Quick Review - Portal - By Nick

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    Okay, I’ll say it right off the bat, you should buy this game if you haven’t already played it. And now I’ll tell you why…

    From start to finish (Portal isn’t very long) this game is pure enjoyment. If it’s not playing around with portals it’s listening to GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), the AI that runs the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Aperture seems to be built for the sole purpose of testing the portals and the gun that shoot said portals.

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    The game is simple; enter a room then get to the exit by using the portal gun (after a short time its upgraded to shoot two portals (which are of course, connected) to solve the room’s puzzle. This is usually requires you to drop a weighted cube on a large pressure plate to open a door. After a certain amount of time there are turrets that you must avoid (to be honest, the turrets are the cutest things ever).

    The best part of this game is how everything works together. The story unfolds through the puzzles. Gameplay and story melded beautifully together (with sound too since GLaDOS is fully voiced). I’ll take a moment now to discuss GLaDOS, only because she is the bestest AI ever invented. She likes to test and test and test and while she tests she quips and quips. The writing is so amazing, as Tony says most of the lines are quotable (although he was speaking of Portal 2 (to which the review is coming soon) but I find it true for both).

    Another bonus is that there are many ways to acquire this game. You can get it for a whole $5 if you buy it with Portal 2 (again, Review coming soon) on Steam; you can get it in the Orange Box (a good deal since it comes with Team Fortress 2 (another great game) and Half-Life 1 & 2) also through Steam (and to a lesser extent on XBox360); or all by itself for $10, again on Steam. If you are wondering why I’m bashing the console versions is that the PC/Mac version comes with extra test chambers and such, plus the game (all of them on Orange Box)play better with a mouse and keyboard than a controller.

    With that I’ll end by saying that Portal is worth getting no matter which form it comes in. Also I must note, its not vital but, you should play Portal before you play Portal 2. This game is amazing and deserves to be played. GLaDOS is waiting…

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Portal

(PC & Mac)

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