Portal: Still Alive
Their was no question what i wanted my first game review to be, Portal! This first person puzzle shooter got me thinking more than I thought a video game could. The game is composed of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the character and other objects using "the handheld portal device", a device that can create inter-spatial portals between two flat planes. The character you play as, Chell, is challenged by an artificial intelligence named GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) to complete each puzzle in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center using the portal gun with the promise of receiving cake when all the puzzles are completed. Since this game is older i'm sure everyone has heard the ol', "The Cake is a Lie", phrase so there shouldn't be any spoilers.
Story/Spoiler
The story of Portal is very confusing at first. Your player wakes up already in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center without any back story or reason (This proves to NOT be a factor in the gameplay tho). GLaDOS does prove herself as a character very quickly on. With witty comments and a smart-ass attitude she brings back video game humor. The humor of the story picks up later on when you must, love and care, for a Weighted Companion Cube. Dragging it around a whole test and having to burn it after does tickle your heart in a childish way. As you think the game is coming to an end, you soon realize GLaDOS was not just gonna let you leave, but rather, "Dispose of you". As you become rogue and have to venture behind the walls, the story takes a turn, showing you that GLaDOS is not just a computer, but the whole Enrichment Center. Once you meet her face to face, she shows she isnt going without a fight (Or atleast more humoris jokes and puns).
ControllsThe controlls of the game are fairly simple and should be picked up right off the bat. If you are playing Portal through The Orange Box, Half-Life 2 has almost the same controlls making it simple to play both without learning or having to adapt.
MusicThe music for portal I found to be very, "eerie". It has a way of fitting in to the characters trapped or controlled feelings. Other then the little bit of music you hear, the one thing that catches you is GLaDOS' voice. If you can picture a computer talking, this would be the voice it'd be speaking in, mixed with her humor, brings together an amazing feel one cannot describe.
Apperance
The overall apperance of the game is grey, literally! Very little bright colors are used except for your jumpsuit and the big buttons, other colors are to a min. The graphics for the game are not the best, but do not need to be. It's a puzzle more then a shooter. Unlike COD and Halo, the look of the game looks good without being it best.
Overall RatingA must have. Truelly changes the humor in games and feel of first person shooters. 10/10
~Gooby
Portal: Still Alive