portal 2 Archive

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Download The Portal 2 Soundtrack For Free From Valve

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on June 6, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games

Being the nice people that they are, Valve is offering up the soundtrack score to Portal 2 on their website for free. They’ve also got up some ringtones in both Android and iPhone audio formats along with some previews to boot.

I can’t say I’m enamored with any of those ringtones to actually use them since they’re a bit noisy for me, but if you’re into any of them, they’re there for you. What I really need is a great short SMS notification sound clip because the iPhone comes with the worst noises possible.

The soundtrack itself is innocuous enough to use as background noise while you work, although some people might find the tracks with high pitched beeping and pew pews a little annoying.

You can hit up the direct link for the ZIP file for the soundtrack here.

via Official Portal 2 Website – Music.

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Portal Kombat Mashes Up Portal With Mortal Kombat

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on May 14, 2011Posted in: Video Games

These bros couldn’t decide what to get on April 19th with the release of both Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat, so they decided to make a game trailer out of both of them. It’s pretty amazing how well the two titles go together from the way both titles combine so well to the actual gameplay mechanics. I mean, fatalities that “think with portals?” Too perfect.

(Alright, so I meant to post this when Portal 2 came out a month ago (already!), but dropped the ball on it until now. Still, it’s pretty entertaining even if you saw it on April 19th and haven’t seen it since.)

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This Is The Coolest Portal Plush Toy I’ve Seen

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 28, 2011Posted in: Video Games

I wish I was as engineering-savvy as Jonathan Guberman because he and Leigh Nunan have managed to create the coolest interactive plush toy I’ve seen yet. Yeah, the Companion Cube from Portal is great, but it just kinda sits there, unlike the turrets in the game which have some adorable one-liners that really give it that human touch.

This baby has both a lift and motion sensor and responds to both with lines straight out of Portal. The only thing it’s missing is a laser and actual bullets. (And yes, it kinda looks like a white headcrab plush if you use your imagination, but it’s still awesome nonetheless.)

I want one now.

Check it out:

Interactive Talking Plush Portal Turret from Jonathan M. Guberman on Vimeo.

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This Is The New National Song From Portal 2

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 19, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games

With Portal 2 officially in stores today, we can finally hear the new The National track from the game, “Exile Vilify.” Unsurprisingly, the song sounds extremely mopey and downtempo. At least Matt Berninger writes about trials and “mind troubling.” That sorta sounds like what Portal is about.

Granted, I haven’t played through the game yet so I’m not going to comment more on the song in the game’s context. However, anyone expecting anything remotely resembling “Still Alive” needs to quickly reevaluate their expectations.

via YouTube – The National- Exile Vilify.

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The National Will Write A Song For Portal 2

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 23, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games

This news is from a little over a week ago and it’s not much more than a short announcement, but screw it, it’s noteworthy.

The National are writing a song to be featured in Portal 2.

I’m still a bit skeptical because though, yes, The National are a “buzzworthy” indie band these days, The original Portal’s signature song, “Still Alive, was great because it was written from the perspective of a whimsically evil yet fun ode from a sardonic computer AI. The only imagery The National conjures up for me is a mid-tempo soundtrack to moping.

I hope I’m proven wrong, but this news doesn’t exactly excite from the point of view of a Portal fan. The good thing is that Jonathan Coulton has already been confirmed to be writing another song for Portal 2. It would have been a shame if Valve dumped him in favor of a “bigger” indie rock artist.

“The inclusion of the original song, Still Alive, in the first Portal game was part of what made the game special,” explained Valve writer Chet Faliszek.

“For Portal 2, we wanted to extend the use of music. When Bug Music mentioned to us that The National might be interested, we jumped at the opportunity to work with them.”

via The National write song for Portal 2 News – Page 1 | Eurogamer.net.

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Valentine’s Day Gift Buying Guide Video From Apeture Science/Valve

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 14, 2011Posted in: Video Games

I did not know most of these facts about Valentine’s Day gifts.

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Buy Portal 2 PS3, get PC/Mac version free & Steam support

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on January 18, 2011Posted in: Video Games

Well shit. This is a pretty cool bonus for people who own multiple platforms. Why shouldn’t I be able to play a game on my PC, Macbook, or PS3 after I’ve purchased it once? It’s kind of like an early version of UltraViolet for games.

If I’m reading this right, you’ll be able to start a game on one device and be able to pick up wherever you go because the game saves are stored in the cloud. How awesome is that?

Obviously, the Playstation 3 version becomes the one to buy for everyone. Kudos to Valve for making it easy and convenient for the consumer. I hope more publishers utilize this option for their multiplatform games. It’ll certainly give me a reason to choose the PS3 version of a game for once.

On top of that, anyone who buys Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 will be able to unlock a Steam Play copy of Portal 2 for the PC and Mac for free by linking their PSN and Steam accounts. Portal 2 project lead Josh Weier explains that Valve has designed the cross-platform experience to be hassle-free: “PS3 gamers will be able to simply drop the Blu-ray disc in the PS3, link to their Steam account from inside the game, and all their Steam friends (on PC and Mac) will be visible and accessible for chat and game invites.”

Read: Buy Portal 2 PS3, get PC/Mac version free & Steam support- Destructoid.

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Portal 2 Co-Op Gameplay Walkthrough Video From PAX Is Win

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 7, 2010Posted in: Video Games

Now this is what I’m talking about.

Sticklers may point out that this Portal 2 extended co-op gameplay footage from PAX doesn’t show anything mindblowingly different from the very short teaser a couple weeks ago, but they can go stick it somewhere else. Something about seeing the game in live action makes the whole idea that they’re making a sequel to Portal more… tangible.

Watching this video, my mind began to race with all of the devilishly clever puzzle solutions that could be possible with four portals to play with. Plus, hearing GLaDOS deliver its acerbic, yet oddly charming post-test comments just brings a smile to my face. Like I’m coming home again.

Oh, and don’t forget robot hugsies.

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New Portal 2 Single Player Trailer Now With Stephen Merchant

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on August 24, 2010Posted in: Video Games

Nary 24 hours since my request for someone to call when something awesome from Portal 2 was actually shown, someone called.

It’s not quite a 4 portal juggling event, but I love the mood shown in this new single player trailer for Portal 2. Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) sounds absolutely brilliant as your new spherical companion, Wheatley.

Plus, I’d be lying if I wasn’t absolutely terrified during the last scene of this video.

<shudder>

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Portal 2 Co-Op Trailer Is What You Would Expect It To Be

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on August 23, 2010Posted in: Video Games

Alright, this trailer for Portal 2’s cooperative gameplay is incredibly short, but I imagine it’s exciting for the throngs of Portal fans out there.

I’m excited for Portal 2 as much as the next guy, but I’m going to play the part of jaded gamer dude and hold it in my pants until we see something truly cool. Call me when they show puzzles where we’ve got to juggle our coop partners with 4 portals on the fly.

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