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I just finished playing Portal, so I finally got to see what all the fuss is about. It's hilarious! It's much like a first person shooter, except instead of shooting a gun, you're shooting teleportation portals to work your way through a complex series of mazes. An overhead computerized voice monitors your progress and makes from time to time some rather goofy announcements. It's a strange sort of dystopian parody of first person shooters, science labs gone horribly wrong, and tech geekdom. Here's a sample off YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS0dOHV8OBw

As you can see, some of the puzzles allow you to be creative in your problem-solving, though there are certain things you have to do to get from beginning to end.

I'll avoid spoilers to those who haven't played it yet. But, I firmly recommend it to any techie gamer. It's got a lot of quotable and memorable kitch, particularly involving cake.

I would definitely have to agree with you Scott, Portal is a magnificent game that has been fun for the puzzling situations and the vocal amusements that are so well put into the game. If anyone that like FPS and fun little puzzle challenges then this is indeed a game that you can not skip out on. Get it and enjoy.

Well, Scott, that was a triumph. I'm making a note here: Huge success.

Portal is good times, though after playing Portal I was disappointed in other games, as you're mostly limited to horizontal travel. After being able to fall up, standard videogame movement just feels lacking. Mirror's Edge helped that a bit, but that too brought many elements of "Why can't I do this in other games!?". I just can't help but think of all the other games I've played and how much better they would be with enhanced movement.

Now, if only there was a quality martial arts expansion for ME, along with a quality storyline to go with it. It would be beautiful.

I have yet to play Portal, but I'm glad my friend introduced me to the credits music/"Still Alive." It is so darn catchy that I had to buy it on iTunes, and I listen to it quite often.

Now I feel comfortable in making jokes about how the cake is a lie.

I've played the demo and it was great! I wanna buy this game. It's so funny, original and interesting. I hope you had fun!

I thought that the idea behind the game was nice, but the idea alone isn't enough to keep my interest throughout the entire game.

The puzzles get progressively more interesting, and then the story takes over. A lot of the best parts and elements don't appear right away. In particular, there is one level involving a "weighted companion storage cube" that has spawned a geek-culture movement, and the later levels involve robotic drones with cute voices, shooting at you but then swearing in a cute electronic voice that they don't hate you when you take them out.

I wasn't sure I would enjoy a game that relied so heavily on puzzles and 3-D physics thinking, but I found it quite addicting. Part of what made it so enjoyable was the strange juxtaposition of such serious images and effects with the almost MST3K-like taunting of the computer.

You either love it or you don't. Personally, I thought the game was interesting but the lack of destraction from all the puzzles together with the whole hype around the game just pulled me off it.

Hands up who got distracted reaching terminal velocity or shooting security cameras at things at high speeds by accelerating them, then switching portals.

I mean really, it was a fresh game.

I appreciate that you're allowed to use creativity to solve some of the problems, particularly getting past the robotic gun turrents.

<3 Portal

Complete all the advanced maps?

No; I played it once through, though I did stop to sight-see and play mind-games with the hunter drones.

As a side note, I was using an automated check-out at Kroger, and the computer's voice sounded disturbingly similar to GlaDOS. I expected to hear something like: "Be SURE to check OUT the BAKERY where we are HAVING a special. There WILL be CAKE."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Q_koTHB54

Some lite spoilers, in case you care and still haven't played it.

*clicks and watches video*
Wow, that's. . . Awesome. Took me a while to figure out the red and blue portals were one and the same, but still, major cool for sure. My computer's pretty out of date right now (I've had it since 2005 I think), but if/when I upgrade, that's definitely going to be one I'll have to try.

"The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that Android Hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."