Just picked these up, an hour or so in and I see why they are highly acclaimed. 80% off on Steam (came to less than CAD$5 for both).
Obligatory
I’ve been doing this for years now. Over the past ten years I’ve probably only bought about five games that were over £15.
Same here. Only 4 for over $10: The Wonderful 101, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, and NieR:Automata.
Reminds me of the first time I played Portal. I was really excited for the “hilarious song” in the credits that all the reviews were raving about.
Imagine my disappointment when I finally get to the end, only to discover that the “hilarious song” was just Still Alive…
I bought the game shortly after release, but within a week it had already been memed to death and back again. I hadn’t been disappointed that much by a game ending since the NES days.
I had the opposite. I played it about 6 months after release, I’d heard all the “the cake is a lie” memes, but somehow I hadn’t heard that song and it caught me totally by surprise at the end of the game. It was such a good experience.
The portal 2 song is good too, but nothing like the feeling of beating the first game and hearing Still Alive.
AKSHULLY Portal 2 featured two original songs: Want You Gone by JoCo, and Exile Vilify by The National.
The tiny piece of opera when ascending the elevator at the end of 2 truly moved me. Only game ever I’ve shed a tear on.
Portal was one of the best puzzle games ever crafted. It’s pretty close to being a perfect game.
It’s clever, funny, and most importantly, short enough to not overstay its welcome.
The sequel is also very good, but it’s significantly longer and the writing and puzzle design suffer as a result. However, the addition of the multiplayer mode was a very good decision and is without a doubt better than the single player mode.
If you haven’t played either, I highly recommend them.
To each their own, I felt like Portal 2 was better because of it’s length and storytelling. I recall single player being maybe 8-10 hours? Beatable in a single weekend, in any case.
A great reason is Cave Johnson.
They were both good, but not really long. I got portal one and two as a bundle and completed them in a single Saturday.
And you get two great soundtracks in the deal. I’d call that a triumph.
Then I better make a note here, huge success!
I bet it’s hard to overstate your satisfaction.
Good thing I’m still alive then!
Two of the best games out there, and they both still hold up, imo. The original also recently got a graphics upgrade to put it in par with the sequel, which is nice.
I would argue that the upgrade makes it look better than the sequel. The path tracing is really good.
I don’t think Portal 2 ever got the RTX treatment, but please correct me if I’m wrong, because I need a good excuse to play it again (and hold me off for awhile I wait for Half-Life 2 RTX).
Word? I’mma have to play Portal 1 again to check out the new visuals.
Just a heads up: it’s a mod but is listed as a separate game on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2012840/Portal_with_RTX/
It came out in 2022, however, so IDK why OP is saying “recently”.
For a game that came out in 2007, a 3-yo mod is “recent”. Mostly.
Catherine is also $4.99 for anyone who likes challenging puzzle games.
I lost the password to my old steam account and lost access to portal. Hm…
Better get in there now and add it back to your current account then, this is dirt cheap.
That, or take up sailing. Either way.
A few sales ago there was a deal for a significant Valve collection. I finally got the Half-Lifes and a dozen others for about £25
It’s there right now too, also 80% off.
Wait. I blacked out and my bank is missing numbers, what happened?!
Even better! They’ve since added TF2 and DOTA 2 to the bundle
They’re still doing that bundle? Fifteen years ago I used to use that bundle as an argument for getting my friends and family into PC gaming. “Look at how many games you can get for only $99!”
I managed to convince one person to ditch consoles, so I consider that a success.
Hell yeah that’s a success. Some legends are rebuilding server support for The Crew, but it requires a PC copy to modify the files. Back in 2014 I bought it on Xbox.
Longevity alone is a great reason to switch. The knowledge that a higher price usually means a better product; complete control over how good the game looks (which usually means higher graphics settings compared to console); a higher chance of being able to play offline to skirt mandatory updates, data farming, glitch patches and other attempts to restrict your choices of playstyle; and less chance of your purchased license to play being indefinitely revoked due to some decision the publisher made. Because, let’s face it, publishers are usually the biggest assholes in the game industry, and the consoles are just another way of enhancing their profit and control over developers and consumers.
They’re a great, convenient product, but all convenience today comes with a higher cost than money.
PC gaming is looking threatened, though. The pearly gates of Steam and Valve are getting corrupted by greed and control freaks. If Steam transforms, I’m not sure where everyone else will go. Perhaps GoG.
They’re always on sale
