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[Emitan]

Is that cast out already? I don't see it on iTunes or anything.

http://media.giantbomb.com/podcast/portal2spoilercast-042211.mp3
I don't know if it's on iTunes but Ryan Davis posted it on Twitter.

 

[GDJustin]

haha, just found a steamforums thread on it: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808714

Wow... this is an epic thread, ha.

 

[StuBurns]

Is that cast out already? I don't see it on iTunes or anything.

Their iTunes is dead with the website.

EDIT: Beaten.

 

[Dr.Palutena]

lol all the it's fake comments in that thread is hilarious.

 

[corn_fest]

what

What is going on here? Maybe this lends credence to the "Cave and Caroline are Chell's parents" thing? It doesn't really look like her, though.
Looks like that might be a robot, actually.

 

[thedrizzle34]

Everyone has been disecting the HL connection,but what about the L4D shoutout: ""Maybe I'll take up a hobby. Reanimating the dead, perhaps."

A new L4D2 crossover scenario in the Aperture labs would be awesome.

 

[EarsOfASnake]

Everyone has been disecting the HL connection,but what about the L4D shoutout: ""Maybe I'll take up a hobby. Reanimating the dead, perhaps."

A new L4D2 crossover scenario in the Aperture labs would be awesome.

Fighting the 'Mantis Men'.

 

[Evlar]

Everyone has been disecting the HL connection,but what about the L4D shoutout: ""Maybe I'll take up a hobby. Reanimating the dead, perhaps."

A new L4D2 crossover scenario in the Aperture labs would be awesome.

I just took that as a typically imaginative threat toward Chell: that even death wouldn't free her from running tests.

 

[thedrizzle34]

I just took that as a typically imaginative threat toward Chell: that even death wouldn't free her from running tests.

hehe Yeah, I agree that it wasn't meant to impact the canon, but I was amused at the possibilities for online over-analysis.

 

[NullPointer]

Just finished this last night, and just like Portal 1 I had a shit eating grin as the ending credits and song scrolled along.

I expected some actual spoilers tied to Half Life 2 (never played HL1) and came away a little disappointed, but that's balanced by cracking up every half hour or so at all the shit I was hearing.

I'd call this Portal 2 : Bigger, Longer, Uncut, with Ricky Gervais to help you.

While I loved just about every last test chamber, the game does have long stretches that can tap your will to continue. When you fist start you're trying to escape - then you face GlaDos and its all about shutting her down and then of course, you have Wheatley to deal with. But once you hit the older labs and hear Cave Johnson on the speakers you expect a real change or a new goal - but nope. Its just a bunch more test chambers. Eventually I found myself wondering what the point was in doing all of these tests - was I trying to escape? Was I really going to go plug GlaDos back in? Why do I care whether this place blows up or not? Wheres the exit?

So once I caught back up with Wheatley and found myself in test chamber 1, of 19, I couldnt help but wonder... "really? 19 more tests?", and had to take a break for a while. I mean, I know the tests are the meat and potatoes of the game, I guess I just expected more non-test related stuff once I found myself outside the main test rooms, and came to truly appreciate every time I was running around outside the classic chambers.

So yeah, it did kindof drag along and was missing that extra oomph to propel you forward, especially the whole period where you're carrying GlaDos around in potato form. At that point I was just going through the motions waiting for something exciting to happen.

One last bit: I absolutely love the game's clean visual look, easy readability and lighting. Valve seems to know how to not only create areas with huge scale, but make them.... how do I put this?... Boring? What I mean is that the majority of the visuals are clearly "uninteresting" things, in that you can't or won't interact directly with them - they won't support your portals, etc. And this is a very good thing. Instead of showering us in detail for the sake of oohs and ahhs, you're left with a lot of almost oppressively repetitious panels and design that keeps you focused on the interesting bits you can toy with. There are plenty of games with boring and repeated visuals, count on Valve to do iut best because they've done it on purpose ;P

Final thought after finishing the solo campaign - its a wonderful game, but I'd worry that people who aren't in it for co-op as well might find the game too pricey for the content. There is a LOT there, but at the end of the day its a puzzle game, and like answering a riddle, the fun lies in the solving, not in replays.

Next up? Co-op!

 

[Pseudo_Sam]

I disagree, but regardless, Still Alive wasn't 'canon' I guess, so I wouldn't weight too much on that.

Wait what makes Still Alive not canon?

 

[Emitan]

Everyone has been disecting the HL connection,but what about the L4D shoutout: ""Maybe I'll take up a hobby. Reanimating the dead, perhaps."

A new L4D2 crossover scenario in the Aperture labs would be awesome.

The Survivors finally find the last safe house...an unassuming shack in the middle of a field.

 

[StuBurns]

Wait what makes Still Alive not canon?

Glados is alive to sing to you?

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Glados is alive to sing to you?

She's alive in her quick save black box singing to herself.

 

[ultron87]

Wait what makes Still Alive not canon?

Well I'd assume that Glados couldn't sing a song if she was constantly reliving the last two minutes of you killing her for hundreds of year while shut down.

 

[.nimrod]

http://media.giantbomb.com/podcast/portal2spoilercast-042211.mp3
I don't know if it's on iTunes but Ryan Davis posted it on Twitter.

are there any coop related spoilers in this? haven't played it yet

 

[AniHawk]

Just finished this last night, and just like Portal 1 I had a shit eating grin as the ending credits and song scrolled along.

I expected some actual spoilers tied to Half Life 2 (never played HL1) and came away a little disappointed, but that's balanced by cracking up every half hour or so at all the shit I was hearing.

I'd call this Portal 2 : Bigger, Longer, Uncut, with Ricky Gervais's good buddy, stephen merchant, to help you.

fixed

 

[StuBurns]

She's alive in her quick save black box singing to herself.

Are you speculating or did they say that in the game? I thought Glados said something about you being the first thing she saw since you destroyed her, maybe I'm mistaken.

Regardless I don't think there's anything in the new song that implies she didn't delete Caroline.

 

[Emitan]

are there any coop related spoilers in this? haven't played it yet

They kind of dance around the ending of coop. I don't think it's really a spoiler, but if you want to be safe, just wait until you beat coop.

 

[Traumnovelle]

What is going on here? Maybe this lends credence to the "Cave and Caroline are Chell's parents" thing? It doesn't really look like her, though.
Looks like that might be a robot, actually.

I thought it was a statue (medieval/renaissance looking) due to perspective, but its hidden nature has me curious.

 

[Cartman86]

The Wheatley line where he says nothing happened in that big gap between Portal 1 and 2 was a joke. Basically "Hey this is what happened in Portal 1 and what happened in between doesn't matter so shut up about it!" They go into it on the podcast, but never mention that aspect of it. Perhaps it wasn't...

 

[NullPointer]

fixed

Hah! I was wondering, and relatively close to the mark. I've never seen the Ricky Gervais show so I don't know Merchant or his voice - but the timing and personality kept reminding me of Gervais. Nice.

 

[.nimrod]

They kind of dance around the ending of coop. I don't think it's really a spoiler, but if you want to be safe, just wait until you beat coop.

Thanks, i'll probably wait then

 

[StuBurns]

The Wheatley line where he says nothing happened in that big gap between Portal 1 and 2 was a joke. Basically "Hey this is what happened in Portal 1 and what happened in between doesn't matter so shut up about it!" They go into it on the podcast, but never mention that aspect of it. Perhaps it wasn't...

They specifically say in the podcast that nothing significant happened from Wheatley's perspective, he doesn't just list every minor incident though.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Are you speculating or did they say that in the game? I thought Glados said something about you being the first thing she saw since you destroyed her, maybe I'm mistaken.

Regardless I don't think there's anything in the new song that implies she didn't delete Caroline.

Just speculating.


Anyway, listening to the commentary in this game is almost as depressing as the Portal 1 commentary. Playtesters who played through Portal 1 were still going through emancipation grids in 2, not knowing what they were.

 

[Jags]

I'd call this Portal 2 : Bigger, Longer, Uncut, with Ricky Gervais to help you.

Are you getting confused between Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant or did Gervais actually have something to do with the game?

Edit: Whoah, so beaten.

 

[The Librarian]

While I loved just about every last test chamber, the game does have long stretches that can tap your will to continue. When you fist start you're trying to escape - then you face GlaDos and its all about shutting her down and then of course, you have Wheatley to deal with. But once you hit the older labs and hear Cave Johnson on the speakers you expect a real change or a new goal - but nope. Its just a bunch more test chambers. Eventually I found myself wondering what the point was in doing all of these tests - was I trying to escape? Was I really going to go plug GlaDos back in? Why do I care whether this place blows up or not? Wheres the exit?

I don't think Chapters six or seven tap your will to continue. I couldn't put the game done in those two chapters. Beyond Cave Johnson, learning about the history of Aperture, and the awesome new mechanics, the main goal of Chapter 6 is to get out of there and back to the top, and to do that you have to go through the test chambers. At the end of Chapter 6 your goal changes somewhat, because you meet GLaDOS and you have to get to the surface not to escape, but to prevent the facility from exploding and possibly killing you.

 

[GDJustin]

I know it's been linked but I wanna reemphasize how good the Giant Bomb spoiler-filled Portal 2 podcast is. Great insights from the writers:

http://media.giantbomb.com/podcast/portal2spoilercast-042211.mp3

 

[NullPointer]

I don't think Chapters six or seven tap your will to continue. I couldn't put the game done in those two chapters. Beyond Cave Johnson, learning about the history of Aperture, and the awesome new mechanics, the main goal of Chapter 6 is to get out of there and back to the top, and to do that you have to go through the test chambers. At the end of Chapter 6 your goal changes somewhat, because you meet GLaDOS and you have to get to the surface not to escape, but to prevent the facility from exploding and possibly killing you.

That's the part that doesn't work for me. Why should I care if the facility explodes? I'd think I'd want to escape in order to survive, Aperture Facility be damned, and all the better if I escape and it blows up. Everybody wins! ;P

Since I felt no compunction to "save" the facility I was really hoping the last sets of tests would have some real game altering twists to them - as in, I'm actually looking for a WAY OUT of the test chambers, and not by way of the normal Exit doors. I kept looking for ways out but kept finding myself stuck and doing the same kind of tasks I was doing in the beginning of the game, and the middle of the game, only now I was being told it was because the reactor was going critical. It just felt a little shallow as I had no interest in shutting the reactor down - they could have said I had to go through the tests to liberate tubers across the Earth for all it actually mattered. So in that respect the actual story didn't add much to the experience - it was all about the characters and impeccably designed tests.

One other thing: I loved how much more active the test chambers were in Portal 2, with some chambers being finished right in front of your eyes. I was hoping that this was going to be expanded upon - maybe in terms of test areas that actually reconfigured themselves as you progressed through them, or having the same chamber re-used multiple times for different tests - and being able to watch the chamber transform each time. While it did add to the visual flair and make the test areas feel more "alive" in a twitchy robotic sense, I was hoping to see it explored much more as an interactive experience. Maybe DLC?

 

[Evlar]

I wanted to save it because the character was in it. Proximity to a nuclear meltdown isn't healthy.

 

[Pseudo_Sam]

That's the part that doesn't work for me. Why should I care if the facility explodes?

Er... so you don't die? There's no way Aperture blows up and you don't die. What stronger motivation could there be?

 

[Emitan]

That's the part that doesn't work for me. Why should I care if the facility explodes? I'd think I'd want to escape in order to survive, Aperture Facility be damned, and all the better if I escape and it blows up. Everybody wins! ;P

Since I felt no compunction to "save" the facility I was really hoping the last sets of tests would have some real game altering twists to them - as in, I'm actually looking for a WAY OUT of the test chambers, and not by way of the normal Exit doors. I kept looking for ways out but kept finding myself stuck and doing the same kind of tasks I was doing in the beginning of the game, and the middle of the game, only now I was being told it was because the reactor was going critical. It just felt a little shallow as I had no interest in shutting the reactor down - they could have said I had to go through the tests to liberate tubers across the Earth for all it actually mattered. So in that respect the actual story didn't add much to the experience - it was all about the characters and impeccably designed tests.

One other thing: I loved how much more active the test chambers were in Portal 2, with some chambers being finished right in front of your eyes. I was hoping that this was going to be expanded upon - maybe in terms of test areas that actually reconfigured themselves as you progressed through them, or having the same chamber re-used multiple times for different tests - and being able to watch the chamber transform each time. While it did add to the visual flair and make the test areas feel more "alive" in a twitchy robotic sense, I was hoping to see it explored much more as an interactive experience. Maybe DLC?

You were trying to stop it from exploding because you had no idea how soon it would explode and Aperture is MASSIVE. If it exploded it would be a cataclysmic event. No point in escaping only for the entire state to explode.

 

[2th]

while i enjoyed the game i think the lack of replayability is something i dislike. the coop is pretty boring after the second and third time. the story and gameplay of the single player was solid but i doubt ill ever play through the game more than twice. it was an easy 9/10 but i just wish there was more in it that kept me interested a week later. as it is now i wont care about the game come monday.

 

[derFeef]

Oh hey Dax, glad do have you here finally

while i enjoyed the game i think the lack of replayability is something i dislike. the coop is pretty boring after the second and third time. the story and gameplay of the single player was solid but i doubt ill ever play through the game more than twice. it was an easy 9/10 but i just wish there was more in it that kept me interested a week later. as it is now i wont care about the game come monday.

I really love to replay Valve games though, Portal 2 will be no exception. Still need a coop partner willing to go through it with mem though. My friends did not buy Portal 2 yet, those snobs!

 

[NullPointer]

Er... so you don't die? There's no way Aperture blows up and you don't die. What stronger motivation could there be?

Man, I knew somebody would read the first sentence and respond that way. Read a lil farther would ya? ;P

You were trying to stop it from exploding because you had no idea how soon it would explode and Aperture is MASSIVE. If it exploded it would be a cataclysmic event. No point in escaping only for the entire state to explode.

I think a little more exposition along those lines would have helped me out. If escaping was simply not an option to survive - that makes sense and provides a real sense of urgency and an understandable goal.

 

[ckohler]

Man, I knew somebody would read the first sentence and respond that way. Read a lil farther would ya? ;P


I think a little more exposition along those lines would have helped me out. If escaping was simply not an option to survive - that makes sense and provides a real sense of urgency and an understandable goal.

Did you not notice that as you're making your way through the early test chambers, you're going up? The whole point was not just to save the facility but to climb to the surface as well. When "The Fall" chapter begins you're at the very bottom of Aperture Labs. Throughout that whole sequence up until you reach "Weatley Laboratories" you are climbing up.

Also, you can't outrun a thermonuclear explosion. Dur. GlaDOS specifically says it's thermonuclear in nature.

 

[VGChampion]

The Cave Johnson section was great and I loved the atmosphere and the old test chambers but I did have a harder time continuing during that whole section. Think I took a few breaks overall in that area.

What I would have liked is less goo and more portals. Once the goo was introduced it stayed on. And my least favorite part of the game are those energy beams that are introduced after the goo. I just didn't have fun with those at all.

I have to admit though, I was hoping for Gordon and Alyx to come running towards me when I got outside. I figured with how big the story was this time, something super epic that really combines the two games would happen.

 

[thedrizzle34]

while i enjoyed the game i think the lack of replayability is something i dislike. the coop is pretty boring after the second and third time. the story and gameplay of the single player was solid but i doubt ill ever play through the game more than twice. it was an easy 9/10 but i just wish there was more in it that kept me interested a week later. as it is now i wont care about the game come monday.

but, you played the co-op 3x +, and Single player more than once, at least? I think that's at least up to the normal standards of replayability for a game without competitive multiplayer, and tons more than Portal 1 IMO, with any possible DLC notwithstanding. Though to be fair, I usually don't play games more than once.

 

[NullPointer]

Also, you can't outrun a thermonuclear explosion. Dur. GlaDOS specifically says it's thermonuclear in nature.

I can go to the motherfucking moon if I want to! ;p

But seriously I had no reason to think I couldn't get out and survive all the same. Your explanations make perfect sense of course, but in Portal its hard to feel completely grounded to such notions. It could've been just as likely that the game ended with me escaping as the facility went critical deep underground, or imploded into some wormhole for all it mattered. Just sayin'

And you can dodge thermonuclear blasts. I've seen Keanu Reeves do it.

I have to admit though, I was hoping for Gordon and Alyx to come running towards me when I got outside. I figured with how big the story was this time, something super epic that really combines the two games would happen.

Same here. Some kind of direct crossover that would have me cursing the uncaring sky that I didn't have the next Half Life game in my hands. Well, cursing more than usual that is.

 

[f0rk]

while i enjoyed the game i think the lack of replayability is something i dislike. the coop is pretty boring after the second and third time. the story and gameplay of the single player was solid but i doubt ill ever play through the game more than twice. it was an easy 9/10 but i just wish there was more in it that kept me interested a week later. as it is now i wont care about the game come monday.

It has replayablity just not immediate. In 6 months when the puzzles have faded it should be fun again.

 

[Dr.Palutena]

Man, I knew somebody would read the first sentence and respond that way. Read a lil farther would ya? ;P


I think a little more exposition along those lines would have helped me out. If escaping was simply not an option to survive - that makes sense and provides a real sense of urgency and an understandable goal.

well with all the inaccesible and non-functioning "elevator to surface" you encounter in the old part of aperture it's pretty much implied going though wheatley is the only way out. Also as said Aperture science is shown to be huge ( even not including the old parts) an explosion of it would take you out even after escaping to surface unless you could get really far away.

 

[Hot Coldman]

An early actually-laugh-out-loud moment I only just remembered: the smooth jazz part.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Playing through the commentary. I just got to the part where Wheatley breaks you out of the test chamber before the "surprise." During the breakout, I decided to see what would happen if you took up GLaDOS's offer to complete the last test. Pretty funny.

"Look, there's the deer. Why don't you get closer?"

 

[Evlar]

An early actually-laugh-out-loud moment I only just remembered: the smooth jazz part.

In the commentary they said the smooth jazz was probably the first joke written for Portal 2, because "according to the player testing it was funny to all nationalities and age groups".

 

[dLMN8R]

Man, I totally solved that puzzle "wrong" where you can cover the room in white gel. I saw the "correct" solution on Youtube, but I solved it by finding a small, cramped area where I could do one of those infinite falls. It's close to the angled platform. Then during the infinite fall, I shoot the floor to boost myself up in the air, then while in the air, I shoot the angled platform to launch myself up onto the exit walkway.

I knew that couldn't be the correct solution, but for the life of me I couldn't get the gel to crawl up the wall like I was supposed to do in retrospect, it's obvious though

 

[ckohler]

Man, I totally solved that puzzle "wrong" where you can cover the room in white gel. I saw the "correct" solution on Youtube, but I solved it by finding a small, cramped area where I could do one of those infinite falls. It's close to the angled platform. Then during the infinite fall, I shoot the floor to boost myself up in the air, then while in the air, I shoot the angled platform to launch myself up onto the exit walkway.

I knew that couldn't be the correct solution, but for the life of me I couldn't get the gel to crawl up the wall like I was supposed to do in retrospect, it's obvious though

Did the same thing on my first playthrough! In fact, I left that area and NEVER triggered the dialog from Cave Johnson talking about how he want's Caroline to run the place! Nor did I get the achievement. Only on my second playthrough did I get both. >.<

 

[Zomba13]

Fighting the 'Mantis Men'.

That's it. I want an early Aperture themed L4D2 campaign with the zombies modified to be mantis men.

 

[Hylian7]

That's it. I want an early Aperture themed L4D2 campaign with the zombies modified to be mantis men.

FUND IT.

 

[Hylian7]

Man, I totally solved that puzzle "wrong" where you can cover the room in white gel. I saw the "correct" solution on Youtube, but I solved it by finding a small, cramped area where I could do one of those infinite falls. It's close to the angled platform. Then during the infinite fall, I shoot the floor to boost myself up in the air, then while in the air, I shoot the angled platform to launch myself up onto the exit walkway.

I knew that couldn't be the correct solution, but for the life of me I couldn't get the gel to crawl up the wall like I was supposed to do in retrospect, it's obvious though

I did the same thing you did. Then I watched my girlfriend play and she messed around with it for a while (covering the entire room with white gel), then she did the "correct" solution. I had no idea how I didn't think of that.

 

[Laurentius]

gxk8T