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• My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid

  It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy. As far as downloadable games go, Braid was a pretty big deal; I don't think a day in August went by without me reading several blog posts by people caught up in creator Jonathan Blow's amazing world--oh yeah, except for those days in August when Braid wasn't out.  Nevertheless, there's really nothing else on XBox Live Arcade--or any other platform, really--that's like Braid; though its originality would be irrelevant if the game played like crap.  Luckily, Blow's deconstruction of the platformer is an immaculately-design work of genius, a mechanical, visual, and aural delight from start to finish.  And somehow, even with my embarrassingly poor competence at video game puzzle logic, I stuck through to the game's mindblowing ending. Please stop me if you can't take all of the well-deserved hyperbole. Read More... Posted Dec 09 2008, 08:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, top ten, braid, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, jonathan blow, top ten of 2008

• Soulja Boy on Braid: "BWOOOOOOOP!"

  It's been said that some games actually improve under the influence of various substances. Braid isn't one of them. Or is it? Rapper Soulja Boy--who I was completely unaware of due to being afflicted with an extreme, violent case of whiteness--has his own half-baked take on Jonathan Blow's brainy, postmodern platformer that may just change your mind.  Watch it with someone you love: More thoughtful criticism after the cut. Read More... Posted Sep 17 2008, 05:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: braid, jonathan blow, drugs, reviews

• Jonathan Blow Your Mind

  The Onion A.V. Club recently put up an extensive and excellent interview with Jonathan Blow that's sure to piss some people off and make others fall deeper in love with the outspoken game designer.  I'm leaning more towards the latter, even though he mocks my chosen profession--hey, at least I was smart enough not to even attempt an analysis Braid's storyline and pass my word off as law.  Which is why the following inflammatory quote really doesn't bug me.  Honest: What’s interesting to me is that in terms of people who I feel are getting what it’s about – and here I’m not even talking about what the elements of the story mean, like, whatever symbolism and metaphors and things are in there. But even the structure of the game, like, there’s a fundamental structure and reasons in the way things are laid out, and parts of the game that are meant to draw people’s attention to certain things, regardless of what’s contained in that structure. And what’s interesting to me is that some people get that, and some people don’t. But that’s completely decorrelated from people’s claimed positions in the sphere of commentary. By which I mean, there are lots of random blog posters on places like Gamespot or NeoGAF or whatever who show a clearer understanding of the game than people who are all, “I’m all about games, and narrative and meaning, and I write a blog just to tell you about how I analyze all these things.” Those people have the same hit rate as your general forum poster. So that’s given me a cynical response to that whole community, which is just that, “Guys, are you sure you’re qualified to do this?” And that sounds asshole-ish, and mean and snarky, but that’s just how I’m feeling right now. Read More... Posted Aug 29 2008, 10:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments Filed under: braid, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, jonathan blow, interview

• On Beating Braid

  I hate to be late to the party--or whatever the lingo is for when you don't finish a game 48 hours after its release--but I finally got around to beating Braid. Yeah, it's been about three weeks, but this was a game I really wanted to savor. Also, when it comes to logic puzzles, I suck on toast. If there's a Hell and I end up going there, Satan will lock me in a tiny room with nothing but The Adventures of Lolo trilogy for all eternity. While I'm slightly ashamed, I was able to get through Braid with only a minimal amount of cheating. I managed to finish Portal unaided through sheer willpower alone, but Braid kinda broke me. The puzzles--save for one with an autonomous key--are all watertight. My only problem with the game arises in a few of the later levels, when designer Jonathan Blow's penchant for non-intervention robs you of the tools you need to get some of the trickier pieces. If you haven't finished the game, beware: spoliers lurk below. Read More... Posted Aug 28 2008, 03:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: independent developer, braid, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, jonathan blow