Finally: Portal you say?

[Kurokami]

HEY EVERYBODY! Appreciate everyones input, and their own input against mine own. I am actually going to go try to enjoy some of the other things the Orange Box has to offer. HOWEVER if you quote me, i will respond, so dont be afraid to leave questions.

Ill leave you with this thought. I understand an over hyped.....thing. But how can a game thats only mediocre at best be that over hyped? The game is unique and different but its not THAT good as to deserve as much hype as it got.

To that I'll simply say 'to each their own', if you thought the game was only mediocre that's fine, I thought it was above, and I never give into hype (always determined to call people wrong) so it met my expectations, actually it exceeded them. Perhaps we judge games to different standards that's all.

Anyway I hope you enjoy TF2 or HL2 so that the purchase was not a waste.

 

[Sporadic chaos]

HEY EVERYBODY! Appreciate everyones input, and their own input against mine own. I am actually going to go try to enjoy some of the other things the Orange Box has to offer. HOWEVER if you quote me, i will respond, so dont be afraid to leave questions.

Ill leave you with this thought. I understand an over hyped.....thing. But how can a game thats only mediocre at best be that over hyped? The game is unique and different but its not THAT good as to deserve as much hype as it got.

Everyone has their own opinion, right?

What are you getting at thar?

You have the right to believe the game is mediocre at best and I have the right to believe that its one of the best games ever created (neither of which I'll debate). To explain why its "over-hyped" it could just be that it has more fans then it does critics and the fans are louder then the critics.

 

[Godavari]

Try Portal: Prelude. it's a mod and it's damn good, and there are some pretty challenging puzzles in that one. Plus the story is even a bit better, in my oppinion.

AHHHHHH I wish i could. I dont own a computer to play games on yet. So, unless i knew how to Soft-mod a 360 as to accept computer mods, i think im SOL. I appreciate the idea though. Know any other good puzzle games?

Unfortunately, none come to mind.
If you can't get Prelude, at least watch walkthrough videos on YouTube. There are actual people cracking jokes, you get to activate Glados, and some of the puzzles will blow your mind.
Oh, and there's actually cake.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

.

The companion cube. I am confused. Most of the art I see only, or even in GAME show everyone loving the companion cube. Was the joke that I killed a friend? Cause it was just metal. Was the fact that the earlier convicts might have been insane the reason why GLaDOS was so surprised when I killed the cube so fast? I dunno, but hey, I got an achievement out of it.

The companion cube is Glados's attempt at expoiting the protagonist's emotions, using her limited robotic assumptions about human attachment, friendship and love.

That's why it is funny... it's just a metal cube but Glados assumes that you will form a deep emotional attachment to it.

 

[bobknowsall]

Hahah, i appreciate your honesty.

Why, thank you. *bows* ;P I figure that every popular FPS has its own set of merits, and I judge them by that, as opposed to hype. That's probably one of the reasons why I wasn't hugely underwhelmed by the first two Halo games (I'm a PC gamer, so Halo 3'll have to wait). They're pretty decent, just not outstanding. A reasonably enjoyable experience, but by no means world-beating.

 

[Supreme Unleaded]

If you connect the dots between the Aperature Science program and Black Mesa then the story starts to get a little misterios. it reall adds some back story to Half Life. and anyway, Team Fortress 2 is fucking amasing, so no complaining.

But yeah, it is over hyped but I like that the game was so short because then it didnt use up the entire idea box, if it was any longer then you'd just be beating a dead horse.

 

[Alphacron]

Snip

Snip

Snip

Snip

SNIP Valve went to extreme lengths to ensure you feel a certain way at certain parts, feel a certain way toward each character, etc. Above all, they increase immersion to amazing levels by never having cutscenes or having your character say anything, as him saying something you wouldn't is one way to get thrown out of a game. SNIP

Mabye its the lawful neutral in me talking, but i personally sided with breen throughout the game (at least till the end where he went from being the guy trying to preserve humanity to being master dick and took my god gun). The other characters were fine (I ESPECIALLY like dr. Kliener). I would love to find a mod or expansion that let me play as the combine.

 

[lostclause]

Looks like Kraken was right. The problem with most valve games is the hype, not Peter Molynuex style where they claim a lot of stuff that's not there but the hype from the fans. Basically, don't listen to other people. I never heard the hype around the original fable so I found it an enjoyable game but people who listened to the hype were disappointed. Same with Halo 3 but reverse (i.e. got hyped and was disappointed).

Moral of the story: Trust no-one.

 

[AvsJoe]

This thread makes me worried. I've been dying to play Portal since it came out and it'll be one of the first things I pick up when I get my 360, but suddenly now people are saying that it's only okay? Not that great? Collective Escapists, Make up your mind!

 

[The Rockerfly]

-snip-

Try getting the Portal Flash pack which is far more challenging then the actual game
Or maybe going through the advance maps which are also far more challenging then the actually campaign which is so ridiculously easy
Also I think the joke with the compainion cube was that she was making a big deal out an inanimate object, I didn't really find the joke that good either

 

[Bigeyez]

HEY EVERYBODY! Appreciate everyones input, and their own input against mine own. I am actually going to go try to enjoy some of the other things the Orange Box has to offer. HOWEVER if you quote me, i will respond, so dont be afraid to leave questions.

Ill leave you with this thought. I understand an over hyped.....thing. But how can a game thats only mediocre at best be that over hyped? The game is unique and different but its not THAT good as to deserve as much hype as it got.

You have to remember the context in which Portal launched. Most people had no clue what the fuck Portal even was. They bought Orange Box for TF2 and Half-Life, not for some rinky dink add on thing called Portal that no one ever heard of. Even early reviews of Orange Box rarely mentioned Portal.

Then all of a sudden people play it, see that it's something really fun/unique and it just blew up. Sure there were puzzle games before Portal and yeah Portals regular 20 puzzles rooms/backrooms weren't too hard to figure out but it was something most gamers had never been exposed to before. The black humour and overall atmosphere were awesome as well.
Then you wrap that all up with a catchy endgame song that went viral and BAM thats what happened to Portal.

From there all the references and bad jokes sprouted and the games hype and cult status exploded. =)

Edit: Basically what I'm saying is that if you went into it without any knowledge of Portal or any of the references and jokes you probably would have liked the game more

 

[jboking]

[...]and the "Im trying science" joke,[...]
The companion cube. I am confused. Most of the art I see only, or even in GAME show everyone loving the companion cube. Was the joke that I killed a friend? Cause it was just metal. Was the fact that the earlier convicts might have been insane the reason why GLaDOS was so surprised when I killed the cube so fast? I dunno, but hey, I got an achievement out of it.

I can agree with most of what you said, but there are two things that I feel the need to express. I'm pretty sure the "I'm trying science" thing existed long before portal. I can't even remember where it was referenced in portal. Also, a bit about the companion cube:

Spoiler: I suppose this could offend someone out there, but I feel the need to be blunt

The whole loving the companion cube thing was largely in itself a joke. You had it for one level and it was essentially just a shield and paperweight, something any other weighted cube could have been. The joke was in that Glados, being the computer that she is, thought that a sane person would have grown some sort of attachment to the cube(the other inmates were definitely not sane). They then made a big deal out of you killing it. It was a joke and most people have a fixation with it for the sake of the joke. Anyone who does have a fixation to it and doesn't realize it was essentially a giant joke is a tool.

Other than that, the only interesting part of the companion cube is that it now serves as one of the major symbols of the game for having been included in that one solemn level.

If someone disagrees with this, please explain why you were expected to have grown an attachment to a cube that looks exactly like all the others(with the exception of the heart in the center of it's faces), that didn't do anything other cubes couldn't, and that you spent a grand total of what, 12-24 minutes with.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

I think fanboys have ruined all the jokes for ya...

 

[AWC Viper]

the game comes with like 4 other games. so its the perfect size and it has a fairly good challenge mode. but that's your decision to not like it.

 

[Valiance]

Yep, agreed 100%, Portal's nice, but nothing that "some people" make it out to be.

 

[grimsprice]

KILL HIM WITH FIRE!!!!!!!!!

*cough* anyway, I really enjoyed the game, and I don't get you saying you got to level 9 and finished it 2 levels later, since the first half of the game had 20 levels, and then you had the backstage portion of it after that.
I really enjoyed GLaDOS's dialog, and some of the puzzles did stump me for a while. If you want replayability, go download some map packs made by the community, some of them are really top-notch.
As for the companion cube, you are a cold, heartless bastard for not caring about it, didn't you hear it talking, pleading with you to not kill it? It cried so desperately when I finally brought myself to throw it in the fire...

Well mostly because Last time i checked the level selector it had only about 11 levels sir. AND I got it for the 360 sir, so the extra levels are not there for me to play with. Also about the companion cube; I didnt hear it because its survival of the fittest and the damn cube couldn't carry its own weight. Hell it wouldnt even hold the portal gun...

Just one question... did you throw the cube in the fire right away or wait awhile? Because theres more dialogue if you just sit there. I though it was funny.

 

[brainfreeze215]

I loved GLaDOS' passive aggressive banter, it's what made the game enjoyable for me. Sure the portal puzzles were fun, but the things that crazy robot said made it worth while.

As for the companion cube, what I loved so much about that twist of the story (and I suppose these are spoilers, sort of) is how you spend most of the game in this sterile environment all by your lonesome self, and the only voice you hear is a robot that's trying to kill you (but would never admit it), and then suddenly you get this cube that, while it's certainly not cuddly or friendly, it seems to be the only thing around that isn't somehow designed to hurt you. So it became such a security blanket for me, and then GLaDOS practically gives it a personality after you're forced to incinerate it. The fact that I felt bad about tossing a metal cube made my script-analyzing-dramatic-structure-loving self geek out with glee.

 

[Zer_]

Despite Portal being essentially a spiritual successor to a much simpler indie game from 2005, I think a lot of the inspiration for Portal's play style comes from unique Trickstunt communities across a variety of games. One of the most notable trick communities is that found in Quake 3.

Although it is worth noting that Quake 3's trick community is the result of several bugs in the game. Most notable are some of the overbounce techniques commonly seen in most tricks. The most basic description of an overbounce is when a player is falling straight down in certain areas of the map (having no horizontal speed whatsoever) will cause the player to jump back up at the exact height they originated from. Other varieties exist, but you should get the idea.

Quake 3's tricking community today is incredibly advanced and the tricks that are accomplished can be quite staggering. It is worth noting that some Quake 3 trick jumpers use a command known as "/timescale 0.1-1" to slow down the game's time to allow them to perform some of the more timing critical jumps. After watching the videos below you'll probably notice some interesting parallels between Portal and Q3's trickjumps.

Examples of Q3 trick jumps:

Disclaimer: Some of the tricks below may have been timescaled, although all of them are done by skilled players who have 6+ years of experience. None of the tricks are done using scripted or pre-programmed bots.

Kaleidoscope [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_bqZoZWOY]
Trickography [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgWy2BHAZU8&fmt=18]