, and two co-op modes from Naughty Dog's PlayStation 3-exclusive adventure, due out on October 13 in North America.

　　Xbox 360 owners won't be left totally empty-handed, though, because 2K Sports today launched the demo for NBA 2K10 on Xbox Live. It will feature the two teams from June's 2009 NBA Finals--the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic--squaring off in a virtual Staples Center in Los Angeles. (In real life, the Lakers won the series 4-1.) As outlined in GameSpot's recent preview, NBA 2K10 will feature improved graphics and presentation, new Signature Style animations (see below), and a number of new features. The game is due out on October 6 for the 360 and PS3*, which will be getting its own PlayStation Network demo "shortly," according to 2K Sports.

　　On Thursday, both PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will get a chance to slide into the driver's seat of Electronic Arts' Need for Speed Shift. The test-drive of the decently reviewed reboot of the once-mighty racing franchise will feature four cars: the BMW M3 (E46), the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10, the 2006 Lotus Elise 111R, and the 2008 Nissan GT-R. A fifth, the 2006 Pagani Zonda F, will be unlockable to those who display prowess on the demo's two tracks: a tight London river circuit and Formula One's Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps track in Belgium.

　　*= A PC edition of NBA 2K10 drops October 12, with a Wii version due October 19.