Brain Teasing Turned to the Max... The Braid Review

A handful of games of recent memory have challenged the intellects of the brain towards solving puzzles. Braid turns up the puzzle solving to the max with platforming sections along with homages to iconic games like Super Mario Bros. and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This puzzle platformer for Xbox Live Arcade feels like a hybrid of Mario platforming, the time mechanic from The Sands of Time, and challenging puzzle solving similar to Portal. Along with a simple yet complex story with a mind blowing conclusion, difficult puzzles that will test your mind, and a beautiful graphical style, Braid is truly something special despite its steep price and definitely worth a play through to experience such a rare game in this generation of consoles that I would say it would be this year's Portal in terms of being a short and sweet masterpiece.

The story of Braid seems simple at first as you play as Tim, a young boy dressed in a suit and tie, on pursuit of rescuing the princess. That simple theme alone feels like a homage to Super Mario Bros. as when you reach the end of a level, a random animal will say the iconic quote, "The princess is in another castle." As you read the books in the six worlds collecting puzzle pieces, the story becomes more complex and awkward at the same time as you learn more about Tim and his motives of this whole quest. Braid takes an unique approach towards starting a game by having no menus at all other than the pause menu as you just start right away to the action of traveling to the six worlds of different themes and puzzles. It starts out easy in the first world you step on, but it progressively harder testing your intellect on how to get the 60 puzzle pieces. The later puzzles take advantage of the themes in some worlds like using a doppelganger after slowing down time, using a time bubble, and a whole area where your movements dictate the enemy movements and time.


The simple controls of Braid are also noteworthy for a game like this of only moving, jumping, opening doors and switches, and changing the flow of time. The time mechanic is pretty much the foundation of Braid as the majority of puzzles require some manipulation of time of rewinding or fast forwarding. For a game as challenging for the puzzles, there are no deaths thanks to rewinding time when solving them. There are some obstacles to watch out for with all the puzzle solving and platforming with lava pits, goomba-like enemies, rabbits, and more. The frustration does kick in when trying to solve a certain puzzle for hours, but it is about taking advantage what is there to use and the time mechanic to solve them. On the other hand, the satisfaction of solving some of them feels like an achievement of its own. Some may seem impossible while others will question your mind of why you never thought of that idea. Even though this is a short game of six worlds that can last several hours pending on how fast you solve the most difficult puzzles, Braid is truly something unique and original among other games on Xbox Live Arcade.

The graphical style of Braid is really something special with the characters looking great as Tim animates pretty smoothly. Sure, there isn't as much variety of enemies, but this game is not as filled with action as in a 2D Mario game where this one focuses on the puzzles. The environments themselves also look beautiful as everything has some watercolor effect that makes it look amazing. The framerate also never hitches, which is a good thing for a game like this even though there isn't much going on. The music and sound effects are also remarkable with a surprisingly amazing soundtrack of chill tunes that go according to the themes of the game. The tunes themselves sound peaceful and relaxed especially for a puzzle platformer that never resorts to hard hitting sounds. The visual and artistic presentation of Braid does keep it separate from the rest of the XBLA games out now.



For 1200 Microsoft Points (15 dollars), it might be too steep to play Braid, but it is a completely inspiring and mind blowing experience of pushing puzzle platforming to a whole new level while paying tribute to the games that pioneered it to be what it is now. The nods to those games will make fans of gaming in general go crazy and the conclusion will confuse some players if they didn't read any of the books in the six worlds while being one of the best endings in recent memory of games. Sure, reading the books may seem like a lazy way to tell the story as cutscenes are all the rage for telling stories, but this text-based approach just makes perfect sense for Braid while letting the gameplay do all the talking. There is also minimal replay value with the option of speed running this game, but playing all of it once is enough to witness greatness. If you want to challenge yourself with these difficult puzzles and experience perhaps another reason that games can be art, I would highly recommend Braid as a special puzzle platformer and one of the best downloadable games on the Xbox 360.

Score = 9.5/10

Pros:

• Amazing visual presentation along with a great soundtrack.
• Does great homages to games that influenced it like Super Mario Bros.
• A simple story, but turned complex and a surprising conclusion.
• Puzzle platforming pushed to a new level with the manipulation of time and challenging but not impossible puzzles.
  

Cons:

• Short game (several hours long on the first playthrough).
• 1200 MS Points price point might be too steep.
• Frustration will kick in if you can't figure out a puzzle for hours and hours.
  

Shut Up and Let Me Go... HEY!!!

This song was on my head a lot over at Las Vegas as the Apple commercial featuring it was played over and over again at Fashion Show Mall. Seriously, I love this song as being catchy and the video is kind of weird too. Now I want this in Rock Band soon.

Speaking of Vegas, I got back yesterday after a couple of nights and it was my first Vegas trip being 21. Maybe I turned 21 at the right time now that I'm officially saying Las Vegas is no longer for kids. Hotels/Casinos are dropping arcades left and right (Luxor and The Mirage for examples) for more lounges/resturants/clubs to fit the 21+ demographic. However, there are still places for the kids to go to like the pools, GameWorks (that place had a stinky smell when I was there Sunday night), and Circus Circus. Then again, I am seeing more visually pleasing places like lounges and expensive resturants catering to the demographic I mentioned earlier, which is cool. The one exception would be New York New York getting Tekken 6, but it is overpriced to pay, which is 3 dollar coins for one game, but it makes some sense considering how expensive the machine is anyway. Surprisingly, the Tekken 6 cabinet there was easier single-player wise and I actually beat the game for the first time (yeah that huge dragon, Azazel), but still hella pricey to play even a fighting game. As for gambling, I sat around slot machines and video poker for the most time.

Enough about Vegas, here's Botchmania 50!!!

Finally.... Coldplay's Vida La Vida Music Video

It has been a while I put up a music video here, but this one is a goodie with Coldplay's smash single, "Viva La Vida." The cool thing about this one is that hip-hop music video director Hype Williams directed this one and it turned out awesome. It fits the whole Viva La Vida album theme of the artwork and whatnot.

Going to Vegas for a couple days - Be back Tuesday with Rock Band getting System of a Down DLC, Burnout Paradise update (if it comes out on Monday for 360), Braid impressions (Wednesday), and a Soul Calibur IV Review later in the week (Level 22 Online = The cat is out of the bag and ready to go nuts.

New Skate 2 Trailer = Hotness!! (Also some X Games 14 tidbits)

IGN and 1UP have previews of Skate 2 for 360 and PS3 up now. This is the first gameplay trailer showcasing some of the new tricks in the game like handplants, hippie flips, and grabbing during grinds. I loved the first Skate. as a fresh skateboarding game. San Vanelona gets revamped in a storyline that some disaster jacked the city up changing up what used to be city in the first game. Even though I don't have the first one anymore, I still play the demo whenever I go to places like Gamestop, Target, and Best Buy. Looks like Skate 2 will be an amazing sequel and hopefully the skateboarding game genre to a whole new level like they did last year.



X Games 14 is going on and Dave Mirra just did a No Handed 360 Backflip in BMX Big Air = Nuts!!!



Speaking of skateboarding and X Games, here's the bail of the games with Danny Way clipping his feet on the coping (Nasty stuff). He still came back up and finished 2nd doing the Rocket Backflip and then a huge 540 Varial on the QP. My boy Bob still won the Big Air with a crazy Switch 360 Indy on the QP. Congrats also to Chad Kagy for winning BMX Big Air (I still think the Miracle Man should of won that thing).

A New War with One Ship and Shapes... The Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 Review

No one expected Geometry Wars to become a gaming phenomenon back when the first one was released on Xbox Live Arcade when the 360 launched. Now after a Wii / DS release of Galaxies, Geometry Wars returns to its stomping grounds on XBLA with Retro Evolved 2 and it is still an amazing experience of one ship taking on various shapes, surviving wave after wave of enemies, and getting the highest score possible to show off to your friends. This is Geometry Wars at its finest and with six different modes, local multiplayer, and in your face twin stick shooting. This rebooted the arcade shooter as a genre that is easy to learn, but difficult to master. Everything about Retro Evolved 2 feels truly special and a great kickoff to the 360's Summer of Arcade.

Retro Evolved 2 can also be said as Retro Evolved on steroids because this XBLA release is packed with different modes that put a different spin on the twin stick shooting that Geometry Wars had resurrected. At the start of the game, Deadline is the only mode playable, as you play more of a certain mode, the next one will be unlocked, which is pretty easy. Deadline is a three minute mode of trying to get the highest score possible with unlimited lives and increasing bombs. This mode can get hectic in the later minutes and also if you're doing well. King is an unique mode that you can only fire in a circle that changes color once you're on it and it is there for a limited time before moving on to another circle. Evolved is the first game all over again with three lives and three bombs at the start getting the highest score possible as the difficulty ramps up better than the original. Pacifism, a personal favorite, is another unique mode involving your ship not firing at all and the only way to defeat the blue diamonds is going through small gates to cause a chain reaction. Waves is a never ending assault of the arrow enemies moving on one side to the other, which was playable in Project Gotham Racing 4. Sequence is the ultimate endurance test for Geometry Wars of trying to survive for 30 stages of huge waves of enemies. All of these modes are equally as fun and addicting going for high scores competing against your friends.


Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2's new multiplier system is way better and less frustrating than it was in the original as you collect small yellow things called geoms to increase the multiplier to the hundreds and perhaps the thousands, which is why huge high scores of the ten millions and even a billion can be reached. It is also a good thing when dying didn't lose your multipler, which makes the game easier for higher scores. Other than the six modes, there is local multiplayer in Retro Evolved 2 where up to four players can play together in all these modes on one screen. The insanity of multiplayer does elevate to 14 when too much is going on especially for smaller TVs, so a bigger TV is recommended for a better multiplayer experience. Unfortunately, there is no online co-op, but for a game like this, it is understandable since any sense of lag may ruin the game completely and slowdown may make it unplayable. At least some sort of multiplayer is in Retro Evolved 2, but online play would be icing on the cake for next time.

The graphics and sound for this sequel is way better than the original. Graphically, the shapes, colorful effects, and explosions just naturally look better. There is also no sense of slowdown at all when playing any of the modes, which is truly remarkable when so many enemies are trying to kill you. The music and sound is also something special to note of as well. All six modes have a different track that is played and your performance also affects the music, which is cool like you die the music gets toned down and then goes back up to loud insanity. Another example is in King when firing in the circles, the music picks up, but leaving them causes the music to tone down. In addition, the tracks themselves are great to listen to when playing, but there are custom soundtracks if you're tired of them.

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 is such a special Live Arcade game improving the original on every aspect with the new multiplier system and unique modes like King and Pacifism. The online leaderboards and achievements also make you have the drive to keep trying for a better score than your friends, which will get addicting. I'm also a fan of the achievement progress idea they added in when going for certain achievements like Rebound, Wax Off, and Treaty, where it tracks how much more you have to do to get that achievement during the game. The graphics and sound have also significantly improved, especially how Bizarre, the developers, handled the music for this game. The original is still a landmark game that people played till this release as this sequel just allows for infinite replay value of pure fun and the best twin stick shooting on Xbox Live Arcade. For 800 Microsoft Points, or ten bucks, this game is among the best Arcade games out on this service, and you are doing a disservice if you don't buy this game.

Score = 9/10

Pros:

• Gameplay significantly improved with new multiplier system
• Six great modes that don't get boring (Pacifism as a personal favorite).
• Amazing graphics and sound
• Infinite replay value going for high scores competing against your Live friends.
• Local multiplayer / co-op

Cons:

• No online co-op, but it is understandable.
• A disservice if you don't buy this game on XBLA.

ABDC Season 2 Episode 7 Recap

Tonight's ABDC is the Missy Elliott episode with Missy herself performing with the four remaining crews and also judging alongside Shane, Lil Mama, and JC.

So Real Cru were up first doing "One Minute Man" and it was another solid performance from them. The intro was the sickest part of the routine while everything else felt right. Another judge fight was at hand with Shane and JC on So Real's difficulty of the performance, but you can make a case for both of them.



SuperCrew got off the bottom 2 this week (Yay!!!) and they did "We Run This." It was another memorable performance with more b-boy mastery and a tower intro. It was definitely better than So Real's performance.



Boogie Bots and Fanny Pak were in the bottom 2 (America got it right!!!) as BB went first doing "Work It." After reading about last minute changes for a whole new routine, it is clear that this is not a good performance. It almost felt like they pulled the white flag out as the judges clearly noticed the sloppiness especially this late in the competition. Don't get me wrong, they're a great crew when the switch is on, but not on a consistent basis.

Fanny Pak, on the other hand, KILLED IT. It is in caps because it was their best performance of the show and perhaps the best one of the season so far. The whole vibe of "Get Your Freak On" was there from the weird looking eyes, the unorthodox movements of various sytles, and it was awesome. The performance was too awesome that the judges gave a standing ovation, which is amazing. Even though So Real and SuperCrew had great performances, Fanny Pak just killed theirs and expect them to be #1 next week getting them a free pass to the finale.

With Boogie Bots' elimination, it is anyone's ball game on who can win this season's ABDC. My rankings are... (The last time for the season)

1. Fanny Pak
2. SuperCrew
3. So Real Cru

Even though I had SuperCrew and So Real as my top 2 for the finale from the start of this whole thing, Fanny Pak's performance pretty much made my finale for next week (even though SC and Supreme Soul last week was pretty epic). The cool thing this season is that you can make a case for any of these 3 to win compared to last season where it was the Jabbawockeez show (and Kaba Modern). Next week is the 80s theme and Fanny Pak better kill it again next week (They can seriously win this thing).

Shout out to the Yuri and Taeko Show coming soon (Yuri from Kaba and Taeko from Fysh N Chicks were at the show again this week watching and they became best buds since season 1 ended).

Time to Break the Faces and Play Some Football...

Today, two demos of EA games are out on both XBL Marketplace and PSN. First up is Madden NFL 09 and it shows off the new Madden Test functionality of testing your skill with Offense and Defense to set up your adaptive difficulty for the game. It is a neat idea (All-Pro on Offense, Rookie on Defense - didn't know WTH I was doing). Other than that, the demo is short with reliving the last minute and a half of this year's Super Bowl involving the Giants and the Patriots. It does look better and has a new Gears-like roadie run cam when a receiver or running back is running to daylight, which is cool. For 1.1 GB, it is not much since the full game is out in less than 2 weeks (Note - I will not review Madden 09).

The demo I was most interested in was Facebreaker, a new toon boxing game. The controls are simple, but maybe too simple as I am having a hard time timing dodges and parries. Add along a licensed soundtrack that doesn't fit into a game like this and great toon-shaded graphics (Like Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming Battlefield Heroes). I'll probably give it another chance, but it can be fun just mashing faction to break someone's face (There's XBL Vision Cam and Playstation Eye support for custom characters in this demo and the final game). Good thing Facebreaker is 40 bucks too.

Off topic: ABDC Recap tonight and Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 Review tomorrow.