EPT
Portal
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IWUZeQpdHQs/Two0US_D1AI/AAAAAAAAAyM/UovEoOSJZro/s320/Portal_standalonebox.jpg)
Developer: Valve
Platform: PC
Release: 2007
Portal is a first person puzzle game developed by Valve using the Source game engine.
Basic Plot
The player takes on the role of human female named Chell, who wakes up from a stasis sleep without any idea what is going on. A computer system called GLaDOS talks to Chell and instructs the player what to do. The game is broken up into puzzle rooms which GLaDOS sets for the player. As this continues, the story unfolds... I can't say anything more without ruining the story for anyone who hasn't played it before.
The cake is a lie...
Gameplay
The crux of the game is the idea of a portal gun. This gun fires two "portals" - an orange, and a blue one. These portals together create a doorway through space in which objects (including Chell) can pass through. The entire game is focused around problem solving using the portal gun along with the laws of physics to pass through various stages.
If an object passes through a portal it carries its momentum with it. For example, if you place one portal on the floor and one on the ceiling directly above the first one, and jump into the bottom portal you will fall endlessly between the two portals and reach terminal velocity. If you then fire your gun against a wall and replace the ceiling portal, the next time you enter the floor portal you will fly out of the wall portal with all your current momentum but now under the new effects of gravity which apply to your orientation.
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fqOHwUX8qS4/Two0Y2FCENI/AAAAAAAAAyU/rbYqfydeq30/s320/Portal-Cube.jpg)
This shows both portals and the companion cube. Dropping the cube into the blue portal would cause it to rise out of the orange one.
The game is a first person shooter (the only weapon being the portal gun) which can only be described as an action puzzle game. One of the things that makes this game stand apart is that there
There are various objects and set pieces of puzzle which you have to interact with during the game including the infamous "companion cube".
At the end of the game there is cake. And a boss fight.
Positives
What a lot of people love about the game is how Valve didn't anticipate its success at all. It was created by a small team on a small budget, but it all worked so well together that it won awards and took the gaming world by surprise.
The puzzles are challenging, interesting, and satisfying to solve. The story is excellent - it really begins to unfold at about the halfway point in the game. The world is detailed enough to create a consistent experience.
It's worth noting that the Portal and Half-Life universes are one in the same; theoretically outside of the Portal complex, the Combine have taken over planet Earth... which opens up some interesting hybrid games in the future? Perhaps?
![[image loading]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YzuSFbJZoKE/Two0j9IGWsI/AAAAAAAAAyc/pUthNTnUGxk/s320/portal_mirror-2.jpg)
Chell can see herself when you face two portals toward each other.
Negatives
None.
Memorable Moments
I didn't know much about the game when I played it, I just heard it was awesome. When I started I was expecting a great game mechanic but not much of a story. When the characters and the story started to come together, it was pretty incredible. I didn't expect the game to be as rounded and complete as it was.
Previous Game: Sonic 3 + Knuckles Next Game: EVE Online
