played this as a little refresher before giving portal revolution a crack. on pure nostalgia, this is still one of my favorite games. the writing doesn't quite hold up as much as i thought it would, but it's still so special when it's really working. wheatley really just... annoyed me this time around. that was a huge surprise.
BUT, holy mother of god does this game's atmosphere COMPLETELY hold up. valve crafted my favorite video game world ever, and its characters and history are genuinely fascinating.
i kind of assumed that i wouldn't be left wanting a portal 3 after replaying this, but i couldn't have been more wrong. i would take any opportunity to dive back into this world that i could. aperture desk job also proved valve's got plenty left in the tank creatively, even if it's a slightly different take. it's been over a decade since my first playthrough, and i'd be happy to revisit aperture in a fresh light.
so much of this game's strength is built on what's left unsaid (the game's story, though, was far less subtle than i remember it being). and, given this game's longevity, i can see how valve has painted itself into a corner in the same way they did with half life. but you know what, i don't care. we need more.
and, while this definitely still holds up as a puzzle game, i think some more recent entrants (namely cocoon) show that the gameplay could be even more intuitive and seamless. hell, they barely scratch the surface of the mechanics they introduced here.
i don't need open world aperture science, but could you imagine if the world were structured like dark souls? TELEPORTATION IS LITERALLY THE CORE MECHANIC OF THE GAME. valve knows how to build a world you worth exploring, and there is so much room to push in that direction in level design. i want a version of aperture that i can ACTUALLY get lost in.
anyways, i look forward to another half life spinoff in like 10 years. it will be neuralink exclusive and i'll never touch it.
BUT, holy mother of god does this game's atmosphere COMPLETELY hold up. valve crafted my favorite video game world ever, and its characters and history are genuinely fascinating.
i kind of assumed that i wouldn't be left wanting a portal 3 after replaying this, but i couldn't have been more wrong. i would take any opportunity to dive back into this world that i could. aperture desk job also proved valve's got plenty left in the tank creatively, even if it's a slightly different take. it's been over a decade since my first playthrough, and i'd be happy to revisit aperture in a fresh light.
so much of this game's strength is built on what's left unsaid (the game's story, though, was far less subtle than i remember it being). and, given this game's longevity, i can see how valve has painted itself into a corner in the same way they did with half life. but you know what, i don't care. we need more.
and, while this definitely still holds up as a puzzle game, i think some more recent entrants (namely cocoon) show that the gameplay could be even more intuitive and seamless. hell, they barely scratch the surface of the mechanics they introduced here.
i don't need open world aperture science, but could you imagine if the world were structured like dark souls? TELEPORTATION IS LITERALLY THE CORE MECHANIC OF THE GAME. valve knows how to build a world you worth exploring, and there is so much room to push in that direction in level design. i want a version of aperture that i can ACTUALLY get lost in.
anyways, i look forward to another half life spinoff in like 10 years. it will be neuralink exclusive and i'll never touch it.