For what it’s worth, I prefer the first game. I prefer the tighter humor and more grounded scenario, especially the way it mixes an increasingly obvious horror story with enough piss funny dark humor that even though I, who generally doesn’t like horror games, really got into it. I agree it’s short, but that’s just a function of being released as a cheap budget title, itself a fading breed in the modern day.
And by going so wacky and over-the-top ridiculous, Portal II kind of lost most of that. It isn’t a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but I struggle to think of a single one of its creative decisions and departures or haphazard retcons I prefer over the first title.
I personally prefer the second game by quite a wide margin, but I can\'t argue that a certain charm was lost there. The Valve writers\' humour is usually on point but at times, it can get overbearing in its lol-randumbness. It\'s indeed sad that no major developers bother with low or mid budget games anymore. It\'s all go big or go home, AAA blockbuster titles or No Budget indie experiments, nothing in between.
Which is part of why I liked Chimera Squad so much, though that’s neither here nor there.
I do think that one of the second game’s bigger weaknesses is bringing back the characters from the first game, but I’m saving that for a hypothetical review of the second game when he posts it.
I suspect part of the reason that major developers don\'t do small titles is because that market is now catered to by indie developers. So they focus on the big games that indies can\'t make, what in called in economics their comparative advantage.
Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
While I like Portal 2 more, I'll concede that the first game has a certain charm that the second one lacks.
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Short, simple, but satisfying
While many games boast single-player modes that last dozens of hours, deep and complex gameplay, or rich and engaging storylines, Portal has none of these, but ends up being surprising entertaining nevertheless.
There isn't much of a plot in the game. You play as Chell, a woman trapped in a high-tech experimental facility run by an insane AI called GLaDOS, and you must use a portal gun to solve various puzzles and survive. That said, GLaDOS is a memorable character and the game is well-written, featuring subtle and dark humor.
The basis of the game involves using a portal gun that creates blue and orange portals that are linked to each other. The portals have a wide variety of uses, from allowing Chell to reach places she couldn't on foot to allowing Chell to fall into one portal and shoot out the other at high speed. Additional mechanics like pressure plates, turrets and other such things add variety to the puzzles, even if the sequel has more to offer in this area.
The controls are simple, since there are only a few things you need to know about- walking around, turning, shooting blue and orange portals, jumping, crouching and using buttons. As such, the game is both easy to learn and play.
One notable downside is that the game is relatively short- I was able to complete it in just over two hours the second time- and relatively easy. If you're someone who wants a lot of value for your purchases, I suggest waiting until the game goes on sale; I was able to buy this game and the sequel(which I also recommend) together for $3 during Steam's autumn sale.
All in all, Portal is well worth your time, even if it isn't quite as good as the second game.