last night, against my better judgment, i played through valve’s portal on my brand new monitor. it was my second outing, the first being when i bought the orange box, and things were obviously less spectacular knowing what happens at the end. however, i picked up on some things while i had the wherewithal, not concentrating on the puzzles as much.

the universe created by the small, 10-person team is nothing short of awe inspiring. fitting the story into the half-life universe is something somewhat tangible when a team is put to the task, but the actual events that take place in aperture industries has yet to be fully appreciated, in my opinion. much of this has to do with the length of the game. writer Erik Wolpaw, who along with fellow writer Chet Faliszek of the classic gaming commentary/comedy website Old Man Murray were hired by Valve for the game, noted that “Without the constraints, Portal would not be as good a game.” and that, incidentally, is the key: the player can accomplish the game in an hour or two, and is left with many open-ended possibilities upon completion.

being that short of a game, not that much is said and is therefore easier to embellish (as a gamer) upon. think of dali’s un chien andalou when compared to melies le voyage dans la lune. abstract vs. linear. there is much more to say about dali’s piece than melies due to dali not telling us anything and simply showing it to us with blanks left to be filled in however one pleases.

this game is doing the same thing, and i hope it happens again… very soon.