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Not worth 20 bucks, get the Orange box instead.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for 20 bucks thinking it was cheap. I finished it within two or three sessions of gaming.

I didn't get my fill. This is the equivalent to a free game Demo.

I feel ripped off. Hey Valve, i'm done with this game, Can i trade it back for episode two instead?

Oh wait, you don't sell it on the store shelves do you? I have to download it through Steam? Valve forces you to join their lame Steam cult. Installing Portal though Steam takes a hell alot longer than actually finishing it.

Ohhh okay, you guys are smart, really know how to rip someone off! I feel like cattled sheep here. I should have gotten the Orange Box instead. I'd waste my money either way. But at least i'd feel a little less stupid.

Don't get me wrong, i found the game quite innovative and it was fun while it lasted, hence the 4 stars fun factor. Valve wants your money. The moment this game got bloated with Hype, they sell it as a standalone game on store shelves, but they don't do the same to Episode Two?

B*stards.

Don't pay $20 for a two-hour tech demo.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 18
Date: April 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Portal is very very short for a standalone game. It's more of a tech-demo showing off a gameplay concept rather than a full-length adventure. You'll probably breeze through all 20 levels in 2-3 hours, which is not good for a $19.99 package. The Orange Box ($49.99) provides a far better value, as you'll get both episodes of Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 along with this game.

The gameplay centers around a single gimmick: a gun that allows you to shoot two portals. You enter one, and exit out the other. These portals enable you to cross seemingly impenetrable walls and dangerous hazards. You will carry items called weighted storage cubes through portals to activate switches, drop the same cubes through portals to deactivate turrets, and shoot portals into very deep pits to generate momentum. The portal gun gimmick doesn't really allow for that many puzzle varieties, and by the last few levels, they start to get stale due to repetition.

On the other hand, the storytelling is suspenseful and witty. Throughout your experiment, you are led by a robotic voice known as GLaDOS, who provides you with hints -- and often, heavy sarcasm along with them. More and more is revealed about this character as you progress through the game, leading up to a final, dramatic showdown.

Portal is good for a rent (or a purchase with The Orange Box bundle pack, if you are into shooters), but its short length and limited gameplay do not justify the $20 price tag.

Mountain out of a Molehill

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: May 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First, let me say that I don't appreciate not being informed by the product that it was an online game. I do not buy online-only games. And though this game can be played off-line, the player is forced to go to an online site to obtain the full program.

Then there is that online site's program that is now resident on my computer, taking up memory and really serving no function except to act as an intermediate between me and the product which I payed good money for. Found out about this condition when trying to initially install the program and was informed that I had a 'steam.dll error'. It took a little web surfing to discover that I needed to be online while installing.

Next is the size of the program. From the look and mechanics within the game, there is no apparent reason for the program to be in the multi-Gigabytes! And that wait while the online site downloads their program is no picnic either.

Then there is the play itself. After having the program crash several times around the 10th level, I finally was able to fix it by running the game in a window instead of fullscreen. Obviously there is some form of rendering problem, which is not the fault of the computer but the program.

So when I took a break from chasing this problem which there was apparently no advise available anywhere, and came back to play. The program informed me that I need to once again go to the on-line site. I could not figure why this was necessary. Thought it might have been because I did not fill out their survey, so I did that. And once again, tried to play the game.

Okay, I'm done. The game was rather short. And I know that there are additional levels which can be downloaded from the online site. But that means just more inconvenience. So I removed it and the online site's program from my 'puter. And will probably never load them up again.

Let me add, the game is rather beautiful and the potential play could be great. But not near what most of the rave reviews have given it. Could this all be just product hype by the industry to get us to accept this form of gaming? Not actually owning a game, but renting it piecemeal (remember that it costs most people to have an ISP).

Finally, I am not angry with the developers of this game, just disappointed. They have a great idea, it seems that they let someone talk them into this convoluted method of distribution. Probably driven by the fear of software piracy.

If this ever becomes a stand-alone game, I will probably revisited it. Until then, I have no further interest.

I HATE STEAM

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

YOU CAN'T INSTALL PORTAL UNLESS YOU INSTALL STEAM. UNLESS YOU WANT TO SPEND 3 HOURS WITH STEAM SUPPORT YOU BETTER HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD AND BE WILLING TO SUBMIT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO YOU CAN START GETTING ALL OF THEIR JUNK MAIL. DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT. LOST $20.

Very Challenging But Crashes

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I ordered the Portal DVD expecting a stand-alone game for the PC. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had to sign on for Steam in order to play it. Although I have a strong video card and processor, the game crashed frequently or stuttered both in video and sound. I spent several weeks changing around start-up applications and game options until the crashes stopped (at least most of the time). Good game, but a pain to get running smoothly.

Good game, horrendous package.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Portal is a good puzzle game. I like the concept of the wormhole. It is fun. It took me a couple of days to complete it, and then I did the whole thing in two hours non-stop.

I hated Steam. Before installing Portal, you have to install Steam, then download Portal and then install it, and then activate. It took me close to two hours to get it running.

I loved the game, hated the way it gets installed.

Make sure you're connected to the web

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game to spend my offtime enjoying. Unfortunately, where I am currently situated has no internet and I haven't yet been able to play. Looks like I'll have to wait until I get back home to give it a shot. Didn't rate good or bad, due to inability to play, but I have been told it's very fun and look forward to finding that out for myself.

Very fun but short (or perhaps just concentrated)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The game is a blast to play, if you are into physics-based puzzles. I'm not going to describe it, because it's well-described elsewhere (Wikipedia, for instance). So the question comes down to, "Is it worth buying?" And the answer is a qualified yes.

The game is short. Yes, really short. Compared to the typical puzzle game ("Myst", etc.), you blast through this in half the time (or less). But what is cut out is all the "envirnoment exploration". It has just as many puzzles as the typical puzzle game, but none of that walking around and looking at the scenery stuff. No bits where you have to go to island A to get the key that opens a lock in island B, which gives you the answer to a puzzle back on island A again, etc.

But it's not sudoku, either. GLaDOS is hilarious and menacing at the same time. Even with no other visible characters to interact with, the plot is a surprisingly important part of the experience. You start to get emotionally attached to the idea that you are a lab rat trying to get out of the maze before you get euthanized.

So, yes, it's worth the money. It's short, but intense. In the same way that an hour-long movie might be better than that same movie stretched out to three hours, I'm not sure the game would have worked if it was much longer than it is. In fact, I bought the whole "Orange Box" just to try this game, and I'm happy with the purchase. (That doesn't mean I'm not also going to play Half-Life, eventually.)

If I want to just kill hours on the computer, I can play solitaire. What I wanted was what I got -- an exciting and challenging set of puzzles with a surprisingly compelling plot as a bonus.

One of the few original games out there

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: April 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm not sure what I can say about the X-Box to the PC conversion, as I haven't played it on the 360. I can say that Portal is the best game I've played for a long time. I'm not a big gamer, but this got me hooked, it's so addicting and challenging, that you won't rest until it's completed.

Essentially, Portal is a game about Physics. Every portal has a begining, and an end. By using this peice of information, you create portals using a gun. Sounds simple, but your brain needs to sweat to be able to play the game.

So far, the story is lacking, but I'm barely into the game. The design on the other hand, is insanely good. When you make portals, you can see yourself moving in the next portal and the next and onto infinity. It is such a trippy feeling. They must have spent hours figuring out the physics of the game. While playing, you have to sit back and think: "Look at how far we've come from the the days of Pong."

Finally, the graphics are great, the music, although there is not much, is great, and the game is the most original 'first-person shooter' out there.

This not entertainment, this is science.

UPDATE: Wow. Just...wow. The final peices of the game just blew me away. The plot unfolds brilliantly, GLaD's dialogue is frickin' awesome in the final battle, and the song playing in the credits is so original and caputures silliness of the game amazingly. Once finished, Portal leaves you with a bitter/sweet feeling in your heart. It is over, and yet somewhere, deep down, you know they have to make a sequel.

The Cake Is A Lie

awesome game for those who want to use their brains

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I had so much fun playing this game! I only wish I got it for the ps3 rather than PC (I'm just more used to gaming on there). For the guy on here who whines about the $20 price tag...i got mine from a major retailer for ten bucks on sale so just shop around. It's your own fault for paying full price for something.
Anyways - the game is well worth 10 or 20 bucks. I had hours of enjoyment and you really need to think "outside of your brain" for this game.
You experience enter & exit portals. soon you get a gun where you can create either of the two. You just have to see how the two react to you going through and then later in the game velocity and momentum play a role in it as well. I know my description might not be the greatest but it really gets your mind thinking about how to get to the otherside of the room which mostly seems impossible. Tons of fun - especially the computer GlaDos system that mocks you the entire way. Laugh out loud funny lines especially towards the end. I had tons of fun and for that same guy who whines about the length - there are many advanced levels you can unlock after you solve the initial game and online ther are many DIY portal dimensions you can do that people have posted themselves.
I can't wait to play it again! Level 15 sure had me stumped for awhile :)

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