3/24/2008 5:18:38 AM,Video Games,Dean,
When I purchased The Orange Box, I had no idea what to expect from this title. I had played the Half-Life games, and had a blast with them, and I Team Fortress looked amazing. Nestled in between those games on the disc is Portal, which I figured was essentially a mini-game.
I settled down to play some Half-Life, and decided I'd give the Portal a quick try before jumping into my Half-Life session. I was addicted almost instantly, and played this until 10:00 (my bedtime) that night, then jumped right back in the next night and played it until the last level.
This game has a very strange premise that takes a while to get used to. You have a gun that shoots a hole in most walls/floors/ceilings. You must use it to make your way out of various puzzle levels that get increasingly difficult along the way. After a few levels, your gun becomes capable of shooting both an entrance AND and exit portal, and things get really interesting. There is a simulated computer generated AI that tells you what to do along the way, and every once in a while you get the sense that the computer is beginning to malfunction.
Most of the first 10 or so levels of the game were very easy. I suspect that there true purpose is to prepare you for what lies in the last few levels. When I hit the teen levels, I looked around and though "Whoa! This is impossible", but with some patience and perseverence they were eventually conquered.
The last level of the game culminates in a battle between yourself and the now completely screwed up computer AI, and ends with a wonderful track when the game is completed.
This was a very short game, but it was also the most fun I've had gaming in several years.