X3F Insight: Why should we care about Braid?
Posted Aug 9th 2008 2:00PM by Richard Mitchell
Filed under: Fan stuff
Braid has had quite the mixed reaction thus far. Critics universally adore the game. Gamers, on the other hand, are more divided. Some have taken the 1200 Microsoft Point plunge and never looked back. Others see the price as an impenetrable wall or, in some cases, as permission to let Microsoft charge more on future
XBLA titles. We decided to take it upon ourselves to make a case for
Braid, as it's really one of the best gaming experiences we've had in a while.
Read on to see why we should care about Braid.
Tags: arcade, braid, live-arcade, number-none, xbla, xbox-live-arcade
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Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
8-09-2008 @ 5:29PM
Ithilis said...
To monkeymonkeymonkey:
I don't need a warning, because I would happily pay $15, $20, or $30 for an XBLA game if I felt that the game was worth the price. I think most '1200+ pt XBLA game fanboys' would agree.
If we were to embrace the mindset that all XBLA titles should cost $10 or less, then developers will only make games that are worthy of $10 or less. And frankly, the majority of the games that fit that criteria so far have sucked.
8-09-2008 @ 4:39PM
jdkay20 said...
Its not just Braid that is the problem here. It is the overall pricing of the arcade games. They are going up more and more with every release. When the 360 was launched there were mostly 400 point games and now i can't remember the last time a game has cost so low. And I know a lot has changed to the games. They are more in depth and have more features but you could say the same for full retail games too but that price has stayed the same on the 360.
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8-09-2008 @ 4:59PM
QuasarSquirrel said...
I'm not a fan of reselling games, I like getting some money to the developers so they'll make new games :) That being said, I doubt I'll like Braid (platformer Blech) but my fiance will like it so I'm sure we'll buy it.
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8-09-2008 @ 5:10PM
Fire Fawkes said...
There are a few things keeping me from buying this game:
1. Too many good games coming (Gears, Fable II, Castle Crashers, Madden and Viva Pinata 2) I'm not made of money.
2. Yes, the price. I don't really want to dump $15 on a game that I didn't dig the demo of. (If I loved the demo, I wouldn't have any issues about the price)
3. Hard drive space...simply put, I'm running out of it. (20GB on the Halo 3 edition console)
So, no matter how many times I'm screamed at "OMG It's only $15 or It's the greatest game ever!!" I'm not taking the plunge.
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8-09-2008 @ 5:31PM
Evan said...
Played the demo, looks fun. Not worth 15 dollars from me. Sorry, but I'd rather go out and buy a full game used for 15 bucks than pay 15 bucks for an arcade game.
As soon as this hits 800 points I will gladly pick it up.
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8-09-2008 @ 5:40PM
SadisticHam said...
Bah, it's the best the arcade has to offer. Every other title on there with the acception of 1-2 games is a pile of shit.
If i have to pay slightly higher to get quality over trash I'll do it. First arcade game I've played and properly enjoyed, still playing it. Very good game, more than worth the money and I've spent over 5 hours on it already and I'm not done.
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8-09-2008 @ 6:18PM
Timur Tabi said...
I don't have a problem with the $15 price per se. I just expect the game to give me a certain number of hours of enjoyment because of it. My price point is $1/hour, so Braid needs to give me 15 hours of value, or at least be capable of doing so. Unfortunately, Braid can be finished in under 3 hours, and it has no replay value. It'd be one thing if everyone in my family loved it and could play it, but it's too hard for my kids.
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8-09-2008 @ 6:25PM
iFester said...
Bah, try close to $20 Canadian after the price conversion and our flippin' taxes. I'm playing a violin for my American neighbors. ;)
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8-09-2008 @ 6:28PM
Jonah Falcon said...
I loved the music and the gameplay, but the story and pictures in the puzzle - ugh. What a letdown - the story is the usually claptrap you get from a depressed high school student.
As anyone in the creative industry knows, everyone can write - few can write well.
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8-09-2008 @ 6:59PM
Premo said...
The Behemoth has stated that castle crashers will cost between 800-1200 points, more likely 800.
I doubt the cost of Braid will affect castle crashers at all.
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8-09-2008 @ 7:16PM
Franco117 said...
I liked this game a lot but the cost is what is keeping me away. If you guys want me to get it that badly you can throw some ms points my way. Considering you bought braid you arent to stingy on where your money goes.
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8-09-2008 @ 7:38PM
Jon-Angelo said...
I just played the demo and got through World 2 and collected all the puzzle pieces, once I reached the castle I just had to buy the game. It's beautiful, deep, and engaging, and for me it was well worth the price.
I'm kind of hoping for a PSP or DS version now.
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8-09-2008 @ 7:41PM
Jace Bartet said...
I wonder how many of the people who complain about the price for this game have ever spent $8-$10 on a movie ticket, then perhaps $4-$8 on snacks...and what has less "replayability" than a 2 hour movie that you pay to watch one single time in a theater? The last time I paid regular adult admission to watch a good movie at a theater, I didn't feel ripped off. I felt privileged to be able to see great cinema. Sorry if this argument has been made in this thread before, but it is very disheartening to read these repetitive complaints about pricing for something that is truly inventive and expressive. When I can afford it, I'm willing to pay a premium price for a premium product. The thing is, so many people who've complained have suggested that they could, in a literal sense, afford it, it's just that they're more willing to spend their money on a laundry list of games coming out that have no chance of being as meaningful to the history of gaming as Braid is. I LOVE Geometry Wars 2, but like someone already pointed out somewhere, constantly comparing it to Braid is like comparing The Terminator (a great movie) to Citizen Kane (a great movie for extremely different reasons). I also think it's extremely disingenuous for any person of average intelligence to claim that there is any unwarranted pretension in the aspirations and methods of the developer, but that's a different rant for a different time.
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8-12-2008 @ 12:07AM
Saria the Cat said...
What makes you think people who think Braid is overpriced DO waste their money on overpriced snacks at a theater, or even go to the movies often?
And aside from the fact that you are comparing two completely different mediums, your point is poor. All movie admissions at any given theatre all cost the same damn amount. Braid is more expensive than the vast majority of other XBLA titles. You pay $9 for admission to the Dark Knight even though admission to Bratz is ALSO $9...according to this logic, shouldn't the Dark Knight have a much greater admission price? Why not?
Since when do we pay more for games based on them being "better?" Last I checked, games as different as Bioshock and Burnout both start out at a high $60.
We shouldn't be punished for wanting to purchase a GOOD game from XBLA for once. We should be rewarded by paying the same price but getting something better than we ever would for that price. We shouldn't have to spend more for better. Would you spend $90 for a "better" 360 game? Come on, it's only $30 more and will be the experience of a life time...
8-09-2008 @ 8:14PM
Rachaza said...
It IS just $5. 5 extra dollars for an extremely well made and thought out game. I hear your arguments about it raising the bar on XBLA prices, but save those arguments for when they try to release a horrible game for 1,200 points. Also, ask yourself how many times you paid $60 for a $#itty game.
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8-09-2008 @ 8:54PM
Jonah Falcon said...
You know, if all the prices on the XBLA 5 games is indeed $67.50 total -- is that too much? $60 is the price for a game, and getting 5 games for that price is great - especially since GeoWars 2 has a lot of replayability, as does the Galaga remake.
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8-09-2008 @ 9:13PM
Dadidito said...
This would have been a definate purchase for me but I don't like this 1200 price pt for xbox live games. Ill get it when its more than reasonable at 800pts.
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8-09-2008 @ 9:29PM
dylan said...
I just shelled out 15 bucks for this game... to get 100% complete on the first world you have so sit and do nothing with your controller plugged in for over 2 HOURS!!! that isn't a puzzle, it's a waste of time! I want my money back!
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8-09-2008 @ 11:25PM
Richard Mitchell said...
Are you joking? I can't tell...
8-10-2008 @ 12:29AM
dylan said...
not joking, there is a hidden star on level 2-2 that requires you to wait for a cloud to move so slow that it takes over 2 hours to get you to your destination, who ever thought this was a good idea must either be a battery salesman, or really interested in pushing the Xbox to the RROD.