Braid Comments by Dan Whitehead

arty, I think he was being tongue-in-cheek. Though there's definite smugness to it.


"exactly why is it the equivalent to the seminal graphic story of the 20th century? What the hell do the two have in common? Don't just throw that out there, explain yourself!"
Powermonger, Dan elaborated on the Watchmen comparison a couple of times in these comments. Second page I think.

It's a bit like Viewtiful Joe, really. But better. I wouldn't give it 10 out of 10, though. But it is nice.

I thought it was a great review. It inspired me to try the demo of a game I hadn't heard of, and I then bought it and agree with everything in the review.

My favourite game of last year was Portal, and this is as good i think. Better puzzles (certainly harder) but not as funny. The narrative isn't as big a part of the game either, but what there is is very interesting. It made me think about things.

This game gives you an amazing kick in the discovery, as feynman might say, when you solve something that before seemed impossible.

If you consider yourself a gamer, I mean a Gamer, check out any of Jonathan Blow's lectures. Search them out. Open a beer. Listen.

Thrilled Braid looks to be so awesome, I'll have to wait for the PC release.

So ironic that the hope for independent game design would come from Microsoft. *Raises a glass to the 360*

@Powermonger

Really? Because to me it did exactly what a review has to do - give me some sort of sense of what it feels like to play the game.

You can't review art with a normal review. The reviewer can't tell you how you will feel playing it they can only describe how they felt playing it and hope you get the impression from that. If you hate the review, then chances are high that you'll hate the game.

I'm just happy to have another game to bring up in defense of the 'games are art' debate. There's something going on in this game beyond game mechanics and you'll have to be open to it to appreciate it.

Is this a GOOD game? Yes
Is it a FUN game? Yes
Is it ART? No

end of discussion

What is ART?

Discuss.

I wish the reviewer would stop with the weed. Half his review is precisely the whimsical, arty-farty rhetoric that he preaches about at the start ("Oh, but you're missing the point!").

@smelly: it's probaby just crap as it's on a system he doesn't own. Open mindedness is alive and well.

So ironic that the hope for independent game design would come from Microsoft.

Obviously, you never played a PSN game.

Im pretty sure Darren didnt complete the world 2 puzzle saying this isnt something special.

OK I paid for this based on it being 10/10. I dont usually bother with XBL games past the demo's.

It's kind of intriguing, soothing, but so far frustrating as I seem to be skipping out so many puzzles (thinking that I'll get a high jump skill later on??).

Its ok, but not definitely not 10/10. Reviewer must have been forced to play Jumper: Griffins story for a full week whilst being forced to listen to Blazing Crew with no sleep and only being allowed to eat pot noodle. After which Braid was obviously a 10/10...

@spaced - No, you won't get an extra high jump skills, all of the puzzles should be completable. I think you need to play the game more and just work on solving the puzzles a bit. They're all fair and can be figured out after some thought. The satisfaction you'll get when you realise how clever the solutions are should add to your enjoyment. Also, this game only really became not just great but super-awesome for me after finishing the final level, so I really would encourage you to play to there and try not to use a walkthrough for any of it.

I'm completely stuck on the last puzzle piece (right-most piece) on "Crossing the gap" i think it is called.

Must not give in!

lol, better than MGS4 then?

According to Eurogamer's Scoring Policy(tm), yes.

http://savygamer.co.uk/2008/08/savygamer...

Episode 1 of the SavyGamer podcast is out now.

Features an interview with Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid.

God damn Savygamer podcast, those guys aren't very slick…

:(

This is episode 1, (we did do an episode 0 too)

We're still learning, any specific constructive feedback is appreciated.

This game deserves a 10/10, why? innovative gameplay mechanics that blend perfectly with the levels/puzzles, beatiful and colourful artwork, that give a sense of dream/fantasy world and after you finish it, realizing it's a metaphore as a whole. It's the best game I've played in a lot of time, I think it's even better than portal, it's worth 1200 MS and much more.

The Gaming Consumer Counseling Service (GCCS) warns:
Braid contains five hours of thought provoking entertainment. Don't play it, if thinking or entertainment causes allergic reactions in your brain. Instead go to Eurogamer comments section and seek medical advice for the inconvenience caused. Thanks for your attention.

And Eurogamer, please keep your personal approach to reviews. Even if you fail (see Pixeljunk Eden review), your reviews are much more interesting to read than the typical, boring by-the-number game reviews.

Played the demo last night and it's fucking mind blowing. Cutest game ever btw.

@lavalant

Congrats. What Shaka said was dumb, but not content to simply call him out on it, you manage to say something equally dumb.

this game is horrible. it's... oh wait, it's portal again isn't it. take an existing game type, ignore all the advancements made over the years (not to mention what made it fun in the first place) and just add 1 part simple puzzle solving and 2 parts PRETENTIOUS FUCKING CRAP.

"welp, looks like art guyz 10/10!"

it's like some crappy old amiga game i'd get from my cousins when i was a kid, hundred games on a disc.

indie shite.

"UK print magazine Edge has published the first review of Braid, giving the game a score of 9/10. Normally I would not be happy about a 9, but Edge has a reputation for being very tough with scores. (Braid was the only game with a score of 9 or above in this issue [#192]; in previous issues, they gave BioShock and Metal Gear Solid 4 each 8/10."

What a fucking bellend.

@squarepusher

Yeah cause the only thing that matters in games is the graphics. Moron.

Braid look very good btw. But that has little to do with the 10/10 score.

@squarepusher

"What a fucking bellend."

That's funny, I was thinking the same thing by the time I was halfway through your post.

@muscleblade

a response entirely unrelated to anything i said and a link to the latest penny arcade strip that isn't braid related (but keeps up the PA tradition of being utter shit).

okay i thought about it. you're a cretin.

@InsoFox

+1

Typical that the stupid moron squarepusher dont even own a 360 so he doesnt know what hes talking about at all. What a looser.

played it, solved it, finished it, GOTY

played it, solved it, finished it, GOTY

I concur. I truly haven't played a game as thought provoking as this. Plus the fact I've heard about the secret stars which aren't even hinted about in the achievements gives the game an even greater amount of depth past the speed runs which I'm currently trying to master.

@ Squarepusher: I find it very surprising that someone with your username doesn't have any appreciation of art and is able to dismiss anything that shows a step forward in storytelling in games as "pretentious indie wank".

^ heh, yeah i was thinking that exact same thing, about someone using the name "squarepusher" and then dismissing something that tries to do things a bit differently as "PRETENTIOUS FUCKING CRAP"... then again, maybe he's got no idea who the real squarepusher is and just wanted to nick the name?

I'd be angry to If I paid £400 for a blu ray player disguised as a games console.

Pull up your zipper, your ignorance is showing.

Loved the Darth Vader ending in SC IV - I guess you 360 owners will find out eventually, too.

im glad you hold my username in such high regard although i fail to see how it and my contempt for this shitty game are in any way related. the best story in videogames is rescue the princess/presidents daughter, people cling to games like braid as an example of how their man baby hobby is on the same intellectual level of whatever other interests they think an adult should be spending their time with.

@ Squarepusher

I was wondering, did you download the full version of Braid then?

"this game is horrible. it's... oh wait, it's portal again isn't it. take an existing game type, ignore all the advancements made over the years (not to mention what made it fun in the first place) and just add 1 part simple puzzle solving and 2 parts PRETENTIOUS FUCKING CRAP. "

Braid is a puzzle game first and foremost, and the platforming is just the basic skeleton on which the puzzles are built. In effect the puzzles are the game, and if you feel the platforming is too hard, you're probably doing the puzzle(s) wrong. So complaining that the game is overly focused on puzzles is like complaining that a shooter is overly focused on guns - if you don't like the genre, don't play it.

And I wouldn't describe the puzzle solving after the first two worlds as 'simple' at all. Working out how to co-ordinate actions with your shadow, who follows what you did before you rewound time, is hardly conventional puzzle solving, nor is having to set the world up so when time rewinds, the parts of the level that exist outside of time, are in a position to help you progress. If you've completed the game, and obtained every jigsaw piece, and you genuinely found every puzzle easy, then you might be in a position to complain. But if you haven't, such as if you've only played the demo, then you're certainly not.

Did Dan Whitehead let his 14-year-old gamefaqqing son/nephew/forum buddy write this review?

Whatever. I'd check this game out if I wasn't skint.

"*Raises a glass to the 360* "

According to PS3Fanboy (!), it's only a timed MS exclusive, and will be coming out on the PSN some time in the future too (probably cheaper as well).

*Raises a glass to everyone*

Though given the critical acclaim, it wouldn't surprise me if an MS moneyhat was dispatched to spoil that party and keep it 360/PC only until at least GOTY time.

Ok so I completed this last night. It is a wonderful puzzler. In a lot of respects it reminds me of Portal. It is exceptionally well balanced, constantly introducing new ideas and concepts - redefining how you think about the problems it presents. It never feels like it re-uses puzzles without adding new and interesting twists. It also feels a nice length, as with portal, the ideas came to their natural conclusion. So based on that it's a solid 9/10 for me.

The stuff in the EG review about an emotional journey is not my experience. I found the story and text a teenage angst emo wankfest. :-)

I also found the last level didn't really work gameplay wise. I can see what they were trying to do with the message and story, but it felt at odds with the rest of the game and actually turned it into a fairly poor 2d platformer with none of the balance and fun of the rest of the game.

Worth the 1200MSP? Yes because it has so many exceptionally well designed elements. Just ignore the emo crap.

This broke my head far more than portal.

Doesn't have GLADoS and a JoCo song in it though, so I really can't prefer it :P

@Me

Ok I'm going to take back my emo wankfest comment a little as I've dug a bit deeper around the story and there is a lot more meaningful stuff hidden behind what starts as an emo wankfest. The trouble then for me is that the true meaning is hidden to most but the hardened gamers and disguised at first as an emo wankfest :).

This has severe spoilers. Not sure if posted before.

TBH both this and Portal were a "bit easy".

Only got stuck twice in Braid, and that didn't take too long to fix. And portal was a cake walk, no pun intended.

/superior IQ, evidently.

But have you got the 7 stars Lutz?

Jesus.
Is this game so good? : |

Yeah, I think it's fucking magnificent.

@sanduixe and everyone else who hasn't tried this game yet;

Assuming you want to play a PUZZLE game, this is the most innovative and fresh game in ages!!

How some of you people question the value of this game based on the replay value is mindboggling in it's own way! It's all about solving the puzzle, not executing the puzzle.. Seriously, if you are so worried about the risk of blowing 1200 points on a game that has received remarkable appraise on virtually every gamesite out there, pawn your console and buy a yo-yo.

Braid is the nuts, imo. Best review I ever saw, Dan. The overall experience of the game most definitely factors in on the final score, more so than any broken down aspect like graphics/sound/length or whatever.

Gameplay tip: If you find yourself wanting to kill your set getting stuck on a puzzle, give it a rest and come back the next day! You'd be surprised of how some of the puzzle reveals themselves to you once you reboot your brain.

The key strength for this game is the balance of the puzzles for me. All different, all good and all doable with some thought. No cheap or too difficult ones in there.

DrDamn: Except the star puzzles, all of which are impossible. Thankfully they're not mandatory.

Just got this.

I have probably said "Det her er fandme genialt" = "This is fucking genius" quite a few times.

This game is GOOOOD! I will know by completion if it's a 10/10, but so far it's the shit