Well, Once again, I have returned, and this time I am victorious. Today “The Orange Box” was released. It’s a video-game combo pack that includes some pretty cool stuff. I pre-ordered this pack a while ago, and the games have just been released today. Two that I am by far most interested in are “Portal” and “Team Fortress 2.” I’ll lay out the basic concepts of both, so don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them. If you have and feel like you need to explanation on the concept of these two gems, then please feel free to skip this next paragraph.
So, I’ll start with Portal. Portal is a game based on the principal that you have a gun, but instead of firing bullets, it fires a portal through physical space. You fire one portal, and then another to complete the circuit. You may enter one, and exit the other. This allows you to do any number of various craaaazy things. For instance if you created a portal in the ceiling directly above you, and one in the floor directly below you, you could theoretically “fall” indefinitely through the room you were previously standing in. Another instance is say that you have an object that you need, but have no way to reach it. Simply place a portal under the object and another in a wall near you, your desired object will fall out of the wall in an easily accessible location. Based on this principal Portal is a puzzle game in that you have to do any one of a number of things to get yourself/object through the course. Remember that the rules of gravity and momentum still apply. So, the speed and relative direction you have entering a portal is equivalent to the relative speed and direction you have coming out of the other portal. By this means you can reach previously unattainable heights and distances by placing a portal for instance at the bottom of a tall ledge, and one facing the direction you want to travel, then by merely falling into the portal at the bottom of the ledge your momentum is maintained through the other side, and carries to you interesting new places. Thats the gist of Portal. TF2 is altogether a much simpler affair in that it is simply a multi-player team based shoot-em-up. With a twist of sorts. Most games allow you to be one team or the other. Most games allow a variation of weapons. TF2 allows you to be different parts of a team, for instance, a sniper, a demolitions guy, a spy, a scout, a medic, etc. This adds an enormously interesting dynamic to the game by bringing all these skills together. It also allows players who aren’t good at conventional shoot-em-ups to excel in a style of their choosing! And that my friends is Portal and TF2.
Now, As I said, today was the day they released this barrage of magnificent gaming experience, and I being a dedicated gamer, and having pre-ordered the games, sat down this afternoon after classes ended at 3:30 and played to my heart’s content. I played and I played. Then I played some more. Stopping for a short time around 6 or so to get food. Then continuing this barrage of graphic godliness until about 9 when I had finished Portal, Yes, I finished the game on the first day it came out. Then, I spent a bit of time tinkering with TF2. What I am waiting for is when I get together with the rest of the gang. Because then is when TF2 will shine. It was originally and still is a magnificent LAN party game. I am waiting for that to really judge TF2.
Well, Dazed, Confused, Hungry, Slightly Dizzy, but most of all Pleased,