Both Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat launch this week and you know, it might just be one of the coolest contrasts ever.
Thing is, one of the most annoying game-related stereotypes is the one that says "all games are the same." Most over the age of 40 seem to believe that every last game is about shooting something or killing something or jumping on something. What I find most compelling about this week's special contrast is that on the one hand, we have a game that freaked everyone out back in the '90s. Best of all, the new effort is a reboot designed to recapture the glory days, which – on the one hand – is bound to "support" the aforementioned stereotype. Hey, it's MK. Everyone, and I mean everyone , knows all about it.
On the flip side sits Portal 2 , Valve's new puzzle-oriented game that twists the mind and forces one to think on a different…well, plane, I guess. There is no shooting anything, and most will probably find that it's ingeniously designed. Puzzle-based at its core with just a wee bit of platforming, it'll challenge the intellectual problem-solving side of the player. Obviously, this form of entertainment sits on the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Mortal Kombat . Personally, I kinda want to lure the out-of-touch anti-game activists into a room, turn on MK, let them feel all vindicated, and then jump into Portal 2 and watch their heads explode.
Expect reviews for both games this week, but regardless of score, the contrast sort of helps prove that diversity is alive and well in this industry. An over-abundance of shooters can't stop that, damnit.
Related Game(s): Mortal Kombat, Portal 2
MK Kollector's edition for me 🙂
gotta add this for emphasis on how kool MK will be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrQ2pKMwQC4
A FREAKING MEN! And I do plan on getting both. As a matter of fact, I have to go and get em now 😉
i just bought portal on my computer and have been playing it for the first time. portal is so much fun. i cant wait for portal 2. i had to go and pick up a 360 controller to use though as i suck with mouse and keyboard. it also works with half life 2 so its a bonus there also. i never played the orange box so i didnt know what i was missing with portal. my computer runs it with all settings maxed and handles it pretty well. im sure i will need to invest in a video card for portal 2.
mortal kombat on the other hand i will have to wait on. i do want to play it but fighters are not my main attraction. its some old school greatness though and i do like mk more than sf. glad to see it making this reboot.
i look forward to reading reviews of both
What are your specs? Curious if mine would run the first one.
Hopefully you're getting the PS3 Version and getting the free copy of Portal 2 for Steam 🙂
oh you better believe i am getting the ps3 copy with the free steam copy. hearing about that made me check out the first portal. i always heard it was good but never tried it. i love it.
world my pc is
amd athlon II 630 quad-core processor with 6 gb ddr3 ram. its an integrated ati radeon 4200 graphics card. it only has 256 mb for the video but it is running fine with minimal slowdown. i know i can upgrade my system to 16 gb ddr3 max and i am looking into a video card but will have to upgrade the power supply.
do you play games with the mouse and keyboard? i just can not do it. i would love to have a way to make the ds3 compatible with the games but for now the 360 controller is way better.
edit: also i used steam to make sure that all my drivers were up to date. i was having a hard time finding the right driver for my computer and spore was running so-so. portal was the same. i used steam and updated everything and now i can max out spore, half life 2 and portal. i was also doing some research on my system and found that if i were to try to run crysis at full specs i would get about 7 fps. so video card is a must at some point. as it stands i now do now need an xbox 360 because my computer will play any of the games on there i cant get on my ps3, all 4 of them.
Last edited by frylock25 on 4/19/2011 12:21:31 AM
I can't play mouse and keyboard games, its useless, and pointless.
@ World. You don't need much of a PC to run P1. It runs on the 2004 Source engine which is extremely well built. It runs on my laptop without a real video card on high settings.
oh yeah btw, you do know you can use a ps3 controller on your pc dont you? You can even use bluetooth. I got a new laptop at christmas and first thing i did was hook it up to my tv via hdmi and use my ps3 controller to play crisis (yes i was benchmarking my new laptop lol)
Thanks for the tip Faraga, maybe the first will change my outlook for the second.
frylock25: with that kind of high-powered pc you don't need more memory, you just need a new graphics card.
That's the problem with most pc's you buy in the store, the cheap out on the graphics cards which is by far the most important component for games.
These both look like quality entertainment. And quite the contrast indeed.
I haven't been able to get seriously competitive with the MK's in the past, but this new one has me curious. The depth and balancing will go under the microscope. I'm not expecting VF or Tekken in combat detail, but I'm thinking it;ll have some quality goods to make it worth the time.
I still need to finish the first Portal. While I can't say I'm a big puzzle game fan, there's no denying Portal has a completely fresh presentation and play design that feels foreign, yet welcome, to the norm of everything else. It also helps that it's quite humorous.
I love Valve and what they've accomplished with the Half Life series. I'm hoping either Episode 3 or HL3 aren't too far away. It'd be a day 1 purchase for me.
I want both! Why, oh, why must I be a poor college student!!…Oh yea, cause I don't wanna work at a grocery store for the rest of my life. I'd love to support these titles, but I'll have to wait for the money to buy them.
I'm looking forward to Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat, rock on gaming.
Portal Kombat!
Nice one 😉
Scorpion has a sweet Portal to Hell fatality.
Don't forget HOW portal 2 is launching. The GLaDoS reboot thing, everyone playing one of 13 indie games to help jump start the release, which is now scheduled to be in 1 hour on steam.
yeah i have been watching that. people were complaining that they think they wont release it on time when the timer ends. if they do that would be pretty cool. either way i need to finish the first one and play the second.
looks like it got a midnight launch. should have had that anyway.
Replace MK with Socom and I agree.Mk is still just a stiff,boring and bland fighting game is it was when it first released in the Arcades about 20 years ago.Kratos can not get me interested in the game.
My impression of the previous entries of the franchise is identical to your own, and for that reason, my expectations are the same for this one. I don't care how much shock or gore is thrown at us in MK. If there's one thing the Japanese still remain king in, it is fighters. I'd take Tekken, VF, DOA, SF, and BB over MK any day. Could my expectations be defied? Wouldn't be the first time. Sadly my time for both fighters and RPG's has waned a bit over the years, though I still have a soft spot for them.
Ok, taciturn thumbs-downers, I shouldn't knock it until I try it (though I'm sure your your reactions would be the same even if I did).
I'm getting $150 Socom 4 FD bundle tonight with LPB2 ($30 off reg 49.99 for $20) with $10 towards Portal 2 ($10 off reg 45.99 for 34.99). So, I'm psyched about that.
DarthNemesis,
What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk…
HAVE AT YOU!
*that'll learn 'em for talking trash 'bout MK*
Damn. Damn. Listening to 'Choose Your Destiny' by the Immortals riled me up to buy a copy and a Kollector's edition strategy guide. Selling for a bargain on Play and Amazon [Play has faster free delivery].
I then continued to write a long review of how awesome the game was to realise I wasn't even signed in…and I didn't copy any of it…OH WELL. Still bought it. Now I can't wait. Noob Saibot ownage.
————
And yesh, this is a cool contrast. If you include SOCOM 4 which releases a by day then it's obviously more cool. Not cool for anyone's wallet though, very uncool.
I'm thinking these games will score higher than Socom.
portal 2 will be a 9.3+
@World: True, but there's a guarantee that I'm gonna' have alot of fun playing this game.
It's hard to admit but Socom: Confrontation was the most enjoyable online experience that I've had so far. Yup. Even more than my streak of dominance in Killzone 2 =P, messing around with friends on Halo, MGO & RDR, praise Uncharted 2, Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection & LBP, even more than the fun I had in Modnation Racers & COD4. I know. It's sad, isn't it?
@ frylock: I do need to try out Portal, badly. But I'm going to have to wait until the credit in meh bank account inflates again.
World Wins… Portality.
Skipping Portal 2 and waiting on MK though. But I still wanna read the reviews here of course. C'mooooon L.A. Noire.
Both of these sound great.
Sorry socom 4 but portal has taken your place in my game collection.
Yep, getting both for sure! Got Portal 2 for $54 from Amazon with a $10 credit for $44. I get a $20 credit with Portal 2 which I will use on Mortal Kombat. Very happy with Amazon and will continue to buy my games from them. There is a rumor that Portal 2 dropped down to $49 for a couple of minutes. I hope Amazon gives me this price guarantee. Portal 2 will be great as I went through Portal on the PC and loved it. Also, it will be great to get Steam on the PS3.
it might have dropped to 49 with the rest being shipping and the price would be the same. i have seen dumb stuff like that.
Yes Amazon has really started to get their act together, both in regards of service and prices. And their website is really good, with clever recommendations based on my browser history etc.
Play is about to lose one loyal, good customer in me!
It's a brilliant contrast. Truly different ends of the spectrum in terms of content and context. Of course, MK is banned here and, like many other games, I don't intend to pick up Portal 2 until a little way down the track. The latter definitely holds the greater interest for me, as I enjoy having to think about what I'm doing, rather than relying solely on reflexes.
Really can't wait to see the two reviews. It's an interesting year for gaming.
Peace.
game broke portal 2s street date so we got it 2 days early!
really enjoying it so far.
its definitely one of those different weeks, one old style game and one newer.
socom 4 releases tomorrow too, doubt ill get it after the pathetic beta and reviews, will see how long it takes me to finish portal 2 and when my MK arrives.
ive been playing army of two the 40th day for a while now, just reminds me why i enjoyed it so much!
its so open, you can literally approach each situation how you want, countless weapon customization, and i like the way after you choose a decision the game shows you the consequences, not like every other game that either leaves you hanging or has no consequences.
especially the boss battles, allot of games throw different enemies at you, but how you kill them is the same as any enemy in the game.
this though forces you to experiment, find what works best and exploit it.
unlike every other game you cant sit behind cover all day and shoot from there!
So Army of 2 40th day is worth getting? I played the first but I found the uber macho attitude disgusting, no less. Is that in any way toned down in 40th day, or is it as homo-erotic, "all american hero"-ish still?
No its still rubbish, this guy doesnt know what hes on about, your more accurate if you do the opposite of everything he says.
not exactly.
maybe rent it first, im really enjoying it though.
nice to be able to play something different for a change.
best part about the game is the agro meter and the way the AI reacts.
most games enemies can magically see you no matter where you are.
cough crysis 2 cough KZ3.
this though, you can get your partner to cover fire which makes the enemies focus on them instead of you allowing you to flank and take them out.
its much better when you have a friend to play online or offline with, though the AI works well enough.
its pretty cheap too now, i got it for 30 bucks brand new.
O, and Cavan1 do me a favor if your not going to contribute to the conversation dont bother posting.
i dont insult you so i would appreciate if you had the same respect!
kids these days!
Chill Cavan, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I know that Anon here generally goes against the grain and rubs everyone the wrong way, but that doesn't make his words any less important than anyone else's. But he isn't the only one that I've heard extolling the virtues of The 40th Day. I'd like to try it out sooner or later, but the rental store in town doesn't have a copy, and the only IRL friend of mine that had it traded it in a long time ago. So, I can't help you Beamboom.
I just get a bit tired of the near constant bashing of Anon. I mean, sure he's written some inflammatory things, whether intentionally or not, but it's generally good entertainment value. He's almost persuaded me to look into Alpha Protocol.
Peace.
What Lawless said.
Regarding 40th day, there's no rental of games here in Norway, unfortunately. It's "buy or begone".
Oh well, someday maybe. This year the shopping list is flooded with top notch titles already!
Beamboom, if you can find the game for super cheap, give it a try, but its not worth pickin up if its not cheap. I'd argue its just not worth it at all. The main draw of the game (its co op gameplay) is done much better in other titles in my opinion.
A lot of the guns kinda lack that oomph that a shooter should have and to me it seemed swapping guns made a minor difference, a lil bit more accuracy here and there.
The morality choices given to you on the game make a small difference but nothing major like a role playing game.
If i had to score it, I'd give it a 5.5 – 6. Its too short of a game. The story is barely there, which makes caring for any moral choices that much harder. I think there was maybe one moral choice i thought was cool out of a bunch of them. It did tone down the macho behavior they had one the first game, almost to the point you would think they changed the main 2 players. Whether thats a plus or negative is up to you.
Since where you live there are no rentals, i couldn't suggest you plunk down the money to buy it when there are plenty of other games worthy of your hard earned money. Hell, if you need a 3rd person shooter, put it towards Gears 3 or UC3
Last edited by aaronisbla on 4/19/2011 2:22:48 PM
Even though 2 out of the 3 big titles being released this week are multi-platform, it's truly a great week to be a PS3 owner. Not only are we receiving SOCOM 4 but both Mortal Kombat and Portal 2 have exclusive-to-PS3 features (Kratos and Steam). 🙂
Personally I would not mind if none were exclusives as long as the games are good.
If there were no such thing as exclusives at all I'd still chosen the PS3, and recommended it to others based on a few simple facts:
– It's got blu-ray
– It looks better than the competition (objectively speaking 😉
– Free network features
– For Bravia tv owners and Sony Surround (as I have) it merges into this setup with shared remote controls etc.
Plus stuff I don't know if xbox too has, like media server support and web browser. All in all, PS3 owners have every reason to be happy, exclusives or not. 🙂
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/19/2011 9:02:59 AM
"Most over the age of 40"?
I'm on the 30-40 range and many 40+ people I know are gamers of the Atari-Coleco generation and appreciate the different gaming genres (I know many who had played the Orange box and are into shooters, rpgs, etc).
I wonder if 20 years from now many of us will be referred as "the 40+ people who think the PS6 is a single genre console"!.
As a 58 year old gamer/collector, and even though I prefer my PS3 & all it's exclusives to all the other 34 consoles/handhelds I have, I'll still play whatever games are on whatever system.
Hell, I'm even thinking of getting a Etch-A-Sketch.
looks like portal 2 is gettng great reviews. it has 96 metacritic score. the scores have me interested, but the sixth axis review said the game can be beaten in a dedicated weekend with little replay value.
i was going to get socom 4, but all the people not using headsets on psn drives me nutts. the number of people using a mic in the beta was pathetic.
even in kz3 your lucky if a couple of others have a mic. the matches are much more lively when your teamates have a headset. met this kid with a headset, and we worked as a team. it was a blast. we saved each other from melee attacks, and scored in the top 2 of every match.
i wish more people would use a headset on psn. it adds to the online experience. it's not just a bunch of whining kids. i've learned a lot from my fellow gamers.
I don't use a mic or headset in KZ3.
Heck, I try to mute all of the chatter when I can in such games. As it's usually a bunch of cursing and loud breathing.
I just try and pay attention to what's happening in the field of battle by the mini-map. What spawn points need capturing. What objective needs a group of invaders, opposed to just streaming in one by one getting killed. I think if people just played smart they wouldn't need to do much talking.
It's a shame that people don't use their mics or don't have one. It truly helps in regards to team work in any game. Especially on KZ 3. Now there are times were you get people who just cuss left and right but that's what the mute option is for.
Majority of people on my friends list I met through online play with mics. It's a huge difference the amount of people who use mics on Xbox compared to PS3…which is sad…
Never played a Mortal Kombat game or a Portal game, but today I decided to go with Portal 2
Been playing Mortal Kombat for the past few hours… All I have to say is… Its freaking FANTASTIC! The story mode is the best I've seen in a fighting game, the combat is solid, Modes galore!
This is how you reboot a franchise! Congrats Nether-realm studios!
Any one want to add me on PSN? FFVIIguy is my ID
Last edited by Oyashiro on 4/19/2011 7:41:14 PM