Ben-DutkaPortal 2 is almost here and if you have any remaining questions, project lead Joshua Weier and writer Erik Wolpaw have the answers.
Jeff Rubenstein at the PlayStation Blog spoke to both Valve members, and you can read up on the detailed answers; they cover the basics first, which you should already know- "the best version" of the game will boast a free PC or Mac version, exclusive cross-platform PS3-to-PC co-op gameplay and voice chat, and various Steamworks features. Then they go on to talk about the much anticipated title, and the first question asked why The Orange Box for the PS3 wasn't also "the best version" available. Weier responded:
"We learned a lot from The Orange Box, which was ported to the PS3 by an external group. This time, we developed it in-house at Valve and made it a full-fledged PS3 title. At the time of The Orange Box, we just didn’t have any internal PS3 knowledge at the company. As we worked on Portal 2, two things happened. One was that PlayStation had a very open stance on their platform and they were willing to do a lot of work with us to make Steamworks on the PS3 a reality. And Steamworks is a huge thing for Portal 2 and for Valve in general, so that really made us want to work with PlayStation.
The second thing is, as we’ve grown the company internally, we’ve hired people who have experience at great studios such as Naughty Dog and who have a lot of experience on the PS3. They were able to look at our engine and make the required tweaks to make sure Portal 2 works really well with the PS3."
We remember Valve saying they wouldn't jump onto the PS3 bandwagon until they hired some PS3-oriented staffers, so we're not surprised at that second part. And once again, we see why "external studios" shouldn't ever handle ports ('cough' Bayonetta 'cough'). Make sure to read up on everything related to Portal 2 ; you know it's on your must-buy list this month.
Related Game(s): Portal 2
Just ordered mine today along with Socom 4. I also planned a sick day for Wednesday.
I haven't played the first because of the Orange Box port. Is it really that bad?
Its fine now, most of the bugs have been patched out. You should definitely play the first Portal, it is one of the best unconventional FPSs of this generation.
I never noticed any problems with Portal on the Orange Box.
The problems I noticed were the frame rate issues on the half life side of things.
Cross platform co op play
It only does everything!
D1P
I hope when valve adds more Steam games for PS3 they can add cross-platform gaming that would be fun and i would be able to play with my buddies my computer sucks it's old. :/
my computer is new and its still too old to play PC games at the specs they need these days.
I can barely play a 2d side scrolling game with this computer.
I won't be bothering with Portal 2 but I can see the appeal for sure. It's kind of funny how these devs that are supposedly all cutting-edge -great still need help from the REAL experts on programming like ND when making their games work on the PS3.
And with Steam on PS3 maybe there's hope for Left4Dead 3.
Yeah, i hope they add other games for PS3. Play some Left4Dead with some friends on PS3 kick some zombie butt.
World – Did you play the first one? Why so turned off? GLaDOS and the script are well worth a playthrough….as well as the fun puzzles.
I'm not a big puzzle guy.
I find it comical that the SONY console gets cross-platform play with the Microsoft based PC while the Microsoft console gets left behind haha
BURN! haha
not comical, actually common sense!
M$ does not want any 3rd party companies handling the online side of things, which is why steam has not come to the 360, and is also why there are so few MMOs on the system.
$E want FFXIV on the 360, but M$ wont let them handle the online side, and being a MMO its ALL online so they refuse.
probably a good thing, anyone using a controller would be sent home crying against someone used to a mouse and keyboard.
a mouse, now THATS how you play a shooter!
That's not true, i schooled plenty of people who are supposedly 'Godly' with the K/M and i completely schooled them. It depends on the person not the device you are holding.
No way, Clam. If you play against someone that relatively speaking are on the same level as you (level of practise, experience, map knowledge etc) then I'd have to see it to believe it. Why? Because of speed.
You may be as precise as a goddess with the sticks (although most will claim they have better precision with a mouse), but you will *never* be able to turn 180 degrees in a millisecond, or just as fast turn your head in the direction of a sound (if you got surround audio). It's just not possible.
Maybe if it's a two person match this will mean less (cause you pretty much always know the general direction of the opponent), but in a full 12 person deathmatch where people come from all angles at once this makes all the difference.
It's a shame that we can't play against xbox-players though. Imagine the intensity of those matches. 😀
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/15/2011 8:02:56 AM
Anyones granny can use a M/K
But it takes a practised hand to be able to pull off headshots with a gamepad,ie.more skill involved !!!!!!!
I don't see how it's not possible, is it just the ego of a PC gamer? It's completely in the realm of possibility, if you don't have accuracy that speed isn't necessarily going to save you. And that is true in a lot of situations unless you have a very bad player.
I'm not trying to dog on the PC, but it's completely possible, have you seen how people have the highest sensitivity and do a 180 so fast they kill some one? It's the person, not the device.
I really don't get why people think it's not possible that just baffles me.
And yes you might not be able to school everyone as there are different skill levels and such. I did my fair share of killing.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/15/2011 4:44:05 PM
No it's not any ego here, it's stating facts: We are not as mobile with a pad as we are with a mouse.
Just imagine if you had a pad instead of a mouse to move the mouse pointer on your desktop computer. Maybe you've even tried moving the mouse that way, if you've connected a stick to the pc. Try doing simple things like highlighting a sentence in a text, or moving an icon from one exact location to another with the pad.
Or actually, just surf the web on the ps3 using the pad and do similar things you'd do on the pc with the mouse. If you still say that there is no difference then you sir either got one hell of a pad control, or are incredibly clumsy with a mouse 🙂
I don't see this as being offensive to either part, it's just different equipment. Like in car racing games: Most agree that a steering wheel gives an advantage when driving in those games. And that's my experience too. Different equipment.
I'm not talking about on the desktop moving icons, i am talking about video games like First person shooters, you can do just fine using a Controller.
And like i said before it depends on the person, you have people that can't aim for crap on either console/platform it's not the device it's the person who's wielding it. The device might let you spin a 180 very quickly but it's up the player how efficient how he executed the move, not the device the device let's you move not kill, it's up to the person how well he uses it to kill.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/18/2011 6:30:37 AM
Gah, i meant the device let's you do the 180 but it comes down to the person who is using it to actually put it to use, something like that it's hard to explain. I'm not sure how to explain it i am horrible at explaining it.
But you get what i mean right? I've seen people use a controller so effectively the accuracy is like they were using a mouse, it's pretty crazy, so don't put aside the controller so easily. It might not work effectively on the PC because it wasn't meant for PC but it still can be used pretty well, you can kill people with a controller as easily as a mouse.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/18/2011 6:41:52 AM
There are good players on both devices, yes. I don't think we'll get any further than that in this discussion. 🙂
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cant wait to get this!
so nice to finally have a game that makes you use your brain a little!
hopefully this can halt the zombiefication of the human race, only if for a few weeks.
hope the rumors of it releasing early are true, im dying to fire up this bad boy!
o, and the cube edition comes with a rubix cube too.
how cools that!
I'd rather have the Companion Cube PC that this Portal fan built here:
http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/2435.html
What I always wanted to know about Portal2 is how large it is. Are we talking hours of coop play on new challenges all the way, or recycling of the same rooms?
I never played the first game so I have no idea about what to expect.
The SP is supposed to be twice as long as part one. Now the first time I played part one it took 2.5 to 3 hours. I was playing Still Alive on the 360 last night and this morning, finished the game in less than 1 hour.
The coop mode has its own story and is nearly as long if not longer than the SP. So no its not going to be recycled SP maps. There is a feature on it in this months Qore.
After watching some game play videos on Steam, I have to say it looks like they expanded on Portal quite a bit.
Tuesday is too far away.
Last edited by Deadman on 4/15/2011 4:57:57 PM
Thanks for the info! Another must-have title this year then… Wow.
Here's hoping there will be more of this kind of coop play in the future!
8 hours they say it will take the average player to finish it.
obviously depends if you figure out the puzzles quickly, sit there for a while, or cheat and use a guide.
then theres a totally separate co-op mode which is a few extra hours.
i just hope the puzzles are much larger this time.
portal was move this box here puzzle solved!
i wish they could be more like the garden level in GOW3, 10 small puzzles each feeding into 1 big one.
Pre-ordering on Steam includes Portal. On the PS Blog they asked if pre-order bonuses would carry over to the PS3. The answer was yes. Now that is another benefit. I imagine PS3 sales for this game may rival PC sales. only 4 hours left on the aperture site countdown. I hope the rumors are true and Amazon delivers this today.
Last edited by FatherSun on 4/15/2011 7:04:47 AM
Chances are that today will be the last test that all the PC users get to try to solve. If they are successful then Portal 2 will probably release early as has been speculated. Valve has really had a grand time inserting Portal and GLaDOS into a bunch of games the last few days, and all of them have been a blast to play through and experience all the changes. Having GLaDOS take over your Steam account and chat for you in conversations when you help solve a puzzle is just hilarious. This is pre-release buzz at it's finest.
The co op is independent of the campaign. I know the co op is supposed to be harder because you have two brains involved. Never played the first one but i really look forward to this. I think my wife might even like playing this game. Which is saying something. LOL. And the fact that i'm going to get a free copy of it for my mac is just plain awesome!!! Definitely sounds like it's worth $60. Think i'm going to scrap Socom and go with Portal 2 and MK. Toys R Us has a buy 1 get 70% off the second.
As of this post, current release date is this Monday at 0550 GMT. I've been doing my part today but my god this is a lot of gaming and loads still to do to get Portal released earlier. Time to eat, then back to work knocking more time off that release date.
Just had a go of Portal 1 on 360 a couple of days ago and I'm sold. Very clever puzzles that kind of do your head in at first, but overall a satisfying experience. Portal 2 is on my shopping list for sure…a very crowded shopping list this year…