I couldn't get into Braid. What I really want on PSN is Shadow Complex, because my 15 gb 360 is literally completely full of Rock Band DLC, and my 80 gb PS3 Slim is pretty much empty aside from a few game installs. #braid
Ah, I'm conflicted. I really like a lot of the concepts and the gameplay from playing part of this on my roommate's xbox. But I found the writing to be awfully sophomoric, verging on narcissistic, and lent a sour note to what otherwise seemed like a fantastic concept.
I'll probably still get it, but I'm in no rush. A year ago I would have snapped this up no question - now I'm drowning in good stuff for the PS3, so this will have to wait for a dry spell. #braid
@fulldamage: The writing in the game is by no means bad, or sophomoric. There's actually a lot of hidden symbolism that borders beyond subtle hidden in the text. Suffice to say, it's not just a story about a dude named Tim that wants his Princess. It's much more than that.
Show me a sophomore (even one in college), that can spin those words and I'll show you one that is probably too developed to be stuck in such a grade.
The narcissism point can be debated back and forth though, I'll grant you that one. #braid
@Chirotera: I'm going to have to disagree with you here, but it's cool. I didn't mean to say the writing was literally bad, it flows decently. It's just that the elements that you're talking about, "subtle and hidden," I'm not unaware of them, and to me they come off as obvious, clumsy, and sometimes douchey. But that's a matter of my personal perspective, and not a flaw in the game's design or structure. I'm saying that the story reaches to be better than it actually is, and that's far better than being bad, but leaves me more disappointed than a "simply bad" work, as a result. #braid
@Chirotera: "I do not think that word means what you think it means," and since fulldamage didn't correct you, as since no one seems to be correcting you, it falls on me.
sophomoric:
1 : conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immatur #braid
@fulldamage: I think it is one of those cases where it is better to try and fail than to not try at all. Considering the literary level of your average video game, I am so glad they tried, that I don't mind the fact they did not completely succeed.
That said, I am not glad to the point of buying it again on PS3 (got it on Steam)... Yet... it could be an investment to ensure that their next project does not take 87243 years to reach Sony's console. Mmmmmmh...
@Sensai: Touche friend, touche. I sound much more confrontational that I had intended to be. And you definitely caught me in a mistake. It happens. ;)
@fulldamage: I'm male. You mention that you want to here 'more' women give their interpretation of the story, so I thought I should make sure to cover my bases. #braid
Should have gotten it out three months ago. I wouldn't have cared nearly as much for the backstory if they hadn't perfectly timed their release date. #braid
rich8606 promoted this comment
Edited by TheVegetarianBurgerKing at 11/04/09 11:09 AM
TheVegetarianBurgerKing was starred
TheVegetarianBurgerKing was unstarred
My reason: Out of all the XBLA titles, this game is the only one I was sure would stay exclusive forever on 360. It's award winning, critically accalimed, I thought Microsoft bought this franchise outright just like they did with the Halo franchise, just to make sure it doesn't escape to their competitors.
Let's see if we can get 'Splosion Man to PSN now.... #braid
Hehe, I sign up and a post pops up with 'welcome to Kotaku' in it.
Anyway, I'm happy that the people who didn't get the chance to play this before get to now. While I wasn't one of those people who piled praise on the game as if it was one of the best things forged by the hand of man, it always seemed to me like the PSN got more niche, and sometimes 'artistic' than XBL does. If the PSN userbase appreciate this release even half as much as the XBL/PC crowds do, you have to wonder how much money Blow is making from all this. And that's not even mentioning the price tags Braid had. #braid
I loved Braid for the visuals, the music, the solid controls/animation and the puzzle-solving. And lastly, because it made me feel smarter than I really am. This is worth $15, at the very least.
You probably will need a guide at some point.
The "backstory", honestly, I could take or leave. Maybe I'm diverging from the common opinion here, but reading a bunch of high-fallutin' expository sentences before every level broke the "show-not-tell" rule my teachers hammered into me every day at school. Even cut-scenes would have been better. #braid
@Sustenance: I agree with you on everything. The subtle music was nothing short of brilliance, and adding some retro-gaming flashback mechanics was a great touch as well.
I cannot wait to see what Blow will make next. #braid
@BryanGuitarDude: I'm thinking that the graphics and gameplay dynamics of Braid are much simpler than those in Left 4 Dead and the other Valve games. Not to say the game is simpler, but it's a platformer. Come on. #braid
@Platypus Man: I know dude, I'm just kidding. =) I do hope that someday Valve does decide to bring their games over to the PS3. Not because I would buy them but because everyone should get a chance to play them, whether is on the PC, PS3 or 360.
Oh by the way Looking forward to this game hitting PSN. Or maybe il just buy it right now from Steam.. =S #braid
@FP_slomo788: Were you able to beat the Mega Man 9 demo? I literally couldn't pass the first robo elephant. I spent like 30 minutes doing it and then I had an epiphany... "I suck now." I was depressed for a week. #braid
Spoiler: The princess is also every goal that seems clear at first but increasingly becomes apparent that no matter how hard you try, you will never get it #braid
Spoiler: The princess is Jonathan Blow going crazy with metaphors and sly interpretations to the point where nobody has any real clear definition on what the fuck Tim was doing, besides going 'backwards', and thus, she can be whatever the hell you want her to be #braid
@Komrade Kayce: And that's why I love this game. It's so many different things all at once, with you, the player, left to interpret whatever meaning you find in the game. If you wish it to be just a platformer, then it is, but it can be so much more...
@BallPtPenTheif: I mean, some of the levels are hard, but not so hard that you can't beat it without a walkthrough... #braid
@electroshockwave: I only needed one for the extra-secret bits (to even say what they are is probably massive spoilers, so I will refrain). I found most of them of my own accord, but I required a fair bit of help with a couple of them.
@Others: Please don't post spoilers like that. Let the people who want to play the game, play it and make of everything what they will. It's not fair to put in big points like that. #braid
@quantumsaint: Man, I didn't even know about those stars until I just looked them up. While I beat it and got all the puzzle pieces by myself, I agree that it looks pretty much impossible to get all the stars without a walkthrough. #braid
@aubreyAubrey: Spoiler:
Everybody on the internet thinks that the princess represents an atomic bomb, even though Jonathan Blow said in an interview with Destructoid that that is not true. (Podtoid 66, around the 30 minute mark). Komrade Kayce is right, the game's story represents many things. Think about it, a braid is a single strand of something made of a bunch of smaller, but individual, strands intertwined. #braid
A gamer, is an individual whose primary form of entertainment is consistently playing games. Be they traditional board games, miniatures, pen & paper RPGs, or video games.
A person who squeezes in an hour or two of Sims between their Dancing with the Stars and America's got Talent shows is not a gamer.
A person who plays seven hours of solitaire a day is a gamer.
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I'll probably still get it, but I'm in no rush. A year ago I would have snapped this up no question - now I'm drowning in good stuff for the PS3, so this will have to wait for a dry spell. #braid
11/04/09
Show me a sophomore (even one in college), that can spin those words and I'll show you one that is probably too developed to be stuck in such a grade.
The narcissism point can be debated back and forth though, I'll grant you that one. #braid
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sophomoric:
1 : conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immatur #braid
11/04/09
That said, I am not glad to the point of buying it again on PS3 (got it on Steam)... Yet... it could be an investment to ensure that their next project does not take 87243 years to reach Sony's console. Mmmmmmh...
11/04/09
@fulldamage: I'm male. You mention that you want to here 'more' women give their interpretation of the story, so I thought I should make sure to cover my bases. #braid
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That game is SO worth $15. #braid
11/04/09
Uh, you mean, like how the Penny Arcade game came out weeks before it and cost 1600msp as opposed to Braids (extremely well valued) 1200? #braid
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Xbox owner:
Dude you need a box, the s**tstation has no games, why do you want a console with no games.
PS3 owner:
Lolol, atleast it doesn't get RROD like sexbox3s**tty! Oh yahh, we got games, we just took braid. Wewt.
Wii owner/non-fanboy:
Lolwtfbbq, you are both newbz.
11/04/09
11/04/09
My reason: Out of all the XBLA titles, this game is the only one I was sure would stay exclusive forever on 360. It's award winning, critically accalimed, I thought Microsoft bought this franchise outright just like they did with the Halo franchise, just to make sure it doesn't escape to their competitors.
Let's see if we can get 'Splosion Man to PSN now.... #braid
11/04/09
Yeah, but in no way am i a fanboy, i'd like an xbox, not got the money right now.
I own Braid on steam anywho, doubt i'll rebuy it. #braid
11/04/09
Anyway, I'm happy that the people who didn't get the chance to play this before get to now. While I wasn't one of those people who piled praise on the game as if it was one of the best things forged by the hand of man, it always seemed to me like the PSN got more niche, and sometimes 'artistic' than XBL does. If the PSN userbase appreciate this release even half as much as the XBL/PC crowds do, you have to wonder how much money Blow is making from all this. And that's not even mentioning the price tags Braid had. #braid
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it was actually confirmed then? #braid
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[kotaku.com] #braid
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You probably will need a guide at some point.
The "backstory", honestly, I could take or leave. Maybe I'm diverging from the common opinion here, but reading a bunch of high-fallutin' expository sentences before every level broke the "show-not-tell" rule my teachers hammered into me every day at school. Even cut-scenes would have been better. #braid
11/04/09
I cannot wait to see what Blow will make next. #braid
11/04/09
[kotaku.com] #braid
11/04/09
Not that I'm really angry about it since I play all valve games on the system they were meant to be played on. #braid
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Oh by the way Looking forward to this game hitting PSN. Or maybe il just buy it right now from Steam.. =S #braid
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Spoiler: The princess is also an ex girlfriend #braid
11/04/09
Spoiler: The princess is also every goal that seems clear at first but increasingly becomes apparent that no matter how hard you try, you will never get it #braid
11/04/09
Spoiler: The princess never existed in the first place and Tim was really just trying to sort out his mind the entire time #braid
11/04/09
Spoiler: The princess represents Tim's family whom he pulled away from and could never get back to, ever again #braid
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11/04/09
Spoiler: The princess is Jonathan Blow going crazy with metaphors and sly interpretations to the point where nobody has any real clear definition on what the fuck Tim was doing, besides going 'backwards', and thus, she can be whatever the hell you want her to be #braid
11/04/09
Well Played Comrade,
Well played.... #braid
11/04/09
@BallPtPenTheif: I mean, some of the levels are hard, but not so hard that you can't beat it without a walkthrough... #braid
11/04/09
Spoiler: The Princess is in another Castle. #braid
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@Others: Please don't post spoilers like that. Let the people who want to play the game, play it and make of everything what they will. It's not fair to put in big points like that. #braid
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Everybody on the internet thinks that the princess represents an atomic bomb, even though Jonathan Blow said in an interview with Destructoid that that is not true. (Podtoid 66, around the 30 minute mark). Komrade Kayce is right, the game's story represents many things. Think about it, a braid is a single strand of something made of a bunch of smaller, but individual, strands intertwined. #braid
09/12/09
A person who squeezes in an hour or two of Sims between their Dancing with the Stars and America's got Talent shows is not a gamer.
A person who plays seven hours of solitaire a day is a gamer.