Is Braid overrated?

[KwaggaDan]

So, I just finished Braid (well not a 100% complete, but I finished the story) and I have to say, I'm not really impressed. Sure it looked very nice, but the story felt (a) completely disjointed and (b) like it was catering for someone who watches French Cinema. Am I the only person who feels like this?

 

[TimeLord]

I got it on the cheap from Steam, I was happy with my moneys worth

 

[Oktanas]

I also didn't liked it

 

[reg42]

I like it as a platformer, but the story just felt really preachy.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

It's a fun game gameplay-wise, but I started totally ignoring the story about half an hour into the game. I dunno if it was really that stupid or if it just struck a wrong note with me, but I couldn't stand it.

 

[SavingPrincess]

So, I just finished Braid (well not a 100% complete, but I finished the story) and I have to say, I'm not really impressed. Sure it looked very nice, but the story felt (a) completely disjointed and (b) like it was catering for someone who watches French Cinema. Am I the only person who feels like this?

Why are you playing a time-manipulating platformer for its story? All the "story" was were just little written blurbs between ultra-clever puzzling levels.

Ask yourself this:

Did I enjoy playing the game?

 

[KwaggaDan]

I like it as a platformer, but the story just felt really preachy.

That's exactly how I felt. Sure, the time manipulation is fun, and there were some puzzles that gave me a headache, but overall the story just felt completely unused...

 

[hyperhammy]

Didn't care about the story. Absolutely hated the platforming. Disliked the art style and music. It seems so relaxing when watching videos of it but it can fucking drive you crazy.

 

[KwaggaDan]

So, I just finished Braid (well not a 100% complete, but I finished the story) and I have to say, I'm not really impressed. Sure it looked very nice, but the story felt (a) completely disjointed and (b) like it was catering for someone who watches French Cinema. Am I the only person who feels like this?

Why are you playing a time-manipulating platformer for its story? All the "story" was were just little written blurbs between ultra-clever puzzling levels.

Ask yourself this:

Did I enjoy playing the game?

Like I said, I enjoyed the platformer, but I've just come to expect story with my games. It's like saying a game is good because it has great graphics. Sure it was fun (and or pretty) but I still didn't feel wowed afterwards.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Why indeed it is, I mean you can rewind time so it's too easy! Haha!

Just check out Soulja Boy's profoundly insightful review for proof:


If you die you can just rewind! Easy!

(I'd love to see him attempt anything after the first level...)

 

[SavingPrincess]

I've just come to expect story with my games.

So without a story you can't enjoy a game?

I'm a little confused... you said

It's like saying a game is good because it has great graphics. Sure it was fun (and or pretty) but I still didn't feel wowed afterwards.

Are you saying that only liking a platformer for the platforming is like only liking a game for its graphics? I thought the platforming was the central reason people liked the game (I was okay with it, it was freaking head-through-a-wall frustrating at times). I don't recall reading a single review or blurb about the game that touted the story as being central to the game's enjoyment or success. Maybe I'm wrong, been wrong before.

 

[mrfusspot]

I didn't find it as amazing as all my friends/critics seemed to the think it was. It seemed kinda "meh" to me. Only played the first two levels, but...

 

[archvile93]

Why indeed it is, I mean you can rewind time so it's too easy! Haha!

Just check out Soulja Boy's profoundly perceptive review for proof:


If you die you can just rewind! Easy!

(I'd love to see him attempt anything after the first level...)

What'd you expect? The guy is clearly either high, drunk, or retarded (I'm guessing all three), who couldn't have missed the point of the gameplay harder if he fired in the wrong direction and started in a different country altogether. The levels are puzzles to be figured out using time manipulation, it's not Super Mario Bros. I always hated gangstas (I know the word is gangster, but they insist upon using the A).

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Yeah, I too felt that it was a bit overrated. As artsy as it was, it just didn't hold up to what I'd heard and come to expect about it. I was a bit disappointed, but hey, that's gaming for you. Some you like, some you don't.

 

[burgbrand22]

It's like Soulja Boy's review- Braid is weird. It's not for every Mario fan out there but I enjoyed the music and puzzle-platforming; the story is ambiguous and it seems the intepretation of the story is up to you.

 

[KwaggaDan]

I've just come to expect story with my games.

So without a story you can't enjoy a game?

I'm a little confused... you said

It's like saying a game is good because it has great graphics. Sure it was fun (and or pretty) but I still didn't feel wowed afterwards.

Are you saying that only liking a platformer for the platforming is like only liking a game for its graphics? I thought the platforming was the central reason people liked the game (I was okay with it, it was freaking head-through-a-wall frustrating at times). I don't recall reading a single review or blurb about the game that touted the story as being central to the game's enjoyment or success. Maybe I'm wrong, been wrong before.

Okay, maybe I was a little unclear here. Ahem... I enjoy fun games, but these days I need my games to have a story. Maybe it's how I've been conditioned to think, but I enjoy a good story in my game (ala Psyconauts).

And just because everyone else liked the game only for it's platforming doesn't mean I have to. And sure, story need not be central, but why include so much story in the game? Like I said, it felt as if the game was telling the story to someone else, and I just happened to eavesdrop and catch disjointed pieces.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Why indeed it is, I mean you can rewind time so it's too easy! Haha!

Just check out Soulja Boy's profoundly perceptive review for proof:

If you die you can just rewind! Easy!

(I'd love to see him attempt anything after the first level...)

What'd you expect? The guy is clearly either high, drunk, or retarded (I'm guessing all three), who couldn't have missed the point of the gameplay harder if he fired in the wrong direction and started in a different country altogether. The levels are puzzles to be figured out using time manipulation, it's not Super Mario Bros. I always hated gangstas (I know the word is gangster, but they insist upon using the A).

I was irritated at first but then I had to laugh because the joke's on him. He really shows quite blatantly what a complete, clueless moron he is.

 

[Save us.A7X]

Yeah, I didn't really enjoy the game that much either, thought it was kinda fun but it didn't exactly live up to the praise I'd heard for it.

 

[Hazy]

Why indeed it is, I mean you can rewind time so it's too easy! Haha!

Just check out Soulja Boy's profoundly insightful review for proof:


If you die you can just rewind! Easy!

(I'd love to see him attempt anything after the first level...)

Words cannot describe how I feel about this review, so I'll let a 1up article do it for me:

"The discussion surrounding Jonathan Blow's XBLA platformer Braid is finally starting to wind down, but not before we get one final, definitive opinion on the game. Gamevideos has the in-depth analysis from one of the greatest intellectuals of our time, Souja Boy Tell 'Em. His verdict? "This s***'s stupid as hell, man." "

"It look like Mario in the future," the Grammy-nominated rapper chuckles, encased in a fortress of gigantic HDTVs and whooping hangers-on. "He don't never run out of the...going-back-in-time potion," Soulja criticizes, adding, "Ain't no point to the game." Seriously, you have to watch this.

"Now that Mr. Tell 'Em's got that off his chest, all that's left is for Jonathan Blow to review Soulja Boy's breakout album souljaboytellem.com. With crowd pleasers like "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", "YAHHH!", and "Booty Meat", we're sure he'd have plenty of constructive criticism for 18-year-old rapper." - 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169953]

OT: I tried Braid after the amount of praise it had received. And while I didn't think it was the best thing ever, I had a lot of fun trying it out, and was well worth a recommendation.
Is it over rated? Perhaps, but I had fun - and that's what counts.

 

[Nomanslander]

Well since this was one of the games brought to Ebert as an example for games as art and not...I don't know?

-Bioshock
-Mass Effect 2
-Little Big Planet
-Portal
-Fallout 3


I'd give it a resounding....YES!