I hated Braid, i found it dull and pretentious. Though i'll stick my hand up and say i've never really been one for side-scrolling 2d platformers, particularly ones of the indie variety. I'm sure some people can appreciate the dream-like aesthetics and the time control mechanic gimmick, but it's just not for me.
I love Beyond Good & Evil; played it to death on the original xbox and i do still in fact have the game, box and manual all in good condition. I really liked the world of Hillys. It felt immersive despite its fairly small size. The population and central characters were all endearing to me, even the antagonists themselves. The story is fairly unexplained, though, so don't go into it expecting any kind of resolution. The light stealth, action and puzzle elements are mixed in a way so as to keep the gameplay fresh without any one aspect becoming too stale. Environments can also be bigger than they appear, which is nice when externally the world hub seems small, but inside the various dungeons and places of interest you have a fair amount to explore.
