Kotaku
-
mac gaming lol
Braid Comes To The Mac
The list of excuses for not having played Number None's Braid gets shorter today with the release of the Mac OS X version of the time-shifting puzzle platformer. More » -
design
Blow: Less Focus On Innovation, More On Interesting-ness, Please
Braid co-creator Jonathan Blow argues that the pursuit of innovation is a prerequisite for making a great game. More »
9,031
Comment by XdragonSB: Does this mean he plans on making something more interesting than Braid. Interesting. 9 Responses | Other threads
-
xbox live
Microsoft Refunds Braid Overbill, Plus a Little Extra
If you bought Braid back in February when it was XBLM's first "Deal of the Week," check your points balance. Microsoft mistakenly overbilled for it, but they'll be refunding the difference plus 100 points. More »
14,853
By Owen GoodComment by notijkabob: "We're sorry... Here's one dollar to make everything better" Good Job MS :) 26 Responses | Other threads
-
music
Ease In The Weekend With The Braid Soundtrack
Ease your way out of work and into weekend mode with the lovely soundtrack from Jonathan Blow's Braid, now available for free online play and purchase. More »
10,307
By Mike FaheyComment by Boom-Chicka-Ah: ...so anyone find a place to download free? 20 Responses | Other threads
-
number none
Braid For PC Also Comes With A Level Editor
The recently released PC version of Number None's time-shifting platformer Braid comes with an unexpected surprise: a built-in level and graphics editor. Developer Jonathan Blow says documentation and a developers kit is due shortly. More » -
number none
Braid Shifts To PCs Today
The PC port of Number None's excellent Braid, our choice for 2008's Indie Game of the Year, is now available. No more bulky Xbox 360 required! More » -
braid
Braid Delayed (for the PC)
PC gamers looking forward to Indie hit Braid are gonna have to look forward a couple more weeks. Jonathan Blow is delaying his game til April 10 to work out some bugs. More »
7,936
By Owen GoodComment by RyuuzakiBjorn: Did he just diss Windows? Oh no he didn't! /Joke/ 12 Responses | Other threads
-
-
4,752
Comment by Who the eff is GlassAdam?: Here's my excuse: Jonathan Blow is a toolbag. 12 Responses | Other threads
-
independent games
Hothead Brings Braid To Mac, The Maw To Windows
Hothead Games is teaming up with other independent game developers to bring award winning titles to new platforms, starting with Twisted Pixel's The Maw and Jonathan Blow's Braid. More »
3,640
By Mike FaheyComment by El-Suave: I hope both games will be coming to PSN, too. 3 Responses | Other threads
-
braid
Xbox LIVE Gold Members Getting Weekly Deals
Microsoft is bringing discounts to Xbox LIVE. Starting today, Xbox LIVE Gold members get discounts that range from 25 percent to 50 percent on Arcade titles, DLC, Xbox Originals and other LIVE content. More »
20,753
Comment by Ninja Tree: 1. buy gold 2. buy dlc 3. loose money 4. profit somehow why must it be gold members :( 17 Responses | Other threads
-
independent games
Jonathan Blow Lowers Price On PC Braid
A day after Stardock started accepting preorders for Jonathan Blow's Braid for the PC at $19.95, the independent developer has announced a five dollar price drop in the interest of reaching a wider audience. More »
7,932
By Mike FaheyComment by RedRaptor: "American Fiat Currency Dollars." Blow acts like such a damn snob, I almost want to pirate him game. But then I'd probably... 28 Responses | Other threads
-
pc
Braid Makes The Jump From 360 To PC Next Month
Braid - the indie darling of 2008 - did good business on the Xbox 360, a platform not exactly renowned for its indie darlings. So how will it fare next month when released on PC? More »
6,926
Comment by KamikazeSailor: It's a great game but I still say the story is one of those stories put together specifically to confuse... 14 Responses | Other threads
-
gdc 09
LittleBigPlanet, Braid Lead Game Developers Choice Award Finalists
Organizers of the ninth annual Game Developers Choice Awards have announced this year's finalists, with Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet leading the nominees with seven nominations, including Best Game Design and Game of the Year. More »
4,324
Comment by Milkzhakes: i would have to say that braid is definetly a good candidate for best writing. i mean from playing it... 7 Responses | Other threads
-
jonathan blow
Braid Creator Now Working on 2D RPG?
That's one nugget in a four-page interview Jonathan Blow gave to Gamasutra. But he's not sure if he'll end up finishing it: More » -
xbox 360
Braid Theme Costs Money, Braid Developer Sorry
The Xbox 360 has "premium themes", which will tart up your 360's menu in exchange for money. A premium theme based on Braid has just been released, and costs money. And Braid's creator is sorry. More » -
culture
Four Titles Most Likely To Make You Throw Your Controller
It's that time of the year. Time for lists. Website Bits, Bytes, Pixels & Sprites has a list of this year's most frustrating titles. They are: More » -
release date
Braid PC Coming Early Next Year
PC gamers eager to get a taste of the innovative gameplay of Jonathan Blow's Braid will have to wait a few more months to get their hands on the award-winning title. More »
5,448
By Mike FaheyComment by Sullyville: Smart move.I am still in the Wasteland.And then I am moving ontoPersia. And making a returntrip to Liberty City.No time... 6 Responses | Other threads
-
design
On Unrequited Love and Gaming
Ah, unrequited love — a classic theme in all sorts of media, and gaming is no exception. There's a wonderful little post over at auntie pixelante on the issue as it relates to games — and why it is so powerful. As far as I'm concerned, the whole player-game relationship is founded on unrequited love (and at least, unrequited adoration). The article takes a look at a Wii game called Art Style: Orbient, it's a meditation on the 'so close, yet so far away' phenomenon that is all over the place in classic games and newer iterations: More »
6,618
Comment by ShatteringLast: 20 Internets to the first person who knows what book cover this picture is from. 7 Responses | Other threads
-
music
Soulja Boy Keen On Making Video Games
When not making music and making fun of Ice-T, hip-hopper Soulja Boy has a dream: He'd like to go to college. And that's a very admirable dream! Thing is, he's a superstar right now so he'd cause a big ruckus if he went college. People would bug him while he's trying to study and stuff. Guess he should wait for when he's, you know, not famous anymore. More » -
Summer of Arcade
Summer Of Arcade Massive Success
So Microsoft's Xbox 360 Summer of Arcade promotion has come and gone, a five-week blitz of the best that Xbox Live Arcade has to offer, all part of a commitment made by the company at E3 to shift their focus more towards quality rather than quantity. According to a media alert issued today by Microsoft, the push was a massive success, with a 58% increase in Xbox Live members purchasing games over the course of the month, shattering the monthly revenue high for XBLA by 67%. More »
4,767
By Mike FaheyComment by fuck this noise: I bought Braid, because I believe the only relevant democratic power I have in society is to vote with my... 7 Responses | Other threads
-
clips
Soulja Boy Provides His Thoughts On Braid
One of our nation's finest artists, Soulja Boy, has discovered Braid on Xbox Live Arcade. Since Mr. Boy is no stranger to video games, we were curious to hear his "thoughts" on Jonathan Blow's time-shifting platformer. Braid, according to the rapper is "for people who smoke or people drink like if you drink beer and you get drunk or you smoke weed and you get high and you just... anything, like you just get be gettin' fucked up." We pretty much said the same thing in our review. More »
26,337
Comment by K117: i like how most people call solja boy stupid and thinks he has no idea what he is doing.....but he... 11 Responses | Other threads
-
braid
Build Your Own Braid Papercraft
Like Braid? Like printing things out, cutting them up and then folding them together again? Do you also like cute characters with slightly-too-big square heads? More »
3,864
Comment by FreakyFavabean: What are those things? They need a name, since they are among the best video game enemies ever. They're like...... more » | Other threads
-
narrative design
The 'Narrative' Straw Man: We're Not Doing That Badly
Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has a great piece up on the straw man of the 'quality of narrative' debate that's been going on in the industry for quite some time now: things aren't as bad as the collective we make them out to be. Really, they're not. Sure, there are broken promises along the way, disappointments here and there, and certainly the future to look towards — but there are plenty of games who are doing pretty damn well, considering that most can agree that narrative design for games is in its relative infancy: More »
4,288
Comment by Ryodestined: Lots of games do have compelling stories. Perhaps our biggest problem is failing to recognize that narrative and gameplay... more » | Other threads
-
braid
Jonathan Blow Says He Spent $180,000 On Braid
You like Braid? We like Braid. Loads of people like Braid, in fact, as it's doing all kinds of excellent things to the Xbox Live Arcade sales charts at the moment. Yet creator Jonathan Blow isn't busting out the high-fives and popped corks just yet: he said earlier in the week the game still had some selling to do to get him out of the red. Seemed an odd thing to say at the time, but now we know why: Braid's told the Wall Street Journal that he sunk an estimated $180,000 of his own money - over a three year period - into the project, which if true makes it surely not just one of the most expensive indie projects of all time, but one of the ballsiest. More »
18,324
Comment by OrtenseKliggy: Didn't he count his living costs when he mentioned that sum? During three years development time, this would make a... more » | Other threads
-
review
Braid Review: Time, Time, Time, See What You've Done To Me?
There's simply nothing else like Braid on the Xbox 360. Jonathan Blow's time-twisting puzzle game may look like a simple 2D platformer, with its numerous allusions to genre trailblazers like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., but its temporal puzzle mechanics and mature, powerful storytelling help it pioneer its own path. In Braid, our hero Tim embarks on a quest to right a wrong, rescue a princess and manipulate the fourth dimension in exciting, creative ways. More »
47,245
Comment by Ezahn: Great. Stuff. Another little David against the Goliaths.... more » | Other threads
-
castle crashers
Castle Crashers Not As Pricey As We Thought
While the Japanese Xbox page might have correctly "estimated" the price of Braid, they were dead wrong about Castle Crashers. Behemoth has confirmed the official price of their highly anticipated Xbox Live Arcade game, which will be released at the more Braid-like price point of 1200 Microsoft points - or 15 real life dollar points. More »
4,789
By Mike FaheyComment by mariospants: This game is such a rip-off of "Swords & Soldiers". more » | Other threads
-
xbox live arcade
Braid Sales "Surprisingly Good", But Not Yet Profitable
Despite the budget busting price of 1200 Microsoft Points, Braid seems to be selling at a "surprisingly good" rate, according to the game's official blog. As of today, sales estimate are just shy of 30,000 copies sold to Xbox Live Arcade's more affluent user, a figure the Braid blog writes "seems to be in the right neighborhood." More »
9,962
Comment by SnowFreak13: I was trying to convince a friend of mine to buy Braid, after purchasing and beating it myself. He... more » | Other threads
-
braid
The Art of Braid: A Deconstruction
The first time I fired up Braid on my laptop, I was immediately struck by the lovely and lush environments — 'It's like stepping into a children's book!' — that gelled together in a visually pleasing way. Puffy clouds and suns hovered over pale mountains, forests made up of brilliant yellows — whatever it's other merits or lack thereof, I loved the visual look of the game. David Hellman, who created the art for Braid, goes through the process of creating the visual look of Braid, from "programmer art glory" to finished product: More »
8,646
Comment by Daisuash can´t comment and doesn´t know why :(: After i played the demo, i realized how great this game was (the main character design still sucks) but i´m... more » | Other threads
-
lazy sundays
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Braid and Pixeljunk Eden over here, for both work and pleasure. I'm hoping to have reviews up for both early next week — yes, a bit late! — but also want to work my way through Braid, having played a pre-release version fairly extensively, until my roommate took over my game save. Eden's the bigger challenge, as collecting all 50 Spectra in that game is taking much longer than I'd anticipated. More »
6,000
Comment by lunarlasso: some gears (didn't think it was that great when everyone else was foaming at the mouth for it...now im wondering... more » | Other threads
-
xbox live arcade
Braid Priced High To Prevent "The Space Giraffe Problem"
When the pricing was announced (both times) for Xbox Live Arcade puzzle-platformer Braid, the vocally frugal gamer crowd bemoaned the higher than average cost. Too bad, really, as it's one of the best XBLA titles I've ever played. Still, there are folks who can't get past the 1200 MS Points pricing — that makes it one of the more expensive downloadable games, but still cheaper than Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. More »
13,868
Comment by Fonzy: @WatershipDown: It would be nice to know what Kotaku's final thoughts are on the game now that it's released.... more » | Other threads
-
braid
Braid Is Indeed $15
When we posted the news on pricing for the Jonathan Blow's Braid for Xbox Live Arcade last week, Microsoft was quick to respond to the post, telling us that the price listing on the Japanese site was incorrect, and that pricing was still being determined. Well now the official price has been revealed over at the Gamerscore Blog, and Braid will indeed cost 1200 Microsoft Points - $15 - when it is released this Wednesday. I don't know why they'd go to all the trouble to deny the pricing, only to confirm it as correct a week later. More »
6,103
By Mike FaheyComment by L_K_M: @108: Also, there's a general trend in the US to react extremely defensive and negative to people who seem to... more » | Other threads
-
castle crashers
Castle Crashers And Braid Pricey For XBLA Titles
Those of you adding Microsoft points to your account for the upcoming releases of Braid and Castle Crashers this month might want to add a few more than the 800 a shot we're used to. According to the official Japanese Xbox 360 blog, August 6th's Braid will be setting gamers back 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), with Castle Crashes weighing in at 1800 Points ($22.50?) - the most expensive Live Arcade game yet. Note that these are Japanese prices, while also noting that they generally coincide with European and North American prices. More »
8,495
By Mike FaheyComment by EnricoReinprecht: Maybe they don't need to release the game at all... looks like they are making a ton of cash off the... more » | Other threads
-
xbox live arcade
XBLA's Summer Plans - From Geometry Wars 2 To Castle Crashers
It might be the end of July, but over at Xbox Live Arcade the summer is just starting! This week sees the official kick off of the Summer of Arcade, five weeks of blockbuster Xbox Live Arcade releases to help ease us into the traditional fall gaming explosion. They'll be kicking things off with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (800 MS points), the sequel to one of the best games on the Xbox 360 period. More »
7,941
By Mike FaheyComment by Hellreject: While I realize this comment is a bit late, I will still post this part of the sweepstake rules that... more » | Other threads
-
i hate math
"Braid: More Fun Than Calculus!"
Some of us here at Kotaku Tower are a little divided on Braid: I had a discussion with another editor who declared that the story ruined it for him, since it "reads like a prepubecent boy wrote it." Ouch! As I referenced in a recent essay, I enjoyed Braid a lot, though I felt the story was trying a little hard in spots (which I suspect is why the aforementioned critic wasn't a fan). But despite my sometimes strident opinions on Jonathan Blow, the game's creator, and my apparent propensity for managing to irk the man with practically every post I make about Braid, I liked the setup of the game and was always looking forward to discovering what new mechanics a level would bring. Chris Dahlen has a different take on the Braid game mechanics: maybe they make you think too hard? Kinda like calculus: More »
5,039
Comment by AntiZERØ: Nothings better than Calculus! Case and Point: While learning about Derivatives, I leaned over to my friend and whispered,... more » | Other threads
-
clips
Jonathan Blow 'Braid' Interview
I have a sort of love-hate relationship with Jonathan Blow. I still think he can come off like a pretentious jerk, but after some epistolary exchanges, I think we're maybe seeing a little more eye to eye on several key issues. But I adore his game Braid. I'm even willing to put up with the fact that it doesn't play nicely with my Mac: it's really a pleasure to play, and I'm looking forward to having it on my 360 so I can look at it on something bigger than my laptop. The guys at 1UP did an interview with developers Blow and David Hellman on the subject of Braid; we posted the gameplay montage a few weeks back. Now you have another chance to hear Blow talking about why Braid is pretty awesome. And I will — for once — gleefully concur on a lot of it. More »
4,516
Comment by desafinado: i still don't understand what the big deal with this game is. more » | Other threads
-
-
jonathan blow
Jonathan Blow On Marketing, 'Lying' to Players, Passage
Oh, Jonathan Blow. You're so painfully pretentious it would almost be cute if you didn't go zinging so far over the line almost every time you open your mouth publicly. The maker of the forthcoming XBLA title Braid is back with another discussion of his views on the industry, this one really launching off on a new - wait, no, it's the same old, same old. I'm really curious to see the end product of his game, but I could do without the pretentious attitude that reminds me of hipster indie music people. It was fine the first few go rounds, but someone needs a new schtick, pronto: More »
8,521
Comment by TidalSpiral: He's stating something that is correct, even if people who consider themselves too mature to listen say otherwise. As stated... more » | Other threads
-
game design
Jonathan Blow's Montreal Int'l Games Summit Presentation
Jonathan Blow pops up occasionally on the news radar, either in relation to his game Braid or in regards to his view on the nature of games today (frequently both in combination). He's ever so helpfully provided a zip file including the full audio of his Montreal International Games Summit presentation (given a couple of days ago) entitled "Design Reboot" and all his slides from the lecture. The presentation clocks in at one hour, a not insignificant time investment - Blow complains in his blog that "a number of news sites have written stories about it and people have started commenting on what they feel is the validity or the invalidity of the arguments," but the comments are only taking into account 2% of the whole speech. I'd venture a guess it's because that 2% is the stuff we've heard before, and the most likely to spur discussion (and calling modern MMO design 'unethical' will usually do that). Rock, Paper, Shotgun sums up one of the hot points of the lecture thusly: More »
2,867
Comment by Tulkamir: I sense some penis envy... Guy sounds like a pretentious wank. more » | Other threads
-
space giraffe
Space Giraffe Is Like Joyce's Ulysses?
Via GameSetWatch comes an musing on Space Giraffe, Yak Minter's psychedelic shooter that people seem to either love or hate. The author is Jonathan Blow, the guy behind Braid, and he says you either get Space Giraffe (and love it), or you don't (and hate it, giving it 2/10 when you write your review). More »
5,233
Comment by Dirk Dorkelson: @RolexDPracer: I love the whole, "If you don't agree with me, you must be ignorant" attitude. It's so much fun... more » | Other threads
braid
Denver, 11:36 PM
Fri Jul 10
61 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us: tips@kotaku.com
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
Email | AIM
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
Email | AIM
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
Email | AIM
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
Email | AIM
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
Email | AIM
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
Email | AIM
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
Email | AIM
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
Email | AIM
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
