Braid
Braid
I know we have some gamers in here, so I thought I'd try to get some feedback on this one.
I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but I just finished playing through Braid, and WOW. THIS is what games are supposed to be like. The artwork is beautiful and rich, the gameplay is complex yet intuitive, and the storyline is multi-layered and ambiguous, while still approachable and comprehendable. To anyone who hasn't played it, I recommend it. It is the best indie game I've played. Ever.
Have any of you guys played it? Thoughts?
I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but I just finished playing through Braid, and WOW. THIS is what games are supposed to be like. The artwork is beautiful and rich, the gameplay is complex yet intuitive, and the storyline is multi-layered and ambiguous, while still approachable and comprehendable. To anyone who hasn't played it, I recommend it. It is the best indie game I've played. Ever.
Have any of you guys played it? Thoughts?
Deus ab veritas
Re: Braid
oh, yes, I have played it! The puzzles are delightful and sometimes a little beyond believable like "is this really what I have to do!?" As for the story... it's one I think Nabokov would approve of, complete with hidden meanings (have you looked up any of the discussion online about the main character being Einstein?), which is appropriate for a game. And I love, love, love the last level.
There are many other art games and indie games out there that are also awesome. You might also like Bastion, Limbo, and Journey (although that one's just for the PS3, but it's so short and worthwhile that anyone who wants to come over and play it in three hours is welcome to). The story in To the Moon is pretty good sci-fi, and it's mostly story (and Dear Esther even more so). Oh, and I really like the game designer Christine Love. She has some free games like Digital a Love Story, which is set in an old-timey computer where you dial onto BBSs (http://scoutshonour.com/digital/)! And Don't Take it Personally Babe, It Just Ain't Your Story is also a lovely commentary on what social media might become in the future (http://scoutshonour.com/donttakeitperso ... yourstory/). Her most recent game, Analogue: A Hate Story, is set in the future where you're trying to figure out what happened to a ship from AI chat logs... and basically the ship's society reverted to feudal Korean culture.
CAN YOU TELL I AM KIND OF INTO VIDEOGAMES. What other videogames have you liked?
There are many other art games and indie games out there that are also awesome. You might also like Bastion, Limbo, and Journey (although that one's just for the PS3, but it's so short and worthwhile that anyone who wants to come over and play it in three hours is welcome to). The story in To the Moon is pretty good sci-fi, and it's mostly story (and Dear Esther even more so). Oh, and I really like the game designer Christine Love. She has some free games like Digital a Love Story, which is set in an old-timey computer where you dial onto BBSs (http://scoutshonour.com/digital/)! And Don't Take it Personally Babe, It Just Ain't Your Story is also a lovely commentary on what social media might become in the future (http://scoutshonour.com/donttakeitperso ... yourstory/). Her most recent game, Analogue: A Hate Story, is set in the future where you're trying to figure out what happened to a ship from AI chat logs... and basically the ship's society reverted to feudal Korean culture.
CAN YOU TELL I AM KIND OF INTO VIDEOGAMES. What other videogames have you liked?
- Giovanni Schwartz
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Re: Braid
Whistler wrote:CAN YOU TELL I AM KIND OF INTO VIDEOGAMES.
I feel like Whistler is channeling her inner Yog.
Re: Braid
I've played Limbo, it wasn't my favorite. I need the storyline to be a bit more nuanced and developed. Braid is about as far down the wormhole as I want to go. I also played Dear Esther, and HATED it. For that reason. I haven't done a TON of indie games, I'm usually more of a mainstreamer (I play DoTA a lot.)
Deus ab veritas
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Re: Braid
I haven't tried Braid--maybe I will, now. I liked Limbo alright, but I'm not great at the coordination platformer things, so I never quite finished it. Do you like adventure games?
Re: Braid
Yeah, I never got through Limbo myself.
What did you hate about Dear Esther?
What did you hate about Dear Esther?
Re: Braid
The storyline was far too ambiguous. See, Braid has a lot of different interpretations, but they are all interwoven. So the ambiguity leads to a diversity of interpretation. I think Dear Esther just didn't hold together. It tried too hard to be ambiguous and the story line basically fell apart.
Deus ab veritas
Re: Braid
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc ... _page=true
Here's the article for those interested. I am not a gamer, and I still devoured it. Highly recommended.
Here's the article for those interested. I am not a gamer, and I still devoured it. Highly recommended.
Re: Braid
I loved Dear Esther's visuals, and you're right, the story doesn't make a lot of sense (even when you read all the possible monologues). I was fine with it being a kind of surreal experience though.
That interview with Jonathan Blow... was that one where he said all other games are crap? It made him seem really arrogant/aloof (and endeared him to a lot of other game developers... not). I loved Briad and look forward to The Witness, but the man himself is annoyingly elitist sometimes.
That interview with Jonathan Blow... was that one where he said all other games are crap? It made him seem really arrogant/aloof (and endeared him to a lot of other game developers... not). I loved Briad and look forward to The Witness, but the man himself is annoyingly elitist sometimes.
Re: Braid
talons, are you on steam? I'll happily buy it for you the next time it's on sale.
Re: Braid
Steam sales are usually between 10-50%, although this one was originally a pay-what-you-want, so could've been as low as a buck.
Deus ab veritas
Re: Braid
yeah, I think I've seen it for $3 or $5 before... there's usually a huge sale in summer and another around Christmas/Black Friday. Maybe I'll post somewheres here next time I see it on sale (GoG, formerly Good Old Games, has periodic sales as well, although I don't think they distribute Braid).
Re: Braid
That would be awesome, thanks!Whistler wrote:yeah, I think I've seen it for $3 or $5 before... there's usually a huge sale in summer and another around Christmas/Black Friday. Maybe I'll post somewheres here next time I see it on sale (GoG, formerly Good Old Games, has periodic sales as well, although I don't think they distribute Braid).
Re: Braid
Resurrecting this thread to remind people that, as Uffish pointed out, Braid is on sale today for 75% off. I'm betting most people have spent two and a half bucks on far stupider things.
Deus ab veritas
Re: Braid
GUYS Jonathan Blow said he liked my gaming blog on Twitter.