80°

Interview: Portal 2 Project Lead Discusses Difficulty and Music Integration

Portal 2 is the kind of sequel that would generally have problems thanks to the surprise success of the first entry into the series. Not only do they have near-impossible expectations set by their fans, but they have the task of taking a game that was, more or less, a side game to the fantastic Orange Box, and transitioning that into a fully featured title. Luckily, Portal 2 is a Valve product, meaning it is backed by a team that fully understands what it means to live up to impossible expectations. Josh Weier, Portal 2 Project Lead, took some time off from showcasing one of the most popular games at PAX East to discuss how they balance difficulty within Portal 2 and much more.

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videogamewriters.com
plb5214d ago

Surprise success? I always expect great things from Valve.

BShea5214d ago (Edited 5214d ago )

Of course you do, and rightfully so. But I think few people expected such an amazing and genius title to be bundled in with the Half-Life episodes and Team Fortress 2.

dagamdagee5214d ago

I think it has more to do with Valve's recognition of talent. Their code has always been open to the mod community, and some brilliant games come from those individuals. Keep in mind, Portal was conceived by a group of DigiPen students, not Valve. I think that's how it came to be such a surprise.

killyourfm5214d ago

Uhhh, did anyone catch his answer about Half Life Episode Three.......WOW!

BShea5214d ago

Yeah... I found that answer pretty telling myself.

dagamdagee5214d ago (Edited 5214d ago )

I'm excited about the dynamic music details. Games that contain music that fits the themes always pull me in more than others. I especially like sound design that puts those nuanced details that engross me further.

SSX Tricky is a good example of this. I think that's the earliest title that implemented that sort of dynamic music/sound design -- to my recollection, I may be wrong. However, I was really impressed by how the music responded to my actions.

130°

10 Legendary Games That Still Absolutely Crush It in 2025

Discover 10 timeless video games from the past that remain absolutely playable today. From Chrono Trigger to DOOM, these classics have aged like fine wine!

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gamegeeked.com
anast42d ago

Simon's Quest is better than Symphony.

djl348542d ago

If you're gonna troll, at least make a legitimate attempt.

Levii_9242d ago

Hot damn that's a good list. The only one i never played is AOE2 and i never finshed Chrono Trigger but it was damn good.

Speaking of what's old but holds up amazingly well and plays like a dream.. i played Symphony of the Night for the first time in 2019.. yep that's right. It became one of my favourite games of all time that i replay almost every year. I couldn't believe how good it was. That is almost impossible for me with newer games let alone older ones. Truly a special gem.

LG_Fox_Brazil42d ago

That's a pretty fucking great list

__y2jb42d ago (Edited 42d ago )

The only one I’d disagree with is doom. It shows its age badly I think. After 5 minutes of play these days you put it down.

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120°

Steam's highest-rated game is now less than a dollar in the Spring Sale

Jack writes: "Yet again browsing the latest offers in the Steam Spring Sale has led us to track down the very best. In terms of price to quality, we don’t think that it gets much better than this. Portal 2 is now less than a dollar, and if you haven’t got it already, now is the time to pick it up."

TheEroica459d ago

Portal deserves to be one of steams highest rated games... It's almost tetris levels of perfect game design.

TheEnigma313459d ago

It's a great game, but highly overrated. But for $1, it's an amazon deal.

Friendlygamer458d ago

Valve should bring their games to ps5

Kados458d ago (Edited 458d ago )

Gotta love Steam. Just got Portal 2 for .97 cents CAD. Should have been $1.29, selected the bundle with Portal 1 and 2, which gets a 25% discount, already have Portal 1, so it removes the cost of that, and still applies the full 25% bundle discount to Portal 2. 90% + 25% discount.

Friendlygamer457d ago

That's sweet, I've been thinking about building a modest pc to play some oldies

230°

All the Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Given the medium's wild diversity, this primer of the essential video games everyone should try is a good place to start.

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wealthofgeeks.com
thorstein466d ago

.... from the 2000s (mostly).

shinoff2183466d ago

I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.

Cacabunga466d ago

Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1

Inverno466d ago

Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.

Name Last Name466d ago

I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.

Inverno465d ago

But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?

LucasRuinedChildhood465d ago (Edited 465d ago )

A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.

But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.

- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).

Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.

Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.

Inverno465d ago

I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.

AuraAbjure465d ago

Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.

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