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Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:37:35 PM

Title: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:37:35 PM
It seems like it probably is. I'm thinking of buying it off steam right now, it's really the only game in the Orange box I care about really. Is it worth the price of admission itself?
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: sirean_syan on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:45:23 PM
I thought it was, but generally I'm not the kind of person who considers how long a game is when I buy it.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:45:56 PM
How much is it?
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:46:25 PM
Is it really short?

It's $50.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:47:34 PM
I think that's the price for the whole orange box.  Portal should be a lot cheaper.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:49:59 PM
I figured I'd just go for the whole orange box. I haven't played episodes 1, and 2. And I figure TF2 might be fun. Maybe I will just go for portals.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:52:44 PM
Ah, Ok.  Honestly, I'd say the Orange Box is worth it.  I was pretty much in the exact same boat you are and was pretty satisfied with the Value.

EP 1 and Ep2 were both pretty entertaining if you liked HL2 a fair bit and haven't played it in a while.  Portal is great (although short) and I believe fully accessible to the mod community so there could be more maps out there.  As for TF2, I'm a HUGE MOTHERFUCKING TF2 FAN. 

Um, sorry.  Yeah the game grew on me a lot and I find it very entertaining.  I usually play for 1-1.5 hours a night before going to bed.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:53:16 PM
Its $20 by itself on Steam. I feel its worth that. I played the story mode 3 times, spent a lot of time in the challenge missions, and havent looked into the custom maps yet.

If you're going the whole orange box, gimmie a sec. I know its cheaper if you order it from some places. I think Best Buy will have it for $40 next week even.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:56:09 PM
If you're looking for Portal alone, it is around $20 over STEAM -- to pay-to-download from them.

It took me like 9.5 hours to finish. LOL. Test Number 18 killed me for hours and hours, trying to get it right w/ the timing and all. I was taking my time, but yeah -- probably would've took me 5-7 hours, otherwise! :P Some have finished it in like 3.5 hours! So, I dunno -- probably on average, 4 to 6 hours for most to finish Portal, I bet. I really should try the extra "expanded" maps, some time. heh -- they unlock when you beat the game.

About $50 for The Orange Box and the other new content, TF2 and HL2: Ep Two are pretty good stuff.
If you ain't played HL2: Ep One, it's in there -- though, not as good as HL2; not even close. Weakest part of The Box, by far.
HL2's in the box, too -- and if you ain't played that, you really should; it's a very good shooter.

Honestly, you should've probably ordered The Orange Box right from BestBuy.com for $25 (with free shipping) when it was on sale during Thanksgiving Day -- oh, and Black Friday, too. Easily worth that.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:00:08 PM
Quote from: MysterD on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:56:09 PM

Honestly, you should've probably ordered The Orange Box right from BestBuy.com for $25 (with free shipping) when it was on sale during Thanksgiving Day -- oh, and Black Friday, too. Easily worth that.



Oh, don't be one of those people.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:01:45 PM
I just checked, both Circuit City and Best Buy will have Orange Box for $40 next week.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:02:58 PM
I'm trying to decide between this, and Crysis. I will eventually get both. But I'm trying to decide which to get first. With buying Christmas presents and such, money is a bit tight at the moment.

I was thinking about buying over steam, but I think I'm actually going to run to the store and actually get a hard copy tomorrow. Now just to decide.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:15:54 PM
For me the Orange Box isn't worth it at all.  Ep 1 and 2 mean nothing to me whatsoever, TF2 is pretty much the same old shit except not as good, and... yeah.  I don't know.  I want Portal, but I don't have an extra twenty bucks, so... guess I'm out of luck.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:17:57 PM
I wish I could turn these useless HL2/EP1 gifts into a single Portal gift. Much more useful.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:18:20 PM
Pssst.  Buy this now and buy crisis when you have 3 8800gt cards in SLI.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:28:10 PM
I can run the demo pretty good. High, at 1152x864. It's very playable. Only really slows down when there are a ton of explosions, and environment damage.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:44:05 PM
I need to know where you bought your quantum computer.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:52:16 PM
It's a 2.2ghz Intel Core Dou 2, 2gigs ram, and a Gefore 7950 GT 512MB. It's pretty beefy. I can't max it out, but it certainly looks pretty.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 11:01:11 PM
Quote from: ScaryTooth on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 09:49:59 PM
I figured I'd just go for the whole orange box. I haven't played episodes 1, and 2. And I figure TF2 might be fun. Maybe I will just go for portals.

I find the Orange Box to be one of the best deals ever. Should definitely go for it.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: PyroMenace on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 05:58:03 AM
Quote from: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 10:15:54 PM
For me the Orange Box isn't worth it at all.  Ep 1 and 2 mean nothing to me whatsoever, TF2 is pretty much the same old shit except not as good, and... yeah.  I don't know.  I want Portal, but I don't have an extra twenty bucks, so... guess I'm out of luck.

1.) Have you played it? If yes go to 2, if not, Im afraid I have to whoop out a big STFU.

2.) Please go into further detail as to why its "shit".

Sorry, but I hate comments like that.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 07:20:43 AM
I didn't say it was shit, I said it was the same old shit.  It's TF2, meaning it's TF except with a 2 on the end.  It just doesn't do anything for me.  I'm all for those who like it and whatever, but it's just sort of beating a dead horse on my end.  Plus I kind of like the original better.  But again, I'm not saying TF2 sucks, I'm simply stating why the Orange Box is more or less worthless to me personally.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 03:13:12 PM
Quote from: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 11:01:11 PM
I find the Orange Box to be one of the best deals ever. Should definitely go for it.

If you don't already have HL2 and HL2: Episode One, then yes -- I'd agree, it's a great deal....
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Xessive on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 04:19:38 PM
The original Half-Life 2 comes with Counter-Strike: Source, however the Orange Box does not. Not that I'm a CS:S fan, I was just hoping I'd be able to gift it to my bro.

I think I got a good deal out of it since I hadn't bought Episode One, so I got a lotta "new" stuff. Apparently I finished Episode One in 2.5 hours, taking my sweet ass time. That's frickin' short! Considering how long it took for E1 to come out, that would have been a major disappointment for anyone who paid any more than $5 for it! Which pretty much confirms the comments on Valve totally missing the point of episodic content.

I've just started Episode Two, and I can already see a few good visual enhancements i.e. flashlight casts better shadows etc. There are some minor UI improvements as well. I just hope this is much longer than E1 since this one took a while to come out too!

Portal is one of the best bits of the Orange Box. According to my account I finished it in 2.3 hours, just enjoying it and taking my time to appreciate it. Although it's short I definitely respect it a lot more than Episode One! Individually, Portal costs $19.95. Keeping the other content in mind the Orange Box is a pretty good deal.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 04:24:20 PM
Besides BethSoft's Official Map, are there any good user-made Portal maps out yet?

Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Monday, March 01, 2010, 06:21:36 PM
Portal has been updated by Valve w/ new "radio transmissions" thrown into the game and a new "Achivement." (http://kotaku.com/5483162/portal-mysteriously-updated-with-secret-radio-codes-new-achievement?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kotaku%2Ffull+%28Kotaku%29)

Portal gamers are going to town, trying to crack the code...
Steam Forum Thread - On The Transmission Change. (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1168990)
Steam Forum Thread - Image Processing. (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169218)

It's believed this could be Valve trying to announce a game here...
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, March 01, 2010, 08:48:47 PM
Ha, awesome.  I love it when stuff like this happens.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 06:31:28 PM
SPOILERS included in these links.
Valve adds more to the ending of Portal with a new update. (http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/702966/Valve-Updates-PortalWith-A-New-Ending-.html)

EDIT:
Check out the original Portal ending and the new extended Portal ending here. (http://www.gametab.com/news/3272853/)
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 11:12:25 PM
I really liked the Orange Box, and I like Valve's games... but check out the comments from the link D posted.

People seem ready to deliver handjobs or something. Valve seems to get this religious worship, I don't get.

edit:

Quote
I really can't wait for Portal 2. Like, that burning "Jesus christ, I need this game" kind of wait.

Quote
Valve is INCREDIBLY clever with their advertisement and the way they interact with their player-base.

Sets a great example for other companies. What better way to hint at a sequel then updating the ORIGINAL game with new hints?

Quote
Yeah Valve is an amazing company. Can't wait for Portal 2! Hope they give more, like more maps. Maybe even multiplayer? Shooting through the holes at each other would be fricking sweet

Quote
This is one ending I could watch over and over and over again.

OK NOW here is a comment that I completely agree with and makes sense:

Quote
A sequel to Portal. Awesome, I know.

HOWEVER, the way it's being presented is less than ideal: instead of going along with the story they created, Valve has literally 'updated' the game with an ending that would be more suitable for a sequel. Imagine if 2K Boston (aka Irrational) 'updated' the ending of Bioshock to be more receptive to a sequel. People need to stop idolizing Valve if this is the way they've decided to go about things.

Guess what... it was disliked and voted down so many times, it has become nearly invisible.

And then read this:

Quote
Uh...dude. It's VALVE. Why are you ranting about them NOT being like everyone else?

And if you don't like the ending, don't download the update.

WTF is wrong with people.

The guy is right. This is a bit of a cop out.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: idolminds on Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 11:40:53 PM
Quote
And if you don't like the ending, don't download the update.
Thanks to Steam, you have no choice. Ok...you do, but the other options are "Leave Steam in offline mode forever" or "Never play the game again".

The addition to the ending is extremely minor, but does change the "feel" a bit. I don't think its so terrible, but then I don't get the massive praise for it either. I agree with that one guy that its a little off-putting that they can come in and retcon the games after the fact. The fact that Steam means you can't opt out of these changes just plain sucks. Its something I've complained about the substantial updates TF2 got. While that support is nice, if you aren't happy with the way the game has changed you are unable to stick to an origial/previous version that you paid for.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 11:52:47 PM
I pretty much agree with Idol's post completely.  I don't see the big deal with the ending either way.  It didn't really change the nature of the ending, just tacked on an extra 3 seconds as a promotion for something forthcoming. If they didn't it would have just been covered in the start of the next game anyways.

And yeah, I agree with him about not being able to opt out of updates as well.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: W7RE on Wednesday, March 03, 2010, 11:56:36 PM
Yea the ending isn't really changed as far as what did and did not happen. The original ending just faded out before what happens in the new ending. It's an addition, not a change.

I don't particularly hate Valve or Steam, but these guys are seriously slobbing some Valve knob.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 12:18:19 AM
I actually didn't see it, but someone said...

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 01:33:20 AM
No, nothing that drastic at all.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 05:53:34 AM
Ahhh... that's fine then. :)
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: idolminds on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 08:13:10 AM
Actually...
(click to show/hide)
So yeah, its only a few added seconds but it does sort of change the feeling from "escape" to "recaptured".
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 09:27:50 AM
Ahhh... that's poor then.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 10:50:57 AM
Quote from: idolminds on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 08:13:10 AM
Actually...
(click to show/hide)
So yeah, its only a few added seconds but it does sort of change the feeling from "escape" to "recaptured".
[/quote

Ah, okay that makes sense. Guess I misinterpreted it.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, March 04, 2010, 02:55:04 PM
Here's what I like about the change/addition:
It suddenly adds interest to an older game and a possible sequel. Maybe it'll sell some more copies or get people playing again, just to get people check out some of the new stuff - especially since it's FREE. It's good to keep older game alive by updating, adding content, etc etc.

Here's what I dislike:
Since this is a linear game w/ no real decision-making or anything and all (unlike say a deep Bioware RPG might allow) - it basically changes the game's one ending entirely.
(click to show/hide)
So, now it feels like I'm suddenly transported into another parallel universe, as if the original ending I received meant pretty much not as much as it should. There there isn't any options. No option in which I can select at the start of the game the option to receive "Original Ending" or "New Ending." There isn't someway in-game, in which my how well I'm playing or bad playing, I can earn either ending - whether it's b/c in how many hours I finish the game, not dying at all earns me a certain ending; or whatever. There is no special difficulty setting to end a different ending (like Max Payne 2 does - giving you a much happier ending if you beat the game on its hardest difficulty).

So, now I'm stuck w/ the new ending period - especially since Steam forces updates on you for you to actually keep playing. Obviously, the "New Ending" is the set-up for the direction of a possible sequel.

Kudos for Valve trying something different to keep interest in an older game and for a possible sequel - but "bleh" on them for the poor execution of this attempt.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, March 05, 2010, 12:16:07 AM
To be fair, in the original ending, it just ended...this adds a couple of seconds.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: sirean_syan on Friday, March 05, 2010, 12:19:28 AM
Really, all this does it add what would be the first five seconds of a sequel or a trailer for the sequel. Once that sequel does come out, this will change nothing in the overall storyline. In that, it's kind of a novel way to do what that trailer would do.
Title: Re: Is Portals worth buying?
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, March 05, 2010, 01:18:54 AM
I was thinking that as I posted the last one.  It's basically a teaser trailer without all the music and vague references.