Soulja Boy on Braid

By: Derek Yu

On: September 16th, 2008

The rapper behind the Grammy-nominated, #1 hit single Crank That (Soulja Boy) gives us his thoughts on the IGF award-winning Xbox 360 masterpiece Braid.

(Courtesy of Alec.)

  • PHeMoX

    *Family Fun or Digital Dealer?

    A prominent performing artist today stated that the game Braid is for drug users and drunks. With lighthearted graphics designed to appeal to younger audiences, is this gateway game taking aim at your children?*

    Jack… Jack Thompson. “Imma kick ass and chew bubble gum, oops I mean I’ll sue every developer I can just to make me a nice living.”

  • Mitchard

    I don’t think you people recognize soulja boy as the prestigious video game critic that he is.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1jj84wZnsM&feature=related

    “dis game so fresh they didn’t even let me record, we sneak recordin dis, this wont hit tha US fo 5 years.”

  • cecil

    “They are like five year old children. Who swear. A lot.”

    five year olds already DO swear alot. ive seend it!

  • the_dannobot

    hahahaha this is like the best video ever

  • Optrirominiluikus

    I wish this is what game journalism was like.

  • Trotim

    here’s the shit you go like WHOOOOOOOOP AHAHAHAHAHAHAH oh man OH NO WHOOOOOP HAHAHA

    A piece of art that can even be appreciated by people who don’t get it at all. Beautiful, seriously. Most shallow people like that would never go to an art gallery but they can still play Braid. *sniff*

  • cuntface

    “Ain’t no point to the game, you just run around jumpin’ on shit.”

    Fo’ shizzle.

  • Tom Crowley

    Man, that Seth MacFarlane hasn’t lost his edge at all. But where’s the Burger King ad on the front?

  • Corpus

    Hahaha.

    Ha.

    It’s really cool that Braid is getting so much mainstream attention, even if that includes people of Mr. S. Boy’s ilk. Anyway, he’s enjoying himself. Good for him!

    Even my brother is playing Braid.

    That’s achievement in itself.

  • BeamSplashX

    It seemed like his friend was just making fun of it near the end:
    “Ey yo this shit’s stupid as helllll!”

    Maybe he did buy it though. He can certainly afford it. And he’s still a wanker.

  • sinoth

    Single worst decision in Braid development:
    Not using the WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOP sound for turning back time.

  • ZeppMan217

    …Who’s that drug addict asshole?

  • http://www.tscreative.net BMcC

    > I wish this is what game journalism was like.

    Be careful what you wish for.

  • CrankThis

    Fuck, never mind Braid! This video makes me wanna do drugs! I wanna live my life looking through a kaleidoscope too!

    “Check this shit, check this, check it… OHHH NOOO… WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”

    Yeah, I definitely need to start taking drugs, cuz life is too short and I’m too fuckin smart to be wasting away, enjoying life without drugs when in fact, I could be high and see and hear shit that gaming and breathing just can’t provide!

    So all you indie devs need to stop being geeks and start getting back to being innovative by breaking out your chemistry texts and start working on developing new drugs! Besides, it’s more profitable and morality is no longer an issue!

    So get smart… Do drugs! Oh, and don’t forget to drink and drive!

  • Mischief Maker

    Perhaps the next TIGsource compo should be games for people who are baked. Hey, we’ve already got Spheres of Chaos and Rez!

  • Manivo

    This is why I hate black peo–errr–I mean rappers.

    This is why I hate black rappers.

  • Karuvitomsk

    SECONDING MISCHIEF MAKER’S SUGGESTION

    SECONDING IT A MILLION TIMES

  • Scott

    Wow some of you are really stupid and uptight

  • wormguy

    Thirding Mischief Maker’s suggestion, may be best idea of all time

  • Hooker with NO BeViS

    ..fourthing (this is not the apropriate form is it?) Michief Makers suggestion!

  • Richard

    At the very least his reaction is a step above those people who complained about the pricing.

  • falsion

    Eclipse:
    “Who’s this guy? I’m so happy to live in Europe now… that sort of american stuff is The Suck (TM)”

    Pretty much the American equivalent of a chav, except with a successful rap album.

  • arrogancy

    Soulja Boy “gets” Braid better than most of the people who talk about it, and this was the best review of the game I’ve seen.

    Also the Internet is full of a bunch of racist idiots, but we already knew that.

  • BeamSplashX

    I don’t even understand why you would give him crap for his race when you could complain about a lot of other things, like his total lack of talent, stupid lyrics, and retarded alias.

    Oh you internet folks…

  • Nathaniel607

    Yeh, why are you complaining about his race or even him being a rapper? Not all rappers are like this. It’s just he’s a dumbass. God, what would this guy be like if you showed him Beatiful Katamari? He’s be like ‘WOOAAH THIS SHIT IS LIKE WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!
    IHDIOHIOUGHIOUFsgfuiafg’

  • Shih Tzu

    I don’t know who he is, but he is clearly having an enormous amount of fun with Braid. I’m on arrogancy’s side here.

  • SofS

    Everyone who has bought Braid and demonstrated it for a friend: isn’t this pretty much what you did? I know that I jumped into danger and off of cliffs and such to show off the rewind (though I liked using the other worlds better due to their awesome tricks).

    I liked the comment about it being “Mario in the future”, especially as it’s been expressed in a more chin-stroking fashion online before as the Mario world coming to an end. I think it’s an interesting way to look at it.

  • Troy RULES

    Sheesh, there sure are a lot of people under rocks, huh? Soulja Boy is basically the exploitation of America’s idiotic teenage culture. He’s pretty big down here in Miami, but goddamn “Crank dat” is just so abysmal to a point you can’t take it seriously.

  • Dusty Spur

    Hey guys: n*ggers.

    GODDAMN I’M CLEVER.

    Yeah this is pretty hilarious though.

  • Aubrey

    MARIO IN THE FUTURE, REWOUND BACK IN TIME, IS STILL JUST MARIO.

  • zolointo

    Have to say that this dude is the physical manifestation of the part of my brain that took the same delight in Braid’s very accessible rewind feature.

    … the same part that quite enjoyed throwing molitovs at hobos in slow motion in Max Payne

    … the same part that quite enjoyed running over the paramedics with their ambulance in GTA

    … the same part that smashed up Sim Cities with tornadoes and nuclear explosions.

    I think this video could be classified as some sort of Machinma sub-genre.

  • Matthew Boyd

    Hey, you! You, the pop star! Stop having fun with the game, goddammit!

  • BeamSplashX

    I think he certainly likes reversing time, but I get the impression that the rest of the game is “lame”.

  • Fecal Brunch

    Meh, i don’t get what all the fuss is about, the game is kinda funny. He’s probably just ripped and playing around… So what? I play games stoned all the time with my mates. Just because you’re finding something funny doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate it. And even if he doesn’t, it’s a fucking game.

    I think it’s a wicked video.

    *Fifthing Mischief Maker’s suggestion*

  • Defacid

    I don’t like Soulja Boy but I don’t see him doing anything wrong in this video. That his opinion and he’s entitled to it.

    WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

  • I Like Cake

    I’d like to supplement the comments indicating that smoking up is going to turn you into an immoral drug addict by adding that it is also the number one way to get a policeman in a blue vest and motorcycle helmet to run into you, causing the word BUSTED to appear over you and making you fly into the air.

    Yes, I too have gleaned all my information on drugs from the arcade game NARC.

  • http://www.sinisterdesign.net Craig Stern

    Ha! Freakin’ hilarious.

  • Soulja Boy

    I am such a massive tool.

  • alspal

    I agree

  • wormguy

    I swear Derek if you get anything out of these comments make a Games for Stoners TIG Compo.

  • octopia

    seventhed.

  • LMAO

    I can’t believe someone actually said this is the best review of Braid they’ve ever seen!! HAHAHAHHAHA HOHOHOHOHH HAHAHAHHAA!!! LMFAOROF

    And the world gets dumber still… It’s good to see North America going down the shitter

  • Adam Atomic

    Ok to everyone who sees this review as evidence of the decline of western civilization…

    …you are retarded. I would kill nuns to see someone having this much fun playing a game I made. To everyone who wishes they’d never seen this video, what on earth is wrong with you? Does the site of people enjoying indie games somehow disgust you? If so, I believe the only valid recourse is to GTFO.

    I wait eagerly for a video of Paul Wall or Qadir going “WHOOOOOOOOOOP!” while playing Gravity Hook…

  • Corpus

    Uh, “internet folks?” Only a few people made reference to his race. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush.

    THIS IS ESPECIALLY PERTINENT WHEN YOU TOO ARE ON THE INTERNET

    DO YOU SEE THE IRONY

  • Corpus

    Also, everyone should listen to Adam, and maybe do something nice for him because he is speaking truths.

    I am going to buy him a pug.

    A pug in a dinosaur suit.

  • Günter

    OK, I want to imagine that I’m saying this in a very snooty, stuck up voice. It might help if you add a British accent, I could be wearing a monocle, whatever works:

    “Oh my, this young man obviously doesn’t understand the greater ramifications of Braid’s artistic message. He is like a child, I think, simply enjoying a game at such a basic level. I’m going to go sip tea and play ‘Passage’ again, because I really do love walking right.”

    COME ON GUYS. Let the guy have fun. An indie game is still a freaking game.

  • Joel Cairo

    Anyone who doesn’t see this as the decline of western civilization is probably a product of the MTV generation to begin with. This loser Soulja Boy is a prime example of the current state of intelligence that most teenagers are now functioning at. The single minded, oblique and inarticulate way that kids behave in this decade is frightening. No wonder they think gangs, initiation killings and drug running is cool…they have been so lobotomized by assholes like this that they clearly can’t organize a single intelligent thought or sentence that is worth any value. Soulja Boy is an idiot and I see no clear reason how anyone could benefit or feel proud from defending his obvious lack of intelligence.

  • Dusty Spur

    For the record, I just thought it was funny because of the WHOOOOP and the irony of Soulja Boy, a man primarily versed in *supermanning hos*, actually bought and was playing an artgame. Not the fact that he “doesn’t appreciate it” or whatever.

    (Note: Artgame isn’t an insult or anything. Braid is pretty fun. But it’s still an artgame.)

  • Troy RULES

    Pardon me for this next post but…

  • Troy RULES

    100th!