Portal 2

[rmoxon]

And that, I fear, is why they were added. To make the game longer. To pad it out. To make that ?39.99 price tag seem justified.

Well I disagree with that, the old test chambers were a vital part of the story, without them there would be a massive hole in the plot. They added alot to the back story of Glados too.

They were vital and I really enjoyed them, in fact if anything, I'd say the entire game was based around them and indeed the of the whole experiment.

[Supergoal]

Looks like horses for courses and strokes for folks etc etc etc.. with you lot.

[Golgo]

@supergoal: nope, we shall never back down until someone surrenders - lol!

[Charlie]

Well I disagree with that, the old test chambers were a vital part of the story, without them there would be a massive hole in the plot. They added alot to the back story of Glados too.

They were vital and I really enjoyed them, in fact if anything, I'd say the entire game was based around them and indeed the of the whole experiment.

I'm pleased for you that you enjoyed the old chambers (and I don't say that sarcastically) and that you feel they were integral to the experience, but I don't care too much for story and plot, not in Portal at least, as those two ingredients should be there to serve the gameplay - not vice versa - and I personally would have preferred a hundred classic white test chambers in a row, each getting trickier and trickier with the gradual introduction of new elements and subsequent new skills to learn and master.

I've still not beaten the game yet and hope it's a premature statement when I say despite running into some very clever puzzles I don't feel the game has capitalised on it's potential. I've certainly yet to meet the kind of epic and devious chambers I had in mind when the game was first announced.

[Mayhem]

Bought Portal 2 yesterday and pretty much played through the single player in an entire session, just replayed a few bits afterwards to get all the single player achievements. Yeah, that was a long session, about 10 hours in total stopping only for food, drink, and toilet breaks

I rather enjoyed it. It certainly gave another side to GLaDOS, I liked the old test chambers with the gels and they didn't outstay their welcome, as you tried to find the logic in getting a specific one on a certain surface and seeing how the structure of the environment worked. I found a lot of reward in nailing down the outside jungle of speed and leaps in one place behind all the locked areas. However I will agree that a few sections were somewhat hard to figure out, although I got there in the end on most of them, but I did have to look a couple up as I couldn't identify where to go next.

So the two most pressing conclusions to the saga in my mind are therefore:

->Open Spoiler<-

GLaDOS is actually a computerised version of Caroline. Which is a little chuckleworthy to me as only a few months ago did I decide that the computer AI I have in an online roleplay was a digitised version of a now-dead person. And said personality is partly based on GLaDOS. How the circle comes about! Evidently GLaDOS/Caroline saw Cave's deterioration and death as a result of all the testing work, and maybe that's why she takes great pleasure/delight in torturing the people who take part; she sees it as payback for what killed Cave. Remarkably, and thankfully for Valve's sake otherwise I might have gone on a rampage, she stays true to her word at the end of the game.

Chell is Cave's daughter. The clues are there, and that's the outcome I'm looking at. What lies for her outside now? Who can tell. We aren't even certain just how long she was under between games. And even the euthanised Companion Cube made it out. I was half expecting it to be a cake when the door opened again hah hah.

So... co-op. Someone can get the Professor Portal cheevo from me if they've already done it all (360). I'll be looking to try and sort something out if there are volunteers for such things in the coming days heh...

[Golgo]

Phew, Mayhem, that's an interesting interpretation re.

->Open Spoiler<-

Chell's parentage. I thought I was paying attention but I missed those clues. What were they? I thought her presence in Aperture had everything to do with the "bring you daughter to work day", which involved the potato experiments and "didn't end well." Thought this was echoed thematically by Chell's subsequent duty as carer of Glados-the-Spud. The inter-game comic also contained something about the Rat-Man being responsible for her presence there.

Anyway, clearly I'm intrigued by the story perhaps more than others might think healthy.

[rmoxon]

I think the story is good.

I didnt say any of those clues either but I like the world va;ve created with this, I also like the fact that they never feel the need to throw exposition/explinations in your face. The game flows along increadbley well and I think thats a credit to their story telling abilities.

Perhapse its all a bit too subtle for some, but its a game at the end of the day, not a film, and as Charlie says the story should propel the game forward, unlike him though I think this did that wonderfuly.

[Family Fry]

Best place for this at the mo.
Free 22 track OST from Valve to us and this says Volume 1 so hopefully there will be more, also some iPhone and Android ringtones on the site.

http://www.thinkwithportals.com/music.php

[EvilBoris]

Bought Portal 2 yesterday and pretty much played through the single player in an entire session, just replayed a few bits afterwards to get all the single player achievements. Yeah, that was a long session, about 10 hours in total stopping only for food, drink, and toilet breaks

I rather enjoyed it. It certainly gave another side to GLaDOS, I liked the old test chambers with the gels and they didn't outstay their welcome, as you tried to find the logic in getting a specific one on a certain surface and seeing how the structure of the environment worked. I found a lot of reward in nailing down the outside jungle of speed and leaps in one place behind all the locked areas. However I will agree that a few sections were somewhat hard to figure out, although I got there in the end on most of them, but I did have to look a couple up as I couldn't identify where to go next.

So the two most pressing conclusions to the saga in my mind are therefore:

->Open Spoiler<-

GLaDOS is actually a computerised version of Caroline. Which is a little chuckleworthy to me as only a few months ago did I decide that the computer AI I have in an online roleplay was a digitised version of a now-dead person. And said personality is partly based on GLaDOS. How the circle comes about! Evidently GLaDOS/Caroline saw Cave's deterioration and death as a result of all the testing work, and maybe that's why she takes great pleasure/delight in torturing the people who take part; she sees it as payback for what killed Cave. Remarkably, and thankfully for Valve's sake otherwise I might have gone on a rampage, she stays true to her word at the end of the game.

Chell is Cave's daughter. The clues are there, and that's the outcome I'm looking at. What lies for her outside now? Who can tell. We aren't even certain just how long she was under between games. And even the euthanised Companion Cube made it out. I was half expecting it to be a cake when the door opened again hah hah.

So... co-op. Someone can get the Professor Portal cheevo from me if they've already done it all (360). I'll be looking to try and sort something out if there are volunteers for such things in the coming days heh...

I really need that one, I'll drop you a friends request!

[Bort]

I read it as

->Open Spoiler<-

Chell is Cave's and Carolines daughter but they tried to hide her by having an Aperture Science worker adopt her. Caroline is merged/put in to glados to control her (similar to the personality sphere's but internal). Glados eventually takes control and turns caroline 'off' prior to Portal 1. As Portal 2 progresses Caroline comes back, glados learn she's back, learns from her then deletes caroline. I don't think there is anything as elaborate as the Major and the puppet master from GITS going on but I'd like to think that there was some bleeding from Caroline to glados for future sequel usage.

Golgo, It spread out all over the middle/latter parts. In portraits, comments by the characters etc. Also read the comic and look at ratman's art that he drew in the facility (either ingame or via hammer texture viewer).

If you don't fancy replaying it all you can listen to the dialog here - http://www.portal2sounds.com/#p=1 - Mega Spoiler ahoy

[Golgo]

Hmmm...I found

->Open Spoiler<-

the portait of a lady n that and vaguely recall hearing something about adoptions but I didn't make any connection. So is Rat-Man the adoptive daddy? And who pulled Chell back into the facility after Portal 1?

Maybe another playthru is in order.

[Bort]

Hmmm...I found

->Open Spoiler<-

the portait of a lady n that and vaguely recall hearing something about adoptions but I didn't make any connection. So is Rat-Man the adoptive daddy? And who pulled Chell back into the facility after Portal 1?

Maybe another playthru is in order.

->Open Spoiler<-

Ratatat is an Aperature Science employee that went nuts and watched what happened from behind the scenes. He's the one that drew all of the murals you find scattered around. Not sure if he is directly linked to Chell but he acts as a guardian angel.

Portal 1 was updated prior to Portal 2 with the ending changed. After the update chell was dragged back into the facility.

Edit, misread you last Q.

No idea. Could have been Rat man or a subordinate of glados. Shrug.

[Golgo]

->Open Spoiler<-

In the ratman comic wot I read he says, I think (read a while back), that he's responsible for her being there.

ps.: are we sad or what?

[Bort]

/me initiates a High five but you are too far away to connect. Forever aLoner.

[Charlie]

Beaten the game now (had no idea I was only a couple of test chmabers away from the end when I last posted) and was surprised at how short it was. Good ending though. Started co-op too which, despite my misgivings and wishes that Valve ignored co-op completely in favour of a bigger and better single player campaign, I have to admit is pretty enjoyable. Putting your life in the hands of your partner, and vice versa, certainly provides a different experience and many moments of comedy.

However I will agree that a few sections were somewhat hard to figure out, although I got there in the end on most of them, but I did have to look a couple up as I couldn't identify where to go next.

That's just naughty. Though in hindsight I kinda wish I'd turned to the internet instead of spending time meticulously exploring every nook and cranny and becomingly increasingly bored in the process. I must have spent at least 3 hours in those ancient and abandoned chambers.