Stolen Pixels #60: It Happened Again

By Shamus Posted Friday Jan 30, 2009

Filed under: Column 22 comments

Braid is the neurotic offspring of Super Mario and Prince of Persia. It’s a good game, although I wish it was longer.

 


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22 thoughts on “Stolen Pixels #60: It Happened Again

  1. Toast says:

    Even with extra minty context, it’s still not funny. Seriously, I’m not even sure why I’m still watching this feed.

  2. Shamus says:

    Some comics make a small group of people laugh. Others make a different group laugh. Some are amusing for nearly everyone. As always, it helps when you’re familiar with the game in question.

    If it’s not working for you then I give you permission to stop reading them.

  3. Groboclown says:

    Interesting approach. Though, honestly, not the funniest comic you’ve done, I do really appreciate the combination of ideas presented in the comic – it works much better than other ones I’ve seen.

  4. Krellen says:

    Brilliant!

    (And I haven’t played PoP or Braid. But bringing back an old punchline is a time-tested comedic style, and a great way to illicit a new laugh from a long-standing audience.)

  5. NeilD says:

    Unfortunately, I checked the context link first, which telegraphed the punchline for me. If not for that, I would have laughed loudly. I love a callback/running gag.

  6. MadTinkerer says:

    I chuckled because I remembered the earlier strip.

  7. Robyrt says:

    Running gags are good, although I would have liked to see Tim in the last panel run through a pixelated filter. Not only is he twice the Prince’s size, he’s twice his color depth! :-P

    Braid is pretty sweet, but it suffers from Jonathan Blow’s ego. This is why the dialogue is so overwrought, the player is never helpfully reminded that you should skip puzzles that melt your brain, and the very first world has the game’s most out-of-the-box solution. Ha ha! Hope you like checking every other room in the rest of the game for that one!

  8. hevis says:

    Sorry for offtopic, but I thought you should see this:

    http://www.ripten.com/2009/01/29/gears-of-war-pc-digital-certificate-expires-kills-the-game/

    It’s happening..

    And to the comic: I did know where it was referring, but it wasn’t funny.. I must say that average level of Stolen Pixels isn’t even near of Chainmail Bikini or DMotR. I did laugh aloud for those two, but haven’t laughed to SP.

  9. Joe says:

    But Shamus, if Toast stops reading your comic, then he won’t be able to pester you into making the One True Comic of Ultimate Funnyness. :)

  10. MintSkittle says:

    I guess the next logical step would be to include Link from Ocarina of Time. Or the main character from Timeshift. Maybe Max Payne.

    Are there any other time benders out there? I can’t remember.

  11. Ludo says:

    MUAHAHA :)

    Well, I thought it was funny. I love the weird and illogical kind – and running gags too.

    Now I’m waiting for the next one in 3 months

  12. Al Shiney says:

    I have to laugh (no, really I do) at all the people who actually take the time and expend the energy to tell you when a comic isn’t funny. Because of course, the concept of what is and isn’t funny could never be in the eye of the beholder.

    For those who post about Shamus’ comics not being funny, allow me to clarify that I was being sarcastic there. I just didn’t want you to miss the point.

  13. Zaghadka says:

    Awesome running gag Shamus. The risk that people wouldn’t get it is completely worth the payoff when they do.

    Thanks for opening the comments here, btw. :)

  14. Trianglehead says:

    Well, I got a good laugh out of it. But I’ve been reading it from the start, so I had the context first read through.

  15. Snook says:

    What;s Braid?

  16. Angie says:

    If we’re collecting opinions here, it’s not the best comic you’ve ever done, but I did remember the earlier strip and this one made me grin. :)

    Angie

  17. vdgmprgrmr says:

    Good comic, Shamus. I laughed, which is unfortunately rare for most webcomics.

    Also, to the person who said Toast wouldn’t be able to pester Shamus into making the One True Comic of Funniness, I’m sure he’s already done it somewhere.

  18. Brett says:

    Shamus, speaking of some of your older work, do you know if there’s any way to access your Chainmail Bikini strips? The archives at Fear The Boot seem to have disappeared into the aether.

  19. mrmurphy says:

    @Krellen:

    I don’t care how you do it, but obtain a play of Braid. Its worth it.

  20. Sydney says:

    If a comic’s punchline is…itself…then usually it’s not actually making a joke other than “HEY REMEMBER WHEN I DID THIS?”. Ask any professional comedian, and they’ll bash you for it mercilessly. “Your old joke should not be your new joke too”.

    I, on the other hand, laughed.

  21. Krellen says:

    Sydney:

    How many professional comedians do you know? I watch stand-up constantly, which makes me pretty familiar with what is standard and good in comedy, and as I said above, coming back to an old punchline is, in fact, a standard of comedy. You don’t do it all the time, but about once a routine, and usually towards the end of the act.

    Re-using a punchline is a staple of comedy, not bad comedy.

  22. Joe Cool says:

    From the side text of your previous Braid comic:

    in my own fictional universe excellence leads inexorably to fabulous cash prizes.

    Is that why you’re not incredibly wealthy? Oh! Zing!

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