Braid XBLA- If you've ever complained about mediocrity in games...

I came across an interesting side note about game pricing related to Bionic Commando. Namely, this Kotaku article where Capcom's explaining why the PC version of Bionic Commando Rearmed is priced higher than the console version.

Basically, the only reason why the game is priced higher on PC is because games are, supposedly, commonly more expensive in the PC Digital Distribution realm than they are in the console realm, making the act of charging PC users more for the exact same game console gamers are getting 'appropriate' for the platform.

I'm not exactly sure about this whole thing myself, but thought it was an interesting facet to bring into this discussion, since a lot of talk we've been having is on, essentially, the ethics of pricing a game appropriately for a platform.

Skylock00

that is even stranger because of the fact that full PC games are usually $10 cheaper than their console counterparts, i am guessing due to licensing fees. this being more expensive makes no sense to me?

thislink talks about how xbox live restrictions might have actually hurt this game. The article mentions that creator Jonathan Blow says there were restrictions tailored to bigger games that cost him development time on the game.

The real meat of the article is briefly mentioned, but talked about in more detail by people commenting the story. Apparantly MS had originally in place a deal similar to what apple does with its app store. 70% to the dev, 30 to MS. This changed recently however, to an eye raising 35% to the dev, the rest to MS. MS now takes on ESRB rating filing, localization, and some other things. Still, getting 35% of the money from your work is a huge shift.

Apparently there is some expected frustration with this from many developers. The struggle for the place of the indie developer continues. I personally believe they are the next explosion of talent in console gaming, if only the proper arrangement can be worked out.

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

Skylock00

I hate to say this, but please, Spoil away. I'm intrigued.

[QUOTE="Skylock00"]

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

aspro73

I hate to say this, but please, Spoil away. I'm intrigued.

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

Skylock00

[spoiler] The stars? I've gotten a few so far but they're definitely HARD. Please spoil what happens when you get them, I doubt I'll ever find all of them :P [/spoiler]

(contains spoilers)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/braid/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-44749717&pid=943284

All the information on the [spoiler] stars you could ever want:

(contains spoilers)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/braid/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-44749717&pid=943284

[/spoiler] o29

[QUOTE="Skylock00"]

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

inoperativeRS

The last star itself is in stage 1-1, and is only available after collecting the first 7 (which can be done in any order, and aren't as difficult to gather once you understand what you have to do to gather them). Once again, I won't spoil, for now, how you actually get the last star, but basically you end up doing something which would alter the end of the game in and of itself...except fate twists in a way that Tim still doesn't get what he wants, even if he is able to manipulate how fate works in this final stage.

I just wanted to add on a side note, a very good deal on MS points started today at Target you can get 1600 points for $14.99, which is 5 dollars off the regular price, I bought two for $29.98 no TAX on point cards. Great deal. 3200 points for $30 basically. This deal runs all week while supplies last._Bear

thanks for the tip, this might just be what i need to justify the game. hopefully i can find it in stock.

Is this game on PC?DarKre

Not as far as I know.

[QUOTE="DarKre"]Is this game on PC?_Bear

Not as far as I know.

Not yet, at least. It's scheduled to be released on PC in the future, but no release date has been set.

[QUOTE="inoperativeRS"][QUOTE="Skylock00"]

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

Skylock00

The last star itself is in stage 1-1, and is only available after collecting the first 7 (which can be done in any order, and aren't as difficult to gather once you understand what you have to do to gather them). Once again, I won't spoil, for now, how you actually get the last star, but basically you end up doing something which would alter the end of the game in and of itself...except fate twists in a way that Tim still doesn't get what he wants, even if he is able to manipulate how fate works in this final stage.

If you guys want me to press further, feel free, but for now, my main goal is to try and do some speed runs, then see how fast I could do a regular run in which I gather all the stars at the same time...given how long it takes for one of the stars, it will take at least 3 hours to do so. [/spoiler]

From what I have seen this would be a fabulous game for a speedrun. Good idea.

[QUOTE="inoperativeRS"][QUOTE="Skylock00"]

Well, just finished the..er...secondary aspect of the game. It's pretty intense, and if you guys want, I can provide details through spoiler tags if you all want.

It's pretty friggin' intense, though.

Skylock00

The last star itself is in stage 1-1, and is only available after collecting the first 7 (which can be done in any order, and aren't as difficult to gather once you understand what you have to do to gather them). Once again, I won't spoil, for now, how you actually get the last star, but basically you end up doing something which would alter the end of the game in and of itself...except fate twists in a way that Tim still doesn't get what he wants, even if he is able to manipulate how fate works in this final stage.

If you guys want me to press further, feel free, but for now, my main goal is to try and do some speed runs, then see how fast I could do a regular run in which I gather all the stars at the same time...given how long it takes for one of the stars, it will take at least 3 hours to do so. [/spoiler]

Thanks.[spoiler] I think I'll have to get cracking on the stars now if they indeed have an impact on the story. [/spoiler]

Edit: arg html errors in abundance

Lets see if this works.

The Story of Braid (super spoiler-warning)

I understood there was one layer of the story which described a scientist in the Manhattan project but not that it was this important. I figured the story simply referred to situations where men craved for something out of their destructiveness. One of the alternative epilogue books in particular strikes me with its beauty:

She stood tall and majestic. She radiated fury. She shouted: "Who has disturbed me?" But then, anger expelled, she felt the sadness beneath; she let her breath fall softly, like a sigh, like ashes floating gently on the wind.

She couldn't understand why he chose to flirt so closely with the death of the world.

Braid

One thing I'm thinking about is the relevance of the name. A braid is the result of three or more intertwined individual fibers. Definitely seems like the same concept has been used to create the story of this game.

Looks like Blow's strategy paid off with Braid. The game has been downloaded over 33,000 times through Friday night, which means it has pulled in over 500k in revenue. I don't know the details on what the game cost Blow to make, but I'm sure this covers his nut (even after Microsoft's take).

Good news. It's a great game.

Shame-usBlackley

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

Looks like Blow's strategy paid off with Braid. The game has been downloaded over 33,000 times through Friday night, which means it has pulled in over 500k in revenue. I don't know the details on what the game cost Blow to make, but I'm sure this covers his nut (even after Microsoft's take).

Good news. It's a great game.

Skylock00

They should have stocked the company fridge with GENERIC diet soda.

When I first became familiar with the XBLA and marketplace, I vowed never to spend more than 10 dollars on any of the arcade games.

Last night I broke that promise and have no regrets.

I was happy when I figured out how to get the last two pieces in World 2 too. I found it by accident.

Just wondering though, why does it start out at World 2? Is World 1 the place where you enter each world?

I was happy when I figured out how to get the last two pieces in World 2 too. I found it by accident.

Just wondering though, why does it start out at World 2? Is World 1 the place where you enter each world?

butcrackofdeath

When I first became familiar with the XBLA and marketplace, I vowed never to spend more than 10 dollars on any of the arcade games.

Last night I broke that promise and have no regrets.

Mash_Affect

Glad to hear it! Braid shouldn't be missed.:)

[QUOTE="butcrackofdeath"]

I was happy when I figured out how to get the last two pieces in World 2 too. I found it by accident.

Just wondering though, why does it start out at World 2? Is World 1 the place where you enter each world?

Skylock00

Well I don't own the game, only the demo, so I guess the mystery of World 1 will never be solved :'(

I'll buy it when I get money though.

Braid is an incredibly amazing game. My favorite moment was when I got the 60th and final piece. I spent well over an hour just trying to reach it and part of it was luck. By the way, this piece I'm talking about was the last on "Crossing the Gap". The ending is amazing, I want to do some speed run challenges, but I'm too tired now. I recommend this game to all people looking for something refreshing. Don't have any regrets after having paid 1200 points.teufelherz

I played the demo and it was alright, but I wouldn't spend $15 on it.doomsoth

Apparently the demo does not do the game justice, from what I have heard. I have been vacillating on whether to buy it or not, I'm having a hard time holding off. I too did not enjoy the demo all that much, but from everything I have heard it gets a lot better. It's just that I'm holding off to see what other XBLA games I might want like Mega Man 9 and Shred Nebula, plus Castle Crashers.

[QUOTE="doomsoth"]I played the demo and it was alright, but I wouldn't spend $15 on it._Bear

Apparently the demo does not do the game justice, from what I have heard. I have been vacillating on whether to buy it or not, I'm having a hard time holding off. I too did not enjoy the demo all that much, but from everything I have heard it gets a lot better. It's just that I'm holding off to see what other XBLA games I might want like Mega Man 9 and Shred Nebula, plus Castle Crashers.

i read most of the opinions here about the game's demo not showing enough, but i was actually very content with what it offered...i'm really intrigued now with the rest of the puzzles the game has to offer...some of the world 2 puzzle pieces even took me a while to get, and i'm stumped with the world 4 room that was shown...maybe it's because i haven't played a game with puzzles like this in quite some time, but i can see myself paying the $20 for this and getting good value for my money...

unfortunately i still have a small 3-4 game backlog i want to get through first, and i'm starting a new job in september so i'm not sure when i'll have the time to play this (not to mention most of the best games of the year start releasing in september)...

I'm absolutely loving this game so far. Last night i was stuck with a piece and was about to check gamefaqs or something for the solution, but didn't. I'm glad i didn't. It feels so good when you solve a puzzle. So far i've completed 2 worlds. It's such a refreshing experience because it's so different that anything else on the Marketplace.

I hope it brings a profit to the developers so they can make Braid 2

i read most of the opinions here about the game's demo not showing enough, but i was actually very content with what it offered...i'm really intrigued now with the rest of the puzzles the game has to offer...some of the world 2 puzzle pieces even took me a while to get, and i'm stumped with the world 4 room that was shown...maybe it's because i haven't played a game with puzzles like this in quite some time, but i can see myself paying the $20 for this and getting good value for my money...

unfortunately i still have a small 3-4 game backlog i want to get through first, and i'm starting a new job in september so i'm not sure when i'll have the time to play this (not to mention most of the best games of the year start releasing in september)...

Prodigy_basic

[QUOTE="Prodigy_basic"]

i read most of the opinions here about the game's demo not showing enough, but i was actually very content with what it offered...i'm really intrigued now with the rest of the puzzles the game has to offer...some of the world 2 puzzle pieces even took me a while to get, and i'm stumped with the world 4 room that was shown...maybe it's because i haven't played a game with puzzles like this in quite some time, but i can see myself paying the $20 for this and getting good value for my money...

unfortunately i still have a small 3-4 game backlog i want to get through first, and i'm starting a new job in september so i'm not sure when i'll have the time to play this (not to mention most of the best games of the year start releasing in september)...

Archangel3371

Hey check out Target, for 15$ you get 1600 points which is a really good deal this week through Sat. if they have the cards in stock still.

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"][QUOTE="Prodigy_basic"]

i read most of the opinions here about the game's demo not showing enough, but i was actually very content with what it offered...i'm really intrigued now with the rest of the puzzles the game has to offer...some of the world 2 puzzle pieces even took me a while to get, and i'm stumped with the world 4 room that was shown...maybe it's because i haven't played a game with puzzles like this in quite some time, but i can see myself paying the $20 for this and getting good value for my money...

unfortunately i still have a small 3-4 game backlog i want to get through first, and i'm starting a new job in september so i'm not sure when i'll have the time to play this (not to mention most of the best games of the year start releasing in september)...

_Bear

Hey check out Target, for 15$ you get 1600 points which is a really good deal this week through Sat. if they have the cards in stock still.

thanks for the tip, too bad i live in canada and we don't have target stores here...i had to pay $20 for just a 1400 points card last weekend to pay for geometry wars 2...hopefully we'll get a similar sale on the cards soon...

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"][QUOTE="Prodigy_basic"]

i read most of the opinions here about the game's demo not showing enough, but i was actually very content with what it offered...i'm really intrigued now with the rest of the puzzles the game has to offer...some of the world 2 puzzle pieces even took me a while to get, and i'm stumped with the world 4 room that was shown...maybe it's because i haven't played a game with puzzles like this in quite some time, but i can see myself paying the $20 for this and getting good value for my money...

unfortunately i still have a small 3-4 game backlog i want to get through first, and i'm starting a new job in september so i'm not sure when i'll have the time to play this (not to mention most of the best games of the year start releasing in september)...

_Bear

Hey check out Target, for 15$ you get 1600 points which is a really good deal this week through Sat. if they have the cards in stock still.

[QUOTE="doomsoth"]I played the demo and it was alright, but I wouldn't spend $15 on it._Bear

Apparently the demo does not do the game justice, from what I have heard. I have been vacillating on whether to buy it or not, I'm having a hard time holding off. I too did not enjoy the demo all that much, but from everything I have heard it gets a lot better. It's just that I'm holding off to see what other XBLA games I might want like Mega Man 9 and Shred Nebula, plus Castle Crashers.

I did manage to complete the game in one sitting without a walkthrough. Took me about 3 and half hours. However, there are apparently stars to find and I have a good idea where one of them is as I spent some time trying to get out of one of the boards when I saw the opportunity. I've heard obtaining all of them gives you some sort of "true ending" that makes the story complete.

Not that I'm poor or have anything against throwing money at developers who make good games, it's just this might open the door for others to say "let's charge what we want."foxhound_fox

Braid isn't the first game to be 1200 points, and there is a 1600 point game on the store as well (the Penny Arcade one), so if ther was going to be a precedent, it has already been set before Braid came around, IMHO.Skylock00

Random new update (Wall Street Journal, Care of Kotaku):

One thing some people might've been wondering is how many copies of Braid would have to sell for Braid's creator to at least break even, and here's one part of the equation - In addition to the time he spent off his regluar job, he also invested 180,000 dollars of his own money in making the game over the 3 years course of its development. Now, I'm not exactly where all the money went to, but if this is true, that's at least part of what made his concerns so heavy regarding the number of sales his game pulls in.

Anyone else have any feelings/thoughts on this game at this time? I haven't played it in a few days, but plan on doing a new speed run soon.