I overexpected Portal

[Smokescreen]

I just played Portal last weekend. I didn't have a problem with the game's length, or most of the gameplay, but I somehow expected it to have more...humor? More stuff going on, I guess.

This is the problem with hype; ZP and Penny Arcade give Portal the best game (for example), and best writing type accolades and so I went into this experience expecting a lot more.

Stepping back from what I expected, it's a fantastic piece of work. Slowly getting creepier and creepier, with a mechanic that really could only be done in a videogame, as far as I can tell. There were only a couple troublesome points for me, as far as puzzles go, and I take slight issue with some of the more difficult puzzles that ask you to orient yourself in midair. I felt that sometimes I had to fight the controls to see what I wanted to see, or just flat out get lucky; these moments were few and far between thankfully, but glaring.

The dark humor though sparse it was spot on when it was there.

I say all this not to bash Portal per se, or even make a review of it, I say this because I got caught up in some of the very generous praise of the game, and then wanted more than the game was offering. Stepping away from that, I can see Portal for what it is, and it's damn fine.

So I'm wondering if other people have had similar experiences; games that just couldn't live up to your expectations, but upon reflection were still well done.

 

[Larenxis]

It has WAY too much hype. I have a friend who's obsessive about it; she'll quote it and play Still Alive on repeat (so that everyone can hear) very often. I find my appreciation of the game very slowly fading just because of all the fandom. It was a lot of fun to play, I laughed a lot while playing it, but everything gets old and because of the hype, this game is precocious.

 

[Melaisis]

Hype, as you've both said, is the distinct problem here.

The majority of people who spread the fanaticism about Portal were like me; it gave them something to play whilst they waited for TF2 and Episode 2 to finish downloading. That's all. Like a little sub-game that the Sims 2 gave when it was installing. Sort of. People such as myself were treated to the most superb little story and puzzler; far surpassing the hype prior to its release. I mean, this thing completely shocked me of how good it was.

Then the meme began and the expectations of newcomers grew too high. Gamers were buying Orange Box just to try Portal. That, in my eyes, was not what the game was built for. It was part of a package for a reason, after all. More than enough individuals got a bit over-excited and here we have people actually disappointed with the game due to the hype - hype which Valve never intended in the first place.

 

[[HD]Rob Inglis]

You have to be a able to appreciate the subtleness of the humor, the little tidbits that GLaDOS says to you, and the writing on the wall. The humor was good, just not over-done.

 

[Cantbebotheredthinkingofagoodname]

How can you see What game you want to buy if you don't find out about it 1st?

 

[The Reverend]

When I first played portal I knew hardly anything about it. I assumed it was similar to Prey, which featured portals and the like. So after completing Episode 2 and lengthy sessions of TF2 I thought what the hell, I'll see what this thing is. Much to my surprise it was a gaming gem, and seeing as I had known nothing about it, the whole experience was, to quote yahtzee, Sublime.
Personally I don't pay much attention to hype and things like that, because when playing a new game, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

 

[REDPill357]

The only hype I had for Portal came from the one trailer with the line "Now you're thinking with portals!"

So, when I played it, it was fantastic.

 

[Kikosemmek]

This is the problem with hype

Yep, agreed. I found the same syndrome applied to my enjoyment of movies, as well. I learned to always clear my mind when first experiencing something, in order to release my own appraisal from the opinions of others, and see if I agree or disagree with the mainstream opinion. I first played Portal merely days after it came out, so there was little I had heard or seen of it, so I was just blown away, and I'm glad I was, since I know how hype can mess up my fun if I hear too much of it.

So, all in all, my advice is to ignore the hype (not including carefully formed opinions, be they praise or criticism) and play the as if you've never heard of it before, and then form your own natural judgment.

It's too late to apply that to Portal, perhaps, but maybe you'd consider playing it all over again with zero expectations and see if it does anything for you. It's a shame if it doesn't because I thought Portal was easily the best example I have of how to execute a game and storyline (though there was actually little storyline).

As for the aerial maneuvers you were talking about: I remember I had the same feeling, but eventually I realized the pattern it has- every time you do that gigantic momentum level your view outside your new portal is skewed based on how you launched that portal onto the surface (the angle and orientation), so keep falling down and launching back up till you realize how much it's skewed and then rotate accordingly. It takes a while sometimes but it's loads of fun when you get used to it.

 

[Smokescreen]

Cantbebothered's point is well taken. I don't have unlimited time or funds, so like everyone I look for information to help me filter out the good from the bad.

And, I do enough research that I don't need (fortunately) a clone of myself to tell me if it's good or bad, I can get a reasonable feel before I get it. My expectations for Assassin's Creed, for example (which I just got used, but haven't played yet) are currently set low. There was enough division on the game that I know what I'm getting into, but that it most likely is not be the second coming of Pong, right?

And in Portal's case, I'm not sure it was just about the hype; some really respectable people gave it their mark of approval. Although when enough people do that, I guess it becomes hype anyway, or backlash (I'm thinking of Bioshock here).

 

[sammyfreak]

I sort of spoiled it for myself in another way, a friend had extracted all the dialogue from the game into .mp3 files and i found myself listening to it endlessly until i finaly bought the game.

The experience itself was rather tame the first half of the game, but eventualy it developed more and more even if i knew every line by heart. When i finally got to the final boss-fight i was overwhelmed by GLaDOS and decided it was the best game ever made.

But the problem with all the Portals jokes is that they arent as funny out of context, especialy when written. Seing "the cake is a lie" isent funny, hearing it is sort of funny, playing it is mindblowing.

 

[Pyro Paul]

The thing about portal which made it so awe inspiring was that it was completely unexpected.

you are suffering from second hand hype which greatly kills the game experience. Kinda like going into a scary movie where some one has already told you exactly how it is going to end and key points in the movie. It spoils the movie and takes all the flavor out of it.

Portal is the same way. The more people get into telling you about it the less awe inspiring it becomes.


all of a sudden this absolutely awsome game doesn't live up to your expectation. the still alive song is just midly annoying, and the dry dark humor is just bland diolage. all because some one told you about it before you experienced it first hand.

 

[Necrohydra]

It has WAY too much hype. I have a friend who's obsessive about it; she'll quote it and play Still Alive on repeat (so that everyone can hear) very often. I find my appreciation of the game very slowly fading just because of all the fandom. It was a lot of fun to play, I laughed a lot while playing it, but everything gets old and because of the hype, this game is precocious.

My thoughts exactly. I played portal, and I enjoyed it. Heck, I played it just BECAUSE my friends kept bothering me about it.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, yes I did. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a fun game for me to play, and that's all it takes for a game to be considered great in my book. But you start to loathe the lines and quotes when people are using them every 10 minutes, applying them to any context and situation. Could I play it again and enjoy it? I don't know.

I've taken to saying "The internet is killing Portal."

 

[Count_de_Monet]

Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as enough hype with a game like Portal. It's a game driven by a single amazing mechanic with story gold and a great set of puzzles. A game like this needs to be talked about because it has all those things that gamers expect from a game. Maybe, hopefully, eventually games like this will be more prevalent instead of Call of Duty 57 and Halo 48.

I haven't gotten into the community yet because I just don't have the time but I hope and pray that there are a bajillion custom maps by now and someone thinking of the next great mechanic.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

Like with all things, going in with your own expectations is best, especially if you hear one singular opinion about it from a lot of people.

I wasn't aware of any hype surrounding Portal, but then I bought it at release, just before it became a pleasant surprise of a sleeper hit. But even if I'd heard amazing things about it, I'd use my own judgment before really coming to my own conclusions.

Expectations should always be within a level you're comfortable with, not what someone else tells you.

 

[stevesan]

i enjoyed Portal a ton, but i did experience over-hype with the companion cube. everyone was raging about how uniquely emotional that part was...i didn't care much for it.

i'm glad other parts of the game, which i did find very satisfying, were not over-hyped.

 

[neems]

I don't really think of Portal as being hyped - I tend to think of hype as being this great big machine that whips up a storm about something before it is ever revealed to the public.

What most people are hearing about Portal is real people's actual responses to playing the game. They may be sick to death of hearing it; they may or may not actually enjoy the game, to a greater or lesser degree. But is it hype? Not to my mind, although opinions will vary of course.

I also thought Portal was humorous through out it's length, building to an awe inspiring finale (damn the lack of an accent on my keyboard).

 

[swatmajor1]

Portal, all though a great game as it is, does seem to get a bit repetitive. For instance, the puzzles may change, but you, the protagonist, don't. No real upgrades (ba the portal guns), no hidden extras. It "what you see is what you get"

And the hype, while as annoying and misleading it can be, there is truth in it, so just look out for it.

Well, that my 2 cents.

 

[Fraggedrabbit]

The last thing portal was, Is a bad game.
It's not exactly great, but it's well worth the play. As said before it was mainly hyped, badly. But things like this happen, it's a really enjoyable good game thats do able in a few hours. But add the extras and all the bonus maps people have made its a lot bigger with a LOT more fun.