Portal vs The Ball

[WOPR]

Okay, to make it easy for people to understand I'll try and keep this short

*deep breath*

Almost everyone in this area has Portal and treats it like it's a "God" game, they never support why other then "It's like... a FIRST PERSON PUZZLE SHOOTER" then I say "It was 1 hour long, insultingly easy, and just plain boring up until the last chamber, and it's SOOOOOOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOW PAAAAAAAAACED" argument goes back and forth, they ask me to name a better action/puzzle game I name a few (Tetris, Soul Reaver, etc) they say "those don't count"

So I find a trailer for a game titled "The Ball" and I look at it going... "is... is this a puzzle shooter? that's fast paced and GOOD?!"

So I guess what I'm asking is the following

1) Your opinion on "Portal"
2) Your favorite "Puzzle" game
3) Your impression on "The Ball"

 

[Rusty Bucket]

I thought Portal was a pretty good puzzle game with some funny dialogue, but not the second coming of Jesus that most people treat it as. Never heard of The Ball though, I'll look into it.

 

[WOPR]

encase my opinions weren't clear

1) meh, not good at all, thank goodness I got it for free (and yes I beat the blasted thing and got all the achievements... and failed all the personal quizes my so called "friends" gave me to prove that I beat it... despite my steam saying "HE HAS BEATEN THIS GAME")

2) hmm... If Soul Reaver counts, I'll say that, because there are a LOT of puzzles in that game, even the boss fights are puzzles

3) looks awesome! (and I'll get a bonus KF character for buying it; BONUS!)

 

[PissOffRoth]

Portal is too hyped. Cake-mongers. Don't you know the cake is a lie?

I don't generally like puzzle games, or puzzles in games. It's either insultingly easy or stupidly obscure.

I haven't seen anything about The Ball. Considering it's not my preferred genre, and the general TIDAL WAVE of games that are being released in the next two months, I'd say I won't get around to it. Another title with potential that will drown in the holiday rush.

 

[Scarecrow]

Did you say Soul Reaver? At last!! Someone who remembers it a nd think it's a good game! But I do think that portal is a amazing game. Sorry man.

 

[Internet Kraken]

In my opinion, Portal is an excellent games that highlights how you can do first person platforming properly and tell an intriguing story without insulting the audience by dumping tons of exposition on them or locking them into cutscenes. Portal manages to do this without even using dialogue most of the time. You pick up on most of the details about the testing facility through your own exploration and observations. The truth about it is never clearly outlined, meaning it lets you fill in the gaps with your own ideas formed around the events of the game. So I really liked Portal because it proves that you can tell a very good story without having to make the player slog through endless waves of dialogue or incredibly lengthy cutscenes, something many games could learn from.

That being said, Portal is grossly overrated and I feel like many people mindlessly praise it without really understanding what was good about it. I try not to let that ruin my original perception of the game though.

As for my favorite puzzle game, I must admit that I'm not a very big puzzle game fan. So my experience with that particular genre is limited. So for me it would be a tie between Portal and world of Goo, a game I only recently discovered. World of Goo is a game I really like, everything from the art style to the game play is very appealing to me. The game certainly has its flaws, but the fact that it was made by just two people helps me to overlook them. Not that I would need to, since the game is good enough to stand on its own without that knowledge. Really my only complaint with World of Good is that the OCD challenges seem impossible in some levels, relying purely on random physics you have no control over. Though again, this may simply be because I suck at puzzle games.

As for The Ball, I have no idea what it is nor any motivation to check it out, so I gave no opinion on it.

 

[WOPR]

Portal is too hyped. Cake-mongers. Don't you know the cake is a lie?

I don't generally like puzzle games, or puzzles in games. It's either insultingly easy or stupidly obscure.

I haven't seen anything about The Ball. Considering it's not my preferred genre, and the general TIDAL WAVE of games that are being released in the next two months, I'd say I won't get around to it. Another title with potential that will drown in the holiday rush.

"The Ball" would be like half-life 2 if all you had was the gravity gun and it were permanently stuck to an Indianan Jones style bolder with upgrades (mines, fire, explode, etc.) from the looks of it (still hasn't been released)

As for the cake being a lie... well thanks to yahtzee I've been able to drown out the "THE CAKE IS A LIE" joke with the "fine but I'll enjoy my girlfriends "cake" (smug smile)"

so all in all and quite honestly
I think portal is going to be like brawl
once they beat it all the way and get over that stupid joke it'll die off

on an off note; am I the only person who hates that blasted "Still Alive" song?

 

[Ninonybox_v1legacy]

Portal is great
Portal
the fuck is the ball?

nothing more to say.

 

[WOPR]

Did you say Soul Reaver? At last!! Someone who remembers it a nd think it's a good game! But I do think that portal is a amazing game. Sorry man.

Yeah, I had it on the Dreamcast, still have it, still play it

In my opinion, Portal is an excellent games that highlights how you can do first person platforming properly and tell an intriguing story without insulting the audience by dumping tons of exposition on them or locking them into cutscenes. Portal manages to do this without even using dialogue most of the time. You pick up on most of the details about the testing facility through your own exploration and observations. The truth about it is never clearly outlined, meaning it lets you fill in the gaps with your own ideas formed around the events of the game. So I really liked Portal because it proves that you can tell a very good story without having to make the player slog through endless waves of dialogue or incredibly lengthy cutscenes, something many games could learn from.

That being said, Portal is grossly overrated and I feel like many people mindlessly praise it without really understanding what was good about it. I try not to let that ruin my original perception of the game though.

As for my favorite puzzle game, I must admit that I'm not a very big puzzle game fan. So my experience with that particular genre is limited. So for me it would be a tie between Portal and world of Goo, a game I only recently discovered. World of Goo is a game I really like, everything from the art style to the game play is very appealing to me. The game certainly has its flaws, but the fact that it was made by just two people helps me to overlook them. Not that I would need to, since the game is good enough to stand on its own without that knowledge. Really my only complaint with World of Good is that the OCD challenges seem impossible in some levels, relying purely on random physics you have no control over. Though again, this may simply be because I suck at puzzle games.

As for The Ball, I have no idea what it is nor any motivation to check it out, so I gave no opinion on it.

first person platforming... well I say "Slave Zero" did first person view the best out of anything (because it was realistic not your hand being superglued in the corner of your view)
but as for the platforming part, I can think of a ton of shooters (let alone games) that did it better, but none first person, so you got me there

 

[WOPR]

Portal is great
Portal
the fuck is the ball?

nothing more to say.

1) That's not an explanation, that's not even a sentence!
2) Obviously you're a bit obsessed with the length of your message
3) LOOK IT UP OR READ MY EXPLANATION!

 

[PissOffRoth]

on an off note; am I the only person who hates that blasted "Still Alive" song?

I actually love the song. Probably the game's only redeeming feature. Sad.

 

[WOPR]

THIS IS THE BALL

 

[WOPR]

on an off note; am I the only person who hates that blasted "Still Alive" song?

I actually love the song. Probably the game's only redeeming feature. Sad.

well we all have opinions and I'll never hold a game down and beat it for music... or visa versa (hates halo, loves the theme)

I also posted a video about "The Ball"

 

[Natonator]

Meh. Looks like Portal with none of the charm and extremely annoying ball-pushing the entire time.

 

[Fiend Dragon]

So I find a trailer for a game titled "The Ball" and I look at it going... "is... is this a puzzle shooter? that's fast paced and GOOD?!"

Right on the money there. Although personally I don't feel that Portal is by any means a bad game, and while I did enjoy it, I agree that it is seen in an unreasonably bright light 'round these parts.

The mod version of the Ball for UT3 seems to be only a portion of the soon to be released game and It lasted as long as or longer than Portal and was reasonably challenging and entertaining. It's not humorous like Portal is (and not made by Valve), so I doubt it will ever rise to the same level of absurd popularity.

The retail version looks quite good, and since Tripwire (Red Orchestra, Killing Floor) is helping to publish the game and kindly provide the bonus character for KF in the pre order, I'm quite eagerly awaiting it's release.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Okay, to make it easy for people to understand I'll try and keep this short

*deep breath*

Almost everyone in this area has Portal and treats it like it's a "God" game, they never support why other then "It's like... a FIRST PERSON PUZZLE SHOOTER" then I say "It was 1 hour long, insultingly easy, and just plain boring up until the last chamber, and it's SOOOOOOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOW PAAAAAAAAACED" argument goes back and forth, they ask me to name a better action/puzzle game I name a few (Tetris, Soul Reaver, etc) they say "those don't count"

So I find a trailer for a game titled "The Ball" and I look at it going... "is... is this a puzzle shooter? that's fast paced and GOOD?!"

So I guess what I'm asking is the following

1) Your opinion on "Portal"
2) Your favorite "Puzzle" game
3) Your impression on "The Ball"

1. Incredibly overrated and not particularly funny. Especially the song. It can go fuck itself.
2. Uh....Not really a "puzzle game" kind of guy
3. It looks...Like it would get old after a while. Also, that gun is basically a gravity gun with a skull on it.

 

[Ninonybox_v1legacy]

Portal is great
Portal
the fuck is the ball?

nothing more to say.

1) That's not an explanation, that's not even a sentence!
2) Obviously you're a bit obsessed with the length of your message
3) LOOK IT UP OR READ MY EXPLANATION!

1. you didn't ask for my explanation...just my opinion of portal...and my opinion is that its great.

2. My favorite puzzle game is portal...that does not mean im obsessed.

3. you gave no explanation on what the ball was...you just said "is... is this a puzzle shooter? that's fast paced and GOOD?!" that not an explanation on what it is or whats it about.


now stop being a dick please.

 

[PissOffRoth]

THIS IS THE BALL

Wow. This actually looks... like, fun. I may actually look into this.

 

[Internet Kraken]

on an off note; am I the only person who hates that blasted "Still Alive" song?

When I first beat Portal, I liked that song. It was pretty funny, and a nice way to end the game. Portal ends with the main character collapsing in the middle of nowhere while flaming wreckage lands nearby. It's pretty grim, and ending the game on that would probably makes most players feel dissatisfied. But the ending song at least gives you a happy feeling to help overcome that.

That said, its many years later and I absolutely fucking loathe it. Just hearing it fills me with rage. I think it has actually done damage to the Portal name. My problem with Portal fans is that the thing they seem to praise the most about the game is the jokes. Their endless spewing of the same tired memes has become the identity of Portal to many people. People who didn't play the game will immediately associate it with these lame jokes, since that is what they usually hear people talk about. It's to the point were even people who didn't play the game make jokes about it. This has the result of making people who hate these jokes and want everyone who repeats them to sew their mouths shut despise the game. I myself am a victim of this. I am so enraged by people repeating these dated and painfully unfunny jokes that I've started to hate Portal as a result.

So yes, I hate that song. Though perhaps its more accurate to say that I hate that song as a result of the people who endlessly parrot it 3 fucking years after it was made.

 

[WOPR]

1. you didn't ask for my explanation...just my opinion of portal...and my opinion is that its great.

2. My favorite puzzle game is portal...that does not mean im obsessed.

3. you gave no explanation on what the ball was...you just said "is... is this a puzzle shooter? that's fast paced and GOOD?!" that not an explanation on what it is or whats it about.


now stop being a dick please.

I'm not trying to be a dick I was just saying

and okay I'll type a comparison... give me... 2 minutes...