Once the synapses locked into place, however, I got totally sucked into this ingenious, imaginative, and frequently funny game. (Not sure I want to wait that long, though.)Īs I mentioned just the other day, it took a couple tries before I could get my brain to work the way Portal needs it to work (i.e. Gotta say, I'm majorly tempted, but I know if I wait a while, it'll drop to $20, and then to $10. That blockbuster sequel currently sells for $29.99. This generous giveaway is probably a Steam-powered effort to drive Portal 2 sales.
The one and only string attached is that you'll need a free Steam account and Valve's Steam download client.
(Speaking of which, check out Rich Brown's interesting hands-on testing of Portal on four different Mac systems.) Now it's free, free, oh glorious free! And not just for PCs, but also for Macs. It was originally part of Valve's The Orange Box bundle, then later a $20 standalone game. IGN called it "quirky, clever, polished, and presented with a spark of a subtly evil humor." GameSpot awarded it a 9.0 and an Editors' Choice. In case you're not familiar with it, Portal is regarded by many (myself included) to be one of the best games of all time.
Update #2: Steam tech support just tweeted this fix: "Please install the Steam client and try creating the account that way." Reader Robert reports that this worked for him! I'll update further if I learn anything more. My only suggestion is to keep trying, as I'm sure Steam's servers are overloaded. Update: Many readers have reported difficulty signing up for a Steam account. Specifically, from now until September 20, you can download Portal (PC and Mac) absolutely free. Just days after I finished playing Portal for the very first time (more on that in a bit), Steam is offering the game absolutely free. Again, if you get caught in these, the view simply drops to the floor, to make it look like you've been killed/collapsed - there's no blood, no gore, and nothing that parents should really be concerned about.Well here's some interesting timing. The other death, which is as violent as the game gets, is provided by giant, crushing spiked panels, which line corridors, and smash together to trap anything in between. At one point, you have to make a decision, and if you make the wrong one, the room you're in will be flooded with neurotoxin, which causes you to pass out in much the same way as a death, only this time, the screen has a green hue. When you've taken too much damage, the camera will drop to the floor, making it look as though you've collapsed, but there's no blood at all - although there are some slightly more mature themes at work here.Ī few of the other deaths are a little bit more unnerving. About as "violent" as things get is when a turret shoots at you, which causes your screen to develop a red hue. With nothing in the way of sex, no bad language beyond "hell" or "damn", and very little that could be classed as violence (there are no human, or even living characters to face off against in the game), Portal 2 is about as clean as they come. The whole game's fully voiced and subtitled too, which eliminates two other barriers - although the game's still likely too difficult for a child who has yet to learn to read.Ī puzzle game at heart, there's very little for parents to be concerned about in Portal 2.
Although it requires the use of both analogue sticks on the controller, the game's mostly fairly slow paced, so your child won't need to be a master of the gamepad in order to succeed. With a hefty dose of slapstick comedy, and a genuinely funny storyline, this is sure to go down a treat with kids - the only requirement being whether they have the patience to sit and think through the puzzles (or come and ask Mom and Dad). The game has a great learning curve, which helps newbies pick up the basics very quickly - but a lot of critical thinking is involved here, to say the least. It's this unique twist that's critical to solving the incredibly intelligent puzzles, whether you're directing lasers through them, dropping cubes into them, or even leaping into them yourself, effectively launching yourself off a cliff using a portal to gain momentum, and clear a gap. The gameplay revolves around a portal gun, which can be used to create a doorway to another part of the level - fire two portals, and you'll be able to reach the one by stepping through the other.