Pirate
12-10-2007, 02:00 PM
I downloaded this game as part of the Orange box pack from Steam. I don't know what I was expecting but I was only slightly disappointed with Portal. But I will get to that in a bit.
The game starts off with you standing in a chamber in a very sterile environment. You are trapped, but before you can start wondering what’s going on a female computer voice chirps up and starts explaining that your are part of an experiment. Into what is never explained but you do get a picture of the grand scheme of things if you pay attention to your surroundings throughout the game.
Now for my disappointment and the only thing that shits me about the game is it’s too damn short. I finished this game in a couple of hours. It consists of 19 levels of increasing difficulty, plus a few more that I won’t mention as it will spoil the story.
There is never any shooting, you never see any human or alien enemies. You soul purpose in the game is to solve the puzzle of the level you are on. It’s basically you, the portal gun and the plan to get from A to B. But fuck it is fun.
Along the way you are instructed on what to do by the computer running the complex. She explains that the goal is to finish the course and be rewarded with cake. Yes. Cake. The cake is the big thing in the game. You will get cake at the end of the course and there will be much celebration.
The humor in the game is awesome. It’s dark, subtle and makes the game worth playing. Oh and stick around the end for the credits. The ending song is just lovely.
While there is no multiplayer, Valve have shown in the main game interface that there is going to be custom maps. No doubt we’ll start seeing a lot of community maps come out as time goes. Plus there is also a lot of challenges for you to complete. Like falling 30,000 feet. Getting cake and jumping long distances with the portal gun.
In summary, although the game is very short it is a gem. It shows that FPS games don’t have to be about the shooting plus, it once again shows the dark humor of Valve that we haven’t seen since the original Half Life.
The game starts off with you standing in a chamber in a very sterile environment. You are trapped, but before you can start wondering what’s going on a female computer voice chirps up and starts explaining that your are part of an experiment. Into what is never explained but you do get a picture of the grand scheme of things if you pay attention to your surroundings throughout the game.
Now for my disappointment and the only thing that shits me about the game is it’s too damn short. I finished this game in a couple of hours. It consists of 19 levels of increasing difficulty, plus a few more that I won’t mention as it will spoil the story.
There is never any shooting, you never see any human or alien enemies. You soul purpose in the game is to solve the puzzle of the level you are on. It’s basically you, the portal gun and the plan to get from A to B. But fuck it is fun.
Along the way you are instructed on what to do by the computer running the complex. She explains that the goal is to finish the course and be rewarded with cake. Yes. Cake. The cake is the big thing in the game. You will get cake at the end of the course and there will be much celebration.
The humor in the game is awesome. It’s dark, subtle and makes the game worth playing. Oh and stick around the end for the credits. The ending song is just lovely.
While there is no multiplayer, Valve have shown in the main game interface that there is going to be custom maps. No doubt we’ll start seeing a lot of community maps come out as time goes. Plus there is also a lot of challenges for you to complete. Like falling 30,000 feet. Getting cake and jumping long distances with the portal gun.
In summary, although the game is very short it is a gem. It shows that FPS games don’t have to be about the shooting plus, it once again shows the dark humor of Valve that we haven’t seen since the original Half Life.