Heard of Braid? It’s an Xbox Live Arcade game, going for low price of $15. Notably, it is currently the highest-rated Xbox Live Arcade game ever. Is it deserved?
Yes, a thousand times yes.
The only way I can describe Braid is this: it’s a Haruki Murakami story in videogame form.
Two weeks ago, I was curious at seeing this game mentioned so many times on game news sites, so I downloaded the demo on Live. I went through the first level, and found it to be a weird, cool little platformer, with echoes of Super Mario Bros. The central game mechanic is a Rewind button, which drew comparisons to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I felt the puzzles were interesting and clever, but yet I wasn’t sure this was a game for me.
But over the last two weeks, I felt drawn back to the game. The text, displayed as a prologue to each world, hinted at something larger. It spoke of time, and forgiveness. So I went back to it and bought the full game.
Braid is a story about memory, forgiveness and regret. It’s about loss, and the search for meaning. It tells its story through moments and impressions, and leaves you clouded in emotion from a source you can’t quite pinpoint. The last level, in which the themes of the game come together, pulls off something of such magnificence and grandeur that I was left breathless by it. It is, quite simply, a piece of art.
The gameplay? Well, it’s really damn good, actually. The Rewind feature is part of it, but it goes much further. Much like Portal before, this is a game that requires you to be in a certain state of mind to succeed at it, and it leaves your perception of time askew once it’s over.
I always believed the videogame industry was capable of producing art. Much like Hollywood, however, I have my doubts that true art can be produced by a large, profit-driven enterprise. I had a hunch, back when the X360 launched, that Xbox Live Arcade could be the independent filmmaker equivalent for videogames, where little gems filled with insight and meaning could thrive, and tell their tale away from the well-trodded paths of the corporate giants.
Braid has now proven this possibility, and left me breathless in the process.
One note: the game is hard. Some puzzles are hard enough to give you a headache, but all of them are fair and well thought out. Personally, I took to the story so much, that I couldn’t endure laboring through the puzzles for days. I have to confess, I took a solver from GameFAQs. I’m sure the game is more rewarding if you solve it by yourself, but I have to say that the experience was totally worth it for me regardless.
Posted under Gaming by Daniel on 24.08.2008
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I keep getting crap from my elected Conservative representative. It comes in the form of a cheap photocopy of some equally-as-cheap political rhetoric. Every one has amounted to the following eloquent political argument:
Liberals BAD! Conservatives GOOD! CONSERVATIVES SMASH!!! Please vote fur me!
And then it invites you to “vote” on which candidate will address the one-sided issue they bring up, fold up the cheap photocopy, and mail it to Ottawa free of postage.
Which is why I did. Here’s what I wrote in it:
If you can’t make it out, I wrote: “Please stop wasting paper and taxpayer money to send me your cheap political rhetoric.” And in a very childish moment, I voted for everyone EXCEPT Harper. HAH! (Ok, I do realize that on an official ballot this would just annul my vote.)
Ok, so that ain’t much of a political statement. It just felt good upon receiving the fifth cheap pamphlet in a month.
Posted under Silliness by Daniel on 20.08.2008
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I’ve been rereading my old blog entries from when I was back in Shanghai, and it’s starting to hit me: I miss being out of my comfort zone.
Edmonton is really nice, and quite comfortable so far (granted, this is the summer and not the dark end of February.) Montreal was also familiar very quickly when Helene and I went back last year. That’s a good thing, in a sense… But I’m reading about exploring Japan or chatting with a North Korean waitress in Mandarin, and I feel like I left a part of myself in a foreign land.
I’m not saying I want to leave Edmonton right away, or that it was in any way a bad decision to come here… But it feels like I’m gathering myself, here in Western Canada. I’m gathering myself for another jump into the unknown. I don’t think it will be China (although I wouldn’t exclude the possibility), but China is, well… somewhat familiar now. I miss it, for sure, and I want to go back, but the lure I’m talking about is the pure joy and terror of being in a completely alien land again; which China isn’t anymore.
Where to next? I don’t know. I have 2-3 years to think about it. It’d be nice to go somewhere strange again.
That’s it… I’m strangesick.
Posted under Edmonton, Travel by Daniel on 19.08.2008
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Let me make one thing very clear off the start: yes, China has issues with human rights, and its treatment of Tibet and Xinjiang independentists is an important issue.
That being said, I have a major problem with the way the West is dealing with the Olympics being held in China right now. The protests along the olympic flame’s paths were pretty embarrassing, but the slew of smug reporters talking about China, not to mention the misspelled Powerpoint presentations I’m getting by email, are making me facepalm vigorously.
I’ve taken part in protests in the past, so I’m not condemning this mode of citizen expression at all. I stood in the streets of Montreal in -30 weather when I felt I should send a clear signal to my Government that it shouldn’t participate in the unlawful invasion of Iraq. I did so because standing in the streets by the thousands is an effective way of talking to your elected Government. It is stronger than a vote, in a way, because it requires initiative and active participation on your part.
But what are the objectives of protesting against the Beijing Olympics? Specifically, why do some journalists and tourists go to Beijing, then protest and get kicked out by the PRC? Do these people believe one second that doing so is going to change the way things are run in China?
The worst part is, it aggravates things. The young Chinese have an unparalleled access to Western media and information nowadays. Of all the people I’ve met in my age group, none ever suggested things were perfect in China. Some may argue that the theory of communism is very sound, but none would deny the state of affairs in the country.
And these are the people who can make a difference. This is the first generation of Chinese who are seeing the world open up before them once again. They are informed and critical, and they listen to what the West is saying about them. And you know how they react to seeing sensationalist attacks on China throughout the Olympics?
They see it as an attempt by the West to make them lose face. It’s all the more problematic that these reactions are not posted in plain English for us Westerners to see; they happen on Chinese forums, and are written in Simplified Chinese. In their eyes, the protests are not a rallying call, they’re a humiliation of their nation in a critical moment of openness to the world.
Is that worth having the smug feeling that comes from acting like an ass on Tienanmen Square before getting expelled?
The problem with China requires much more complex means to resolve. It demands that we open up a dialog with the people of China, so that we can present them with our values, in the hopes that this might leave a mark. This approach demands that we also listen lest the dialog turns to a sermon: and the danger in listening is that you, too, might change your mind.
And to me, that demands a lot more courage, conviction and will to change things than wearing a Free Tibet t-shirt.
Posted under Current Events by Daniel on 14.08.2008
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Thousand Year Egg (I love this stuff)
With the arrival of the Olympics, it seems like every journalist is busy scouring the hutongs of Beijing looking for stuff that will challenge their definition of food. I’m actually a bit miffed at that, because focusing on the stuff you find ‘disgusting’ actually takes away from the cuisine as a whole; it’s one thing to get all freaky about eating a duck tongue, say, but you’re focusing on it instead of all the rest of the dishes around it.
To give you an example, when I tried pidan doufu (tofu with fermented egg), it was more of a dare, and the strange thousand year egg was an experience in itself. But instead of freaking out about it, I gave it an honest try. And you know what? It became one of my favorite dishes in Shanghai. (I miss it a lot!) Same goes for chou doufu (stinky tofu) and yu tou (fish head).
Anyway, just for kicks, here’s a list of unusual things I’ve eaten over the last few years. Some of it isn’t very ethical… I don’t particularly feel proud of the whale sashimi, though I couldn’t pass it up. But I’d say that everything was worth trying at least once.
I’ve marked the place I’ve eaten these dishes for the first time… When nothing’s marked, it means China.
- Live fish, as sashimi
- Drunken shrimp (live shrimp drowning in rice alcohol)
- 30 lbs lobster, still alive, as sashimi
- Thousand year egg
- Dog hot pot
- BBQ dog meat, imported from North Korea
- Alcohol with a viper in it
- Alcohol made from deer horn
- Fur seal penis alcohol
- Sheep testicle [q]
- Scorpion
- Silkworm crysalis
- Grasshopper [q]
- Ant in chocolate [q]
- Fresh cobra blood mixed with rice alcohol [v]
- Durian
- Durian flavored popsicle that tasted like a dead rat floating in an oil spill on the highway [q]
- Sheep brain [q]
- Pig head [q]
- Fish head
- Chicken head
- Chicken feet
- Duck feet
- Pig feet
- Stomach
- Intestines [q]
- Lungs
- Spleen
- Liver [q]
- Heart [q]
- Beef tongue [q]
- Veal cheeks [q]
- Jellyfish [q]
- Eel
- Stingray
- Pigeon [q]
- Shark
- Whole baby chicks on a stick
- Many species of snake [q]
- Ostrich [q]
- Kangaroo [edmonton]
- Turtle
- Alligator
- Frog [q]
- Snails [q]
- Fresh oysters [q]
- Parrot fish
- Whale sashimi [j]
- Horse sashimi [j]
- Raw beef [f]
- Raw deer
- Haggis [s]
- Sea urchin [q]
- Sea cucumber
- Chicken blood soup
- Blood sausage [q]
- Beef marrow [f]
- Sticky tofu that smells like poo
[f] = France; [j] = Japan; [q] = Quebec; [s] = Scotland; [v] = Vietnam
Posted under Food by Daniel on 06.08.2008
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I’m a newcomer to Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels, but boy are they giving me my money’s worth. Case in point: Excession. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first venture into the Culture, but if you’ve read a Culture novel before… You’re in for a brainride. Check out my review.
Posted under SF by Daniel on 03.08.2008
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You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. Well, to be fair, that’s not exactly true. I’ve left cities before, and I’ve missed aspects of them a lot. So now, wisened, I get to enjoy things as they happen.
When Helene and I moved to Edmonton, I didn’t expect to like it very much. I figured it would pretty much suck, so I’m surprised it’s growing on me as much as it does. Does it mean I’m gonna settle here? Hell no. But I do get to spend my time here and enjoy a few things that are unique about Edmonton. Things like:
The Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market
I can’t get enough of the Farmer’s Market. Yes, there are markets in Montreal, but they don’t approach this one, I’m sorry to say. The Old Stathcona Farmer’s Market is filled with local producers, and whether you’re buying a homemade pie or choosing your fresh-picked vegetables, you get to chat with the people who prepared your food for you. The quality is insanely high, and the people there are just nice. I’ve been there often enough that they wave at me as I walk by the stands.
The Kindness of Strangers
I’ve been to a few places around the world, and I’ve met many nice people, whether it’s the Chinese, the Macedonians or the Scotish. But there’s something just so damn nice about Edmontonians. They smile at you on the street and say hello. They smile at you when you pass them by. And even in the nicest restaurants, the staff is kind and genuinely interested in your well-being. To be frank, I think Edmontonians are the nicest strangers I know.
The Food
This one’s a big surprise. I expected to find good steak, sure, but that’s pretty much it. Instead, I found restaurants obsessed with freshness and local produce, and whether it’s the steak at Von’s, the delicious breakfast at Highlevel Diner, or the mind-boggling beef carpaccio at Packrat Louie, I’m amazed by the quality of the food here.
BioWare
BioWare is often cited as one of the best employers in Canada, and there’s a reason for that. It feels very much like a Western Canada company, founded on hard work, integrity, and honesty. That would already be awesome if they didn’t also produce the best games in the industry.
Blue Skies
Oh, we get blue skies in Montreal, although I did miss them in Shanghai. The sky there is most often gray, sometimes pearly yellow, and when it’s blue, it makes the news. But the skies in Edmonton… My goodness. They’re impossible blue. I’m often stunned by the perfect blue of the sky in the afternoon, and I’m caught staring at it for long minutes. The sunsets are pretty awesome, too.
Posted under BioWare, Edmonton, Food by Daniel on 02.08.2008
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