Portal

"Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science Computer Aided Enrichment Center." In Valve's hit game "Portal" the player play as a protagonist who never talks, and is only glimpsed through 'portals'. This game manages to teach the player to think in new ways, while keeping them laughing all along the way with dark humor.

The game begins with a voice waking the player up from a sleeping chamber and informing the player that they are about to take place in an experiment involving 'portals'. The first tests are some simple 'box and button' puzzles, in which the player must move a box onto a button to open a door and continue. This simple test is given a new twist by the player's ability to move from one part of the room to another using portals.

The first version of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is obtained within the first few minutes of playing the game. This device is able to 'shoot' a blue portal, which connects to an orange portal. Puzzles go from easy to hard very quickly when the player learns to fling objects though space using momentum. By the end of the game the player is a pro at bending space to suit their needs.

The bland atmosphere and solitude of the game can become quite depressing, if it wasn't for GLaDOS, voiced by Ellen McLain. She keeps the game interesting by making jokes and adding some dark humor. While at the beginning of the game she seems benign and almost nice, it becomes quite evident she is anything but. The humor kept up by this sentient robot keeps the game alive and enjoyable throughout the game  including the boss battle and credit song.

The one actual 'song' in this game is "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton, and sung by Ellen McLain. It becomes a bittersweet reward to the player after finishing the game. Jonathan manages to give the game an excellent farewell with this masterpiece.

While this game is very short, Valve manages to stuff a whole entire universe into it. Evidences of past test subjects can be glimpsed throughout chambers and past events fall into place as the player nears the ending.

Portal is an excellent example of how a puzzle game can also be a first person shooter. It provides a few hours of head scratching puzzles and humor. Though some puzzles can be very difficult and a break might be necessary before being able to solve it, the game is still enjoyable and humorous.

Portal can be bought online from Valve for $9.99