Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

[mgoblue]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

I know thats true. Therefore I won't be buying arcade games except for the rare purchase such as the amazing Geo Wars 2.

I'll just have to see them deliver on gameplay and depth at that price, whereas now I was more willing to "take a leap" and try a game at the cheaper prices. It won't surprise me in the slightest to see some companies try and charge more for the same basic product.

[jmood88]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Well you can play a trial of every arcade game before you buy it so it's not like it's a blind purchase.

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Kotaku

When the pricing was announced (both times) for Xbox Live Arcade puzzle-platformer Braid, the vocally frugal gamer crowd bemoaned the higher than average cost. Too bad, really, as it's one of the best XBLA titles I've ever played. Still, there are folks who can't get past the 1200 MS Points pricing — that makes it one of the more expensive downloadable games, but still cheaper than Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid, explains why it was priced so, commenting on the official Braid blog he had to "guard against [...] the Space Giraffe problem." He offers up the low priced, low selling (just 19,000 downloads) psychedelic shooter as an example of how pricing came back to bite the developer in the *** (specifically the wallet).

He writes that Space Giraffe for XBLA already had a built-in audience of Jeff Minter followers, something Braid does not.

"There is a significant possibility that Braid would have been the next Psychonauts or Beyond Good and Evil (critically acclaimed but nobody played it)," Blow contends "Even at $10."

He later puts the cost into more tangible terms, commenting that "If it were just a matter of my own money, I wouldn’t care so much, but I ran out of money while developing Braid and had to borrow a lot — so I owe people a lot of money. That makes the nature of the decision a little different."

That decision, it sounds like, may not have been entirely Blow's to make. He theorizes that Microsoft would have priced the title at 1200 MS Points regardless of his wishes to go lower.

I'll be buying the game when it's released on Xbox Live Marketplace early tomorrow morning, despite having free access to it right now. I would recommend you do the same. But only if you like awesome games with a great sense of humor, fantastic gameplay mechanics and stunning artwork.

Wired

I just wanted to make absolutely sure that everyone is aware that Braid, a fantastic, innovative indie game, is coming to Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow.

I've played the first few levels. It's an inventive, difficult take on traditional platform games. Puzzle pieces are scattered throughout the levels. Some are easy to collect simply by running around and jumping on enemies, but the vast majority of them require you to use the game's time-travel feature. You can speed up, slow down, and even reverse the flow of time at will. Some things aren't affected by time travel, meaning that you could, for example, pick up a key at the bottom of a pit that you can't escape from, and then rewind time to take both you and the key out of the pit.

And that's an easy puzzle. Braid's charming design, clever references to classic videogames, and brain-scratching puzzles should make this an easy decision. Well worth your money, from what I've played so far.

[mgoblue]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

LOL the "Space Giraffe" problem...Make a game people want and it'll sell...if people don't want it then yeah, you'll lose money. You'll still lose money even if you charge more and the game isn't good.

I'll be checking out Braid, and maybe even getting it, it just sucks that Arcade games are slowly creeping towards Wii prices, and soon enough they'll be near regular game prices (30, 40 bucks). It's the nature of the beast, but they'll never find a "magic" price point that makes game development a non-risk activity. If they put out a crap game then it's not going to sell and they'll lose money.

I just really hope that for every awesome game like Braid or Penny Arcade at these price points we're not getting some of the shovelware that the Wii gets. I'm kinda pessimistic at times, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see companies trying to get more cash out of us for the exact same product they'd have sold for cheaper 6 months ago....

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Killer Instinct & Perfect Dark coming to XBLA?

Every Xbox 360 gamer already knows that GoldenEye 007, the Nintendo 64 classic game from Rare, has no chance of being revived on the Xbox Live Arcade platform since Microsoft doesn’t own the brand and rights to the game.

Knowing that Microsoft will release the original N64 game Banjo-Kazooie on the Arcade platform later this year, we asked recently appointed General Manager of Microsoft Game Studios Phil Spencer, in an interview in Los Angeles, if more classic titles from the Rare catalogue would eventually hit XBLA.

"We do have the rights of the complete Rare catalogue (except GoldenEye 007). We’re studying all the possibilities to bring classic games from the past like Killer Instinct and Perfect Dark," said Spencer.

No timeline has been given of course but something is telling us that Microsoft is already preparing something behind curtains...we’ll let you know of course.

I would hope for Jet Force Gemini, Battletoads, and Blast Corps.

[Miles_Yuhas]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

I'll just have to see them deliver on gameplay and depth at that price, whereas now I was more willing to "take a leap" and try a game at the cheaper prices. It won't surprise me in the slightest to see some companies try and charge more for the same basic product.

Yeah that will suck because you know some companies are going to do that. For me arcade started as cheap little games that were just fun to play, and now it seems with the increase size and cost they are trying to make more full fledged games. For me personally, I don't really want that. I already pay enough for regular titles and I don't want to pay for these games that are getting pretty expensive.

I am however intreged to see what Microsoft releases from Rare's N64 days.

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Eurogamer: Braid Review - 10

Even though Braid takes obvious influence from Super Mario Bros, its creative importance reminds me most of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel, Watchmen. On one level, it's exactly what it appears to be. For Watchmen, a superhero murder mystery. For Braid, a 2D platform game. But there's more. Much more. Both are works of homage and deconstruction, commentaries on the way we interact with their respective media. The deeper you look, the more you see.

Only Portal comes close to the mentally liberating effect of Braid's construction, but even that feels like a half-measure in comparison. Time is fluid. Past, present and future are not destinations in a straight line but resources to be used, if only you can free your brain from its archaic A-to-B trajectory. Sorry Kutaragi-san, but this is 4D gaming and it could only have come from the world of the homebrew developer.

I almost never give out full marks, generally reserving that honour for retro games that have proven their worth many times over, but Braid has me in its spell. Judged purely as a game, it's cunning, ingenious and endlessly surprising. The puzzles are varied, the level design is revelatory and the whole thing clicks together like clockwork. For those only interested in gameplay, it's simply an excellent puzzler-cum-platformer. But there's so much more here, a desire to create a game experience that is more than mere technical craft. That it succeeds in creating an abstract emotional experience, one where each player can find their own level of meaning and personal context, all within the confines of the 2D platformer, is perhaps the most astonishing achievement of all.

Braid is beautiful, entertaining and inspiring. It stretches both intellect and emotion, and these elements dovetail beautifully rather than chaffing against each other. Still wondering if games can be art? Here's your answer.

TeamXbox Review - 9.1

If you’ve read previous XBLA reviews I’ve written, you surely know how appreciative I am for the value, variety and history that this service provides. Some games are worth the few bucks (via Microsoft Points) they cost to play them for a while in reminiscence of the “old days.” Other games are worth the few bucks to play, because they’re good counters to the hard-core games that carry a full price tag (and which may offer more hours of enjoyment for that higher cost). Braid is clearly a game that stands on its own, not that it somehow redefines a genre, but because it’s so far outside the polished, 3-D look that most modern game designers seem to want to portray.

Without question, I will say that everyone who owns an Xbox 360 should at least download the Braid trial version to see what I can hardly explain here. I believe this gem could end up as a sleeper XBLA hit, because it combines fun gameplay with an absolutely exquisite appearance—not going too far to one side or the other that it dilutes form over function, or vice versa.

[bkfount]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Yeah that will suck because you know some companies are going to do that. For me arcade started as cheap little games that were just fun to play, and now it seems with the increase size and cost they are trying to make more full fledged games. For me personally, I don't really want that. I already pay enough for regular titles and I don't want to pay for these games that are getting pretty expensive.

I am however intreged to see what Microsoft releases from Rare's N64 days.

I'm the opposite. I view XBLA as a platform to just get fun games. I've played sonic, golden axe, and other genesis games a million times, yet they threw them on there for $5. MS also threw a bunch of low quality games on there, like how Rocky and Bullwinkle is going for $10 right now. Something that's actually good like Braid going for $15 isn't horrible.

[Pared]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

I'd LOVE me some Killer Instinct over XBL!

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Purchased Braid and completed two worlds so far. The game is immensely charming. The puzzles are excellent. The music and artwork is awesome. This could be this years Portal. XBLA for me personally has been disappointing. I have only bought 4 games prior to the Summer of Arcade. While playing Braid, I'm saying to myself, this is the kind of game that XBLA needs more of. If the trial doesn't sell you or it does, but you're not sure you want to pay 1200 points, just wait for the eventual price drop. It would be a damn shame if this game doesn't sell well.

[jmood88]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

I played the trial of Braid and it lived up to the hype. I'll be buying it soon.

[mudtiger]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

I played the trail of Braid and it lived up to the hype. I'll be buying it soon.

I would agree. The music, art style, and puzzles seem very good, but I've read the game is quite short and I can't really see much reason to replay the game once the puzzles have been figured out...plus I've only got 1100 points

[Flawless]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Length isn't a problem for me. I've played Braid for about a total of 5 hours now, and have yet to complete all the puzzles. I still got world 6 and a couple puzzle pieces from previous worlds to get. Maybe I just suck, but some of the puzzles are tricky. This game is brilliant.

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

Braid is game of the year, absolutely genius. It's Mario, Donkey Kong mixed together with a puzzle game, with a beautiful art style.

[bkfount]

Re: Xbox Live Marketplace and Live Arcade discussion Part III

so I had a little over $25 in MS bucks, and bought Braid. Any recommendations on anything else with the 990 points left? I've only got Uno and Worms, as other purchased downloads.