Nerdtales

Then there will be cake

See, when I read all those rave comments about Portal, they sounded suspicious to me. How could a small bonus game to a huge franchise be even better than the rest? I couldn’t believe the praise it got. But boy I was wrong. Initially I expected the gameplay to be the main factor. While it truly is new, a puzzle game in a first person shooter environment, it was the presentation that really struck me.

Usually, good puzzle games work because they are addictive in one way or the other. While the possbility of the portals is a very unique element, it became at least for me trivial to the end of the game. It took me 5 minutes to inherit the concept so that even the later levels didn’t pose any problems for me. But never had a puzzle game more charm like Portal.

Turrets softly whispering “No hard feelings” or “I don’t blame you” when you take them out makes you want to give them a hug. The remarks of the AI make you laugh often. The companion cube with the heart at it’s middle is just lovely. So much love in game that is essentially full of traps to kill you. A very interesting contrast. And somehow I had the feeling that the credit screen with the now famous Portal Song is a statement for nerd culture.

Hopefully Portal 2 will be a little more of a challenge. I love cake.