First of all, let me apologize for my lack of posts in the past week. I’ve been ill, so the articles have taken a back seat to my recovery. Thankfully the flu has nearly completely subsided, and I am back to report on those things done while I’ve been absent. The past week has seen the release of one of the best gaming deals to date in the release of the Orange Box by Valve. This release includes Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal for the delightfully delicious price of $50.00. 5 games (three of which seeing their release for the first time) for $50.00. Fantastic.

Today I’d like to give my impressions on Portal. Bet you couldn’t tell from the post picture at the top eh? The idea of the game is to go through a series of levels. Point A to point B. You are given obstacles in the form of portal based puzzles. Your ‘weapon’ is a “Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device,” a tool for bridging 2 points. Using this tool, you can create an entrance portal (blue) and an exit portal (orange). Walking through the entrance will take you to the exit, and walking through the exit will take you through the entrance. What is particularly interesting about how the portals work is you, the player’s ability to look through a portal, and in real time, view the room from the other portal’s point of view. Imagine looking through a portal to see yourself looking at yourself through a portal to see yourself looking at yourself. It’s nuts. The puzzles range from the incredibly simple to the kinds of things where spectators might comment how they could never have figured it out. Going through the game, you’re going to feel accomplished. The game, although short, is sweet as the cake you are rewarded with at the end. Play it. Love it. Tell your friends. I cannot do this game justice with words. No matter how hard I try, nothing can describe the technological feat that is Portal.