Portal

THE CAKE IS A LIE!!

This is the famous proclamation that is instantly associated with Valve's 2007 First-Person puzzle game Portal.
From a couple days ago until May 24th, Portal is free from Steam, to build extra hype for Portal 2, which has been announced.

Portal takes place in the Enrichment Center for Aperture Laboratories, also known as Aperture Science, which is the research corporation responsible for the creation of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, also referred to as the Portal Gun.
The two characters are Chell, the silent, player-controlled protagonist, and GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), a computer with artificial intelligence that monitors and directs the player. The only background information presented about Chell is given by GLaDOS; the credibility of these facts, such as Chell being adopted, an orphan, and having no friends, is questionable at BEST, as GLaDOS is a liar by her own admission.
As the game progresses, the player faces rooms of different difficulties, with a different combination of challenges in each room. The player controls one or both ends of the portal to get through them. The player is motivated by GLaDOS with the promises of cake upon completion of the 'tests'.
Partway through the game, GLaDOS takes a nasty turn, with challenges that have death risks. Also, at the end of the 19th challenge, GLaDOS directs the platform you're on into a fire, assuring you that the portal gun will not be harmed. Out of determination, you spot a way out. From there GLaDOS continuously speaks to you and taunts you, eventually turning to insulting you as you work your way to the main room where GLaDOS is located, and destroy it. The constant promises of cake cease and GLaDOS begins telling you that you missed the party and don't get any cake. The promises of cakes were obviously lies, leading to the proclamation, "The cake is a lie!" (Along with frequent scrawlings on the walls in blood saying so.)

I give Portal a 9.5/10, my only problem being that it's short - I finished it in under 4 hours. I love the genius uses of physics in combination with the portals. Portal is intriguing, and rather challenging. I liked it a lot. There are some twisted minds at Valve, and I hope they keep it up.


A representation of how the magnitude of linear momentum is conserved through portals. By jumping into the blue portal, the character is launched out of the orange portal and onto the platform on the right.


An advanced portal technique. The character builds up speed using two blue portals, to reach an otherwise unreachable area. The second blue portal is carefully created mid-air, after exiting the orange portal for the first time.

Grynder