okay, sorry to get all games on you. i promise it won't happen again but this game has been on my mind a lot. so much so that i wish i could use capitals at this site. but i can't. so pretend the word "lot" is in caps.

braid is one of the best, best games i've ever played. and it's amazing because it's a platformer. i got it on the xbox marketplace, and it's phenomenal. the short version: your little man is trying to save the princess and you have to guide him through jumping puzzles. the twist is you can rewind time if you make mistakes. a lot of puzzles actually require rewinding time and taking a new path. new mechanics are introduced at every stage, and the puzzles take full advantage of them.

so that's the short version. the long version is way longer, and the game braid has like... four separate layers of symbolism. the last layer is mind-blowing. the final stage and the ending is one of the greatest commentaries on intent and false memory that i've ever seen. perfectly executed. and all this in a $10/$15 game about a little jumping man.

but seriously, the puzzles were very, very hard at times. i don't even know how a brain can come up with such things