FA+
Shop
Portal: The Wii of First Person Shooters
13 years ago
General
Recently played through Portal 2, loved every minute of it. I had several "Oh MAN!" moments as the implications of things set in, and I got giddy with my new-found portalistic freedom. And best of all, it had a "No way, no *@&#ing way!" climax that left me grinning from ear to ear. Those are the best kinds of endings, aren't they?
As I was going through it though, I realized that Portal is sort of unique in the FPS landscape. I mean, it's first-person, but you don't need the hummingbird-on-amphetamine reflexes that something like TF2 demands. Except for the big boss fight at the end, there isn't even a time limit on the levels. Even as the power core is melting down in Portal 2... you can sit and think and observe from different angles, try a few things, think some more, put it together in your head...
It was this quality that made me mention to
that she might like it. And then I started thinking, this is the FPS game that could appeal to people that usually aren't FPS players. After all, with the exception of the turrets, there's little out there actively trying to kill you. If you die, you start over again at the beginning of the level, as many times as you need. You don't need gunfighter reflexes, although you do need plenty of coordination for some of the puzzles. Yet, you're free to rehearse as many times as you need, and try again if you stumble over it.
This is the game that introduces non-FPS-players to basic movement, how to look around without making yourself motion-sick and generally lets them practice controlling their in-game self a lot, while solving nifty and sometimes devious puzzles.
And in that way, I've come to think that it's a lot like the Wii. The Wii was the home console that introduced non-console-gamers to console gaming, because it was pretty easy to pick up and have fun with. Similarly, I hope Portal brings a lot of new FPS players into the fold. Sure, nobody's gonna play Portal and then step up to CoD4, just like nobody's gonna play the Wii and then immediately sit down and kick ass on the 360. But as an introduction and something to pique interest, I think it fits the bill.
By the way, Portal has a history... before it was Portal. The spiritual precursor to Portal is a senior game project called Narbacular Drop. It's the story of a princess trapped in a sentient dungeon, and the dungeon has the ability to open portals on its walls. And because the dungeon resents its owner, it is happy to use this ability to help the princess escape...
Naturally, Valve stumbled across Narbacular Drop and loved the concept so much, they hired the entire team wholesale to come work for Valve and develop what would become Portal. Give Narbacular Drop a spin if you have the time, it's an interesting game in its own right, and the soundtrack isn't too bad either. ^_^
And just for the record, the defective turrets rock. I swear, when I first found them, I was trying not to laugh and disturb others. But finally it got to the point (probably right around "Where are we going? Is this a jailbreak? I can't see a thing!") I ended up busting a gut. I can't help it. They are totally my hero... if I could get a talking defective turret plush for Christmas, it'd make my decade.
As I was going through it though, I realized that Portal is sort of unique in the FPS landscape. I mean, it's first-person, but you don't need the hummingbird-on-amphetamine reflexes that something like TF2 demands. Except for the big boss fight at the end, there isn't even a time limit on the levels. Even as the power core is melting down in Portal 2... you can sit and think and observe from different angles, try a few things, think some more, put it together in your head...
It was this quality that made me mention to
that she might like it. And then I started thinking, this is the FPS game that could appeal to people that usually aren't FPS players. After all, with the exception of the turrets, there's little out there actively trying to kill you. If you die, you start over again at the beginning of the level, as many times as you need. You don't need gunfighter reflexes, although you do need plenty of coordination for some of the puzzles. Yet, you're free to rehearse as many times as you need, and try again if you stumble over it.This is the game that introduces non-FPS-players to basic movement, how to look around without making yourself motion-sick and generally lets them practice controlling their in-game self a lot, while solving nifty and sometimes devious puzzles.
And in that way, I've come to think that it's a lot like the Wii. The Wii was the home console that introduced non-console-gamers to console gaming, because it was pretty easy to pick up and have fun with. Similarly, I hope Portal brings a lot of new FPS players into the fold. Sure, nobody's gonna play Portal and then step up to CoD4, just like nobody's gonna play the Wii and then immediately sit down and kick ass on the 360. But as an introduction and something to pique interest, I think it fits the bill.
By the way, Portal has a history... before it was Portal. The spiritual precursor to Portal is a senior game project called Narbacular Drop. It's the story of a princess trapped in a sentient dungeon, and the dungeon has the ability to open portals on its walls. And because the dungeon resents its owner, it is happy to use this ability to help the princess escape...
Naturally, Valve stumbled across Narbacular Drop and loved the concept so much, they hired the entire team wholesale to come work for Valve and develop what would become Portal. Give Narbacular Drop a spin if you have the time, it's an interesting game in its own right, and the soundtrack isn't too bad either. ^_^
And just for the record, the defective turrets rock. I swear, when I first found them, I was trying not to laugh and disturb others. But finally it got to the point (probably right around "Where are we going? Is this a jailbreak? I can't see a thing!") I ended up busting a gut. I can't help it. They are totally my hero... if I could get a talking defective turret plush for Christmas, it'd make my decade.
Have you gone through the 'commentary' versions of the games and listened to what the devs and programmers had to say about various issues and ideas?
The training aspect also occurred to me... that the beginning of P2 re-introduces you to concepts (and even old puzzle rooms). Then they build on it and introduce new concepts. And then (avoiding spoilers) set you free into the "wild" and let you use your new-found knowledge to get along and make things happen without supervision. That's another reason to like Portal... how it teaches you the way the world works without you really realizing you're being taught. ^_^
Valve games are about the only time I ever listen to commentary... BTW, there are metric buttloads of free player-made levels available, most of them are pretty good. The 'twelve angry men' (I think that's the name, something similar, anyway) are really good.
"I can't hack this door with you watching." (turn around, glass smashing noise) "There, all done."
Speaking of which, are you "done" with Diablo? I have not seen you on in quite some time. Let me know if you want to play. :)
Someone once called Portal a tech demo, and Portal 2 the real game. It's probably one of my favorite games ever...
I'm not done with Diablo III yet, there are just other things tugging at me. I'm getting a lot of satisfaction out of GTR2 lately and my air traffic control simulator. And there are plenty of other things I'm neglecting. Haven't finished Metro 2033, haven even "opened" ARMA2 or Deux Ex... but I have been meaning to go back to it. I heard you and
Like this week, it is the "introduction" section of my capstone class. So it is not that busy...for the moment. But I trust that when the class really gets rolling, I may not be doing much if any game playing. Also, the last day or so has my brain filled to distraction with a story that I'm just itching to write, so I may take a few hours to work on that.
But we should definitely play. You should send me and Defenbaugh an email and lets set up a play date.