Another rant about the lack of originality in modern computer games, and praise for the ones who do it different. Sorry for that...
Enter Portal, a game based on the very popular Half Life 2 engine, with one of the most endearing characters ever encountered in a game, even though it is an Artificial Intelligence project. The credits song (music by Jonathan Coulton) started to lead a life of it's own and this animation by VGCats is a fantastic interpretation.
It does some incredibly clever things with physics and -you guessed it- portals, and what's even more important: you will finish it within 3 hours. And I didn't mind: there's a whole market with people who are strapped for time and still willing to indulge in the occasional game. Options there are mostly limited to arcade-llike games with repititve gameplay (which can be fun) but this is something entirely different.
Enter the Aperture Research facility and navigate (in the broadest sense of the word) it's obstacle course. Then sit there with a big grin on your face and a lot of confusion in your head. Lyrics for the song below might give a slight hint. The movie below contains some very very slight spoilery type info, but nothing you can decode fully if you haven't played the game yet.
Oh, and remember: the cake is a lie...
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's no sense crying
over every mistake.
You just keep on trying
till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are
Still Alive
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!
Now these points of data
make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLAD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are
still alive.
Go ahead and leave me.
I think I prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else
to help you.
Maybe Black Mesa. . .
THAT WAS A JOKE. HAHA FAT CHANCE.
Anyway. this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist.
Look at me still talking
When Theres Science to do.
When I look out there,
it makes me GLAD I'm not you.
I've experiments to run.
There is research to be done.
On the people who are
still alive.
And believe me I am still alive.
I'm doing Science and I'm still alive.
T feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive.
While you're dying I'll be still.
And when you're dead I will be still alive.
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