Portal | 
 enlarge | From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $6.99
You Save: $3.00 (30%)
New (12) Used (5) from $5.99
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 737
Format: Dvd-rom
Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Xp
Genre: shooter_action_games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows 2000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 9871
Model: 9871
UPC: 014633098716
EAN: 0014633098716
ASIN: B00140P9G0
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Pre-Order (0-0 Business Days)
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| Features:
| • | Award-winning, innovative gameplay | | • | The first first-person puzzle action adventure game | | • | Two bonus games introduce new play challenges | | • | Support for level editing and mod creation - build your own Portal puzzles | | • | Hours of single player gaming |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Your name is Chell and GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is a computer AI that monitors, directs and misleads you in a kind of twisted experiment. You must rely on information from GLaDOS to survive as you navigate through a series of mostly doorless rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device ("portal gun"). The portal gun creates two portal ends, both of which are simultaneously a potential entrance and exit. Objects, alive or otherwise, that travel through one end will exit the other at the same speed. Also, portals create a visual and physical connection between two different locations in 3D space. Their ends are restricted to planar surfaces, but if the portal ends are on nonparallel planes, bizarre twists in geometry and gravity can occur as you are immediately reoriented to be upright with respect to gravity after leaving a portal. You can pass through open portals at will, but barriers, known as "Material Emancipation Grids" or 'fizzlers' prevent you from carrying objects beyond them. Luckily certain objects, known as 'companion cubes' can be tossed through. Passage through these fields also closes any open portals, so it's important to look before you leap. It's your challenge to survive the hazards of the portals, including booby traps, hidden gun turrets and the treachery of GLaDOS in the search for eventual freedom.
Windows Vista/XP/2000 1.7 Ghz Processor [Pentium 4 Processor (3.0 Ghz or better) recommended] 512 MB RAM [1 GB RAM recommended] DirectX 8 level Graphics card [DirectX 9 level Graphics card recommended] DVD-ROM Drive/Mouse/Keyboard/Internet Connection
Amazon.com
Portal is an action/puzzle video game from Valve, creators of Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike. The winner of over 40 awards, including 15 Game of the Year honors, it is one of the most original games on any platform in years and offers gamers hours of unique gameplay. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal is designed to change the way players approach, manipulate and surmise the possibilities in a given environment; similar to how Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun innovated new ways to leverage an object in any given situation. Players must solve physical puzzles and challenges by opening portals to maneuver objects, and themselves, through space.
Use the portal gun to create your path.
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Every portal has two ends.
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Toss companion cubes through portals.
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The Story
Portal contains only two characters, the player-controlled Chell and GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), a computer AI that monitors, directs and misleads Chell in a kind of twisted experiment. It's not exactly a match made in heavenRegardless, Chell must rely on information provided by GLaDOS to survive as she navigates through a series of mostly doorless rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device ("portal gun"). The portal gun creates two portal ends, one orange and the other blue. Both are simultaneously a potential entrance and exit and objects, alive or otherwise, that travel through one end will exit the other at the same speed. In addition, portals create a visual and physical connection between two different locations in 3D space. Their ends are restricted to planar surfaces, but if the portal ends are on nonparallel planes, bizarre twists in geometry and gravity can occur as the player character is immediately reoriented to be upright with respect to gravity after leaving a portal. Chell can pass through open portals at will, but barriers, known as "Material Emancipation Grids" or 'fizzlers' prevent players from carrying objects beyond them. Luckily certain objects, known as 'companion cubes' can be tossed through. Once through these can then be used as the player wishes. Passage through these fields also closes any open portals, so it's important to look before you leap. It's Chell's challenge and yours to survive the hazards of the portals, including bobby traps, hidden gun turrets and the treachery of GLaDOS in the search for eventual freedom. Features- Award-winning, innovative gameplay.
- The first first-person puzzle action adventure game.
- Two bonus games introduce new play challenges.
- Support for level editing and mod creation - build your own Portal puzzles.
- Hours of single player gaming.
- Makes you feel smart!
System Requirements: | Minimum Specifications: | Recommended Specifications: | | OS: | Windows Vista/XP/2000 | | Processor: | 1.7 Ghz Processor | Pentium 4 Processor (3.0 Ghz or better) | | RAM: | 512 MB RAM | 1 GB RAM | | Video Card: | DirectX 8 level Graphics card | DirectX 9 level Graphics card | | Other: | DVD-ROM Drive/Mouse/Keyboard/Internet Connection |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Wonderful Game January 1, 2009
J. Cecil
Portal is one of my favorite games. The story mode is very fun to play through. The puzzles are all at just the right level of difficulty. They are not to easy but can be solved if you try hard enough. Many other reviewers have complained that the game is to short, and the story mode is. However, there are countless online communities where people can submit fun and challenging Portal maps to download and play. Because of these people, Portal is an almost limitless game. Also, there are many challenge levels that are built into the game. This includes fun challenges such as, "least steps", "least time" and "least portals", I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys puzzles or just wants to try a new type of gaming experience. Do not worry about the game being to short as long as you can download the many many Portal maps that are available for free online.
The cake is a lie.
 An great game for teens if M games are a no-go December 31, 2008
Z. Bray (Charles County, MD)
This game is part of the computer game pack, The Orange Box. The Orange Box has 5 games: 3 individual games and 2 expansion packs. The 3 games are Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. The Expansion packs are Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and Half-Life 2: Episode 2, both sequels of Half-Life 2. All of these games, with the exception of Portal are rated M. Portal is rated T. If you are buying Orange Box for the only game you think is appropriate for you kid, don't. Buy Portal separately. It will save you around 17 bucks. And you are still getting an awesome game
So secondary but so great December 16, 2008
R. Brown
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This came with Half-Life 2 when I purchased it (The Orange Box) and I have to say that although it seems like someone made this for the devs to have some fun while making the other games - it is a blast and is worthy of standing on its own.
A great concept and the Half-Life 2 engine allows for some real fun in physics while making your mind work through problem solving. Some solutions you have a bit of time to figure out and others are in the - on the fly or you die category.
Fun Fun Fun is the best way to put it when it comes to this game.
 Decent game, horrible install November 17, 2008
S. Simon (Seattle, WA USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
As has been noted by others, the installation is awful. I can't believe that I was required to open an account online just to install and play the game. I guess I will have to be more careful and review games in the future to make sure I do not purchase games controlled by Steam or any other third party vendor.
I would have no issue if Steam was voluntary, but this was not voluntary. It made my install take 30 minutes because I couldn't understand why my install placed Steam on the hard drive and not Portal. I uninstalled and re-installed the software, but instead of getting Portal, Steam was installed again. Eventually I realized I had to do a second re-install after Steam was installed to get Portal on, but not until the software directed me to setup an online account with Steam.
This is grossly unfair in my opinion because I deplore online games and am very concerned about my computers security. I do not like having third party software on my computer that connects to the Internet. Worse, you have to keep Steam on to play. In fact, it seems that every time I start up Portal, my computer connects with Steam, and sometimes I get an error that Steam's server isn't available. This is absurd since this is a single player game that I purchased on a DVD from a store. There is no reason whatsoever that I should be forced to open an account with Steam.
Needless to say, after I completed the game, which was decent, I uninstalled Steam and Portal. As far as system crashes, I had none. I use a Q6600 processor, 8 gigs RAM, 256 Meg video card, and Vista 64bit.
The game play is fairly intuitive in that you create portals to move from one location to another quickly. I did have trouble with one portion on level 18 in which I could not figure out how to obtain a block all the way across the room, and after an hour I gave up and did a search and easily found a video that pointed out what I missed. Other than that, I was able to complete the game, and I rarely play video games, so I think most people can do it.
There are 19 levels in all, and each level gets progressively longer. There is no penalty for dying, which is fine with me; you simply re-start at the last significant moment.
A number of posters complained that the game was too short. As a novice, it took me a long time, 10-12 hours to figure everything out and by that time, I had enough of this game. Once the game is completed, you can replay some of the same levels again, but they are re-configured to make them harder. I had enough of the game and Steam, so I didn't bother playing the re-configured levels.
Great game! October 27, 2008
Runa Zaman (Charlottesville, VA, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Portal is simply amazing. The characters, although really, there are only two (unless you count the companion cube =P) are very well thought out and really interesting, you'll get pulled into the story and won't want to stop until you figure out what is what. (And even by the end, there's still loose ends that make you really want more). Great game, great story, let's just hope to death that there's a SEQUEL!
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