With the glorious PC gaming tribe set to work on the perfect game, they went through many ideas. They thought the tribesmen would like a shooting game to feed their need for violence. They though that the people would want a strategy game, so to boost their intellect and strategic skills. Others thought that the people needed a game filled to the brink with humor, so that the gamers would sit and play just to have a great laugh. The tribe leaders set to work on this perfect game. They made it into a shooter, which branched out with the addition of humor and thought. They then thought of a name for this glorious game they created. What they came up with, with the help of the gamers, was Portal. This tribe of sorts was none other than VALVe, the company famous for the Half-Life series and the Counter Strike phenomenon.
While working on HL2 Episode 2, Valve decided to not just sell the game as a single product, but to sell it as a box filled with lots of fun extras. When released with the name "Orange Box", it was an instant top seller. It contained the Half Life series, the new Team Fortress 2, and the little cherry on top, Portal. One of the greatest games of the century, Portal has kept its glory through thick and thin. Even with the rise of Halo 3, Portal was still one of the greatest games in history.
Story
In Portal, you are put into the body of Chell, a prisoner at Aperture Labs. After a little explanation of how to move and pick up objects, you are given a gun, the Handheld Portal Device, or the Portal Gun for short. You are expected to go through a series of rooms, all with puzzles that require the use of portals to get passed. In the end, you are supposedly promised cake, but we do not know if that is true or not. Only time will tell
Gameplay
When you receive the Handheld Portal Device, you start out with only being able to create one portal at a time, the blue portal. You place this with the left mouse button. When you get the second version of the gun, you are able to use right click to place the orange portal. Using this combination of portals, you are expected to activate platforms, weigh down buttons with cubes, and hopefully get cake.
As you progress, the puzzles in the game get harder, requiring you to use your brain to figure them out. The explanation of momentum comes up, and you figure out that some puzzles, though they look blatantly obvious, require the use of your mind to solve. Messing up can lead to grave results, such as drowning in poisonous acid, or getting shot in the back by a talking turret. Every placement of each portal counts.
"In Layman's Terms, speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out"
The physics lessons in the game are amazing, and are taught in an interesting, roundabout way. You are taught how if you place a portal at the bottom of a large pit and a portal on the ground, the laws of momentum come into place and you come out as fast as you went in. Also, a few of Newton's laws apply, such as an object will continue moving until acted upon by a net force, Meaning that you wont fly upwards forever, for the forces of gravity and air resistance come into play.
Though the path is bleak for Chell, all hope is not lost, for GLaDOS, your computer "Friend" has helped you along all this way. GLaDOS has an interesting brand of humor that would have any person who has never laughed in their life rolling on the ground laughing up a storm. In the end, you get to meet up with the supercomputer that is GLaDOS. As to not spoil anything, the encounter isn't so pleasant, as you are going to get an interesting surprise. The superb ending will leave all knowing there is a sequel to the greatest game ever.
Summing it all up
Story 7/10
As you progress through the game, you don't really understand who you are or how you got there. The only clue that your name is Chell is the fact that VALVe helped the people find out who the nameless human was.
Graphics 10/10
For those who have played through the Half Life series, you have experienced the Source engine at work, for the graphics are amazing no matter what game you are playing.
Gameplay 10/10
To incorporate the use of portals into any game is destined to spice it up. It is fun, creative, and humorous. Also, even through its not the longest game, it is a good game if you want to burn 2 or 3 hours at your computer. It is destined to not take up your entire day, just a segment of it.
My Recommendation
If you have played Portal, then you can probably truly understand the awesomeness of a game such as it. If you haven't even considered buying it, you are making a grave mistake, and must buy it immediately. If you don't have a PC, no worries, the Orange Box is sold for PS3 and Xbox 360 alike.
