Still Alive: Missing the Point

July 20th, 2008 · 7 Comments

I just read that the Still Alive map pack (which evidently has been available free this whole time for PC) that is due to be released for Portal on the consoles is going to be missing the voice of GLaDOS. I recall when I learned a map pack was coming being super excited for a “sequel” of sorts to the main game, but now that I’ve heard GLaDOS won’t be voicing the levels, I feel it’s a big let-down.

Portal isn’t just about puzzles, as I’ve already discussed at rediculous lengths. Easily half (if not more than half) of the charm of the game comes from the mental puzzle of “what’s going on here?”

And with that missing from the map-pack addition, I just really don’t have any desire to pick it up and play it. Would it be too difficult to record some new VO for them? Even if there wasn’t any story? Heck, rewind things and make it a prequel to Portal, what with you running a different course while there’s still plenty of ASL staff around. We could see them getting in the way, and contradicting GLaDOS. We could see just how inefficient they are compared to her. Maybe we could live through the part where GLaDOS loses it and gasses the complex or something.

For me, playing Portal without GLaDOS is like peanut butter without the jelly. I just won’t be participating in this one. Sorry guys.

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Tags: design

7 responses so far ↓

1 Mike // Jul 20, 2008 at 9:25 pm

Wow, that really makes me sad. I was kind of interested in the Still Alive edition simply because it was more Portal… but without GLaDOS? Smells too much like a quick cash-in with no regards to the original product to me. I was hoping they would have at least tried to tie it in the original somehow (even just by extending the main game out a few levels).

Oh well. I shan’t be purchasing this now.
2 Will // Jul 21, 2008 at 7:08 am

Is it going to cost anything? I had read that Valve had wanted to release free content pretty regularly, to make people want to buy the original game. I don’t know if that’s the case here though.

Regardless, GLaDOS is vital to the game.
3 Mike2 // Jul 21, 2008 at 1:11 pm

I think Valve underestimated just how integral GLaDOS and the surrounding mythos made portal. Remember Valve started with the portal idea and then built the story around that, the story wasn’t the big draw. When the story became a seridipidous hit I think Valve was suprised at just how much we fell in love with it.

But anyways, the extra levels were probably part of the plan from the beginning, the game was a smaller project, and they probably had the idea to do more level after the initial release, before realizing how completely awesome the story was (or even having it finished).
4 Jamo // Jul 28, 2008 at 5:37 pm

valve didn’t create portal, they created the engine and published the game it was made by 4 (i think it was 4 might have been 5) collage students, who now work for valve, but valve is still awesomely epic : )
5 spitfire // Jul 28, 2008 at 7:06 pm

Actually Jamo, you’re incorrect:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbacular_Drop

The Digipen students made Narbacular Drop (the spiritual predecessor to Portal), and Valve hired them to make Portal.
6 Haze // Jul 28, 2008 at 11:49 pm

The flash Portal game was my introduction to Portal. It’s been a while since I’ve played either game, so I’m interested in going to go and revisit the flash game’s levels in 3D. It’s unfortunate that the map-pack does nothing for the story and doesn’t feature GLaDOS in any way, but isn’t really an issue for me. Thanks for the link; I didn’t know this map-pack existed until reading about it here.
7 Haze // Jul 29, 2008 at 1:27 am

Oh, it’s only the XBOX download that doesn’t have GLaDOS, not the PC. Recycled voice clips, but it does the job.

Looking forward to a true sequel/prequel… or some appearances in a new Half-Life Episode.