Portal

Welcome to the new [blog name here]. If you would be so kind as to read the rest of this post, I would be so appreciative. In fact, in honor of your visit to [blog name here], I would like to offer you a delicious slice of cake. All you need to do is read on…

Portal is a game that’s all about solving environmental puzzles. You take on the role of a woman who appears to have been participating in some sort of science experiment at an Aperture Science testing facility. You are given a portal gun that you can use to generate an entrance and an exit with a portal between the two points. From that point, you navigate through a series of increasingly challenging test chambers that you can only escape by using your head and the power of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. As complicated as it sounds, the mechanics are actually fairly simple to grasp once you get behind the portal gun.

One of the things that makes Portal so unique and so beloved is its sense of humor. The only other character in the game is the sexy robot voice, GLaDOS, who guides you through the Aperture Science Enrichment Center with subtly evil instructions. As you make your way through the Enrichment Center you get a more complete understanding of GLaDOS and the Aperture Science group. To say any more would ruin the fun surprises that add to the charm of the Portal experience.

Portal is a relatively brief experience, which means that cost-conscious gamers may forgo the game at its standalone price. However, I really appreciated Portal’s conciseness. The game ended just before the challenge would have started to become overly repetitive and frustrating, which meant I walked away satisfied and smiling.

PS: I lied about the cake.