One-Liner: Insomniac Dev On 'Braid' Price

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo writes:

"Lead "Rachet & Clank: Quest for Booty" designer Brian Allgeier tells me his reaction to complaints from some gamers about the $15 price of Xbox Live Arcade game "Braid," complaints he saw a couple of weeks before "Booty" was released on the PlayStation Network for that same price."

[TheColbertinator]

Daaaaaamn

Its gonna get crazy here

[HipHopGamerShowFan]

I got banned from the gamerzone from 1 post?

These mods are a joke.

[Stickguy259]

But I don't understand his argument. He doesn't understand paying for a game he hasn't played? And then not being satisfied when he drops the money for it?

Don't you take that exact same risk with every game... ever?

[GiantEnemyCrab]

I was thinking the same thing when I read that. He hasn't even played it?

Braid is an excellent game and I usually don't buy arcade titles at this price but I did and I did not regret it.

EDIT: Your right, KingMe I just read it again and I think he means "amazing" as in that is an amazing value vs. amazing that you can charge $15 for a side-scroller.

[kingme71]

I think the quote is a little deceptive. He is wondering why others are complaining about the price. He is saying it is worth the $15.00.

[marinelife9]

STICKGUY

You clearly don't understand his argument. He is arguing that Braid is a good deal for 6 to 8 hours of great gameplay for only $15.

[Stickguy259]

I guess I'm just a little to used to the whole console war thing. I read "Ratchet and Clank" and wrongly assumed that he was on a pro PS3 agenda. I just read it in the wrong light. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

The difference here is Braid is a success (AAA XBL title) while QFB is a flop. Doesn't this guy have more franchises to milk? I mean R&C: Quest for the Kitchen Sink hasn't been made yet.

[Bleucrunch]

yo dog do you think before you speak both games are good no need to bash rachet and clank. Your comment was unecsssary to say the least.

[kazuma]

what's that i hear? a giantenemycrab quote from 3 days ago?
"FLOP!!
It's at 7.3 and falling.. "

IT FELL SO MUCH IT ENDED UP AT 7.5!
damn that's some nasty fall XD lmao

[juuken]

Yes Crab...it's a AAA title.
Just like Too Human.

Ya see...I was right about the bots. Heaven forbid something doesn't reach 9.0 or so. It's a bloody flop if it doesn't reach that score.

You couldn't leave Rachet & Clank out of this. You had to drag a PSN title just to make your argument better.

Bravo, you win at teh internet!

[Silogon]

You morons don't understand he's complimenting the game, do you?> You all are some of the most ignorant people I've ever seen here on this forum.

[Bleucrunch]

Bubbles for you bro I am glad someone said it before I did. You guys really say some uneducated comments.

[Iamback]

@Silogon

Did you receive my message?

[Morrissey]

He said to spend $15 on what he's seen and "not be satisfied doesn’t make sense"

Are people thinking he's being negative towards the game/price?

[GiantEnemyCrab]

When I read it the first time it looked like he was saying "wow, that is amazing you can actually charge $15 for a side scroller". I do think he is actually saying amazing as in that is a great value.

I can see how you can read it either way.

[Morrissey]

I had to read it a few times to fully understand it

[cliffbo]

lol... yeah for some reason people are seeing this as a negative when in actual fact he's praising Braid and it's pricing

[ngg12345]

That got marked down a little for being a short game, ala r&c quest for booty. I don't understand how they mark down a 15 $ game for being 4 hours long, but never mark down a 10 to 12 hour game (bioshock, uncharted, R&C tod, dead rising, etc) for being short. Those games are 60 $ for 12 hour games, which if you buy 4 r&c episodes it would be the same amount of gameplay.

[CommonSense]

i agree. if you are entertained for several hours for 15 bucks, you should just be happy.
and by the way, uncharted is about 5 hours...not 12. and bioshock is more like 25 cuz it's so good you have to play it twice.

[ngg12345]

if you could beat uncharted in 5 hours. I congratulate you for doing the impossible.

[cliffbo]

uncharted in 5 hours!!!! it took myself and everyone i know between 7 and 9 hours, without getting all the hidden secrets, difficulty levels and mirror mode.

[Panthers]

Common Sense needs a name change because you have none of it. I played through Uncharted 3 times. So far it is the best gameplay experience I have had this gen. It took me at least 10 hours to beat it, but I am sure you could do it a little faster. Not 5 though.

I am sure Bioshock is that good though and I will get to find out in about a month.

[DJ]

Yeah right! That game took me like 12 hours.

[CommonSense]

how personally you all took it that i said that game was 5 hours. it's a short game. i don't see how that warrants such hostility. i actually got an ignore cuz of that, lol. and probably a ton of negative feedback. and to the person that said i need a name change. wouldn't common sense tell you that if other ppl are saying 7-9 and i'm saying 5 that i can't be exaggerating THAT much? I played through it on normal difficulty and it was a very quick game.
and to the guy saying it's the best, this gen, experience you've had...i don't even know what to tell you. i won't sit here and say it's the most horrible game i've ever played, and you're entitled to your opinion, but there is absolutely no way it's anywhere close to at least 10 titles i can think of off the top of my head. but if you're a ps3 only owner, i suppose it has less competition.

but i'd just like to say that it is very pathetic that people can say the most off the wall things on this site and make claims that have absolutely no foundation in reality, and they hardly get called out at all. but you all jumped down my throat for saying the game is short. ARE YOU REALLY THAT BORED???

[Spydiggity]

don't worry, man. If you even mention anything related to ps3 (games, accessories, stolen ideas, etc...), and you don't say them in a way that makes sony look like gods, you're going to get nothing but disagrees. you probably also got reported a few times for spam and whatever else. that's just the mentality of the 13 year old on this site. and, unfortunately, that's probably 90% of the users on n4g. and probably 95% of the moderators. you simply cannot criticize ps3 anywhere. but feel free to criticize 360 all you want. you'll have more bubbles than you know what to do with.

also i agree with you about Uncharted. it is a VERY short game. though it feels really long cuz it's so boring and repetitive. sept the car chase scene, that was pretty cool.

[ChefDejon]

http://www.gametrailers.com...

http://www.gametrailers.com...

its ur own opinion

[Morrissey]

They're both worth it, you can't dismiss either.

[cliffbo]

if we decide by using the graphics, there's only one winner here

[BlackTar187]

Graphics are 15% of the exp. you have to use your brain for the other. but I think there both worth it and have played them both and glad I did. if i bought games for graphics i would be playing crappy generic game all the time. Yes i'm looking at you "AAA" games based soley on graphics and nothing else. Americans are the only ones to love them just like .50DE wothless gun but goes BOOM really loud though.

I'm american so you all know but lets not turn a blind eye to the stereotypes since as american we fall under alot. : )

if spelling was one of them I would be right there

[God of Gaming]

20 years ago we payed 50 bucks retail for a game this long. Download Double Dragon on XBLA or Streets of Rage 2 and you can pass them in 45 minutes. So comparing those games to what you get on a new game like Braid and you have a fantastic deal. Good to see Insomniac defend the price. ( I still have to get around to downloading Booty, on my list of things to do)

[solidsnakus]

well i think this is where looks are deceiving. rachet looks amazing but is more of the same. braid isnt anywhere close to rachet in visuals but the actual gameplay blows rachet out of the water. so both 15$. if you want something you wont get anywhere else go for braid. if you just want more senseless shooting game #54345 go rachet.

[iHEARTboobs]

Form your own opinion based on reviews. Don't listen to fanboys like this guy up here. If either game looks like they're worth it then dip in, they're both a quarter of the price of a regular game. Some games aren't worth a damn, some are worth more than their cost, just try to make an informed decision and you'll be ok.

[devilhunterx]

luckliy I like "senseless shooting game", so I will go with senseless shooting game #54345.

[Aclay]

Based on the gameplay that I've seen so far, I think that Braid should have probably been $9.99, but not a full $15 bucks because Rachet and Clank Quest for Booty is a full fledged 3-D Platformer that looks just as good as Tools of Destruction and it's priced at $15 bucks, but Braid is just a 2-D Platformer and it's priced the same.

[H-V-H]

Rachet & Clank is just a 3-D platformer.

Braid is just a 2-D platformer.

[kenshin22up]

I would have gotten Braids for 10 bucks, I'm just not a big fan of MS's points system. If it's 10 bucks I can buy 2 games with that card, I won't know what to do with the remaining points if I bought Braid.. and I'm definitely not gonna blow it on themes or gamerpics or whatever.

[Tomonobu Itagaki]

There's no way a 360-exclusive developer would defend a PS3 game.

[Figboy]

if the game is good, i'll pay anything from $5-$60 for it.

Braid looks fantastic. i'll buy it when it hits the PSN (i don't use my 360 much), and i have no problems paying $10-$15 for it if it's good enough.

i've bought

Calling All Cars
Super Stardust HD
Pixel Junk Monsters
Pixel Junk Eden
Bionic Commando: Rearmed

for $10.

i bought

Gauntlet II
Piyotama
Mortal Kombat II
flOw

for $5

i bought
Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty

for $15

i think all of the above are priced quite fairly.

is $15 fair for Braid? probably.

is $10 fair for Braid? probably, also.

these games don't just spring up over night, and require man hours to create, and no matter how big or small the game, those devs need to be compensated for their hard work.

sure, you can compare the graphics to R&C and Braid all you want, but it's not a fair comparison, and it doesn't prove your point either way.

value is subjective.

some people think Braid is too expensive. they are RIGHT.
some people think Braid is priced just right. they are RIGHT.

it's all a matter of opinion.

for me, personally, the jury is still out on whether Braid is worth the $15. after all, i have yet to play the game, and i forgot to download the demo. lol.

it was easier for me to judge the value of R&C, because i freaking LOVE Tools of Destruction. so it was a no brainer.

i've never played a game like Braid before, and until i do, i can't adequately judge it's value based on my own personal scale of "what is value to me?"

i felt the same way about Pixel Junk Monsters and Eden. i wasn't too sure they were worth the $10, until i played them, and decided, "this game is just too damn fun for me NOT to buy, and $10 is totally worth it for how much fun i'm having."

hell, i've spent, at LEAST, 10 hours or more each on Monsters and Eden, but time isn't really an adequate judge of "value" either.

your enjoyment level is the best judge of value i can think of, especially in the gaming context. there are games that i enjoy that aren't particularly well received, but i enjoy them, so they were worth it to me.

if the people that enjoy Braid and R&C, or ANY game personally feel it is worth their money, why hold issue with them, or those that are charging that much for said product/service? you can either bite the bullet and buy it, or you can wait until the product/service is more palatable to your budget (i'm on a budget myself, but i figured i could squeeze Bionic Commando: Rearmed and R&C in there this month).

[qwertyuiopasdfghjkl]

If Braid was on PSN right now, he'd be against it's pricing, and make sure to tell people Booty is out. xD