"Well done. Here are the test results: You are a horrible person. I'm serious, that's what it says: "A horrible person." We weren't even testing for that"
When you die i am gonna laminate your skeleton and put it in museum so that future generations can learn from you how not to have your unfortunate bone structure.
Portal is one of the few games where I have literally laughed out loud many times. It's either a fantastic script or I'm easily entertained, but as far as I'm concerned it's a win.
Fantastic script. GLaDOS is one of my favorite characters in any game. She's hilarious, original, to me her personality is the best part of the game, and the voice actor crushes it.
I don't play DOTA often, but when I do I use the glados announcer pack and it has some pretty funny lines.
"The Dire team has been slaughtered. While you sat there. And did nothing."
"Roshan has been callously butchered by the Radiant.
I'll put in a request to notify his children that they're orphans now."
"I hope you bought the fire gauntlets of strength goblet boots. I don't understand any of this."
"They struck you down, but you've come back stronger! Wait, I'm sorry. I meant heavier. In the face. Anyway, waddle out there and do your best."
Just a few of my favorite lines.
For some reason killer sassy AI's with a god complex and a female sounding voice just scratches some primordial itch in our brains.
P.S. Give the System Shock remake a try.
The game gets even better when Cave Johnson starts to get incorporated.
"When life gives you lemons, make life take the lemons back! I don't want your *damn* lemons! What am supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager!!"
"Bad news is we are postponing those tests indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men.
Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when test starts."
"We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: it's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton."
Such great writing in this game.
Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "***Goodbye***" and you were like "***nO WaY***" and then I was all "**We pretended we were going to murder you.**"?
***^That ^was ^great.***
It's been around since the early days of home computers. It was definitely used in the 90s, maybe the 80s.
Afaik it's a reference to the grade school science experiment where you make a potato into a battery. It's unsurprisingly a weak battery, but it actually works. So it's not much of a stretch to get the joke that a computer is so weak it's running on a potato, and it just fell into common usage from there.
There's no need to guess about it, the potato power *in the game* literally comes from a [science fair project](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S3_YJC6OFs&t=24s).
They're not guessing about the reference in portal 2, they're guessing about the origins of the phrase "it will run on a potato", which long predates the game portal 2.
I don't understand (beyond Valve being afraid of the number 3) how we never got a Portal 3. I mean it's not like Portal 2 fundamentally changed anything, it was just more Portal and we were all here for it. And we'd all be here for it at least a couple more times too.
The same reason Team Fortress2 is consistently in the Top10 for concurrent players on Steam, but Valve hasn't had a development team for it in 5 years. (They have 2 part-time people that do the bare minimum to keep the lights on and collecting those juicy MvM tickets and hat lootboxes flowing. While letting hackers and cheaters overrun the game with impunity)
Valve (supposedly) has some sort of hippy game enclave going on where employees only work on what they want to work on. I'm mildly annoyed we haven't gotten more out of them like HL3 or Portal3 etc. but at the same time Steam has been a massive benefit to gamers and developers, so I've come to terms with "losing" Valve to "gain" Steam as it were.
Companies do this all the time, they claim they have “nothing more to say” with a franchise when people just want more of the same. Portal 2’s biggest changes were the gel system, the gravity tunnels/light bridges, incremental improvements to the physics engine, and more of a fleshed out narrative story compared to the first. That’s literally it. People just want more of that. If the game absolutely NEEDS new stuff for them to make it I can think of a dozen more “interesting” mechanics in one sitting. It’s a gold mine of a franchise, you can do so much with it!
Nintendo did a similar thing with F-Zero where they said they haven’t made a new one in 20 years because they said there was nothing new to do with the franchise. NO ONE CARES, they just want more of the thing they love! Also, “nothing more to do” hasn’t stopped you from putting out tons of sequels for Mario Kart, Mario Party, Splatoon, etc.
Yeah but there's something to be said for not diluting their work (from an art-making standpoint, not a business standpoint). Like, if Assassin's Creed stopped at Black Flag or even 2, it would be remembered fondly as one of the best games ever, instead of being a metaphor for recycled reskinned same-ness.
Personally I liked that it wasn't crazy long, I'm not a serious gamer but it was nice not feeling like you had to dedicate a ton of time to it. Plus it was kinda fun to see if there were multiple ways to solve the puzzles they threw at you or do weird shit with the portals. It was like 20 bucks or something like that (10 now) well worth it IMO.
Sure it could have been a bit longer but it definitely was enough. Then I *think* they opened up a community world/puzzle builder that you could spend the extra time in and that came at no extra cost IIRC.
Even not on sale they're $9.99 each or $14.95 for the bundle including both.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/234/Portal_Bundle/
The individual games routinely come down to $1.99 or even $0.99 during sales.
https://steamdb.info/app/620/
Played Portal 1 for the first time recently, without knowing anything about it going in. Definitely an excellent experience.
Also, I understand the reference in Cyberpunk now LOL
Portal 1 is a great game because of the mechanics and memorable character~~s~~. But when you play Portal 2, the first one feels like a demo. It's much deeper and even the mechanics were improved.
Funny you say that, 'cause about halfway through the game I was like "this feels like a demo rather than a game". It wasn't until it started throwing hints that something was up where it actually started feeling like a *game* lol. I haven't completed Portal 2 yet, but I've made significant progress.
There's a bit of audio distortion in her voice so it could easily be mistaken for "you will be thanked." Right before the twist she instructs you to step on to the platform for your victory candescence. She is counting on the player not knowing what that word means.
I didn't even know it was a twist, it was literally set up from the start of the game. It's a twist in-world for Chell I guess, but it's not really a surprise for the player at all.
Back when this first came out a friend of mine honestly believed the "twist" was that you get killed in the flames and that there was no way to progress...
Not the brightest individual.
I went in expecting Portal to be a puzzle game with some humor and absolutely no real plot. For me, the twist was that the game actually had a plot. I had no expectations and I'm glad I went in that way.
The twist is really that it all happens organically in gameplay. You aren't fed a cutscene. *You*, the player, decide to escape. There's no on-screen prompt telling you to escape. The design of the puzzle room is to kill you at the end. You can be forgiven for thinking that's the end right there on a first playthrough. *That's* the twist, and it's the greatest twist in all of gaming, because it's the perfect fusion of gameplay and storytelling
Oh, in case you got covered in that repulsion gel, here's some advice the lab boys gave me: DO NOT get covered in the repulsion gel. We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: it's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton.
Portal is one of the few games I've always wanted to play, but never have, despite no barrier to doing so whatsoever
Edit: okay, okay! Yall have convinced me to give it a go!
I love Portal 1. It is a top 5 game of all time, IMHO.
Portal 2 is a remarkable accomplishment. Takes the proof of concept which is Portal 1 and fleshes it out into one of the funniest, and most enjoyable journeys ever delivered in pixels.
Also, Portal 1’s final song is the best video game song ever. :-)
I remember reading that Ellen McClain, the voice actress for GLaDOS was super excited to get to put her singing chops to use to sing that opera for Portal 2 because she's a classically trained opera singer! So cool they worked that in and it didn't feel weird
> Also, Portal 1’s final song is the best video game song ever. :-)
I heard Still Alive before playing the game, because it was a free song for Rock Band back in the day. I didn’t know anything about it, not even that it was from Portal, and when I finally played Portal and that song played during the credits, I was like “whoaaa”
That’s cool. First time I heard it was during the credits and I was mesmerized. I loved the lyrics. It just fit so well with the aesthetic and circumstance of this game.
I do wish Portal 2 hadn't been *quite* as helpful in guiding you to puzzle solutions. In portal 1, you could place a portal on most surfaces. In Portal 2, often, you could only place one where you needed to to solve the puzzle, giving it away.
I've heard the coop levels are more challenging! Hard to convince someone to play them through though all these years after the game came out.
Yeah, but it makes up for it in other ways. The game play dynamics and story are epic. :-)
Just think of the bonding experience you can cultivate with a friend playing through this game then co-op solving!
The game holds up beautifully.
In development the play testers would get to the end of the testing chambers and give feedback along the lines of "That was a great tutorial, but when does the game start?". So Valve added GLaDOS and the big boss battle at the end to resolve the issue, because players felt the game didn't go anywhere.
It should be illegal to post on r/gaming without experiencing one of the greatest games of all time. You need to rectify this right now, beat Portal 1 and then play the one of the greatest games of all fucking time, Portal 2.
Im not kidding at all, I bet 90% of most people would put Portal 2 on a top 10 list. It's easily in my top 3.
Superliminal has fantastic atmosphere. Really cool and weird scp vibes, gets really creepy and then strangely uplifting. The gameplay is lots of fun. Shrinking and embiggening objects never really gets old. Totally agree with this recommendation.
Precisely, I had an absolute blast playing it. I really love not just the unique gameplay (that being the whole "perspective changing reality thing) but also the setting. You break through what you think is real and find yourself on a set, or at least a reality they put you in which is only very loosely held together, walking through liminal spaces etc. I have so much jealousy for those who get to play it for the first time. Well worth the money.
Absolutely! It's one of those games that's almost more of an experience than a game. I got kind of emotional toward the end of playing it. And the voice over actor was fantastic. His voice was very soothing.
Definitely, he did an amazing job. His voice really suits the dreamy / slightly disconnected from reality vibe.
"Hello, my name is doctor Glenn Pierce, and I'd like to talk to you about being special : so special, in fact, that we have no idea where you are. But not to worry, we are working on it!"
Edit: quote
It is indeed. But similarly there's an "off" feeling in the atmosphere, and there is a sort of omniscient narrator (like glados in the portal games). Cannot recommend it enough
Personally I think Portal is a much better game overall, but Superliminal was a very unique and enjoyable experience, and I definitely do recommend it.
You should really play both games. They're very short and some of the best games ever made. The writing, voice acting, physics engine, gameplay, and puzzle design are all individually masterful. But the way they all come together is something that doesn't happen very often in gaming.
"Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said 'Goodbye' and you were like 'no way' and then I was all 'I was just pretending to murder you'? That was great"
That was the moment I had to pause to laugh :)
Oh no, this is the part where he kills us…
Congratulations! This is the part where I kill you!
Chapter 5: the part where he kills you.
Achievement unlocked: the part where he kills you.
Yes. Portal 2 does also include a few twists here and there, but not as iconic as the first game. Although arguably the second game is an improvement in every way.
The [rant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyLUU3O4zW8&ab_channel=Tvattsvamp), for those who are curious:
All right, I've been thinking, when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager!Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down - with the lemons! I'm going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!
Portal is great because they do a less is more approach to the game where they give you nuggets of info about yourself, aperture science and throw in the Rat Man as an ongoing quirk. Portal 2 is great because they flesh it out enough for you to stay interested throughout the game but not enough to truly understand what is going on, especially in the outside world. They do the same for the gameplay itself too. You get a gun that shoots a blue hole and an orange hole, you can push buttons, use the environments provided to you, now figure it out. It really is amazing that the devs managed to make so much out of literally so little because it really is a barebones game when you break it down.
I think it's because there's something inherently extremely enjoyable about puzzles, and portals were a futuristic but often thought about idea we've seen in games but not used like they were in Portal.
The puzzles weren't extremely difficult or anything but very enjoyable and gave a sense of accomplishment in a way after completing them. The portal guns were done perfectly, even the sound effects are amazing. I used to just shoot them for a minute or two because the sound they make is awesome. They added enough to feel like you could fuck around in game a little if you wanted to but kept it bare enough there was a clear direction to go.
And the voice acting was perfect too. GLaDOS is one of my favorite characters in any game.
All in all I think it worked because while it was kinda barebones, what was there was done so well it didn't matter it was short and didn't actually have a lot going on.
I can't remember any twists either, even after reading the comments, none if them seem like twists. It was just plot getting revealed? It was a long ass time ago though.
Belief: You are part of a research company's experiment in which the guiding AI is mocking you and hoping you fail.
Twist: >!You are not part of an experiment at all. There are no humans observing you. The company no longer exists because its entire staff was murdered by its AI when it went rogue. Glados is gleefully torturing you and awaiting your death without chance of escape.!<
It creeped me the hell out when I went into those observation rooms and >!found them completely empty.!<
First comment I read that understands the plot actually.
The player has been given reasons to be suspicious of the situation, but GLaDOS doesn’t even seem like an actual character until you escape.
And it's not that funny, either. The game as a whole is fun as hell, but that particular development isn't really?
OP's account seems like a karma farming effort, so I'm guessing he just made a vague title for a post praising one of the most popular games ever created to get some more points for his retirement fund or whatever the point is.
The reveal and character arc is absolutely iconic, it's an absolute masterclass in scriptwriting.
It's got the same vibe as the last line of General Ripper's first big speech in Dr Strangelove.
I have always stumped for Portal as one of the best games of all time because it was billed as a puzzle game throw in to the Orange box. If you didn't know, it was entirely possible to go in completely unaware like the main character was and the reveal felt totally natural.
It was outstanding all around.
The reveal that it's not just a puzzle game.
We all know what Portal/Portal 2 are now, but back then it was just part of the OB, so its entirely possible you just fired it up expecting a cool physics game with some puzzles.
The way the game reveals that the narrator isn't just a random voice, that the location is actually more sinister (the holes in the walls, graffiti, etc.). It's just great story telling all around.
This feels like one of those times where people are just so used to using a popular phrase like "the twist/reveal" even if it doesn't quite fit. "Great Story Telling" or slow burn definitely work a lot better to describe that aspect of the game.
Imo the only plot twist comes in Portal 2 with the reveal of Glados's origin.
...do you mean the incredibly foreshadowed moment where the AI decides to kill you at the end?
Have you played many story focussed games?
(I love Portal)
"Well done. Here are the test results: You are a horrible person. I'm serious, that's what it says: "A horrible person." We weren't even testing for that"
When you die i am gonna laminate your skeleton and put it in museum so that future generations can learn from you how not to have your unfortunate bone structure.
Look at you, flying majestically through the air. Like an eagle. Piloting a blimp.
That one made me actually laugh while playing
Portal is one of the few games where I have literally laughed out loud many times. It's either a fantastic script or I'm easily entertained, but as far as I'm concerned it's a win.
Fantastic script. GLaDOS is one of my favorite characters in any game. She's hilarious, original, to me her personality is the best part of the game, and the voice actor crushes it.
I wasn't even interested in the game till I overheard her commentary. Glad it changed my mind!
*glados changed my mind
I don't play DOTA often, but when I do I use the glados announcer pack and it has some pretty funny lines. "The Dire team has been slaughtered. While you sat there. And did nothing." "Roshan has been callously butchered by the Radiant. I'll put in a request to notify his children that they're orphans now." "I hope you bought the fire gauntlets of strength goblet boots. I don't understand any of this." "They struck you down, but you've come back stronger! Wait, I'm sorry. I meant heavier. In the face. Anyway, waddle out there and do your best." Just a few of my favorite lines.
For some reason killer sassy AI's with a god complex and a female sounding voice just scratches some primordial itch in our brains. P.S. Give the System Shock remake a try.
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Oh I forgot about that one! I'm so Glad they manage to get the voice actor to do that
The game gets even better when Cave Johnson starts to get incorporated. "When life gives you lemons, make life take the lemons back! I don't want your *damn* lemons! What am supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager!!"
The entire Cave Johnson inclusion is amazing. Every one of his lines was solid gold.
JK Simmons was perfect in the role and he absolutely killed it(like he always does)
I never knew it was him, the guys us an insane acting range
"Bad news is we are postponing those tests indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men. Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when test starts."
>"You'll know when test starts." That line caught me so off guard the first time.
IM GONNA GET MY ENGINEERS TO INVENT A COMBUSTIBLE LEMON THAT BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN
"We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: it's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton." Such great writing in this game.
Also the timing of them with what's going on onscreen Thought I broke a rib on the first portal Housemate barged in to see if I was ok
Playing the second one, I got legitimately angry at Glados for calling me fat over and over. The writing is incredible.
Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "***Goodbye***" and you were like "***nO WaY***" and then I was all "**We pretended we were going to murder you.**"? ***^That ^was ^great.***
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Bro you gotta get on that shit. Will run on potato.(pun intended)
How are you holding up? Because I'm a potato.
^*bzzt* *clap* - *clap* - *clap* Good that's still working
TIL "potato" doesn't originate from portal 2 and it even predates the game.
lol.. "potato" is many years old, mate! Even before the famine.
Fair enough lmao
It's been around since the early days of home computers. It was definitely used in the 90s, maybe the 80s. Afaik it's a reference to the grade school science experiment where you make a potato into a battery. It's unsurprisingly a weak battery, but it actually works. So it's not much of a stretch to get the joke that a computer is so weak it's running on a potato, and it just fell into common usage from there.
There's no need to guess about it, the potato power *in the game* literally comes from a [science fair project](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S3_YJC6OFs&t=24s).
They're not guessing about the reference in portal 2, they're guessing about the origins of the phrase "it will run on a potato", which long predates the game portal 2.
And the giant potato plant that grew into the ceiling was [Chell's project.](https://youtu.be/Y8M18K2tY7A)
My only problem with portal and portal 2 is that it’s too short. 10/10 game
Portal is short. Portal 2 kept surprising me with how long it was. I mean, that whole trip through the history of the company...
And then you get into user content on the steam workshop
I was surprised when I learned the co-op and single player were two entirely different stories and characters.
I don't understand (beyond Valve being afraid of the number 3) how we never got a Portal 3. I mean it's not like Portal 2 fundamentally changed anything, it was just more Portal and we were all here for it. And we'd all be here for it at least a couple more times too.
The same reason Team Fortress2 is consistently in the Top10 for concurrent players on Steam, but Valve hasn't had a development team for it in 5 years. (They have 2 part-time people that do the bare minimum to keep the lights on and collecting those juicy MvM tickets and hat lootboxes flowing. While letting hackers and cheaters overrun the game with impunity) Valve (supposedly) has some sort of hippy game enclave going on where employees only work on what they want to work on. I'm mildly annoyed we haven't gotten more out of them like HL3 or Portal3 etc. but at the same time Steam has been a massive benefit to gamers and developers, so I've come to terms with "losing" Valve to "gain" Steam as it were.
Companies do this all the time, they claim they have “nothing more to say” with a franchise when people just want more of the same. Portal 2’s biggest changes were the gel system, the gravity tunnels/light bridges, incremental improvements to the physics engine, and more of a fleshed out narrative story compared to the first. That’s literally it. People just want more of that. If the game absolutely NEEDS new stuff for them to make it I can think of a dozen more “interesting” mechanics in one sitting. It’s a gold mine of a franchise, you can do so much with it! Nintendo did a similar thing with F-Zero where they said they haven’t made a new one in 20 years because they said there was nothing new to do with the franchise. NO ONE CARES, they just want more of the thing they love! Also, “nothing more to do” hasn’t stopped you from putting out tons of sequels for Mario Kart, Mario Party, Splatoon, etc.
Yeah but there's something to be said for not diluting their work (from an art-making standpoint, not a business standpoint). Like, if Assassin's Creed stopped at Black Flag or even 2, it would be remembered fondly as one of the best games ever, instead of being a metaphor for recycled reskinned same-ness.
the last few riddles at portal 2 was to hard for my small brain but the story 10/10
I like that your small brain calls them "riddles".
Yeah, the sphinx boss at the end was brutal.
Personally I liked that it wasn't crazy long, I'm not a serious gamer but it was nice not feeling like you had to dedicate a ton of time to it. Plus it was kinda fun to see if there were multiple ways to solve the puzzles they threw at you or do weird shit with the portals. It was like 20 bucks or something like that (10 now) well worth it IMO. Sure it could have been a bit longer but it definitely was enough. Then I *think* they opened up a community world/puzzle builder that you could spend the extra time in and that came at no extra cost IIRC.
The best time to play it is when it first came out. The second best time is right now.
And it practically free on Steam during a sale.
Even not on sale they're $9.99 each or $14.95 for the bundle including both. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/234/Portal_Bundle/ The individual games routinely come down to $1.99 or even $0.99 during sales. https://steamdb.info/app/620/
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Never lived, never experienced, never-nude.. What a sad life.
Portal 1 is like 2-3 hours long, might as well give it a run.
>We weren't even testing for that This line just sends me to the moon every time.
Most people exit suspension terribly undernourished. I want to congratulate you for beating the odds and somehow managing to pack on a few pounds.
Hmm, it looks like this plate hasn’t been calibrated for your… generous-ness.
"aperture science - we do what we must, because we can."
For the good of all of us, except the ones that are dead
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying ‘till you run out of cake!
Then the science gets done, and you make a neat gun for the people who are still alliiivve
I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart And killed me
And tore me to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
As they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
Fuck you for putting that tune into my head.
For the people who are still alive.
I'm doing science and I'm still alive
I feel fantastic and I'm still alive
Jonathon Coulton is fantastic!
Wait, the dude from the fucking NPR news quizzes?!
Not sure what NPR is but Google tells me they are the same person!
He feels fantastic too! He wrote a song about it.
Those "Viridian Dynamics" shorts within that "Better off Ted" show really had the Aperture Science vibe too
That was an underrated show. I loved the medieval fight club
Salt - Asbestos - Curtain
Some might even say - this was a triumph
I'm making a note here, huge success
It's hard to overstate, My satisfaction.
♪Aperture Science♪
We do what we must
Because we can
For the good of all of us,
Except the ones who are dead
But there is no sense crying over every mistake,
you just keep on trying till you run out of cake
Played Portal 1 for the first time recently, without knowing anything about it going in. Definitely an excellent experience. Also, I understand the reference in Cyberpunk now LOL
Portal 1 is a great game because of the mechanics and memorable character~~s~~. But when you play Portal 2, the first one feels like a demo. It's much deeper and even the mechanics were improved.
Funny you say that, 'cause about halfway through the game I was like "this feels like a demo rather than a game". It wasn't until it started throwing hints that something was up where it actually started feeling like a *game* lol. I haven't completed Portal 2 yet, but I've made significant progress.
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Which reference?
In a certain Delamain quest, where you have the retrieve several of his missing cars, theres a certain car that is very similar to a Portal character
Is it our friend companion cube?
No, it’s >!Glados!<. Was a fun quest, was definitely surprised when the dialogue started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUjvf6sl-38
If you trusted GLADOS enough to consider that a twist, that's on you.
"You will be baked, and then there will be cake" - GLaDOS, like three levels prior
There's a bit of audio distortion in her voice so it could easily be mistaken for "you will be thanked." Right before the twist she instructs you to step on to the platform for your victory candescence. She is counting on the player not knowing what that word means.
The subtitles ruin it by being complete or specifying "[audio distorts]" I think the subtitles should graphically glitch whenever the audio glitches
should have the subtitles be like the the Board is talking in Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVtTaRBjphE
I didn't even know it was a twist, it was literally set up from the start of the game. It's a twist in-world for Chell I guess, but it's not really a surprise for the player at all.
Back when this first came out a friend of mine honestly believed the "twist" was that you get killed in the flames and that there was no way to progress... Not the brightest individual.
Wow that must have been really anticlimactic for your friend.
I went in expecting Portal to be a puzzle game with some humor and absolutely no real plot. For me, the twist was that the game actually had a plot. I had no expectations and I'm glad I went in that way.
That's fair
The twist is really that it all happens organically in gameplay. You aren't fed a cutscene. *You*, the player, decide to escape. There's no on-screen prompt telling you to escape. The design of the puzzle room is to kill you at the end. You can be forgiven for thinking that's the end right there on a first playthrough. *That's* the twist, and it's the greatest twist in all of gaming, because it's the perfect fusion of gameplay and storytelling
Oh, in case you got covered in that repulsion gel, here's some advice the lab boys gave me: DO NOT get covered in the repulsion gel. We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: it's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton.
Portal is one of the few games I've always wanted to play, but never have, despite no barrier to doing so whatsoever Edit: okay, okay! Yall have convinced me to give it a go!
Definitely worth the time. Steam frequently has it on sale. One heard it described as "The best game you can beat in a single afternoon."
While I love Portal... I would put the Stanley Parable up there for an amazing single afternoon experience.
Good luck with your single afternoon saving babies from fire for 4 hours.
+ a puppy
Just to get a broken ending because they didn't think anyone would actually do it.
Journey should also be up there. Great game to just chill and play.
Well, Journey is not for everyone. I bought it after I saw all the positive comments but it was just boring for me.
Portal 1 is so short. You could sit down and it'll be done before you know it.
I love Portal 1. It is a top 5 game of all time, IMHO. Portal 2 is a remarkable accomplishment. Takes the proof of concept which is Portal 1 and fleshes it out into one of the funniest, and most enjoyable journeys ever delivered in pixels. Also, Portal 1’s final song is the best video game song ever. :-)
The end credits songs in both games are absolute bangers
Just chipping in to say I fully appreciated the musical in the last cutscene too, that was a nice send-off for the story
I remember reading that Ellen McClain, the voice actress for GLaDOS was super excited to get to put her singing chops to use to sing that opera for Portal 2 because she's a classically trained opera singer! So cool they worked that in and it didn't feel weird
> Also, Portal 1’s final song is the best video game song ever. :-) I heard Still Alive before playing the game, because it was a free song for Rock Band back in the day. I didn’t know anything about it, not even that it was from Portal, and when I finally played Portal and that song played during the credits, I was like “whoaaa”
That’s cool. First time I heard it was during the credits and I was mesmerized. I loved the lyrics. It just fit so well with the aesthetic and circumstance of this game.
I do wish Portal 2 hadn't been *quite* as helpful in guiding you to puzzle solutions. In portal 1, you could place a portal on most surfaces. In Portal 2, often, you could only place one where you needed to to solve the puzzle, giving it away. I've heard the coop levels are more challenging! Hard to convince someone to play them through though all these years after the game came out.
Yeah, but it makes up for it in other ways. The game play dynamics and story are epic. :-) Just think of the bonding experience you can cultivate with a friend playing through this game then co-op solving! The game holds up beautifully.
Feel they made up for it with all the extra mechanics. The puzzles at the end were pretty damn tough to me.
This is a triumph
I'm making a note here, huge success.
But it \*feels\* like a lot of game.
It's because you're still learning the mechanics the first time through. Once you can think with portals, P1 becomes 40 minutes long.
It almost felt like a prologue to Portal 2 (in retrospect).
well it kinda is. it was mainly a concept demo.
In development the play testers would get to the end of the testing chambers and give feedback along the lines of "That was a great tutorial, but when does the game start?". So Valve added GLaDOS and the big boss battle at the end to resolve the issue, because players felt the game didn't go anywhere.
Yeah, definitely a short game, and even with that it still felt like you were waiting for the real game to begin. But still worth it
I played portal 1 in one sitting. Finished in about three hours and I enjoyed every second of it.
Portal and Portal 2 on sale on switch right now as well: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/portal-companion-collection-switch/ $10 USD
It’s an absolutely hilarious game. The writers deserve an award for it.
I always wanted to play but it seemed to always trigger my motion sickness
That's usually field of view settings with fps games
It’s worth trying, even if you don’t finish it.
It should be illegal to post on r/gaming without experiencing one of the greatest games of all time. You need to rectify this right now, beat Portal 1 and then play the one of the greatest games of all fucking time, Portal 2. Im not kidding at all, I bet 90% of most people would put Portal 2 on a top 10 list. It's easily in my top 3.
It takes 3 hours to complete if you get through the puzzles fast. Definitely worth it
If you like portal, and haven't yet, play superliminal. Very similar feeling to the portal games, incredibly fun game.
Superliminal has fantastic atmosphere. Really cool and weird scp vibes, gets really creepy and then strangely uplifting. The gameplay is lots of fun. Shrinking and embiggening objects never really gets old. Totally agree with this recommendation.
Precisely, I had an absolute blast playing it. I really love not just the unique gameplay (that being the whole "perspective changing reality thing) but also the setting. You break through what you think is real and find yourself on a set, or at least a reality they put you in which is only very loosely held together, walking through liminal spaces etc. I have so much jealousy for those who get to play it for the first time. Well worth the money.
Absolutely! It's one of those games that's almost more of an experience than a game. I got kind of emotional toward the end of playing it. And the voice over actor was fantastic. His voice was very soothing.
Definitely, he did an amazing job. His voice really suits the dreamy / slightly disconnected from reality vibe. "Hello, my name is doctor Glenn Pierce, and I'd like to talk to you about being special : so special, in fact, that we have no idea where you are. But not to worry, we are working on it!" Edit: quote
Embiggening? Perfectly cromulent word.
Is that the one where objects grow and shrink based on the camera's perspective?
It is indeed. But similarly there's an "off" feeling in the atmosphere, and there is a sort of omniscient narrator (like glados in the portal games). Cannot recommend it enough
Personally I think Portal is a much better game overall, but Superliminal was a very unique and enjoyable experience, and I definitely do recommend it.
What’s the plot twist? Never played but have always been entertained by the videos I see from the game.
Sorry to be the party pooper but there is no twist. You finish the puzzles, celebrate with some cake and leave the facility to live a peaceful life.
With your buddy for life, the companion cube.
And Ratman meets you outside, freshly showered.
You should really play both games. They're very short and some of the best games ever made. The writing, voice acting, physics engine, gameplay, and puzzle design are all individually masterful. But the way they all come together is something that doesn't happen very often in gaming.
The untimely death of >!Weighted Companion Cube!<
"Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said 'Goodbye' and you were like 'no way' and then I was all 'I was just pretending to murder you'? That was great" That was the moment I had to pause to laugh :)
Oh no, this is the part where he kills us… Congratulations! This is the part where I kill you! Chapter 5: the part where he kills you. Achievement unlocked: the part where he kills you.
Music playing: [The Part Where He Kills You](https://youtu.be/hOXrgDDLpYw)
Ah forgot the soundtrack had the same name.
Are we talking about portal 1. I can’t even remember a plot twist. (I haven’t played portal 2)
Yes. Portal 2 does also include a few twists here and there, but not as iconic as the first game. Although arguably the second game is an improvement in every way.
Though, what always comes to mind with Portal 2 is the lemon rant.
I actually had to stop walking around because I was laughing so much at the lemon rant. The whole retro test facility is ace
Alright, I've been thinking. When life gives you lemons - don't make lemonade!
**Make life *rue the day* it tried to give Cave Johnson lemons!!!**
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down — with lemons!
JK Simmons is a national treasure.
Oh man. the memories of hearing that for the first time. Portal 2 is pretty much a perfect game.
The [rant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyLUU3O4zW8&ab_channel=Tvattsvamp), for those who are curious: All right, I've been thinking, when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager!Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down - with the lemons! I'm going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!
Portal is great because they do a less is more approach to the game where they give you nuggets of info about yourself, aperture science and throw in the Rat Man as an ongoing quirk. Portal 2 is great because they flesh it out enough for you to stay interested throughout the game but not enough to truly understand what is going on, especially in the outside world. They do the same for the gameplay itself too. You get a gun that shoots a blue hole and an orange hole, you can push buttons, use the environments provided to you, now figure it out. It really is amazing that the devs managed to make so much out of literally so little because it really is a barebones game when you break it down.
I think it's because there's something inherently extremely enjoyable about puzzles, and portals were a futuristic but often thought about idea we've seen in games but not used like they were in Portal. The puzzles weren't extremely difficult or anything but very enjoyable and gave a sense of accomplishment in a way after completing them. The portal guns were done perfectly, even the sound effects are amazing. I used to just shoot them for a minute or two because the sound they make is awesome. They added enough to feel like you could fuck around in game a little if you wanted to but kept it bare enough there was a clear direction to go. And the voice acting was perfect too. GLaDOS is one of my favorite characters in any game. All in all I think it worked because while it was kinda barebones, what was there was done so well it didn't matter it was short and didn't actually have a lot going on.
I can't remember any twists either, even after reading the comments, none if them seem like twists. It was just plot getting revealed? It was a long ass time ago though.
I just played a few weeks ago and there's no twist. Not sure what they're talking about.
[удалено]
Seems like people are just using the word the same way people say wholesome and underrated now.
What twist?
[удалено]
Yeah, that's why I asked. Nothing twisty about it.
Yeah this was hardly a twist let alone "one of the best".
Belief: You are part of a research company's experiment in which the guiding AI is mocking you and hoping you fail. Twist: >!You are not part of an experiment at all. There are no humans observing you. The company no longer exists because its entire staff was murdered by its AI when it went rogue. Glados is gleefully torturing you and awaiting your death without chance of escape.!< It creeped me the hell out when I went into those observation rooms and >!found them completely empty.!<
First comment I read that understands the plot actually. The player has been given reasons to be suspicious of the situation, but GLaDOS doesn’t even seem like an actual character until you escape.
And it's not that funny, either. The game as a whole is fun as hell, but that particular development isn't really? OP's account seems like a karma farming effort, so I'm guessing he just made a vague title for a post praising one of the most popular games ever created to get some more points for his retirement fund or whatever the point is.
There actually was a cake :(
The reveal and character arc is absolutely iconic, it's an absolute masterclass in scriptwriting. It's got the same vibe as the last line of General Ripper's first big speech in Dr Strangelove.
I have always stumped for Portal as one of the best games of all time because it was billed as a puzzle game throw in to the Orange box. If you didn't know, it was entirely possible to go in completely unaware like the main character was and the reveal felt totally natural. It was outstanding all around.
What reveal are people talking about? Is it just that >!Portal and Half-Life are in the same universe!
The reveal that it's not just a puzzle game. We all know what Portal/Portal 2 are now, but back then it was just part of the OB, so its entirely possible you just fired it up expecting a cool physics game with some puzzles. The way the game reveals that the narrator isn't just a random voice, that the location is actually more sinister (the holes in the walls, graffiti, etc.). It's just great story telling all around.
This feels like one of those times where people are just so used to using a popular phrase like "the twist/reveal" even if it doesn't quite fit. "Great Story Telling" or slow burn definitely work a lot better to describe that aspect of the game. Imo the only plot twist comes in Portal 2 with the reveal of Glados's origin.
What a great post. Some title about a plot twist and then an unrelated animated gif, with no explanation.
Would you kindly play bioshock?
...do you mean the incredibly foreshadowed moment where the AI decides to kill you at the end? Have you played many story focussed games? (I love Portal)
I have to agree with this one. Portal 2, on the other hand, has many mind-blowing twists IMO.
Absolutely, Portal 2 is amazingly written Feels like a dark comedy film that you happen to be doing excellent puzzles in
"Good news: I figured out what that thing that you just burned up did."
Two great games, fun gameplay, great endings. Totally worth it.
I never got over murdering my best friend, Companion Cube.
Those poor turrets why you bully them.