I don't usually write about games so when you see me writing one, you can be darned sure that it's a good piece worthy of my ever-packed schedule and effort.
These days, most PC games come in a package of deemed-as-must-have-features: High-definition graphical rendition, adrenaline-pumping actions, explosions everywhere that would put Michael Bay to shame, damsels in revealing clothes distress and mind-boggling titles such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age, just to name a few. Both installments of Portal are none of these. Heck, even the title itself is pretty lame and boring. Portal? Meh~
I admit that I'm guilty of being an extreme cheapskate. I got my first taste of Portal when Steam gave it for free in conjunction with the release of Steam for Mac. Well, you don't expect me to pay for a game which even the developer themselves were not confident of selling well, do you? A year later, I received Portal 2 - also for free - by joining an ARG (alternate reality game) which I must say, was very well-written by fellow lowyat.net forum moderator, frags. I won it, so yes, I'm absolutely positive that it's a well written article, no denying that. ;)
Joke aside, allow me to brief you through on what Portal is all about. The premise is simple. You're a test subject who was being jolted awake from deep stasis sleep to run some experiments, all in the name of science. No no no... throw the Bunsen burners and all those secondary school's chemistry class peripherals out of your mind. The aforementioned science experiments involve you making your way from Point A to Point B which sounds pretty simple, except for the various obstacles in between that would not hesitate to remind you that you're no God. However, thanks to the portal gun, you're one step closer.
Point B = exit.
The portal gun is able to open 2 portals, a blue and an orange. Enter the blue portal and you will emerge out from the orange portal. The same goes the other way.
Need a mirror? Shoot yourself a pair of portals at perpendicular walls.
As you delve deeper into the Aperture Laboratories, you will come to learn on how the portals can be abused to propel you to unreachable heights and distances.
Thanks to Newton for gravity.
Plot-wise, Portal 2 picks up from where Portal ends and apart from introducing a whole lot of new mechanisms, the staggering jump in price is evident enough to reflect the game's successful transition from a mere experiment in the first installment to a full-blown game in Portal 2. This in turn echoes the developer's new-found confidence in not only fulfilling, but to surpass the expectation that has been levied by Portal fans worldwide!
I'm not entirely sure what others seek or feel when they play Portals but personally, I was able to relate the games' puzzles to my daily real life. In each of the chambers, it has been made clear to us that there is only 1 exit and we have all the equipments required to get us there. In short, we're totally aware that all the puzzles are perfectly solvable and the only thing preventing us from walking through that door across the room was the lack of solution or the know-hows. Just like in real life, we encounter complex problems all the time and when it comes to that, we either spend quite some time solving it or give it up altogether. It can't be helped as more often than not, there is no clue on whether we have the necessary hardware or skill-sets to take us through. In fact, we don't even know how many exit points do we have or worse, perhaps there was none at all? This is the very reason I don't look for walkthroughs whenever I was stuck in some chambers for hours. If I couldn't solve these puzzles with such big handicaps, I'm pretty sure my future would be nothing short of bleak.
-sigh-
Anyway, that was just me and myself. If you happen to stumble upon this entry based on the 2 piece of clues that I planted in the lowyat.net forum, give yourself a pat on your back and treat yourself to a piece of this delicious and moist cake.
And yes, I'm afraid that the cake IS a lie.
As a token of gratitude to fellow forum members who has showered me with support and also to commemorate my success in attaining the Safe Trader tag, I'm giving away a copy of Portal (not Portal 2!) to the first person who repost the URL that brought him / her here, in the forum thread where the clues were found. Remember, nothing but the URL or else your attempt will be forfeited!
To be fair to readers who frequented this blog of mine as well, I shall post another set of clues below and just like the above scenario, go to the URL and post the same there. If you have owned a copy of Portal, I shall leave the decision to you on whether to withdraw or keep / pass the game to someone else. To avoid any misinterpretation, I need to stress that I only have a copy for reward, not 2.
Clue #1.
Clue #2.
As a curtain closer, please enjoy this beautiful song and I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy the game as much as I do. :)
