I don’t think the cake is a lie and I’m Still Alive! Don’t get the nerdy reference? If so please do yourself a favor and download the now free copy of “Portal” from Steam. Portal was one of those quirky games that didn’t have a crazy amount of hype, but it certainly became a cult classic. This game pits YOU as the center of the story in a self-told narrative only to be passively directed by GlaDOS the A.I masochist.

Portal was simple and fun app created by the guys that made Half-Life 1&2. Originally this title was conceived by some students at the DigiPen Institute of Technology know as the title “Narbacular Drop”. After receiving much praise Valve Studios slapped the physics engine of Half-Life and even gave it a different story which many have grown to love.

I can say this game had a special place in my heart because of its ingenious and sadistic plot. You wake up in a testing facility for a rival technology company to Half-Life’s “Black Mesa” called Aperture Science. You are guided by the facility’s A.I. system GlaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) who instills the ideology that you will make it out using a ASHPD (Aperture Science Handheld Portal Gun) and will receive cake at the end of your journey.

The game consists of the player solving challenging puzzles by using the Portal Gun to open gateways between two locations and solve how to get out of each of the rooms. There will be rocket turrets, robotic guns, and deathly drops. The amazing thing about this game was its originality and the fact that it could tell a narrative without the use of traditional means such as cinemas and multiple character interaction. It is simply you and GlaDOS throughout the whole game.

This game has received many awards and deserves such high praise for being such a simple concept. There is currently talks of a new Portal game and I expect to see high sales for the sequel. Originally the game shipped alongside the Half-Life bundle “The Orange Box”.

Since its initial release it has such a cult following from Youtube Machinima spoofs to special Rock Band appearances of the famous Johnathon Coulton song “Still Alive”. Portal is undoubtedly a fan favorite. If you haven’t played it already, there is no excuse because for a limited time Steam is giving away Portal for free to commemorate the  anniversary of its release. Though the cake may still be a lie muahahahaha………..