Portal 2

[stormy]

Has there been any new info on Portal 2? I need more!

[K3V]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/22/x0...ll-alive-xbla/

X08: Hands-on Portal: Still Alive (XBLA)
A buzzing noise fills the room as you are shaken awake, bright lights bounce off the windowed walls of your 4 foot by 5 foot holding cell making them twice as bright. As you rise from your bed and adjust your eyes a timer clicks from beyond your transparent walls and immediately you can't help but to fear you've seen this all before.

Portal: Still Alive is the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title based on the critically acclaimed original found in The Orange Box from Valve. Those who were unfortunate enough to never play the original Portal are in luck as Portal: Still Alive is essentially the exact same experience but with a few added bonuses.
"With Portal: Still Alive, you're getting the original game that comes in The Orange Box," an Xbox representative told us. Experienced players need-not worry however as Portal: Still Alive will sport, "a host of new levels and new achievements." As recently confirmed by Doug Lombardi some of the new levels included are the maps found in Portal: The Flash Version map pack, currently available for free on the PC.

Explaining how Portal: Still Alive feels is harder than you'd imagine it would be. It would be easy to say it felt like Portal - since it is exactly that - but one key element was missing from our hands-on time: the sound. Forget the enigmatic pops and buzzing noises emitting from turrets, the metallic bounce of energy orbs or the whizzing noise of a freshly summoned portal; removing the sound made us realize how important the dialog was to Portal's success. While sounds will be included in the final build of the game (breaking news!) the noisy atmosphere helped to confirm one of our lingering fears: with no new audio from fan favorite GLaDOS for the bonus levels, Portal: Still Alive feels lifeless.

If your wish for Portal: Still Alive is extra challenges with a disregard for story than this Arcade release is exactly what you want as it controls as well as it ever has with an Xbox 360 controller. However, if the realization that the additional content will solely be based on gameplay with a complete disregard for an additional story then Still Alive may have you worried that the Portal train is making an unnecessary stop on Microsoft's Arcade. Portal: Still Alive is slated to release exclusively on the Xbox Live Arcade by the end of the year.

[YellerDog]

Is the game worth a shit played on a pad? There where instances on the PC rev where you're whippin' that mouse around pretty quickly in mid-air.

[K3V]

I thought the 360 version of the original was fantastic.

[Grave]

I had zero interest in the Orange Box on consoles, and it doesn't sound like this is gonna change that. Sad as it is, a little more fun dialogue would increase my interest in this by a whole lot.

[ElCapichan]

All the games in Orange Box control fine with a pad. In fact, I haven't missed using a M+K in a long time. The pad didn't hamper the Portal experience at all as I flew threw the main game without even a problem. I'm sad to here that Still Alive is just new maps and only new maps. What's the point in calling it Still Alive if the best part of the game isn't even in there?

[stormy]

I'm doing science and I'm still alive

[Tain]

People can play the Still Alive maps right now, I think.

http://portalmaps.wecreatestuff.com/

All the games in Orange Box control fine with a pad.

Team Fortress 2.

though we probably have different ideas of "fine". Mine involves the controls not making a class worthless.

[ElCapichan]

People can play the Still Alive maps right now, I think.

http://portalmaps.wecreatestuff.com/



Team Fortress 2.

though we probably have different ideas of "fine". Mine involves the controls not making a class worthless.

No problems here. Which class would you be referring to?

[Tain]

Scout.

The whole thing was one ugly, fumbly experience, though, and I'm not exactly new to console FPSes.