Braid
There's an Xbox Live Arcade game in development called Braid:http://braid-game.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braid_(video_game)
It isn't out yet, but I've had the opportunity to play an in-development version of it on PartnerNet and it is good... in fact, excellent. What is particularly interesting is why it's excellent.
Braid is a puzzle/quest game wrapped in a stock platformer shell somewhat reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 2--the American SMB2, not the Lost Levels. It has a gutsy art style and a surprisingly compelling fairy-tale like plot. It features quirky time-manipulation mechanics not unlike the ones in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Gamers interested in the independent developer scene will immediately be drawn to Braid, but that's not why it's excellent.
What really caught me off-guard about Braid is how well paced it is. It is rich enough in flavour that it can unfold at a leisurely pace and still keep the player engaged. The result is a cinematic experience that reminds me of Out of This World. Playing Braid for a half-hour invoked a nostalgia in me for exactly those kinds of old PC quest games. Perhaps I happened to just be in exactly the right mood for it.
The soul of Braid is not its tech or trendiness, but its design and core themes. It's been said that while games of old had high design standards and low production standards, modern games have low design standards and high production standards. Braid is one of those brave vanguard games that flips this ratio back. It makes effective use of a more modest development budget and focuses on being an interesting _game_ rather than being a flashy video game. The world needs more games like this.
Xbox Live Arcade seems to be on the verge of exploding this year. Previously I ranted about the great Capcom games coming to XBLA this year (including 1942: Joint Strike, Commandos 3, and SSF2T HD), but other titles in development include Soul Calibur, Castle Crashers, and Braid. It's difficult to keep track of them all. I haven't nabbed the just-released Penny Arcade game on XBLA, but I will as soon as I can get a break from work.
Up until the start of this year, I don't think it would have been entirely unfair to describe XBLA as a wasteland of mediocre game experiences. There are some particularly great experiences to be had for fans of a specific title--for instance, the Prince of Persia remake on XBLA is good, if you happen to be a fan of Prince of Persia. It's not the kind of experience that just any serious gamer can pick up and get lost in, in my opinion, but it is a nice throwback to the old-school PoP.
These days there are three XBLA games that are core staples for me. I manage to play these games almost every week, if not several times a week, and they provide an excellent break from the typical next-gen game experience. This is my Top 3 list of the best XBLA games to date:
#3. Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars will certainly go down in history as an XBLA classic, as it is one of the titles that XBLA is best known for. There are few better games for killing just a few minutes. This one is also available on Steam for non-Xbox gamers.
#2. Ikaruga
Ikaruga is a masterpiece shoot-em-up by Treasure and perhaps the greatest game of its genre. Originally it was available as a Japanese arcade game and an import Dreamcast title. Eventually it made it out in America as a GameCube game, and now it has been ported to HD on XBLA. What makes this version of Ikaruga especially great is the ability to download replay data from the Xbox Live leaderboards and see how the world's best Ikaruga players play.
#1. Pac-man Championship Edition
This is a true Pac-man sequel not to be confused with regular Pac-man (which is also available on XBLA, separately). It is an impeccably designed update to the original and is easily one of the most addictive games that I've ever played. My respect for this game is so great that it was actually an influencing factor in my decision to buy an Xbox 360 in the first place (rather than having just a PS3; not that I have a PS3, yet).
Final note: there's an awesome editorial on The Escapist called Game Design Sketchbook. It's worth a read:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/gamedesignsketchbook/
posted by Parappa @ 3:46 PM
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