Braid

[zero]

I know I'm not the only person who's played it, why is there no topic?! This is seriously one of the most innovative, brilliant, beautiful and fun platformers I've played in a long time. Unquestionably the best XBLA game to date... where's the love!?

[King Ellis]

The love is lost somewhere in a sea of rabble. What is the rabble over? It's 1200 and not 800, I have to pay $5 more than any other XBLA game, it's trying too hard to be Mario/Donkey Kong, there's no replay factor, I can't trade in an XBLA game, the guy who makes it is a pretencious prick, the time element is a gimmick etc etc etc.

So yes, a lot of internet folk, as usual, making a fuss over nothing. Myself, I may try it one day. Perhaps if it ever does drop to 800 points it would hasten my purchase.

[abundant]

Braid is the best game on XBLA and possibly the best game of 2008. I took me about 5 hours to collect all the puzzle pieces. I absolutely love the last level and the ending.

[Scott McFly]

The love is lost somewhere in a sea of rabble. What is the rabble over? It's 1200 and not 800, I have to pay $5 more than any other XBLA game, it's trying too hard to be Mario/Donkey Kong, there's no replay factor, I can't trade in an XBLA game, the guy who makes it is a pretencious prick, the time element is a gimmick etc etc etc.

So yes, a lot of internet folk, as usual, making a fuss over nothing. Myself, I may try it one day. Perhaps if it ever does drop to 800 points it would hasten my purchase.

There have been a few games at 1200 before (Lumines Live! and Bankshot Billiards both were that on release IIRC), and Penny Arcade is 1600, so it's not like it's some kind of outrageous price.

I wouldn't say it's trying to be Mario/Donkey Kong - yes there are elements the same and there's more than a few winks towards the Mario storyline, but the time element really adds to the game. It's like Portal - it's always finding a new way to use it in each room. And Portal certainly was no one gimmick pony.

I'm always one for supporting independent, original games and this is right up that street. And XBLA is certainly not short of them either.

[abundant]

The game's hardly a Mario/Donkey Kong clone. It's a puzzle game first, platformer second. Only a few of the puzzle pieces require platforming skills, the rest require you to think outside the box.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Completed the first five levels but only completed one of the puzzles, it's one of them games that irks you for so long you end up working puzzles out in your sleep before waking up and actually trying it out. It's gonna take me ages to complete because I just dont like playing puzzle games for ages but it's good for pick up and play parts that normal puzzlers don't allow room for.

Not sure if it was worth the money but hey if i think of all those other games I bought for 30, hardly played and sold for 10 or below when I could have completed it early and sold it for 20+ then it doesn't seem that bad. I mean sure you can't trade it in but you usually lose 15 or more for going through things at a slow pace and fully enjoying it in a big game anyway. I see myself playing it again in the future as well or showing it off to family coming round who love this kinda thing.

Easily the best game on XBox Live Arcade at the moment and will probably stay that way

Just whatever you do DON'T READ A GAME GUIDE IF YOU'RE THINKING OF BUYING THE GAME! That reduces a 7+ hour game to little under an hour and you're gonna get pissed at doing that

[zero]

It's 1200 and not 800, I have to pay $5 more than any other XBLA game

I don't get the issue with $15, fuck I remember paying $60 for NES games that could be beaten in twenty minutes. Hell, people paid $60 to play Heavenly Sword, which could be beaten in less than six hours - not bashing the game, I just don't get why people are making such a big deal about Braid's price. At least Braid is a new twist on something old, I don't see a problem with an extra $5 when people are paying $10 to play fucking Asteroids.

Edited August 15, 2008 by Zero

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, but all that junk is expected to be that price. XBLA games are nine times out of ten 800. I'm not overly fussed about the price, I just won't be paying it because I hardly play the games I paid 800 for, I'd be wasting my money. It's bad enough that Castle Crashers is going to be 1200, it better be worth it

I'm just concerned that this is going to set a precedent for future games, because the large majority of XBLA games are utter wank, and not worth 400, let alone 800. If they keep pushing the prices up, I'm not even going to consider looking at them, whereas now I at least give the trials a go.

Edited August 15, 2008 by Dragsy

[zero]

If it's an all-new game built from the ground up, I don't see the problem with $15. If it's an old arcade game or something with a new coat of paint, then it should be $10 or less. I'm not a fan of Microsoft's nickel and diming around every corner, and I do think a lot of the games on there should drop in price or at least eventually drop once interest wanes. But $15 for a brand new game that is legitimately good? That's a bargain.

[abundant]

If it's an all-new game built from the ground up, I don't see the problem with $15.

Exactly. Both Braid and Castle Crashers are brand new games that have been in development for more than a few years. The fact is, if you want better quality games on XBLA, they're going to cost more.

[King Ellis]

Please, please, guys. I've already read this argument 50 times on various other sites. I was just giving Zero a little off the cuff response to his 'where's the love?' line. Can we not rehash everything on here? Please?

Thanks.

[MalaCloudy Black]

No, it's our duty. Continue rehashing.

[Cactus Drags]

I'm not complaining about the price as such, I'm just explaining why I won't be buying. I'm not really in a position to be chucking money around, hell if it weren't for my staff discount/borrowing privileges, I'd hardly be playing any new games at all at the moment. I'm not even sure if I'll get Castle Crashers, but given that there's a fair few people interested in playing, and the fact that I'm more likely to play it myslef rather than let it gather virtual dust like my other XBLA games, if I pick one of the 1200 games to buy, it won't be Braid (although I will give the trial a go first).