No one really pays attention to user reviews, and this isn't technically a review. 
 
Anyways, Limbo has been getting amazing scores. I have played through a lot of the game and its fucking hard. I read some reviews of it before I got it though, and a lot of them are severly mistaken. 
 
Take Brad's for example. His review was extremely well written, and he gave a perfect score. Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2 and SSFIV. The price alone should bring that score down, as most people report beating the game in 2 - 3 hours, and it costs 15 dollars. Also, Brad and IGN's review rave about how good the artstyle and atmosphere are, but to me they just seem lazy as shit.  
 
No music is somehow "artsy" and having a weak low function character is "original." I forgot who said it but trying to be original has now become unoriginal, and by that I mean leaving the whole game to black and white with very little rendering is bullshit; sure it looks nice, but it isn't affective. It just comes across as lazy, and it stays in the front of my mind, while looking "nice" goes to the back. 
 
More original, independent, and artsy games seem to come when they aren't trying to make these mega profits, and aren't lazy. Only 2 forms of jumping, no music, very little sound effects, and no use of color or HD and a game that lasts 3 hours with no narrative. Cheap, lazy and overrated. Don't get me wrong, this is a good game, its just dangerously overrated and most of the reviews did not catch it. Although gametrailers did, and i bet some others did too.     

MAJOR EDIT PLEASE READ

 
Limbo's puzzles are interesting, but they reuse a lot of the same tools. If every moment of the game was gold, if all of the puzzles weren't push a box or find a rope, this blog would not have been written.  
 
In contrast, a similar priced, similarly rated game called Braid succeeds were Limbo falls short. Limbo is a great game, but to a game like Braid continues to surprise and challenge the player, were Limbo feels familiar from puzzle to puzzle. The different mechanics and unique puzzles spawned from time manipulation and precision platforming along with an amazing score and a unique (yes, B&W has been done before) artstyle.  Limbo had no gameplay, it was simple and fun, but easy and obvious. It sometimes relied on trial-and-error and other times resorted to just hiding a trap in the black and white (which again is trial and error). 
 
Braid is priced - or overpriced - about the same as Limbo, but because Braid has a new experience at every turn, it feels like a much more worthwhile experience than a game that relies on some cheap platforming and a weak character.  
 
Limbo is a great game. It belongs in the 4 - 3 star range.  

No one really pays attention to user reviews, and this isn't technically a review. 
 
Anyways, Limbo has been getting amazing scores. I have played through a lot of the game and its fucking hard. I read some reviews of it before I got it though, and a lot of them are severly mistaken. 
 
Take Brad's for example. His review was extremely well written, and he gave a perfect score. Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2 and SSFIV. The price alone should bring that score down, as most people report beating the game in 2 - 3 hours, and it costs 15 dollars. Also, Brad and IGN's review rave about how good the artstyle and atmosphere are, but to me they just seem lazy as shit.  
 
No music is somehow "artsy" and having a weak low function character is "original." I forgot who said it but trying to be original has now become unoriginal, and by that I mean leaving the whole game to black and white with very little rendering is bullshit; sure it looks nice, but it isn't affective. It just comes across as lazy, and it stays in the front of my mind, while looking "nice" goes to the back. 
 
More original, independent, and artsy games seem to come when they aren't trying to make these mega profits, and aren't lazy. Only 2 forms of jumping, no music, very little sound effects, and no use of color or HD and a game that lasts 3 hours with no narrative. Cheap, lazy and overrated. Don't get me wrong, this is a good game, its just dangerously overrated and most of the reviews did not catch it. Although gametrailers did, and i bet some others did too.     

MAJOR EDIT PLEASE READ

 
Limbo's puzzles are interesting, but they reuse a lot of the same tools. If every moment of the game was gold, if all of the puzzles weren't push a box or find a rope, this blog would not have been written.  
 
In contrast, a similar priced, similarly rated game called Braid succeeds were Limbo falls short. Limbo is a great game, but to a game like Braid continues to surprise and challenge the player, were Limbo feels familiar from puzzle to puzzle. The different mechanics and unique puzzles spawned from time manipulation and precision platforming along with an amazing score and a unique (yes, B&W has been done before) artstyle.  Limbo had no gameplay, it was simple and fun, but easy and obvious. It sometimes relied on trial-and-error and other times resorted to just hiding a trap in the black and white (which again is trial and error). 
 
Braid is priced - or overpriced - about the same as Limbo, but because Braid has a new experience at every turn, it feels like a much more worthwhile experience than a game that relies on some cheap platforming and a weak character.  
 
Limbo is a great game. It belongs in the 4 - 3 star range.  

Different strokes for different folks I guess but I loved it and would place it next to Mass Effect 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 in my top three of 2010. 
 
I still haven't read any of the reviews for it, including Brad's, so for me personally with no slant tainting my opinion I did not find it lazy.  I loved the simplicity of the art style, of the controls and of the ambient soundtrack.  For me it made the game moody and tense.  I like that the game had no real narrative to speak of, it lets the user interpret the game how they want to.
 
As for the value proposition, I feel better about having bought Limbo and played through it for $15 than I do about having spent $60 and 11 hours on Crackdown 2 but as I started with, different strokes for different folks.

I'll use my original example of paying $10 or $15 for a trip to the cinema or a DVD, respectively.  Neither of which last more than two hours.  I'm so tired of people complaining about the price.  If $15 is too expensive then don't buy the game.  Price does not determine quality.

  Price does not determine quality.

My user review has gotten some hits. I don't see why you think nobody read them. They might not get AS MUCH traffic, but some people like to see what others think about the product.

Oh, we are still complaining about price? I just spent 12 books to get something to eat at Burger King with my girlfriend.

It's not on par with Braid, but it's still a good game.

Stopped reading after the OP brought up the "X amount of $ divided by Y length of game equals Z review score."

"

"

" @OllyOxenFree said:

"

"

I don't know why, but I cannot stop laughing at this picture. "

" @DrPockets000 said:

  Price does not determine quality.

"

" @AjayRaz said:

" @DrPockets000 said:

  Price does not determine quality.

"

Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to overprice it. Would you buy braid for 25 dollars? "

I dunno, I didn't have too much trouble with it (except the bit with the up/down lift; I thought it was just a squiggle of dark until someone pointed out the white parts were arrows), and I beat it quickly, but I was thoroughly charmed, and occasionally quite unsettled, throughout. Sure, it was short, but any game that evokes emotions in me like this one is worth it, for me.

"Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2."

" @demontium said:

"Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2."

At the very least Limbo is on par with that rehash. "

" Cheap, lazy and overrated. "

" I dunno, I didn't have too much trouble with it (except the bit with the up/down lift; I thought it was just a squiggle of dark until someone pointed out the white parts were arrows), and I beat it quickly, but I was thoroughly charmed, and occasionally quite unsettled, throughout. Sure, it was short, but any game that evokes emotions in me like this one is worth it, for me. "

5/5 is not a perfect score. It's the highest score given. That is all it is.  
 
Also, there's no math formula ratio that can be applied here. 

Hey yeah that's cool. I bought Limbo and Mass Effect at about the same price and I feel that the money was much better spent with Limbo. So cool story bro and all that. 
 
There is rarely a sound design as good as Limbo's. So coming here and saying "there's like little music and shit" is just silly. 

can I shoot the flowers?

" Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2 and SSFIV. "

" @demontium said:

" Cheap, lazy and overrated. "

I have no problem with you questioning the value of the game (it's your opinion) or whether you think it's overrated or not. What I do have a problem with is you accusing the developers of being 'lazy'. These guys busted their asses for 3 years, flew around the world multiple times begging, pleading publishers to sign them so they could turn their vision into a game that we can all enjoy.  Calling developers 'lazy' is straight up ignorant, man. Have an opinion all day long, but don't be a jerk about it. "

" Hey yeah that's cool. I bought Limbo and Mass Effect at about the same price and I feel that the money was much better spent with Limbo. So cool story bro and all that.   There is rarely a sound design as good as Limbo's. So coming here and saying "there's like little music and shit" is just silly.  "

" @TheBooya said:

" @demontium said:

" Cheap, lazy and overrated. "

I have no problem with you questioning the value of the game (it's your opinion) or whether you think it's overrated or not. What I do have a problem with is you accusing the developers of being 'lazy'. These guys busted their asses for 3 years, flew around the world multiple times begging, pleading publishers to sign them so they could turn their vision into a game that we can all enjoy.  Calling developers 'lazy' is straight up ignorant, man. Have an opinion all day long, but don't be a jerk about it. "

Really? No its not, sure in regards to actually getting the product to being published I will give them props, but that has nothing to do with the game THEY made. THEY made the game colorless, with little animation and no music and so on. THEY did that, it had nothing to do with them going around the world begging for someone to publish them. "

@Meowayne said:

" Hey yeah that's cool. I bought Limbo and Mass Effect at about the same price and I feel that the money was much better spent with Limbo. So cool story bro and all that.   There is rarely a sound design as good as Limbo's. So coming here and saying "there's like little music and shit" is just silly.  "

Really, you think limbo is better than mass effect even at a lower price?  Well thats just a difference in opinion I guess, you loss for wanting less i guess, and saying there is no music is just a fact. "

little animation

" @Ashby said:

" I dunno, I didn't have too much trouble with it (except the bit with the up/down lift; I thought it was just a squiggle of dark until someone pointed out the white parts were arrows), and I beat it quickly, but I was thoroughly charmed, and occasionally quite unsettled, throughout. Sure, it was short, but any game that evokes emotions in me like this one is worth it, for me. "

Duh, but braid is worth the 15 dollars because the puzzles take much more time and are genuinely more challenging than limbo's.  Thus the ratio of limbo to braid in terms of cost is offbalance, 10 dollars give or take. "

" @TheBooya said:

" @demontium said:

" Cheap, lazy and overrated. "

I have no problem with you questioning the value of the game (it's your opinion) or whether you think it's overrated or not. What I do have a problem with is you accusing the developers of being 'lazy'. These guys busted their asses for 3 years, flew around the world multiple times begging, pleading publishers to sign them so they could turn their vision into a game that we can all enjoy.  Calling developers 'lazy' is straight up ignorant, man. Have an opinion all day long, but don't be a jerk about it. "

Really? No its not, sure in regards to actually getting the product to being published I will give them props, but that has nothing to do with the game THEY made. THEY made the game colorless, with little animation and no music and so on. THEY did that, it had nothing to do with them going around the world begging for someone to publish them. 

  http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/limbo/5173/why-limbo-didnt-work-for-me-spoilers/433135/ (spoilers, including the end of the game)
 
I have my own "why Limbo wasn't as good as I had hoped" thread, but I have to agree that saying that the game developers were lazy is just ridiculous.  Having hardly any music in the game and designing it in shades of black and white are both stylistic choices that will appeal to some and repel others.  There's no right or wrong there, only opinion.  Somewhat less debatable is the fact that while games like Braid and Portal were designed around completely unique gameplay designs that had never been seen before, the same cannot be said of Limbo.   Whether or not that really matters is up to the individual playing the game, but at least it's something that is less of a matter personal taste than the art or audio design.
 
Feel free to read the rest of my thoughts in the link above, but please note that I still think Limbo is a good game.

I simply don't have enough money right now to justify spending $15 on a 3-4 hour game. It looks interesting, but i'll have to wait.

"  Feel free to read the rest of my thoughts in the link above, but please note that I still think Limbo is a good game. "

I can see how you think it's overrated, but it's still an amazing game, no question. The team obviously weren't trying to be lazy, they were trying to create something 'artistic', let's say, or that's how it seemed to me. The minimalistic graphics work well with the game. The lack of apparent story can leave you wondering at times. In the quick look they thought the boy could be a demon. The fact that it is left so open is one of the great things about it. It can allow you to make up your own story, in a way.
Also, you were meant to write effective, not affective.

" @emkeighcameron said:

" @OllyOxenFree said:

"

"

I don't know why, but I cannot stop laughing at this picture. "

It looks like the lawn gnome from Half-Life 2.  Now that was a badass lawn gnome. "

I don't know about Limbo, but neither mario galaxy 2  nor SSFIV would deserve a perfect score if that score was intended to be universally comparable to all other games.  Mario Galaxy 2 and SSFIV are games for kids or nostalgic old pricks.   For me, I've grown to hate the Nintendo style of games and I hadn't played SF2 when it was new.  I hate the art style of all SF games (even the fat on Honda has muscles -- give me a break: he should have jiggly man-boobs) and the premise behind Mario games is demented.  They're 4/5 games for me at most (just based on their workmanlike technical merits) and "not recommended" for me.

"

No one really pays attention to user reviews, and this isn't technically a review. 
 
Anyways, Limbo has been getting amazing scores. I have played through a lot of the game and its fucking hard. I read some reviews of it before I got it though, and a lot of them are severly mistaken. 
 
Take Brad's for example. His review was extremely well written, and he gave a perfect score. Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2 and SSFIV. The price alone should bring that score down, as most people report beating the game in 2 - 3 hours, and it costs 15 dollars. Also, Brad and IGN's review rave about how good the artstyle and atmosphere are, but to me they just seem lazy as shit.  
 
No music is somehow "artsy" and having a weak low function character is "original." I forgot who said it but trying to be original has now become unoriginal, and by that I mean leaving the whole game to black and white with very little rendering is bullshit; sure it looks nice, but it isn't affective. It just comes across as lazy, and it stays in the front of my mind, while looking "nice" goes to the back. 
 
More original, independent, and artsy games seem to come when they aren't trying to make these mega profits, and aren't lazy. Only 2 forms of jumping, no music, very little sound effects, and no use of color or HD and a game that lasts 3 hours with no narrative. Cheap, lazy and overrated. Don't get me wrong, this is a good game, its just dangerously overrated and most of the reviews did not catch it. Although gametrailers did, and i bet some others did too.     

"

" @emkeighcameron said:

" @OllyOxenFree said:

"

"

I don't know why, but I cannot stop laughing at this picture. "

It looks like the lawn gnome from Half-Life 2.  Now that was a badass lawn gnome. "

The experience warranted the £10. The art style is minimalist, but not lazy. There's alot of stuff you can see in the background that looks stunning. That's all I'll say as I can't be bothered to refute everything you've said. Last I'll say is I wholeheartedly disagree with you

"

Take Brad's for example. His review was extremely well written, and he gave a perfect score. Now hold up: he gave this game 5/5 stars, like up there with mario galaxy 2 and SSFIV. The price alone should bring that score down, as most people report beating the game in 2 - 3 hours, and it costs 15 dollars. Also, Brad and IGN's review rave about how good the artstyle and atmosphere are, but to me they just seem lazy as shit.  
 
No music is somehow "artsy" and having a weak low function character is "original." I forgot who said it but trying to be original has now become unoriginal, and by that I mean leaving the whole game to black and white with very little rendering is bullshit; sure it looks nice, but it isn't affective. It just comes across as lazy, and it stays in the front of my mind, while looking "nice" goes to the back. 
 

"

" @demontium said:

" Cheap, lazy and overrated. "

I have no problem with you questioning the value of the game (it's your opinion) or whether you think it's overrated or not. What I do have a problem with is you accusing the developers of being 'lazy'. These guys busted their asses for 3 years, flew around the world multiple times begging, pleading publishers to sign them so they could turn their vision into a game that we can all enjoy.  Calling developers 'lazy' is straight up ignorant, man. Have an opinion all day long, but don't be a jerk about it. "

"duurrrr, why don't no country for old men has purdy music. coen brothers r lazy. NO STARS" -OP circa 2007

" @SpaceInsomniac:Again, displaying a blank canvas might be bold, and might be making a statement of sorts, but it doesn't require creativity. It is more artistic to paint than to leave a blank canvas. Hence "disappointing" and "overrated" rather than "bad." "