So, Braid.

I don't blog often. Because I rarely feel I have something to say that I really believe people need to read. But I have to spread the word, because I am worried that there aren't enough people out there who are aware of the brilliance of Braid.

At first glance, Braid appears like a platformer with a unique art style and some time-based puzzle mechanics. And it is. But it's also so much more. It's a comment on the human condition. It's a commentary on video games. It's homage. It's parody. And it will absolutely destroy your mind. But I didn't know any of these things before I played Braid. Because, criminally, Microsoft has done absolutely nothing to advertise Braid to the public at large, even the 360 community. No one knows what the hell it really is. And I fear the trial won't suffice, because it just doesn't contain any of the fiendish puzzles the game throws at you from World 3 and onwards. Just as problematic is the price point: 1200 points. Now don't get me wrong, I think Braid is probably worth even twice that, but the average person will see that and think "well that's 400 points more than Geometry Wars 2 or X", where X is pretty much any other original Live Arcade game. And as a final nail in the coffin, Braid is released in the same month as Geometry Wars 2, Bionic Commando Rearmed and Castle Crashers, all heavily anticipated Live  Arcade titles. It almost seems like MS wants Braid to fail commercially.

But you guys. I think Braid is one of the most important video games in a long time. It shows that games don't need to be interactive movies to be considered poignant or thought-provoking. There are only several lines of story in the entire games, they'd probably fit on one A4 sized piece of paper, yet it says more than most games say given any number of lines.

So please, don't let this one slip under your radar. 1200 points is more than most XBLA games, yes, but it's easily 5-6 hours long, and qualitatively, it is up there with the best of $60 retail games. Give it a chance. Even if you don't care for its artistic trappings, if you like fiendish puzzles, Braid is guaranteed to make your head hurt. I'm not kidding when I say Portal seems like a cakewalk* compared to this.

If you need further convincing, read this review: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=205102


*I am so sorry I went there. I'll go hang myself now.