Salutations! My dedication to this endeavor is directly attributed to each of you that take the time to click on my Facebook post and read the contents of this. I thank each and every one of you! Any feedback via Facebook are very much appreciated!
The list so far:
-Day 1: Metroid: Other M
-Day 2: Batman: Arkham Asylum
-Day 3: inFAMOUS
-Day 4: Street Fighter 4
-Day 5: Rock Band 2
Now, Day 6:
Portal
-Xbox 360 (as part of "The Orange Box", also on PS3 and PC) October 10, 2007
This game was just a toss-in on a Valve compilation disc, in fact I think most people picked up "The Orange Box" initially for Team Fortress 2, which is also an awesome game in its own right. Others bought it to have Half-Life 2, a very popular and critically acclaimed PC game. The third game that was included was a fun, short little first person puzzle game that warped the minds of gamers everywhere.
If it was just the phenomenal puzzles and fun with physics, this game would probably have made the list on just those merits. Thankfully it was not just fun with science, the game was HILARIOUS. The writing was top notch. The in-game AI/torturer GLaDOS has some of the funniest one-liners I have ever heard. That evil, manipulative, cold hearted, sarcastic AI treats you like a guinea pig in her grand experiment.
Back to the gameplay, it was a great twist to take an engine used for first person shooters and apply it to a puzzle game with those wonderful portals. It is very difficult to describe the various and insane things you can do with a pair of teleporting portals in this game. (I just sat here for the last half hour trying to do so) It is a game you need to experience to understand.
Another thing that I loved was the unintentional multiplayer that would occur while playing the game. If a friend or significant other is watching you play Portal, they watch and catch on and will see the puzzle or situation differently. Eventually you will probably hand them the controller and let them execute their idea. There is a very extreme level of abstract thinking required to progress through the game, and like many things two heads are better than one.
I loved this game so much that I have hesitated to play the sequel that came out this year. Why?
It's kinda because I had such a great time playing the original and even if the sequel is just as good, in some weird way I feel that it would tarnish the memory of my play through of the original. Weird thinking? Yes, but it's my brain, not yours.
You are probably thinking, "Why do you play ANY sequels if you think this way?" I have a reasoned response. THIS particular game was short and self contained in my opinion. I think it was not intended to have a sequel since it was a tossed-in side project on a compilation disc that ended up gaining a feverish following. It told a great story with tremendous gameplay, so great that it gained a spot in my top 25. Other games are built to have an eventual sequel or has a universe/story that can lend itself to a logical sequel. This game was NOT one of those games in MY opinion.
Tomorrow we hit the other entry from 2007 as we travel chronologically backwards down the NOT top 10 or "honorable mentions".
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