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xx
Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships
xx
Alien Shooter - Revisited
xx
Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded
xx
Altitude
xx
America's Army 3
75
And Yet It Moves
79
ArmA II
xx
Armed Forces Corp.
xx
Astro Tripper
75
BattleForge
74
Battlestations: Pacific
75
Bionic Commando
78
Blood Bowl
59
Blueberry Garden
xx
Book of Unwritten Tales, The
90
Braid
xx
Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
82
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
80
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The
76
Chronicles of Spellborn, The
67
Codename: Panzers - Cold War
73
Cogs
64
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising
70
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
69
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
42
Damnation
66
Dark Sector
89
Dawn of Discovery
82
DCS: Black Shark
53
Death Track: Resurrection
xx
Delta Force: Xtreme 2
76
Demigod
xx
Drug Wars
71
Elven Legacy
89
EVE Online: Apocrypha
81
Fallout 3: Broken Steel
78
Fallout 3: Point Lookout
77
Fallout 3: The Pitt
50
Fenimore Fillmore's Revenge
xx
Final Fantasy XI: A Crystalline Prophecy
65
Flock!
80
Free Realms
72
Fuel
78
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
54
Gobliiins 4
63
Godfather II, The
72
Grand Ages: Rome
36
Grey's Anatomy
xx
Hannah Montana: The Movie
xx
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
xx
Helldorado
xx
Hinterland: Orc Lords
xx
Humans, The
xx
Hunter, The
xx
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
72
Killing Floor
xx
Larva Mortus
66
Last Remnant, The
20
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
xx
Light of Altair
75
Maw, The
79
Men of War
76
Mevo & the Grooveriders
xx
Military History Commander: Europe at War
74
MLB Dugout Heroes
63
Monsters vs. Aliens
74
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
72
Officers
xx
Orb and the Oracle, The
78
Overlord II
80
Path, The
88
Plants vs. Zombies
xx
Pool Hall Pro
xx
Pro Cycling Manager: Tour de France 2009
79
Prototype
xx
Railworks
xx
Raycatcher
70
Restaurant Empire 2
xx
Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer
73
Runes of Magic
xx
Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch
72
SBK 09 Superbike World Championship
xx
Scorpion: Disfigured
64
Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis
74
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
77
Simon the Sorcerer 5: Who'd Even Want Contact?!
86
Sims 3, The
xx
Smashing Toys
75
Spore Galactic Adventures
26
Stalin vs. Martians
xx
Stateshift
68
Still Life 2
42
Stormrise
92
Street Fighter IV
xx
Superstars V8 Racing
51
Terminator Salvation
xx
Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
xx
Three Cards to Midnight
70
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
61
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
xx
Trine
31
Tunnel Rats
xx
Up
61
Velvet Assassin
72
Virtua Tennis 2009
76
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 1: Fright of the Bumblebees
73
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 2: The Last Resort
75
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 3: Muzzled!
62
Wanted: Weapons of Fate
xx
Warrior Epic
58
Wheelman, The
xx
Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey
72
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
xx
WSC Real 09: World Snooker Championship
77
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
xx
Yosumin!
78
Zeno Clash
92
Street Fighter IV
90
Braid
89
Dawn of Discovery
89
EVE Online: Apocrypha
88
Plants vs. Zombies
86
Sims 3, The
82
DCS: Black Shark
82
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
81
Fallout 3: Broken Steel
80
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The
80
Path, The
80
Free Realms
79
Prototype
79
Men of War
79
ArmA II
78
Fallout 3: Point Lookout
78
Overlord II
78
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
78
Blood Bowl
78
Zeno Clash
77
Fallout 3: The Pitt
77
Simon the Sorcerer 5: Who'd Even Want Contact?!
77
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
76
Chronicles of Spellborn, The
76
Mevo & the Grooveriders
76
Demigod
76
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 1: Fright of the Bumblebees
75
Maw, The
75
Bionic Commando
75
BattleForge
75
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 3: Muzzled!
75
And Yet It Moves
75
Spore Galactic Adventures
74
Battlestations: Pacific
74
MLB Dugout Heroes
74
Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
74
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
73
Cogs
73
Runes of Magic
73
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 2: The Last Resort
72
Grand Ages: Rome
72
Virtua Tennis 2009
72
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
72
Killing Floor
72
SBK 09 Superbike World Championship
72
Fuel
72
Officers
71
Elven Legacy
70
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
70
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
70
Restaurant Empire 2
69
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
68
Still Life 2
67
Codename: Panzers - Cold War
66
Dark Sector
66
Last Remnant, The
65
Flock!
64
Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis
64
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising
63
Godfather II, The
63
Monsters vs. Aliens
62
Wanted: Weapons of Fate
61
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
61
Velvet Assassin
59
Blueberry Garden
58
Wheelman, The
54
Gobliiins 4
53
Death Track: Resurrection
51
Terminator Salvation
50
Fenimore Fillmore's Revenge
42
Stormrise
42
Damnation
36
Grey's Anatomy
31
Tunnel Rats
26
Stalin vs. Martians
20
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
xx
Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch
xx
Three Cards to Midnight
xx
Book of Unwritten Tales, The
xx
Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey
xx
Trine
xx
Altitude
xx
America's Army 3
xx
Hunter, The
xx
Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded
xx
Hinterland: Orc Lords
xx
Superstars V8 Racing
xx
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
xx
Yosumin!
xx
Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
xx
Light of Altair
xx
Alien Shooter - Revisited
xx
Railworks
xx
Astro Tripper
xx
Pro Cycling Manager: Tour de France 2009
xx
Humans, The
xx
Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships
xx
Larva Mortus
xx
Military History Commander: Europe at War
xx
Helldorado
xx
Warrior Epic
xx
Scorpion: Disfigured
xx
WSC Real 09: World Snooker Championship
xx
Up
xx
Delta Force: Xtreme 2
xx
Smashing Toys
xx
Raycatcher
xx
Armed Forces Corp.
xx
Pool Hall Pro
xx
Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer
xx
Final Fantasy XI: A Crystalline Prophecy
xx
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
xx
Hannah Montana: The Movie
xx
Drug Wars
xx
Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
xx
Stateshift
xx
Orb and the Oracle, The
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
|
| Portal |
 |
Portal is a new single player game from Valve. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and offers gamers hours of unique gameplay. The game is designed to change the way players approach, manipulate, and surmise the possibilities in a given environment; similar to how Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun innovated new ways to leverage an object in any given situation. Players must solve physical puzzles and challenges by opening portals to maneuvering objects, and themselves, through space. [Valve]
| PUBLISHER: |
Valve Software |
| DEVELOPER: |
Valve Software - Nuclear Monkey |
| GENRE(S): |
First-Person Shooter |
| PLAYERS: |
1 |
| ESRB RATING: |
T (Teen) |
| RELEASE DATE: |
October 9, 2007 |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Just as Valve's Half-Life 2 is the moody loner to Halo 3's high-school quarterback, Portal is smarter, cooler, funnier, and more sinister than almost any game this year.

100
Armchair Empire
Portal can be bought separately or as part of the Orange Box package – Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, and Team Fortress 2 – but either way you get one of the best gaming experiences of the year.

100
Four Fat Chicks
This will be remembered as a supremely important game, and a sublimely good one. Portal calls for a special kind of nonlinear thinking, creating a world around its puzzles. It features outstanding art direction, writing, and voice acting and an experience so tightly tuned that this couldn't be anything but a Valve game.

100
Four Fat Chicks
Portal, tucked neatly alongside four other games, outshines them all and ensures itself a place in posterity.

95
GamerNode
From beginning to end, it's hard to find something not to like about Portal. Everything from the gameplay to the presentation are top-notch.

94
AtomicGamer
Putting Portal into the Orange Box package was a great idea on Valve's part.

94
YouGamers
One of the best single-player experiences of the year.

92
PC Gamer UK
Portal is a magnificent puzzle game. The titillating wrongness of every solution and the wonky thinking required to get there make you feel like a space-folding genius, and yet you'll almost never get stuck.

91
Gaming Nexus
It may be the least hyped part of the Orange Box but Portal is a strong addition to the lineup and really stands out on its own.

91
Computer Games Online RO
Portal is a sum of contradictions: it’s an FPS game with no weapons, no human characters, no complex scenery, but one that uses a simple and incredibly fun concept, with a well thought-of story and accessible to people of all ages (given they have minimal notions of moving the character around with the mouse and keyboard).

91
2404.org
I was completely impressed with Portal. It’s a great game that’s innovative, fun, and contains a humorous storyline. My only real complaint was that it was too short, and I want more.

90
Cheat Code Central
It's a hilarious game that offers a completely unique first-person experience and forces players to use their brains rather than their blasters.

90
GameSpot
With delightfully unique gameplay and fantastically witty writing, Portal is a huge success.

90
Adventure Gamers
For anyone with even a modicum of action gaming ability, then, deciding to pick the game up should be a no-brainer.

90
Play (Poland)
The idea stolen shamelessly from Prey, masterful implementation and... you won’t know when these three hours have passed. Zipping through portals and placing them on the fly (literally) makes for loads of fun, and the authors spice up the play with quite a story that’s not immediately visible and all the more enjoyable when discovered. [Dec 2007]
90
Thunderbolt
One of the most inventive, original, and down right entertaining games you’ll play this year.

90
GameCritics
So Portal does its job within the Orange Box compilation, taking a brilliant left-field idea and successfully merging it with Valve's universe over an entertaining few hours of gaming.

90
Eurogamer
One of the most interesting and delightful things Valve's ever done, but also one of its least fulfilling. If only we had our own portal gun to bridge the gap to the first infusion of new content, perhaps we could forget it.

90
1UP
The more intricate the rat maze, the more necessary the reward -- part of Portal's sinister genius lies in the cheese-crumb trail it leaves. Puzzle solving is an end in itself, and the game's Skinner boxes (note that, like the computer intelligence pulling our strings, Valve remotely tracks player progress, indirectly seeing what stumps us) are supremely entertaining to crack in on-again-off-again sessions.

90
GameSpy
Ine of the most unique, funny and satisfying games of 2007, and we can't wait until Valve produces more of it.

90
GameDaily
Skilled players will portal their way through the nineteen levels in just a few hours, but this little puzzle game / tech demo provides plenty of entertainment and makes a great addition to The Orange Box.

90
VideoGamer
The simple ideas are often the best, and Portal, quite simply, is one of the best ideas for a game we've ever seen. It's fantastically realised, brilliantly executed, and had me wrapped around its computerised finger for two-and-a-half unforgettable hours.

89
PC Zone UK
It may be short, but it's a wonderful learning experience, forcing you to rethink rather base concepts of the first-person genre. [Dec 2007, p.68]
89
The New York Times
It is remarkable how many clever things one can do with portals.

85
PALGN
Portal is a compact game that manages to punch well above its weight.

85
PTGamers
Portal is really good. It’s an excellent appetizer for the likely future of the series, be it on a more intricate sequel, additional contents (that are already a certainty), or even the integration of the idea on Half-Life.

82
IGN
The idea behind Portal ends up being more brilliant than Portal itself. Regardless, we definitely had a lot of fun with what is there and appreciate the level of polish and thought that went into the presentation.

80
AceGamez
By anyone's reckoning Portal isn't a long game, weighing in at around the three to four hour mark. Those of you who do see this game from start to end though are in for a very special experience.


The average user rating for this game is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 1714 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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