BRAID IS HERE!!!

By: Sick Panda

On: August 6th, 2008

Hello, gentlemannz. Is me, Sick Panda, reporting live from doctor’s offices on laptop MacintoshBook Pro, donate by Chinese governments. Doctors tells me ever-thing gonna be okay, but I must stop barffing on them.

Anyway, I tell you right now Braid is here. On XBOX live arcade and mebbe soon on the PC computers too.

Eurogamer give ten out of ten review, say:

I almost never give out full marks, generally reserving that honour for retro games that have proven their worth many times over, but Braid has me in its spell. Judged purely as a game, it’s cunning, ingenious and endlessly surprising. …But there’s so much more here, a desire to create a game experience that is more than mere technical craft.

Also, XBOX World give ten out of ten review, too, and also say:

In a world without Mario and Valve and the Bethesda hit factory Braid is indeed the best game ever made; in this world, it’s among the best games of the generation, and is unquestionably and immediately the best game ever to have been released on Xbox Live Arcade.

Also, Derek play preview of game and say is good game also, he say:

Yes, of course Braid is awesome! Now go back to sleep!

Is must be a pretty good game, then! Go play if you can. Sick Panda can no play. Okay, gentlemanns, thank you for your time and this is the very Sick Panda signing off until next time!!! (Thank you Mr. Yu for making link and quote.)

TIGdb: Entry for Braid

Posted in Highly Recommended, Platformers, Xbox 360 | Tags: JonathanBlow

http://www.thatsrad.net/visblog imaginarythomas

It’s a great day for indie gaming!
http://blog.supercheffing.com The Friendly Rhinoceros

This post made my day. Poor panda!

Part of me wants to play Braid for the rest of the day, just staring at the beautiful pictures and listening to the nice music. And trying to figure out what exactly those little furry-type guys *are*. Then I remember I have a game to demake!

Get well soon, Panda! We miss you.
hiphopotamus

c`mon panda – now fix those forum thingies, you know you can do it – else they`ll turn off the olympics.
policedanceclub

The olympian panda god of many faces and things like awesome and nice
http://theatreinathens.blogspot.com/ Imaginationac

I want my panda now!
Trotim

That panda needs a monocle.
tocky

get well soon panda
http://lumberingdream.com/ !CE-9

Panda, this way for some sweeeeeeet luurve!

=***, even.
http://lumberingdream.com/ !CE-9

uhm, there were three asterisks there.
bateleur

Sulking now.

As usual when any game ever has a multi-stage release it’s always done in such a way that I don’t get to play until later.

And despite the temptation I’m not going to buy a 360 just to play Braid.
Al Gore

Fix the f****ng forums or I’ll cut down more of your forests and turn you into a nice rug for my living room.
Al Gore

I took the initiative to invent the polar bear
corpus

Apparently there’s been a huge amount of hype for Braid, and I’ve been unaware of all of it. That said, however, it completely lives up to all the hype.

I thought I’d been playing it for an hour today. It had actually been 4 hours.

mmmmmmmm
muku

It’s sad how the majority of commenters on CVG bitch about it costing 1,200msp, which, I gather, amounts to about 15 USD. Just sad.

I’m so looking forward to this, but I’ll have to wait for the PC release.
moogled

15USD is about Â£8. And 20 years ago Â£8 got you a full price ZX spectrum game. So I dont see how folks can complain about the price.

My only grumble is not having an xberx!
policedanceclub

Yeah I hate those whiners as well.

Seriously, it’s a great game, and thinking how people shell out 60 USD for medicore crap, it’s a damn bargain
Victo

“Itâ€™s a great day for indie gaming!”

Not.
If the PC version has XBOX360 system requierements like Goo did, I’m quitting indie game forever and sticking to commercial MMORPGs, the only other good way to spend 15$ every month for games.
corpus

I agree with Victo. If games don’t run on 15-year-old PCs, well, they’re just not indie.

Wait, that’s bollocks.

You don’t mean that it isn’t a great day for indie gaming, you mean that it isn’t a great day for *you.*
Al Gore

I took the initiative to invent the Braid
http://gamehaus.wordpress.com Michael

“No game deserves a ten.”
“The guy behind Braid sounds like a douche.”
“There’s no way this’ll deliver.”
“$15!? I’m not sure I want to play it for free.”

These are all quotes from me before today.

I am a humbled idiot. Thank you Braid, for being so awesome!
Hooker with a Penis

..Dang! I’ve said this before but by god damn, I will say it again: I LOVE YOU, JONATHAN!1! <3 <3 <3
http://brasshats.com jkd

Bought it, and I’ve been playing all day. It’s more challenging than I would have thought. It feels great getting a tricky puzzle piece, or finishing a puzzle.

I’m almost finished it, unless there’s a big reveal at the end. I’ll be sad when it’s over!
BaronCid

And there it is:
The new indie mascot:

SICK MONOCLE PANDA:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5199/panda1th0.jpg
Fish

Eh it’s okay, certainly not a masterpiece. Too bland for that. Of course I mean everything but the visuals.
Paul Eres

Any day when an indie game gets the highest rated score in mainstream game review magazines (such as the ones mentioned above, and also Edge) is a good day for indie gaming. Even if you don’t like the game and don’t like Jon Blow you can at least appreciate that this game is in the process of raising awareness of independent gaming.
Paul Eres

Highest rated score of any game released that month, I should have said.
Victo

“You donâ€™t mean that it isnâ€™t a great day for indie gaming, you mean that it isnâ€™t a great day for you.”

So I’m the only person here who thinks indie games and Xbox live don’t belong together? I bet Gish 2 will be Xbox-exclusive first as well …
BeamSplashX

BaronCid, you didn’t warn me of the monocular content of that picture well enough! I was somewhat ready for it but someone else walked into the room, looked at the picture, and orgasmed to DEATH.

He really is one sick monocle panda.
Don Andy

I kinda agree with Victo here. It’s good that indie games are getting mainstream attention? It’s sad that indie games can’t get mainstream attention without the developers selling their souls to Microsoft.

I think when releasing to Xbox Live, you should release the PC version on the same day. But I bet some sort of contract with Microsoft forbids that.
Miya

This does not please me.
Victo

“I think when releasing to Xbox Live, you should release the PC version on the same day. But I bet some sort of contract with Microsoft forbids that.”

Or the game has been developed only for xbox because it’s a bigger market, and will require a monster PC to run it’s half-assed “ported” version …
FishyBoy

It’s pretty nice. I wasn’t pumped for this like everyone else, and I don’t think it’s a super indie masterpiece, but it’s fun.

I only played the demo, so unless it gets MUCH better in later levels I’ll save the money for Castle Crashers.
http://crypticsea.blogspot.com/ Alex Austin

Actually Victo, Gish 2 will be a Jaguar exclusive for the first 8 months.
http://doomlaser.com Golds

“So Iâ€™m the only person here who thinks indie games and Xbox live donâ€™t belong together?”

Why do you feel that you’re entitled to play an indie game first because you own a PC?

I am all for distribution models that allow independent game developers to support themselves financially from their efforts. As well, the console downloadable services garner developers a measure of exposure that is still not often seen for indie PC titles.
Dan MacDonald

Braid exceeded my expectations, I wasn’t expecting the environment to be so textured. There certainly is an elegance / efficiency to the design as well.
haowan

I give five stars
Farty

It’s a good game, I got it but I’m disappointed by how short it is. It’s not worth $15.
Kongming

“In a world without Mario and Valve and the Bethesda hit factory Braid is indeed the best game ever made”

I know what they’re trying to say here, but… uhh… Bethesda? Really? Valve and Nintendo almost always turn out awesome products, but I would say the best of Bethesda’s stuff is merely good. Certainly not “best games ever made” material. There are so many better companies/series/games to use as an example there, that line just bugs me.

That said, I’m looking forward to a PC release of Braid!
http://figames.discoveryhub.net Xyzzy

Kongming:

Throughout the article, they use a weird parallel-universe type theme. Odd to read, even odder to get quotes from.
Hugo

I’m with Fish here. I’ve only played through the demo, but it hasn’t exactly blown me away. It does do some very clever things with time travel, though. My biggest problems with the game are the following:

1. The sound effects sound like they were placeholders that were left in the final game.

2. I find the controls very loose and lack the precision that this game often requires which has caused me a fair bit of frustration.

Really though, the biggest problem is that I just donâ€™t find it that interesting. Itâ€™s a 2D platform puzzle game with a cool mechanic. Like Lost Vikings! I guess all the hype made me expect something much more when there really isnâ€™t. Like Fish says, it feels a bit bland.

Gosh darn beautiful, though.

It’s also good to see an indie game doing so well in the press, but all that hype may also hurt it…
raigan

The main thing is that when you solve the puzzles in the later worlds, your mind WILL BLOW, literally, you will feel crazy.
EE

You can drink alcohol if you want to feel crazy, or dress up in clothes made out of wood. That’d feel darn crazy.
Yellow Monkey

I played the trial today and while it’s neat and unique, there just isn’t a lot here. Invariably this game is going to receive comparisons to Portal, and while they are both high quality, I think that Portal is the better game. Neither game is very replayable but Portal has the advantage of extra mods/levels/etc. which extend the experience. Portal also contains a high degree of humor and I think that really adds to the experience. The four or five hours Braid simply isn’t enough to warrant $15, especially amidst other high-profile releases like Castle Crashers and Geometry Wars 2.
corpus

“Invariably this game is going to receive comparisons to Portal”

What? Why?

Also, 4 or 5 hours for Braid is pretty quick. I reckon it’ll take me 5-7 hours, or even more if I get completely stuck on one of the puzzle pieces I have left.
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

My offer for a forum is still valid if you are interested Derek…. lol
MisterX

I’m a little confused. This reminds me a bit of a much lower scale GTA4 hype-like thing. GTA4 was getting this amazing unparalleled attention from all media, was hyped to something like being the best thing ever made in the last 50 years, all the reviewers agree – but actually quite a lot many players are disappointed, think it’s “good” or only “okay”, but nothing really special.

I’m not rating Braid here, I don’t even have an Xbox, but it seems similiar: Press: “Awesome, one of the best games”, players: “Hm, ah, well…”
http://www.mawsoft.com/blog/ Impossible

I haven’t got a chance to play it yet :(, but I intend to purchase it as soon as I get home. The GTA4 comparison might be valid, but a lot of players loved GTA4, it wasn’t just critics. This is true for many games. People that enjoy the game play it, have fun and don’t feel the need to discuss it. People that don’t enjoy the game are a very vocal minority.
Paul Eres

I don’t think there’s a contract with Microsoft that says it can’t be released simultaneously, because a lot of Xbox downloadable games were released on the PC first. I do think it’s smart to release it for the 360 first. Larger automatic audience, less piracy, etc. I don’t mind waiting a few months for it.
nomener

The graphics are nice but the game is… well, boring. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is much better and you can pick that up now for $15 brand new (with a case and manual). I think $15 is way too much, 800 points maybe, but 1200? That’s ridiculous. I’m sure Microsoft put their foot down and made sure that the 1200 points was firm and wasn’t going to change their mind. They even tried pushing for Bionic Commando Rearmed to be 1200 points but the developers said “no way” they had promised it at $10 bucks and $10 bucks is what it’s going to be. This isn’t a knock against the developer of Braid, but 800 points would have been much more reasonable. The Trial mode didn’t even display much use of the time manipulation feature. I’m extremely disappointed and wish I could get some of my points back.
chutup

Staggered releases are OK by me. Lazy porting/horrible optimisation that makes the game irrationally hard to run is not. If my computer can’t run Braid I’m going to be really pissed off.