Portal

Portal is a lot of fun, even though it is short. Total time it took around three hours to finish, but it is an extremely polished experience. The difficulty curve is just right. The first few puzzles are very simple, but that seems to fit with the setting. You are a lab rat. They can make no assumptions as to your prior experience or intelligence.

The ending topped it off well. Bioshock was an amazing game, but the ending felt very abrupt. 30 second movie and then BAM, title screen. Having a good credit sequence is a great way to let someone fall slowly down, reflecting on what they have just experienced.

In that regard Portal gets my vote for one of the best game endings ever.

My only complaint is that the level picker supplied with every Source game stops at test chamber 19, (slight spoiler)which is not anywhere near the end of the game. I went through it so quickly that I don’t even have a save game near the end, so I can’t jump in and enjoy the ending easily.

Hopefully we’ll start to see some challenging user created maps. This game screams for them, and that will increase its longevity.

Spoiler Alert:

Here is the ending, courtesy of YouTube. If you don’t plan on playing through Portal it is worth a listen, although it will probably have less of an impact if you haven’t gone through the game.