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I thought I would write a constructive review was in order since (without instigating what is known on the internet as a "flame war") the last review* was not that in-depth or helpful enough for people who don't have a clue what Portal is about. So as not to finish this review on a sour note I will start the review with my criticisms of the game: The Plot Yes, I can already hear the fanboys screaming "The plot isn't the point of the game!" or "It's meant to be a puzzle game!". I have to admit that this criticism is mainly to show the few holes in an otherwise flawless game. The plot places the player in the role of an unnamed female test subject undergoing the various trials and tests of Aperture Science Computer-Assisted Entrichment Centre. While it is a simple plot, lacking complexity, it doesn’t have to be, nor do Valve attempt to say that it is more than it actually is. Length Probably the biggest (and really the only completely legitimate) complaint that I have with Portal is that it is just too short, even though the 4-5 hours** of play that you get from Portal just oozes quality. Now that I have finished my criticisms of the game, I shall now move onto why many, myself included of course, think that this game should have gotten voted Game of The Year instead of Bioshock: Humour It is very rare that the opportunity arises when I can get to say that a game has humour in it, it’s an even more rare occurrence to say that the humour was actually funny. Both these opportunities have arisen in this game: whether it is GLaDOS saying “The Enrichment Center reminds you that the weighted companion cube will never threaten to stab you and, in fact, cannot speak.” or the cleverly written song Stay Alive during the credits. Innovative Gameplay Never before has a game had the situation where every gun in the game was in your opponents’ hands and all you had to survive was your wit. This approach may frustrate many initially, but they will soon come to the same conclusion I already have: Intelligent gameplay (not gunplay) is what can really make a game, even if it doesn’t have the biggest-looking guns. Graphics Yes, it may seem a little shallow considering graphics here, considering how I have already said that substance is key above all else in a game. But one aspect people tend to forget about is that portal, while playing a game the thing to keep in mind is that if a game doesn’t have atmosphere, the best storyline or gameplay in the world won’t make any difference if your game looks like sin. Thankfully there is no such problem as PORTAL is one of the most atmospheric games of the year. Between the stark white-tiled sterile testing areas at the beginning of the game, to the dark, dirty and, quite frankly, unsanitary sections near the game’s close, you get the feeling of complete isolation. All in all, this is, in my own opinion, the best part of an excellent games package and definitely the best value-for-money package of the year, perhaps the decade. If you haven’t already done so, I would very strongly recommend purchasing The Orange Box today. If for no other reason than to play PORTAL. * http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A29668639 ** Seriously, nobody completes PORTAL in 1-2 hours, unless they are doing one of three things: 1. Using an FAQ from a site such as gamefaqs.com. 2. Cheating using things such as /noclip to move through puzzles. 3. Unless they have already completed the game 5 or 6 times and are trying a speed run (trying to get through the game as quickly as possible, even if it means using exploits/bugs.
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