Game Preview 16:Portal

Publisher: EA
Platform Available: PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: Q1 2007

Portal will come bundled as a bonus game together with Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. With these much content in one package, do not be surprised if you have to pay more. Anyway, back to Portal. Portal involves you wielding a gun similar to the gravity gun in Half-Life 2, but a more advanced type. With this gun, you will have the god-like ability to open portals (hence, the name Portal) on the surfaces of almost anything and everything in the game. Jump right into this portal and you may end up at the entrance of another portal. But the weapon does more than opening portals – you can lift up crates or turrets and move them about just like what you did in Half-Life 2. According to reports, the only enemy that you will be up against in this game seems to be gun turrets. With your 2-in-1 weapon, you will have to try to work out solutions to cross the area unscathed using the numerous items in the environments. The game is played in a first-person view, but that does not necessarily qualifies it as a first-person shooter (FPS) game because early impressions do not point to any need to kill any enemies (getting past gun turrets does not count). In fact, Portal seems more of a puzzle game masquerading itself as an action shooter. It is still unknown whether there are other weapons besides the said one. Physics do play an important role in this game, though. Overall, Portal does really look like an innovative and creative game that is original, but how far can this game creep into the Hall of Fame? It remains to be seen, but meantime, indulge yourself in the one and only screenshot.