portal 2

I said more games, and I meant more games.

The OS drive in my home desktop machine shit the bed last week. I dragged it into work to file taxes electronically and when I brought it home and plugged it back in it was dead. Two things were fortuitous about this happening. The first was that although I lost my Turbo Tax file on the dead drive, at least it was already uploaded to the .gov. And second, I brought the computer back to work yesterday to update my fresh installation of the OS and various other programs which just so happened to coordinate with the release of Portal 2 on the 19th. I enjoyed the first one immensely and have been looking forward to the second since I saw the teaser last year.

So I utilized our recently phattened internet pipe in the office to download an assload of games that I’ve purchased on sale via Steam in the last few years. Including Portal 2. Since Steam is a digital distribution system (no physical discs) owned by a single party it’s easy for them to control prices and offer lower prices whenever they want to. They’ll run crazy sales at Christmas and various other times of year. I’ve picked up stuff for $2 that originally retailed for $50. Yeah, so I’ve stockpiled a bunch of games like this but without internet access at home they haven’t been downloaded or played. That’s how I like to roll – tie my money up in shit I can’t use. Try it, it’s genius.

Ah, so Portal 2. I brought that home last night and it’s been a blast so far. Essentially it’s a puzzle game in the first person perspective where you try to navigate a space utilizing an ability to create holes in walls that allow you to negotiate obstacles quickly. Here’s a basic example;

There’s a narrative to the game that’s great and everything is heavily steeped in sarcastic humor and sinister overtones. You play the role of a test subject for a company called Aperture Science, so running through these chambers is all in the service of ‘science’. You solve the chambers as you work your way through the story. It’s quite a good way to entertain yourself and work the old brain.

Yeah, so here are a bunch of promotional videos they made for the game that I find delightful.

Here’s some actual footage to help illustrate how the mechanics play out.