Felicia and I are currently obsessing over The Orange Box, which, for the unitiated, is a collection of several Xbox 360 games by Valve Studios. The keynote inclusions are Half-Life 2 and its subsequent minor episodes. But we’re currently obsessing over Portal, which was thrown into the game set but feels very much like an alternate Half-Life universe.
The game is unlike anything I’ve ever played. It requires the player to navigate a series of “testing environments” with strategic assaults on complicated obstacles. What sets this apart from other first-person games is that you don’t fire a gun.
Well, not one that shoots bullets.
Instead, your gun fires “portals”. Two different kinds, actually. Let’s say you need to find a way onto a ledge, but it’s too high to jump to. You can simply fire an orange portal onto the ceiling above the ledge. The portal remains closed until you fire a corresponding blue portal into the walls or floor around you. Then both portals become a gateway one to the other; walking through the blue portal will send you tumbling through the orange one and onto the ledge you were aiming for.
It’s almost never that simple, though.
Pretty unique gameplay. The story is vague but extremely compelling. You’re guided through the testing environments by a strangely modulated female voice. Is it a robot? Is it a human? No way of knowing. The voice educates you along the way, promises rewards (cake!), sometimes threatens you, and so on. You’re never quite sure if this person/thing is an ally or not.
I won’t spoil the game for you, except to say that the ending is probably the best I’ve seen in a very long time. If you’re the spoiler-friendly type, then watch this. I promise it will be in your head for days.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
No Responses to “still talking when there’s science to do”
I've been a web designer since 1998. In the ensuing ten years I have worked in that capacity for an arctic ISP, a small-market advertising agency, a boutique design firm, a nefarious taskmaster, an obsolete-but-oblivious development shop, and myself. At present I'm an art director for Level Studios, a digital agency in San Luis Obispo, California, where I have worked since 2006. Here are some of the projects that I have worked on during that time.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
You are right! Best ending EVER.
“While you’re dying I will be still alive.”
I need this game.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
yes, you really do. :)