Braid: nameless longing

[warning: There are Braid spoilers here, increasing as you go along]

I'm sorry that this great work of art was packaged in the form of a twitch game, and I just can't play those anymore. I am watching video recordings of the ending(s), and I'm not sure if I feel like I'm missing something because I'm supposed to, or because I needed help to get there.

[real spoilers from here on]

I love that its several stories at once, all overlapping and informing each other. The whole relationship gone sour and how regret colors our perception, and how you can be the bad guy in your own story - all this would have been greatness on its own. It really goes to the next level with the atomic bomb, and somehow making an analogy between seeking the princess and seeking scientific discovery.

Time, regret, loss, and a bitter lesson possibly learned.

And its all there in the soundtrack, which is what drew me to this game in the first place.

Braid: tough slog

I finished World 1 of 6 (or 2 of 6, whatever), but I only got two puzzle pieces by watching a playthrough. There are some game mechanics required of you that I would never have guessed, but seem almost reasonable now in retrospect.

Well... no, not really. Whatever it is, this is not really my kind of game after all. I want to really absorb the story and ending. I really like the little bits of story that you get at the opening of each world, so cryptic yet banal. I like how the puzzle pieces come together, and how the final image might tell you something about the story.

I don't like that I'll probably need a walkthrough for the bulk of the game.

Braid for sale on Steam

I dismissed this as yet another stupid platform twitch jumping game. Then I heard the music. Who cared about the game, I just wanted more of that.

Then, thinking I would never bother playing this, I read about the ending and despaired, for this suddenly seemed like exactly the kind of gaming and story I am always looking for.

I tried not to think about it, hoping it would fade (and hit the bargain bin), and I might be able to play it some day.

So here it is, and I can buy FLACs of the soundtrack too!

game list

Where to now? What am I doing? I found value in writing a to-do list recently, so I'll make a master to-do list, and make it a fixed page here. I don't really want to have to go through a list like its some sort of chore to play all these games, but it can help guide me, and make sure I'm not missing anything.

While assembling the list, I went to MobyGames and listed Windows games by MobyRank, only to find Cave Story beating out all the Half-Life games, all the Grand Theft Auto games, everything. I read about the game, supposedly an indy side-scroller that's special, so I tried it. Maybe its special, but nothing about its physics or culture seems like something I can relate to. In any case, its a twitch game, and not something I can really play. I read the wiki page, and its surprisingly complex.

I also read this game inspired Braid, which I tried briefly, and found visually and musically impressive. Unfortunately I saw some spoilers, but that story seems really compelling. If I have to try and play a twitch game, I'd rather try that.

I want something to play now. Something with loud action, easy to get into, and known good. Left 4 Dead is on sale for $4.99, that should work. Having some trouble setting up graphics, kind of spoiled by auto-config. Everything feels slow and chunky, hopefully I get used to it. Finally figured out how to get 1920x1200, screen is blank.