Portal!

[bhodi]

I'd really like to say "your friend is dumb" here, but I suppose there's a bit of foundation learning that I've basically grown up into, like playing doom while I was still in high school. I also love puzzles and games of all types. I can't say how much or how little that may have helped me in the game. I didn't find any of the challenges difficult, I thought the levels were all straightforward and a bit trite at the end since it was the same old thing you learned early.

[schild]

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Portal is in no way for anyone's MUM.

This game was a tiny glimpse of the Half Life world.

It was a masterpiece that fleshed out things I don't even think Valve expected.

[bhodi]

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Portal is in no way for anyone's MUM.

This game was a tiny glimpse of the Half Life world.

It was a masterpiece that fleshed out things I don't even think Valve expected.

It almost wasn't:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13075
http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/fullstory.php?id=115496

GDC: 2007, Kim Swift, in a conference with fellow game professionals announced Valve's decision that Portal will no longer cross over to Half-Life 2. Considered to be too distracting to the ongoing narrative, the Portal gun will now exist in a self contained world where existing objects and their interactions can be designed specifically for the game. Rumors surrounding the device's name, "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device" suggested the return of another Half-Life character, Adrian Shephard. The star of Opposing Force, expansion pack to Half-Life by Gearbox Software met a similar fate as Gordon Freeman. Though the sequel to Half-Life continues Gordon's story, the whereabouts and condition of Adrian is still relatively unknown.

changed to

GDC: 2007. Kim Swift, in a conference with fellow game professionals went into detail about Valve's decision to hold Portal's game separate from the action in Half-Life 2. It is still noted that Portal exists within the Half-Life universe.

[Lucas]

Ok, now really, I just ended another game session and first thing I did when I brought up this page was looking for an ideal place to shoot an orange portal...This is sick.

[Samwise]

I fired up Episode 2 right after finishing Portal and kept being disappointed that I couldn't just portal myself to distant objectives.

[LK]

The Apeture method of portal technology is certainly a lot less messy than the Black Mesa method, which is prone to resonance cascades (dur), disruption (Lamar!), and worldwide consequences (7-Hour War).

[Quinton]

DOH!  32/33 cameras destroyed.  Missed one somewhere.  Was still fun playing through again at least!

- Q

[Samwise]

Wow.  I really liked all the "Advanced" maps, but the challenges are just.... evil.

[Prospero]

Amen to that. I got gold on the first 3 for number of portals, but the next 3 look terrifying.

[Nerf]

Amen to that. I got gold on the first 3 for number of portals, but the next 3 look terrifying.

How the fuck did you manage to get 13 with 4 portals? 5 is is cake, but I can't figure out how to reduce that by one.


Edit: Nevermind, i figured it out I fucking HATE using boxes as a goddamn shield to direct the energy balls.  Also, if you have developers commentary on and finish a challenge, it says "CHEATED!" at the end, and you get no credit.  Ask me how I know.

[Soln]

Finished.  Best Puzzle/FPS ever :)  Took about 4 hrs over two sessions.  Great stuff, very innovative.  Let their be cake.  Advanced for later. 

[Moaner]

Chamber 18 on advanced is pure love.

[Prospero]

Yup, the advanced challenges are delightful.

[Prospero]

Just finished getting golds on the least portals set of challenges. The least number of steps challenges are totally crazy hard. Imagine doing the Test 13 in under 20 steps. That's just the silver medal...

[Quinton]

Just finished getting golds on the least portals set of challenges. The least number of steps challenges are totally crazy hard. Imagine doing the Test 13 in under 20 steps. That's just the silver medal...

I am *horrible* at the challenges.  I'm just not approaching the problems correctly, I think.

But I keep coming back to them and am slowly making some progress.

- Q

[Lanei]

Metal box for the win. I want a collector commemorative triumphant excessive package for this thing. Digital download doesn't do Portal any justice.

The collectible box should totally look like a weighted companion cube.

[Rishathra]

Can anyone point me to where I can find some Portal images like the ones in schild's and Yegolev's avatars?  My google fu is weak, and I want to find the one that has the 'turret warning' label.

[Miasma]

Press f5 to take screenshots.

[Chimpy]

So....Sauced pretty much got my buddy Pete hooked on this last night.

Cool frickin game, can't wait to get home to try it out. (I did not get a chance to play as buddy was glued to the keyboard the whole time).

The voiceover lady was crackin me up :)

[Yoru]

I want an Aperture Science logo t-shirt.

[Quinton]

I want an Aperture Science logo t-shirt.

Me too.  Possibly with "We do what we must, because we can." on the back.

- Q

[JWIV]

Just finished up the normal game.  Serious love for this as well as the credits.  I must own the song.

 

[Tebonas]

Best antagonist ever. And that song is pure goodness.

Edit: Wanted to keep it spoilerfree, but Schild is too fast! 

[schild]

GLaDOS is the best antagonist ever. That poor AIl and her addled brain.

Yea, she really kicked Mr. Page square in the balls and shit in his mouth. She puts everything else to shame.

[Lucas]

Whoa, beat it yesterday and loved it. The ending and the credits are fabulous, I laughed so hard :)

"What is that, who are you, WHAT...IS...THAT??"

I really can't place it in a ideal and personal "all time favorites" because it's quite a particular experience, but if I had to place it, it would surely be in the top 10, at least (btw, Deus Ex is at n.3 for me too, behind Ultima Underworld 2 at the top and Planescape Torment 2nd)

[CharlieMopps]

This game rocked... now it just needs some rocket launchers.

[squirrel]

Whoa, beat it yesterday and loved it. The ending and the credits are fabulous, I laughed so hard :)

"What is that, who are you, WHAT...IS...THAT??"

I really can't place it in a ideal and personal "all time favorites" because it's quite a particular experience, but if I had to place it, it would surely be in the top 10, at least (btw, Deus Ex is at n.3 for me too, behind Ultima Underworld 2 at the top and Planescape Torment 2nd)

Unlike Schild who is far more organized than I, I don't have a top games list. If I did however, Portal would be in the all-time top 5. It took me back to my days of youth and reminded me of why I love games and how that came about. It's absolutely satisfying, entertaining, challenging and new. There's been so many good games in the last 25 years, but Portal is one of the very few that will be eternally in my mind as a watermark. And I could care less how long it is.

[CharlieMopps]

Unlike Schild who is far more organized than I, I don't have a top games list. If I did however, Portal would be in the all-time top 5. It took me back to my days of youth and reminded me of why I love games and how that came about. It's absolutely satisfying, entertaining, challenging and new. There's been so many good games in the last 25 years, but Portal is one of the very few that will be eternally in my mind as a watermark. And I could care less how long it is.

I could see them making this into a movie to...

[Falconeer]

Looking for [InsertRandomStuffHere] on the net I found this which refers to the original incarnation of Portal before the Valve acquisition.
I link it here just as curious trivia:

Description
Princess No-Knees had an inability to jump. For that reason, she was easily captured by an evil demon and imprisoned in a mountain. The mountain spirit, Wally, took pity on her and gave her a magical power to open portals. With this new found ability, the princess plans her escape.

Narbacular Drop is a puzzle game presented from a first or third person perspective. Playing as Princess No-Knees, the player has a single ability: the power to create portals. The player can only open two portals at a time: an entrance and an exit, though either portal can be used for either function. Using just this power, the player must move crates, out run boulders, and maneuever around lava-strewn levels.

Narbacular Drop is a senior student project from the students at DigiPen Institute of Technology. The team has since been hired by Valve and the key concepts behind Narbacular Drop have been implemented in Portal, a game set in the Half-Life universe.

[schild]

Narbacular Drop is very short and un-fun.

This team needed Valve.

[Prospero]

Amen to that.

[Prospero]

They need to add achievements for getting gold on all of the least step puzzles. Those are fucking demonic, especially 13. Two more to go...

[Aez]

Anyone can explain the medal mechanism?  How does the game determine if you get a gold, silver or bronze medal?  Time or number of portals used or both?

[Quinton]

Anyone can explain the medal mechanism?  How does the game determine if you get a gold, silver or bronze medal?  Time or number of portals used or both?

There are three different challenges for each challenge level:  time, number-of-steps, and number-of-portals.

Each different challenge has three goals (bronze/silver/gold medal).

The one you're working on is selected by the drop-down box in the lower right of the level selection dialog box.

- Q

[Comstar]

I must own the song.

Myspace page for the portal song