omfg hax!
November 10th, 2007, 07:04 PM
Cool, I can make my own review? Well, here goes...
The Basic Jist Of Portal:
So, what is Portal? The basic jist of Portal is that you control to halves of an interlinked portal to complete tasks. Think of a portal as holes that lead from one place to another. These "portals" can carry all sorts of things through them, such as yourself, objects and all manner of other objects. This creates new and interesting gameplay mechanics and techniques. Much like the Gravity Gun did from Half-Life 2, although now you're not manipulating the things within the environment, you're manipulating the environment itself.
Gameplay:
Being a totally new concept, the people at VALVe had to make sure that everyone knew what a portal was, how it worked and what the hell was actually going on. You are slowly introduced into the game, taught one technique/concept at a time and are finally given access to the portal gun, which is where things get fascinating ! As the game goes along, there are more interesting and complicated tasks you have to accomplish. Most of which are skilled based, or time pressure tasks. There are also turrets which talk to you, and make things more exciting. All of these combined make a truly spectacular and wonderful game experience. The only downside to this is that the game (On average) is about 2-3 hours long. Although this is balanced out by the great replay value, advanced chambers and challenge modes (Which include least time, least portals and least footsteps). The story is also wonderful too (Although we'll save that and let you see yourself!).
Graphics:
The graphics on Portal are not the most advanced in any game, by anyone or by VALVe themselves. But they are pretty, and graphics are never everything. Portal provides pretty looking sterile environments and dark gritty metal worn down areas, and also has lots of nice particle effects (Due to the new Source Physics Engine), which add to the depth of the game.
Sound And Dialogue:
The dialogue from the robotic protagonist that speaks to you and accompanies you through the game is hilarious, and also rather interesting in some cases. The sound in general has nice effects, such as the Portal Gun, the ambience and other misc objects. The turret dialogue is also great (The turrets have a nice sweet voice, and say things such as "I don't hate you" or "No hard feelings..." every time you disable them, which makes you feel so sorry for them). The music in Portal is great, as it isn't too much. It's a nice relaxing ambience that adds depth to the game, while not ruining it at the same time.
Overall:
Portal is an amazing game with plenty to offer. I believe this is only beginning of this sort of gameplay mechanic, and that we will be seeing many more things like Portal in the future. A bundle of fun, un-buggy and just plain awesome, Portal is (In my opinion) one of the best games ever. Well done VALVe.
Overall percentage out of 100: 92%
The Basic Jist Of Portal:
So, what is Portal? The basic jist of Portal is that you control to halves of an interlinked portal to complete tasks. Think of a portal as holes that lead from one place to another. These "portals" can carry all sorts of things through them, such as yourself, objects and all manner of other objects. This creates new and interesting gameplay mechanics and techniques. Much like the Gravity Gun did from Half-Life 2, although now you're not manipulating the things within the environment, you're manipulating the environment itself.
Gameplay:
Being a totally new concept, the people at VALVe had to make sure that everyone knew what a portal was, how it worked and what the hell was actually going on. You are slowly introduced into the game, taught one technique/concept at a time and are finally given access to the portal gun, which is where things get fascinating ! As the game goes along, there are more interesting and complicated tasks you have to accomplish. Most of which are skilled based, or time pressure tasks. There are also turrets which talk to you, and make things more exciting. All of these combined make a truly spectacular and wonderful game experience. The only downside to this is that the game (On average) is about 2-3 hours long. Although this is balanced out by the great replay value, advanced chambers and challenge modes (Which include least time, least portals and least footsteps). The story is also wonderful too (Although we'll save that and let you see yourself!).
Graphics:
The graphics on Portal are not the most advanced in any game, by anyone or by VALVe themselves. But they are pretty, and graphics are never everything. Portal provides pretty looking sterile environments and dark gritty metal worn down areas, and also has lots of nice particle effects (Due to the new Source Physics Engine), which add to the depth of the game.
Sound And Dialogue:
The dialogue from the robotic protagonist that speaks to you and accompanies you through the game is hilarious, and also rather interesting in some cases. The sound in general has nice effects, such as the Portal Gun, the ambience and other misc objects. The turret dialogue is also great (The turrets have a nice sweet voice, and say things such as "I don't hate you" or "No hard feelings..." every time you disable them, which makes you feel so sorry for them). The music in Portal is great, as it isn't too much. It's a nice relaxing ambience that adds depth to the game, while not ruining it at the same time.
Overall:
Portal is an amazing game with plenty to offer. I believe this is only beginning of this sort of gameplay mechanic, and that we will be seeing many more things like Portal in the future. A bundle of fun, un-buggy and just plain awesome, Portal is (In my opinion) one of the best games ever. Well done VALVe.
Overall percentage out of 100: 92%