I want to talk about Portal. I really do. There's just nothing i can add. I've been wanting to write something down about it ever since i played it long before i started this blog and i've simply never known where to start. The game is everything it set out to be and more than i could have made it. It is a slap upside the head of every imbecile who says that FPS mechanics limit a game to macho shotgun duels. It's action, suspense, challenge, freedom (or enough discovery to give the illusion of freedom) and humor both kind and bitter.
It's the company that put out one of the most popular shoot-em-up games ever made saying: "we are not our customers; yes, we know we make games for idiots playing for moronic e-peen contests, but there's more to us." There are many, many examples out there of talented individuals bowing to perceived market demands, the sculptor from The Fountainhead making kitschy baubles to sell for whatever scraps society deigns to throw his way. Portal is a very rare instance of quality slipped past the public's tastes for simplicity and repetition, the promise of the craft made good.
It's something to play for its own sake, not for ambition or empty promises, not because everything better is vaporware, or for achievements or stats or the illusion of advancement. Don't play it for the promise of cake.
I finally found something i can say about Portal. I only wish that at some point i'll get to where its developers were when they made it, to be able to sell quality, to say "I'm doing science and I'm still alive."
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