Reader Comments (15)
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 12:31PM copa said
One of my favorite games from this generation. I'm really looking forward to The Witness.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 12:32PM jph89 said
"Blow by blow by Blow"
What is Charlie Sheens top 3 activities.
What is Charlie Sheens top 3 activities.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 12:42PM FriedConsole said
I kinda wish Jonathan Blow was a filmmaker where he could make movies of homeless people in black and white with soft piano music in the background. Instead he made a video game and we get subjected to this pretentious douche bag instead.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 12:53PM PointlessPuppies said
As someone who never played Braid, I bought it a couple of months ago, booted it up, and was promptly beaten over the head with artsiness and esoteric monologues about things you're not supposed to understand.
I appreciate it when games try to go the pensive route rather than the typical "ANGRY MANSHOOT MUST KILL EVERYTHING", but Braid was just trying WAY too hard at being sophisticated and had the opposite effect. Just as bloody gore and gratuitous sex is the infantile vision of "mature gaming", purposefully incomprehensible writing and meaningless "artsiness" is the infantile version of "sophisticated gaming".
I appreciate it when games try to go the pensive route rather than the typical "ANGRY MANSHOOT MUST KILL EVERYTHING", but Braid was just trying WAY too hard at being sophisticated and had the opposite effect. Just as bloody gore and gratuitous sex is the infantile vision of "mature gaming", purposefully incomprehensible writing and meaningless "artsiness" is the infantile version of "sophisticated gaming".
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 1:21PM ddrussianinja said
@PointlessPuppies My biggest criticism of the game was the wall of text that you are confronted with almost instantly, but I would advise that you play through the whole thing. It comes on a bit strong, but it DOES make sense, if only emotionally.
Additionally, the gameplay is actually a lot of fun and a good deal of the game's message is told through the gameplay, particularly in the end.
The writing isn't purposefully incomprehensible, it just has less to do with telling a linear story and is more focused on capturing the emotion of the character, Tim. We may not understand who exactly Tim is or the context of the game itself, but by the end, you understand perfectly the kind of person Tim is and how you feel about that.
The game isn't enigmatic for its own sake. It may seem pretentious, but this type of message is meant less to make an easily summarized statement and more to spark some kind of complex emotional feeling. I've watched a bunch of people play this game, and they always get something different out of it because it is so provocative without being explicit. I personally found myself considering the duality of modern archetypal "hero" characters in video games that Tim is obviously referencing (with gameplay purposefully reminiscent of Mario games) as well as the nature of good and evil in general. I've seen other people re-examining the ethical questions of mass murder in times of war. I've seen people simply sent on a nostalgic trip through their own early experiences with video games. Some people just went, "whoa". We all played the same game. That's what makes "Braid" unique. It's message isn't incomprehensible, it's just elusive.
It's easy to pass this game off as bullshit, but the fact is that it's a very deliberately crafted game. I do wish that it didn't break up its pacing by giving you walls of text to read in between levels (although I did enjoy reading them), but almost every aspect of the game leaves something that can be read into. And on its own, it's still a very fun, gorgeous-looking game.
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Additionally, the gameplay is actually a lot of fun and a good deal of the game's message is told through the gameplay, particularly in the end.
The writing isn't purposefully incomprehensible, it just has less to do with telling a linear story and is more focused on capturing the emotion of the character, Tim. We may not understand who exactly Tim is or the context of the game itself, but by the end, you understand perfectly the kind of person Tim is and how you feel about that.
The game isn't enigmatic for its own sake. It may seem pretentious, but this type of message is meant less to make an easily summarized statement and more to spark some kind of complex emotional feeling. I've watched a bunch of people play this game, and they always get something different out of it because it is so provocative without being explicit. I personally found myself considering the duality of modern archetypal "hero" characters in video games that Tim is obviously referencing (with gameplay purposefully reminiscent of Mario games) as well as the nature of good and evil in general. I've seen other people re-examining the ethical questions of mass murder in times of war. I've seen people simply sent on a nostalgic trip through their own early experiences with video games. Some people just went, "whoa". We all played the same game. That's what makes "Braid" unique. It's message isn't incomprehensible, it's just elusive.
It's easy to pass this game off as bullshit, but the fact is that it's a very deliberately crafted game. I do wish that it didn't break up its pacing by giving you walls of text to read in between levels (although I did enjoy reading them), but almost every aspect of the game leaves something that can be read into. And on its own, it's still a very fun, gorgeous-looking game.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 12:54PM McDude said
Johnathan Blow? More like Johnathan Blowhard. amirite?
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 1:24PM HardBoiled2009 said
Reading The Article Blow My Mind
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 5:16PM Mr McChew said
Sure the story of Braid isn't very coherent, Jonathan Blow isn't a writer, but it's completely optional. It's all about the gameplay and the puzzles. I'm pretty sure almost nobody plays Mario games for the story.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 5:58PM wcarnation said
There isn't a single man in videogaming that is more full of himself than Johnathan Blow.
You made Mario with Prince of Persia time travel, you're not a genius.
You made Mario with Prince of Persia time travel, you're not a genius.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 7:17PM MrGreen said
The fact that it went half a mile over your head doesn't make it meaningless.
Posted: Apr 4th 2011 11:06PM Mortegro said
No other game has had as close an impact on my life as did Braid. I've enjoyed other games more, but they never made me feel the emotions I did while playing Brain.
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