Portal 2 Coming in April

[Crazed Rabbit]

April by Valve time, of course, so it may mean a totally different time for the rest of us.

Apparently it will be much longer than Portal 1, have a co-op mode, and feature the voices of one of the co-creators of The Office (Stephen Merchant) and JK Simmons as the CEO of Aperture Science.

I enjoyed the first game's innovative gameplay and terrific sense of humor - which it looks like the sequel has kept.

And now for videos!

New gameplay and info:
http://www.g4tv.com/videos/51791/por...ew/?quality=hd

(commercials)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(gameplay)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Portal Blog.

Anyone else excited for this?

CR

[Scienter]

I can't wait to play this! There are so many games out this year that I want to play. Stupid work is going to get in the way of my game playing.

[Monk]

Personally i'm afraid that portal 2 will get stale.

Portal 1 was $20, 20 levels long (half of them very easy tutorials) around 3-4 hours and very entertaining. It had just enough content, provided just enough challenge to make you feel rewarded and then it ended. It didn't overstay its welcome - it is to this day, a shining example of knowing when to stop in a video game.

Portal 2 is $50 and looks like it might be twice as long. Portal 1 was fun, but do I really want to go through 40 levels? Co-op isnt that big of a deal for me, though I know it is for some. I fear the game doesnt have enough charm to capture my attention for as long as it needs it to tell the story. We'll see, but i'm not optimistic.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

In contrast to Monk, I'm afraid Portal 2 will be so good I will die while playing it - before finishing it.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I am more optimistic as well. I like Valve, and I think they can expand the game while keeping it entertaining.

With just the old mechanics and all the new ones (ex: gel) they are a lot of gameplay possibilities still to be explored.

CR

[TinCow]

I am positively gibbering and drooling in anticipation. The idea of a longer Portal with co-op gameplay is incredible appealing.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Another funny video:



CR

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

From now on Valve are the only people allowed to make movies. Of any kind.

[Subotan]

I'm looking forward to it. I personally did not think Portal was as good as the rest of the internet thought it was, and that Still Alive was merely cute as opposed to being the pinnacle achievement of human civilisation, but I still really enjoyed both of my play-throughs. I'll wait for the price to come down a bit though.

[Krusader]

New video.
Ordered the PS3 version myself, since it includes a free Steam Play version.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Another video!

An older video;


CR

[Crazed Rabbit]

Portal - will it be released this Friday?

The official release date for Portal 2 is April 19, but if you have preordered the game you can begin to preload the title right now. There was also a bundle of 13 independent games called the Potato Sack released via Steam, and in the past few days Portal 2-themed content has begun to pop up in those games, along with a series of cryptic messages and images. The point of all this is to get us talking about Portal 2, but it's beginning to seem like the game will be released early. If you're a big fan of Portal, you may want to call in sick this Friday.

What would such a thing do to valve time? Would it herald the coming rapture?

CR

[drone]

The release date is a lie.

[Graphic]

and JK Simmons as the CEO of Aperture Science.

I think you mean JK Simmons

[Cull]

Just saw an article over at The Escapist with Gabe Newell saying that Portal 2 is Valve's best game ever. Pretty strong statement, but he's obviously very confident.
Portal surprised me, in a great way. When I heard they were making a "full" game of Portal 2, I was...ambivalent. Now I'm starting to think it'll be the real deal. Doubt I'll buy right away (I've got too much going on as it is) but if it lives up to even a bit of the hype I'm sure I'm in sooner rather than later.

[Chimpyang]

The valve ARG is getting interesting. The audiosurf song in particular is going in circles in my head....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wk2eJvuqcM

[CountArach]

Already got my pre-order down for the PS3 version so that I can get the free PC version as well.

I'm really excited for this one. One of the major downsides of working in a game store is that I get the promotional videos playing in front of my eyes every time I work.

[Crazed Rabbit]

So apparently, by playing games in the 'potato sack' group you help move up the release date for Portal 2:

Chart here;
http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/

Explanation Here:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...up/#more-57162

Potato Farming Guide Here:
https://docs.google.com/document/pub...&pli=1&ndplr=1

CR

[CountArach]

Did my bit by playing Super Meat Boy for a while.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Looks like Portal will launch in, at the most, 3 hours from now.

Too bad I have to work tomorrow.

CR

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Ditto. Oh well.

[naut]

I have an exam in four hours. CURSE YOU VALVE!

[Who am i?]

Hello.

Game released?

[Monk]

Apparently there's some real anger going around the gaming blogs about Valve not allowing the game to be released sooner than 12 hours early, via the potato sack. Kotaku wrote a puzzling, and in my opinion, wishy washy article on it here: http://kotaku.com/#!5793317/did-valv...one-for-a-ride

I can understand the "promoting some over another" argument well enough, but complaining you didn't get the game EVEN EARLIER? Come on...

Being familiar with Steam since its transformation into a sales/distribution platform, I know how frustrating waiting until 10 am can be. People love the midnight launch, so allowing Portal 2 to get one (the first ever as far as I know) on steam is a pretty big deal.

Hello.

Game released?

Yes. The steam store's updated and people on my friends list are already playing.

[naut]

So it wasn’t an alternate reality game at all. It was a marketing stunt.

Herp, derp. Herp, derp.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Eh, I am definitely not surprised or peeved about this.

Shouldn't it have been obvious it was a marketing stunt? What else could it be? @ Kotaku

Of course, I didn't buy the potato sack. I did play some Killing Floor to help the cause, though. I haven't bought Portal 2 yet. I don't think I'll have a free night for a week, so no point rushing to buy it.

What was interesting to me is that it seemed like there was a coordinated effort to full the 'CPU cycles required' in each of the potato sack games one at a time.

CR

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I don't see how you can complain unless you had unrealistic expectations going into the ARG. Portal 2 *did* unlock early. On top of that, you got play (or at least follow along) a pretty cool ARG, and a bunch of ok-to-great videogames were sold at a deep discount and played by thousands of people. Everyone wins.

EDIT: Read the Kotaku piece for some reason. Hopefully they'll one up their site redesign and just make it so you can't read the articles at all...

[TinCow]

Ah, TWS2, you have entertained me for the past several days. But now you must sit and wait, for the Portal beckons once again. (w00t!)

[Chimpyang]

SP Game completed, Story is good, humour is mixed (I don't think it'll be to everyone's taste), game itself was too easy.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Level 17 murdered my brain...