Just look at her!  I've played the demo about 30 times and can't get tired of this game.  On top of that I can't get enough of the glimpses that we get of Faith.  I know she's not real but I've fallen for her.  It would be so cool to know a woman that can free run and fight.

If you have ever seen District B13 then you know why I"m feeling Faith so much.  Ok so here's a little background on Mirror's Edge.  The story follows Faith and her struggle to free her sister from a corrupt government. Her parents were killed while protesting against the government and she was forced to grow up on the street. One day, when she was still a young girl, she broke into an office belonging to a man named Mercury, who caught her but was impressed with her skills. Mercury then trained Faith as a runner.

Anyhow I have a deliema and don't know how I'm going to be able to buy Mirror's Edge after buying:

COD: World at War

Fable 2

DeadSpace

Little Big Planet

Gears of War 2

FarCry 2

All of these were purchased in the last month so I'm going to be suffering when this game drops on Nov 13th .  Looks like Farcry 2 is going on ebay or Craig's list.  the game sucks anyway so no lost. I'm even thinking about getting rid of Metal Gear for ME.  

I've added a great video for you to check out if you have never seen real world free running.

I never thought in my life that I would see a Black man as President of the United States!  My mother told me stories about being spit on and arrested for participating in sit-ins when she was a teenager in Alabama, and Mississippi.  If she was still here she would be proud.  I couldn't be more proud not as just a African America but as an American.  Please join me in supporting our new President of the United States of America.

Guess Who Makes The Difference in this Election 

No matter who you are if you are 18 make sure you get out and vote.  It's your right don't throw it away!

Do you need to know where you go to vote just click the link below to find the right location. 

http://www.voteforchange.com/index_obama.php 

Hey Agzer's we have a new beta site for you to try out.  Over the past eight months we have noticed that AGZ has not become the hub of activity we wanted it to be.  In response we have decided to change the site to better fit your needs as gamers.

The new site is going to have better overall interactivity.  The site is live and ready for you to check it out.  You will notice it looks aalmost the same with the exception that it you now have a section for video and a better looking one page profile.  Check it out and let us know what you think about it.  As the site changes so do our needs.  We are looking for gamers local and national to step up and contribute.  If you are a writer we need you.  We need reviewers and posters to provide fresh new content for the site.  Some of the benefits of being a writer for the game industry is review copies of games for your had work.  That's right that means free games for writing reviews.   Interested Yet?  Drop us a line at webmaster@agzonline.net  if you want more details.

Until then check out the new beta site at http://agonline.net  

Well I just finished the game and I have to say I love this game.  The ending wasn't the way I wanted to be but I think it was the best ending so far in a GTA game.  Now what they need to add is the ability to continue to play and build bigger fortunes and make more money.  One thing I did miss in this game was the lack of a garage to store cars in.  Yeah there were places to park my car on the street or get a couple of cars at the different safe houses, but I would have loved a lock up.

I also didn't like not being able to buy a business that would work for me, but then that would have been just like every other GTA so I can give them a pass on that detail.  Now i have to go back and complete all the stunts.  In the event you haven't done any of the stunts I've found a few videos that will show you where they are.  Check them out and have fun.

ALONE IN THE DARK (XBOX 360)

GRADE: 5.0

Never in my life have I been so conflicted about reviewing a game. Even though I have reviewed literally hundreds of games, I have never been as torn as I am right now. In some regards Alone in the Dark is a masterful accomplishment that should be noticed and honored. But at the exact same time it's one of the most broken and frustrating games I have ever experienced. It's neither the best game of the year nor is it the worst, but I'm finding it almost impossible to put my pure hatred for the game on paper.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Despite not having a number next it its name or a subtitle of some sort, Alone in the Dark is actually the fifth game in this long-running adventure/survival horror franchise. While never as popular as the games that came after it, Alone in the Dark had a hand in crafting such fright fests as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. With a huge budget, some sharp graphics and an intriguing storyline, it looked like Alone in the Dark was poised to reboot the franchise and introduce a whole new generation of gamers to Edward Carnby.

Despite its shortcomings, Alone in the Dark has one of the most exhilarating first acts of all time. Picture this; you just woke in a mysterious building with a bunch of monks holding you and some old guy hostage. Before long the building starts to come alive (so to speak) and horrible things start to happen to your captures. Free at least, Edward Carnby (who conveniently can't remember who he is or how he got here) is forced to escape this building before it crumbles to the ground. But don't look now; because your adventure doesn't end when you escape this evil building ... it's only the beginning.

The set-up's tension is only made more urgent when you realize that it's not just the building that is doing strange (and destructive) things ... it's all of Manhattan! Giant roots are starting to pop up out of the ground, buildings are collapsing all around your head and the whole city seems to be in utter chaos. As far as set-ups go, this is one of the most intriguing. With the game's amazing graphics and real sense of danger, Alone in the Dark managed to keep me captivated early on. I couldn't wait to see what was going on in New York City, who those monk characters were and where this adventure was going to lead me.

And herein lies the problem with the game, from this set-up you might think that I was having a great time. And you know, for the first hour or two I was having a lot of fun. But like so many things in life, once you get over the high tension and exciting danger, you start to see how the game starts to come apart at the seams. The things you start to forgive in the first couple hours end up coming back to you and haunting you, to the point where this game feels more like a chore to play through. And this is my conflict, for everything that it does extremely well, there is at least one thing that is does so poorly that it makes you not want to go on. But then, you've come this far, don't you want to see how it all ends?

Alone in the Dark was originally designed to be an episodic release ... and it shows. While the game fits together, it's clear that each episode tells a unique part of the story and almost always ends on some big cliffhanger. On top of that, players are even treated to end credits each and every time they complete one of the game's episodes. It's a shame that Atari wasn't able to fix some of the technical problems that plague this title, because the story is solid and there's a nice sense of pace to the game. If this had been done better it would have made for a memorable eight-part game.

For me the game starts to unravel at the end of the second episode, in a sequence that had me driving through the streets of Manhattan doing my best to avoid giant roots, falling buildings and flaming busses. In total this driving sequence is no more than four or five minutes, it's an extremely brief part of the game that looks cool and does a good job setting up the next episode. But for whatever reason this short five minute long sequence ended up taking me more than an hour to beat. It wasn't my driving that was the problem; instead it was the game's rampant glitches that ruined it for me, a few that actually made it impossible to complete the level. After going through it flawlessly a dozen times, I decided to do some investigating to see why I kept dying at the end. Come to find out that the problem wasn't my driving ... but rather the game not being able to load part of the level fast enough. I literally had to pause the game and wait for a few seconds to let the level fully load, or else I died.

Sadly this was just the start of my Alone in the Dark woes. Not only does the game suffer from a couple of game ending glitches and some freezing issues, but it also has a number of curious design decisions that take would could have been a memorable adventure game and turn it into one of the most frustrating video game experiences you can have. What should have been an exciting survival horror game with amazing graphics was quickly marred by some terrible controls, an unruly camera and characters I couldn't stand.

Let's start with the most obvious problem - the controls. I don't know if it's a game developer law or what, but must every survival horror-type game have the worst controls ever? It seems like ever since Resident Evil hit the scene good developers have fallen into the mindset that big scares come before good gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately Alone in the Dark comes up short of both, but with its interesting story I'm willing to forgive the lack of genuine scares.

What I can't forgive is the controls, especially now that we have more than a decade's worth of games that demonstrate how to control both a first and third person adventure game. At this point you wouldn't think that it's rocket science, you just point the character in the direction you want and he moves there. But alas, that's not what we have to put up with in Alone in the Dark. The game tries to be friendly, it allows you to change from the first and third person perspectives at almost any time (exceptions being action sequences, such as climbing ropes and whatnot). But for reasons that escape me, the two player perspectives actually use completely different control layouts. Worse yet, there are some things you can't do in the first person perspective, and vice versa.

For whatever reason, Alone in the Dark doesn't get either the first person or the third person perspectives right. When you're in the third person perspective your movements are often imprecise and unruly. Whereas, the first person perspective is too slow and sluggish, making it hard for you to actually do all of the things you would want to do in that perspective. And that's not even the worst part, if you prefer playing the game in the first person perspective (as I did) you'll quickly become annoyed by the amount of times you will have to switch back from the third person mode. Every time a cinema hits, or you get an important call or you interact with the background in any way, you will switch back to the third person perspective. Every single time. This isn't just an annoying little quirk you have to put up with, this is something that is extremely disorienting, especially when you're in the middle of a large battle of some sort. And not only will you be switched back to the default third person perspective, but you will also be pointing in the wrong direction. So I found myself having to run away, switch to the first person, look around to see where I was, pull out my weapon and then try and kick some butt. By the time I was done doing all that I had already been hit a couple of times and forced to use the medicine spray (which, surprise, takes you out of the first person perspective). Imagine doing this hundreds of times throughout the course of the game and you'll start to understand how frustrating this game can be.

And did I mention that the button layouts are needlessly confusing? Alone in the Dark wasn't one of those games where I stumbled with the controls for the first little while, even at the end of the game I was making life-ending mistakes because of the confusing controls. As I mentioned earlier, you have two sets of controls depending on whether you're in the first or third person perspective. But it's actually worse than that. Believe it or not, this game actually has four solid pages of control instructions in the manual. That may not seem like much, but it's about three times longer than even the most complicated first person shooter. The game gives you a different button layout for when you don't have anything in your hand, when you do have something in your hand, when you're driving, when you're throwing something, when you're on a rope, when you're shooting something, even when you're using a fire extinguisher. Performing even the simplest tasks (like combining items and throwing bottles) is made needlessly difficulty by this set up.

It's also worth mentioning that for the most par the weapons in this game are all but useless. You see, the bad guys (all bad guys) in Alone in the Dark can only be killed with fire. The good news is that there's fire everywhere (and if there isn't fire nearby, you can make it with your trusty lighter and bottles of gasoline). Early on the game wants you to beat the tar out of your enemies with whatever you see on the ground, such as boards and chairs. Once you've knocked the enemy out (which is no easy task, I might add), you are supposed to pick them up and drag them to the fire. If you don't do this fast enough they'll get back up and you'll have to repeat the entire process all over again. This task is only made more frustrating when a second (or lord forbid, a third) guy shows up. Thankfully you can combine your gasoline with your bullets to create fire bullets, but even that isn't enough to kill some of the characters you face in the second half of the game. I found myself spending most of my time just throwing bottles of gas at my enemies and then shooting them to watch them (everybody around it) explode. This works ... unless your gun is out of ammo, which you wouldn't know because it doesn't actually tell you how many bullets you have. Needless to say, the process of killing enemies is made much more difficult than it should be.

But let's say you can get past these problems. Let's say the story is captivating enough to keep you going through the first seven levels. Well the developers (Eden Games) have a surprise for you ... the single most tedious task of all time. Without spoiling too much, at a point late in the game you will need to drive around a virtual Central Park in order to track down a bunch of roots and burn them. On paper this sounds okay, but in practice this becomes a multi-hour task that requires all of the patience you have stored up in that head of yours (or wherever patience is stored up). It's as if the developers realized that they had spent so much time working on this recreation of Central Park that it would be a shame not to do something with it, so they made you run around (or drive around) and kill a bunch of roots. It goes without saying that this part of the game is absolutely no fun, it would be as if Rockstar Games made you find and kill all of the hidden pigeons in Grand Theft Auto IV before you could beat the game.

And did I mention that you have to do this tedious mission TWICE! That's right, just when you thought you were done spending hours blowing up plants; you're back at it again ... only this time you have to do twice as many. I can only imagine that if this was still an episodic game most people would have completely ignored the eighth chapter all together, no matter how intriguing the story was. Toss in the freezing problem I mentioned earlier and these two root killing missions may just be enough to make you stop playing games altogether.

Now throughout this review you've noticed that I've spent a lot of time talking about how interesting the story is. Outside of the ludicrous endings (there are two, neither of which really bring any resolution to the story), the story itself is really pretty good. Unfortunately the cast of characters aren't quite as interesting. Edward Carnby isn't a likeable character, no matter how many snarky comments he says. While I'm all for profanity, Mr. Carnby takes cursing to a whole new level. It's as if the script writers were getting paid by the four-letter word. Toss in some forced sexual tension, some questionably voice acting and no character development and you have an episode of Alone in the Dark. Some of that I can get over (I'm not a stickler for voice acting), but did they have to make the main character such a jerk?

Oddly enough, the best part of this game is an option that allows you to completely skip big chunks of the game. I'm not joking, even the back of the box states that you will "never get stuck" because the game's "DVD-style chapter select lets everyone reach the game's climax." This isn't just something that lets you go back and relive the levels you've beaten; it's actually something that will allow you to skip ahead. Heck, you can go all the way to the end of the game if you want, even if you haven't beaten a single level yet. It's as if the game is daring you not to skip; daring you to play through all of the painfully tedious moments for a miniscule reward. This sort of extra makes me wonder if Eden Games already knows how bad parts of their game are.

On the presentation side the game really shines. The graphics are outstanding, especially when you're in the middle of a big action sequence. If you're just watching somebody drive through the cities or run through Central Park then you're going to be wowed at every turn. The game's graphics aren't always as consistent as they could be, but when they are good they are spectacular. The same goes with the music, especially when it goes into full opera mode. I can see the music fitting in perfectly with a primetime TV drama, which is certainly what they were going for in this game.

But killer graphics and a gorgeous soundtrack aren't enough to make this game worth playing. The story itself is captivating, but it won't take long before the game's confusing controls, floaty car physics and annoying characters start to bring the whole thing down. If they could have cleaned up a few of these issues this game would have been easily recommendable, but as long as the game has terrible gameplay and that tedious ending, it's extremely hard to recommend. When the game is at its best it's amazing ... however, when it's at its worst it's an absolute train wreck. For that reason I find myself unable to give it anything more than an average score. Some people may be able to work through the pain, but I'm not so sure the payoff is worth the effort.

There is a lot of reason to be skeptical of Microsoft's real-time strategy game, Halo Wars.  For one thing this is the first new Halo game not developed by Bungie, the company that has spent the last decade doing nothing more than making games starring the Master Chief.  And it's not just that, there's also the worry that Halo won't translate well to this brand new genre, a genre that hasn't exactly been perfected on the non-keyboard home consoles.

Yet as worried as I was, I was definitely excited to see what Ensemble Studios had in store for their first brand new console game.  This is a company best known for PC classics like Age of Empires and Age of Mythology; they definitely know what they're doing when it comes to making real-time strategy games.  Halo was one of the first games to prove that you could do an amazing first-person shooter on a home console, so it only seems fitting that Halo Wars will try and do the same thing for real-time strategy games.  But does it succeed?  After some initial doubt, I have come away convinced that Ensemble Studios is on to something big with this title.

Unfortunately playing Halo Wars at E3 was trickier than you may imagine.  For whatever reason Microsoft decided not to feature the game on the show floor, limiting the amount of people who actually got hands-on time with the short demo.  Instead journalists who wanted to try out Ensemble's upcoming game had to make an appointment and visit Microsoft's behind closed doors meeting area.  Oddly enough, this was also the only way you could play the upcoming Banjo Kazooie game, Lips and a few other big holiday titles.

But this article isn't about some SingStar rip-off; this is a hands-on preview of Halo Wars.  Before I could sit down with the game, Microsoft made us sit through a short tutorial hosted by one of the developers at Ensemble.  He explained what we would be playing, the history of the title and what they hope to deliver.  They also explained some of the nuance of the controls, which I'll get to a bit later.  After rushing through his memorized tutorial and answering a few questions from a group of six or seven people, Microsoft told us to find a console, pick up the control and, most importantly, have fun.  It was time to play Halo Wars.

Unfortunately the demo only allowed us to play the game as a two-player co-op game.  Each person got their own comfy couch and large HDTV to stare into, as well as a second player who was working with you to defeat the dastardly Covenant.  In my case I was teamed up with a fellow journalist, Patrick O'Connor, who currently works over at Defunct Games.  Together we built up our base, trained an army of soldiers and kicked some alien ass.

The way the demo level was laid out made it so that my real life teammate and I never had to work together, he had his own battle to fight and I had my own.  He top half of the screen, I took the bottom.  For the first two-thirds of the game we barely spoke, only communicating at the end to devise a plan to rush the last remaining bad guys in spectacular fashion.  The truth is, we could have gone the entire match without saying a word, our coordination was absolutely inconsequential.

But don't think you're going to have to be able to use this tactic on every level.  Justin "Bear" Rouse explained that the game will feature a number of unique levels, some that will require teamwork and others that are more like what we experienced.  He also explained that the game would allow three-player online co-op, which meant that there would be some gigantic levels with huge armies of enemies coming after you.  No matter if you're playing with one or two friends, Halo Wars should prove to be an exciting multiplayer experience.

Of course, none of this is going to matter if the controls are bad.  Thankfully Ensemble has done a few clever things to make the controls work.  Let's just make one thing clear, there's no way that the Xbox 360 control will ever be able to duplicate the precise controls of the keyboard and mouse.  There's no better way to select a large group of enemies than by clicking and dragging, and you can map so many movements to hotkeys to make the whole experience that much easier (and faster).  When it comes to real-time strategy games, keyboards will always have the advantage.

But that doesn't mean all is lost, Halo Wars manages to feel pretty good when you're playing it.  Part of the reason for this is because some of the actions have been dumbed down (or deleted altogether).  Another reason is because Ensemble was able to find clever ways of using all of the buttons and analog sticks.  It's not the most intuitive control scheme of all time, but it didn't take me long to figure out how to move my soldiers, call for back-up and build new vehicles.

The basics are simple, your right analog stick acts as the cursor, so you can select individual units with the "A" button or hold that button down and select a larger group.  Each of the units has a primary and secondary fire, which are activated by pressing the "X" and "Y" buttons respectively.  Whenever you're building something or ordering up new units (vehicles, soldiers, etc.) a large circle will appear on the screen with eight possible selections, allowing you to easily select what you want and get back to the action.  Better still, all of the characters and upgrades are in the same locations, so if you play the game enough you will be able to select new units without even looking.  It's this sort of clever thinking that makes me think that Ensemble is going in the right direction when it comes to making this real-time strategy game.

Outside of the controls, a big chunk of this game has to do with the types of characters and vehicles you can develop.  After all, half the fun of this real-time strategy game is the fact that you're playing characters that you've grown to know and love in past Halo games.  Seeing as this takes place decades before the first-person shooter games, Halo Wars won't allow you to take control of Master Chief.  What you can do, however, is control an army of Spartan warriors, which is the next best thing.  From what I could surmise from the demo this game will feature at least eight different soldier characters, each with their own unique weapons and attributes.  One thing I noticed was that you could now choose flame thrower characters, which makes sense in the real-time strategy world, even if I don't exactly remember it being part of the canon.

Beyond the various soldiers, players will also be able to make develop and drive a whole host of familiar vehicles.  Obviously we've seen the pictures and videos of people tooling around in the Warthog, but you can also jump into flying vehicles and other crafts that show up twenty years later in the first-person shooter games.  Better still, crafty players can even have their soldiers commandeer the enemy crafts and use them to win the war.  In other words, everything you know and love about the Halo universe is alive and well in this strategy game.

One thing I noticed was that you were somewhat limited on where you could build your various installations.  The game started me out with what looked like a large, empty TV dinner tray, complete with room for you to place all sorts of factories and training facilities.  What you do is select the installation you want to drop on this land and where it will sit.  This means that all of your buildings will be in one small area and not spread out like in other real-time strategy titles.  Building and upgrading these facilities is a breeze, and it's actually pretty cool to watch them dropped in by a large helicopter-style craft.  It's also worth noting that while you can pick up various materials, you won't have to train grunts to mine or chop down trees.  In fact, you won't even need to deliver the material back home; just picking it up is good enough.

For the most par the standard real-time strategy rules apply to Halo Wars.  For example, I knew that I could only train a certain amount of soldiers before I had to build more places for people to live.  I also knew that if I upgraded my facilities then I could make bigger and better units.  Ensemble isn't setting out to reinvent the wheel; instead they are trying to focus on making the best playing console RTS game they can come up with. 

Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try out the single-player portion in any capacity.  Justin Rouse mentioned that there would be a lengthy single-player campaign that fills in some of the gaps in the Halo universe, but he wouldn't expand on exactly what he meant by that.  What I do know is that this is a prequel ... and that's basically all of the story I know at this point.  It's definitely clear that Ensemble has come up with some stunning cinemas, so I can only hope that they feature high quality cut scenes between levels, building an epic story that actually makes me want to fight on.

I also was not allowed to try out the competitive multiplayer mode, which should prove to be the biggest draw to Halo Wars.  Justin Rouse confirmed that the online game will offer matchmaking and medals, much like the first-person shooter titles.  Whether the matchmaking he talks about is as well thought out as the matchmaking in Halo 3 remains to be seen, but it sounds like Ensemble is on the right track when it comes to developing the online component.  I'll be honest with you, between all of the PC real-time strategy games I'm not sure there are any online modes that hasn't already been tried.  We'll have to wait and see if Halo Wars can deliver brand new game types.

Beyond a few minor quibbles, Halo Wars is definitely shaping up to be one of the better Xbox 360 games on the horizons.  The graphics may not have the detail of the first-person shooters, but it's undeniably a Halo game.  With its single-player campaign, online mode and three-player co-op, Halo Wars has a lot to offer.  Ensemble Studios may just be able to create a real-time strategy game that works flawlessly on a home console, and after two decades it's about time somebody gets it right.

Special Announcement

Hey guys it's not often in life when you are able to have an idea that you actually see become a reality. Well for a really good friend of mine it's come true. I've been knowing Marty for almost eight years and for most of that time I think he has been talking about this book.

Well some dreams do come true with hard work. I'm pleased to announce:

 BRAID (XBLA)

GRADE: 9.6

There are the kinds of games that you know are great the moment you first start playing them.  Not just because they look good or have an amazing production value, but rather because of how they make you feel.  Braid is that kind of game, a small Xbox Live Arcade title that could have been nothing more than just a brilliant homage to classic 8-bit platformers.  But it's more than that; it's one of the most compelling, intelligent and exciting games I've played in a long, long time.  Braid is easily one of the best games of the year, a stunning achievement that everybody should own.

If you just go by the photos then you might think that this is nothing more than a funky version of Super Mario Bros. played on the Xbox Live Arcade.  But you would be wrong, there's so much more going on in the game.  In fact, Braid only looks an old school 2D platformer; instead it's actually an ingenious puzzle game that will require you to use parts of your brain you didn't even know existed.  The controls, graphics and gameplay are all as simple as can be, but that's only because the puzzles themselves are real brain busters.

Braid tells the story of Tim, a well-dressed guy who resembles a shorter version of Alex P. Keaton (from Family Ties).  Over the course of the game's six levels (and epilogue) you learn that Tim is on an adventure to save the princess, a noble task that many a platform hero has attempted in the past thirty years or so.  While his quest may not be very original, the way he goes about doing it is completely brand new.

One thing that sets Tim apart from all of those other platformer super heroes (besides the suit and tie) is the fact that he only has one life to live.  This isn't like Super Mario where our favorite Italian plumber has dozens of lives and the ability to earn 1ups.  When you die, you die.  But don't worry, because Tim has one other ability that sets him apart from all of those other video game characters - he can reverse time.  That means that any time you get into trouble you can stop time and rewind it as far back as you need to, all the way back to the beginning of the stage, if need be.

As you might have guessed, a lot the puzzles Tim has to solve involve him using this time shifting ability.  The game establishes the rules right from the beginning, such as making you aware that some items cannot be rewound and that jumping on enemies will act like a springboard.  To make sure you have these basics down the game starts you out with extremely easy puzzles.  For example, one early puzzle has you jumping down into a pit to grab a key.  The trick is that the key is one of those "magic" items that is not affected by your reverse ability, so you are able to reverse time with the key still in your hand.  Figure this out and you're off to getting a puzzle piece.  It's that simple.

Obviously not every puzzle is that simple, but that gives you a good idea of the kinds of things you'll run into early on in Braid.  However, don't get too comfortable with your abilities.  You see, each one of the six levels actually has its own unique gimmick; something that is thrown in to change the way you solve that set of levels.  For example, in one level you will be able to use your shadow to help solve puzzles, while in another level you can drop down a ring that creates a barrier that slows everything down.  Perhaps my favorite twist comes in the fourth stage, where you seem to be connected to everything around you in the level.  If you take a step forward time takes one step forward.  Take a step backward and time takes a step backwards.  Stand still and, well, everything just stands still.  And just when you feel like you've grasped this level's twist, the game throws something at you that will make you rethink how you solve the puzzles.

No matter how many twists the game throws at you, the basic gameplay is always right there ready to help you solve the puzzles.  What makes this game great is that it's always playing on the conventions that it sets up, so you'll constantly be surprised at how the game sets up its puzzles and always seems to be one or two steps ahead of you.  These days it's rare for me to be blown away by a puzzle or a gameplay twist, yet I found myself constantly shocked and delighted by what I was seeing.  In some ways it took me back to a time when I was first coming to grips with what video games could do, a time when I was just a young kid playing 2D platformers on my NES.

In total there are sixty different puzzle pieces, all of which can be acquired in the game's first five levels (levels 2 - 6).  Once you've collected all of the pieces, assembled each world's jigsaw puzzle and read all of the books (which tell the story) you can move on to world 1.  It's here that the story really takes off.  Think of it like Portal, which is perhaps the closest comparison you can make.  The first bunch of levels are all about teaching you how to play in this world, while the last bit is all of the story.  And what a story it is.  It's not enough that this is a phenomenal puzzle game from beginning to end, but it also has one of the most surprising endings I've ever seen in a video game.  It's the kind of ending that will make you rethink what you just played.  The kind of ending that will stick with you long after you've finished the 5 hour quest.  It's an ending that is surprisingly mature; something that doesn't talk down to its audience.  It's honest and heartfelt, but also the kind of thing you actually have to think about.  It's so clever; in fact, that I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of gamers simply don't understand what's going on.  Braid has the kind of ending I want to see more of.

Braid is the kind of experience that is about something.  You may not know what at first, but by the time you've seen and done everything it's hard to not feel like you've really experienced something important.  Braid is important, it's the kind of game that so better than we deserve.  It's the difference between, say, Hancock and The Dark Knight, or even According to Jim and Arrested Development.  This game may play on the same system that runs Guitar Hero and Scene It, but it's on a level all its own.  Braid is a masterpiece.

It also seems aware of its place in the games industry.  It's constantly making references to classic 8-bit games, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong and the like.  It may look more grown up, but in its heart it's spending a lot of time playing homage to things we've grown up loving.  Some of these things are completely out in the open, such as a dinosaur that suggests that the princess is in another castle.  Some things are slightly more subtle (a Donkey Kong-inspired level named Jumpman springs to mind).  Either way, the game plays out like a heartfelt love letter to the last thirty years of video games.

Of course, the it's not the originality of the puzzles, the mature storyline, the outstanding gameplay or even the funny classic video game references that people will initially notice.  No, instead people will notice the stunning graphics.  It's not often I get a chance to rave about the visuals in an Xbox Live Arcade title, but Braid is allowing me to do a lot of things I rarely get a chance to do.  All it takes is one look at a picture and you'll realize that the game is sporting a hand-drawn look that sets it apart from everything else.  The backgrounds, foregrounds, even the enemies (which include strange looking goomba creatures) all look like somebody just drew (or in the case of the backgrounds, painted) them.  A lot of games have their own unique style that sets them apart, but Braid is one of the first games that looks so good that you could hang it on your wall and pass it off as fine art.

Oh, and did I mention that the music is also phenomenal?  I'm not one to brag about game music, but Braid delivers a score that not only fits the mood perfectly, but is the type of thing I would want to listen to when not playing the game.  And it shouldn’t surprise you that the game's music also plays a role in the game's outcome, though I will avoid spoiling that surprise for you.  If Number None (who developed this amazing product) don't release a full soundtrack, then I'm going to be extremely disappointed.  Not since Everyday Shooter have I been so impressed with the music from a small downloadable title.

Unfortunately there's a gigantic gorilla in the room that I can't ignore, no matter how many words I use to try and convince you that this is one of the greatest games of all time.  The one big complaint is the price tag, which is a tad more expensive than we're used to paying for an Xbox Live Arcade title.  The game comes in at $15, which isn't too bad for the amount of gameplay you get.  Depending on how good you are at solving puzzles the game could take you anywhere from four hours all the way up to ten or more.  I found myself going through it in around five hours, but that's just me.  Outside of a Speed Run options (yet another throwback to game culture) the game doesn't have a lot of replay.  Then again, how much replay did Assassin's Creed have?  Or what about BioShock?  These games were no more than ten hours long, yet they were four times the price.  Braid may not have the amazing 3D polygonal graphics, but it does have enough gameplay to warrant the $15 asking price.

In the end this product is all about the puzzles.  If you absolutely hate solving puzzles, don't care about a moving story and would rather just shoot Nazis in another World War II-themed first-person shooter, then Braid is probably not the game for you.  However, if you're like me and like to try out new things then you will be treated to one of the best games of all time.  Scratch that, Braid is easily one of the best games I have ever played.  It's near perfect, which is exactly why you should stop reading this review and purchase some Microsoft Points.  $15 may sound like a lot of money for an Xbox Live Arcade game, but I guarantee that this game will change how you feel about Microsoft's download service. 

SUMMARY: Braid is an absolute masterpiece, from beginning to end.  It's the kind of game that will stick with you long after you've completed it.  It's the kind of game that you'll feel the need to tell all your friends about.  It's the kind of game we'll still be talking about ten years from now.  If you don't already own Braid, then either you hate fun or simply haven't discovered this charming (and beautiful) platformer/puzzler!

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