The Orange Box: Portal - Gen. Discussion - Companion Cubes For Sale Soon!

[quote name='PyroGamer']Hmm, I only have this out for the next four days (got a free rental, and they were all out of CoD4... not that I'd rather have CoD4, it's just I don't expect to be able to finish much of the orange box in five days)... I haven't played Half Life 2 yet (Half Life 1, yes)... should I play through Half Life 2 before going on to the Episodes, or since I only have four days, should I just focus on finishing the episodes, and will I really miss much?[/quote]
Half-Life 2 is really not that long of game, I finished it in about 3 days... took me 13 hours, and I went out of my way to get a lot of the achievements (even the Lambda cache one.) Stop posting, and get to playing already... you can do it.
 
i feel like this game was way too hyped up for me. it was damn good, but i still felt like it was missing something
the whole escape part i thought was annoying I would liked more simple test chambers, ending song and last boss was awesome though
 
I have to jump on the bandwagon and say that I absolutely love this game. Although I'm having a bitch of a time on the advanced version of 18
(damn four turret room)
, the original run through was one of the more satisfying game plays of my life. Great stuff.

I will have a companion cube. If it'll have me back...
 
[quote name='AshesofWake']i feel like this game was way too hyped up for me. it was damn good, but i still felt like it was missing something
the whole escape part i thought was annoying I would liked more simple test chambers, ending song and last boss was awesome though
[/quote]

I think part of the reason a lot of us absolutely loved it was because it WASN'T hyped up for us. Now that it has been out a while and gotten a huge response, you have expectations and they probably affect how you feel about the game once you play it.

When I first picked it up, I had no idea that the game went beyond being a simple puzzle game or that it had anything to do with the Half-Life 2 universe. The fact that the game was so much more than I expected and so well paced and written and... well EVERYTHING... is part of why I was so blown away. Things are always better when you expect less and get more than vice-versa which is why sometimes hype really sucks and can ruin a game that is otherwise quite good (Bioshock anyone?).
 
Finished Portal last night, absolutely loved it.
The last boss taunting you and the song were funny as hell, also the little phrases the computer says out loud through the tests were very funny.
 
I just threw one portal on the far wall (past the railing) and one on the wall to the right. Throw the second portal a little bit ahead and below you.
 
[quote name='SpreadTheWord']I just threw one portal on the far wall (past the railing) and one on the wall to the right. Throw the second portal a little bit ahead and below you.[/QUOTE]
I've been trying that but I can't get it right. I'll keep trying because I'm so close to finishing the game. But TF2 is taking my time now. I suck royally but it's freakin' awesome. Halo what now???
 
I FINALLY got a chance to play this - holy shit it's like the best game ever. I'm on level 16 right now and I've been playing just under 2 hours. It has been some of the most memorable gameplay in ages. They just have to make a sequel.
 
[quote name='javeryh']I FINALLY got a chance to play this - holy shit it's like the best game ever. I'm on level 16 right now and I've been playing just under 2 hours. It has been some of the most memorable gameplay in ages. They just have to make a sequel.[/quote]The best is yet to come.
 
I loved the game but I wish it was a bit harder. I breezed through all the main levels, all the advanced missions, and got a few gold medals in under 3 hours. Way too easy. Hopefully the sequel will have some higher difficulty settings.
 
Played through Portal last week. Enjoyed it, but think it didn't quite live up to all the hype. Probably an 8.5 from me. Haven't tackled anything else on Orange Box yet as I moved on to Call of Duty 4 which is just picked up Wednesday.

Will play that till I tire of it, then decide whether to fire up Half Life 2 or Mass Effect next.
 
[quote name='Morpheus']I loved the game but I wish it was a bit harder. I breezed through all the main levels, all the advanced missions, and got a few gold medals in under 3 hours. Way too easy. Hopefully the sequel will have some higher difficulty settings.[/quote]


Well if valve realizes its potential, Half Life Ep. 2 revealed that you'll see more of Glados and Portal in Ep. 3 that will be realeased Probably in 08 or...Eventually.

Dont know about an actual Sequal in itself, But you can always hope.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Really, now I'm curious as to how you did that then. I thought the way I did it for sure was the only way...it ended up being extremely easy though once I figured it out. Here's how I did it:

the lever that pushes out part of the wall so you enter the next room, ends up pointing up at about 45 degree angle, once it stops I put a portal in there, fell to the right where there's floor at the bottom, opened up another portal before I hit the ground and I was launched directly into the room ahead with the block....from there its pretty self explanatory.
[/QUOTE]

I got locked in the room and was able to get out. Here's what I did (if I remember correctly):

  • After taking out the turrets, I placed an orange portal above the glass window on the wall where you enter, lining it up with the platform that moves back and forth on the track.
  • I then placed a blue portal on the floor down at the bottom (near the water) and jumped into it, launching myself onto the stopper at the end of the track for the moving platform.
  • From there, I was able to jump down to the lower half of the wall opposite where you enter (the part with the switch, below the storage cube).
  • I fired a blue portal on the wall around the corner in that room and an orange portal on the wall that moves and angles up (the one you use to enter the chamber).
  • I hit the switch to angle up the wall with the orange portal, then ran through the blue portal to land back on the ledge on which I entered the chamber.
  • With the clock ticking, I ran over to the edge of the ledge, fired a blue portal onto the floor near the water, and jumped into it. I launched out of the orange portal, landing in the room with the storage cube. After that, it was the same as what you did.
 
I finally finished it last night. HOLY fuckING SHIT IT WAS AMAZING.
I was wondering why everyone sais it took 3 hours since I got to level 19 in about 1:45.
This game was seriously perfect in every way, including length. I will be playing through this again.
 
[quote name='Kendal']Any ETA on the cubes?[/quote]
The companion cubes have already come and gone on Valve's store site. They were available over Christmas. The companion cubes were $29.99, the big plush one was $99.99, but it was a donation to some charity, I think.

They're on ebay now for $100+.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Official-Portal-Plush-Weighted-Companion-Cube-WCC_W0QQitemZ170182998570QQihZ007QQcategoryZ363QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There's some on ebay for cheaper. Wait til Christmas 08 and the demand will drop.

Here was the link to the companion cube "fuzzies"

http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/productshowcase_WCC-Fuzzies.html
 
just started half-life 2 a few days ago. for that sandtrap achievement, it doesn't matter that you step outside your car to flip it over in the beginning of highway 17 right?
 
^That's not the part you have to worry about touching the ground. Its when you reach the beach with sand and have to jump from rocks and other junk on the ground. You'll know the part when you get to it.
 
[quote name='triforcer']how can you mess up? there's a counter to help you.[/QUOTE]


i didnt realize i had passed the camera, and it autosaved after i passed it.
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']i didnt realize i had passed the camera, and it autosaved after i passed it.[/quote]

I did that a few times - just save every 2 or 3 levels and go back if you miss one.

In other news, I think I'm done chasing achievements in Portal after I beat the last 2 advanced maps. The medals are absolutely sick. I tried the first room for under 40 seconds and I took like 1:30 and don't know how to do it better. Some rooms want you to solve them using 2 portals? Are they crazy??? Unless I cheat and watch the solutions on youtube I don't think I'll be earning 18 gold medals...
 
yea, i got some of the gold medals by finding weird ways to use the portal and falling in and out so i wouldn't add steps to my count.
 
Just beat Episode One. I had heard it was about 6 hours long, but I just finished it in exactly 2 hours, 58 minutes. That was quick as hell. I'll start Episode Two soon.. probably tomorrow night.

Regarding the crane in HL2, that's where I got my favorite achievement. I had no idea it was an achievement, either! I loved taking the big steel crates and swinging them around via the crane. I killed my third or fourth guy and it gave me an achievement called "OSHA Violation".. I laughed for at least a full minute.
 
[quote name='Scorch']Just beat Episode One. I had heard it was about 6 hours long, but I just finished it in exactly 2 hours, 58 minutes. That was quick as hell. I'll start Episode Two soon.. probably tomorrow night.

Regarding the crane in HL2, that's where I got my favorite achievement. I had no idea it was an achievement, either! I loved taking the big steel crates and swinging them around via the crane. I killed my third or fourth guy and it gave me an achievement called "OSHA Violation".. I laughed for at least a full minute.[/quote]

Yeah, it took me I think 3hours 7minutes... I put off starting Ep 2, and started COD4 which may end up being a prob since I havent put down the COD4 controller... I need to beat Ep2 though, so I know i will circle back sooner or later.
 
Good lord the last Advanced map was INSANE. I spent more time trying to figure out that level than I did playing through all of the main game. I finally beat it last night and I think I'm done with Portal for a while... time to finish HL2.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Good lord the last Advanced map was INSANE. I spent more time trying to figure out that level than I did playing through all of the main game. I finally beat it last night and I think I'm done with Portal for a while... time to finish HL2.[/quote]

I am still working on the last advanced chapter, i feel like its alot more trial and error than the other maps were. I know what needs to be done, but the method i am using is very tedious(trial and error), and i really see no other option.
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']I am still working on the last advanced chapter, i feel like its alot more trial and error than the other maps were. I know what needs to be done, but the method i am using is very tedious(trial and error), and i really see no other option.[/quote]

The last room took about 45 minutes even though I knew exactly what needed to be done. I was so relieved when I finally made it to the exit. The room before it with the turrets was VERY difficult... or at least the assinine way I went about it was - I wonder if there was a better and easier solution.... time to check youtube!
 
[quote name='javeryh']The last room took about 45 minutes even though I knew exactly what needed to be done. I was so relieved when I finally made it to the exit. The room before it with the turrets was VERY difficult... or at least the assinine way I went about it was - I wonder if there was a better and easier solution.... time to check youtube![/quote]

haha yeah, ive downed 2/4 turrets at this point. I understand its an advanced map, but its way too hard to judge the velocity without dying a million times to get the result i want.
 
The Orange Box should have been Game Of the Year IMHO. Beat portal and replayed HL2. now on to episode 1. :)
 
Just fired up Orange Box for the first time last night.... TF2 was fun, but I beat Portal in one sitting... That game was a blast... I suppose now I can shoot for the advanced maps.
 
I'm going to be starting Orange Box very soon, but I have a question- I'm dying to try Portal after hearing so many good things about it for so long now, but I've heard that it's "set in the Half Life universe". I've never played any of the Half Life games or episodes, so would I be better off starting with HL2? Will I get more out of Portal, or have a deeper appreciation for what goes on in it if I'm at least somewhat familiar with the Half Life storyline?
 
Portal won't ruin anything in HL2 for you and vice-versa. Play them in whatever order you want to. I had played through HL2 once before (on the original Xbox) and went like this...

HL2 -> EP1 -> EP2 -> Portal

I read somewhere that Portal is referenced in HL2 EP2 but if it is, it's nothing major that would ruin either story.
 
OK, cool. As long as Portal stands on it's own and you don't need to know anything about Half Life to enjoy it, that will definitely be the first thing I play in Orange Box. Thanks guys.
 
Definitely play Portal NOW!!! Everyone who loves games should experience this. I played it first (I'm going through HL2 now) and there was no previous knowledge needed.
 
Just got a 360 on Friday, and Portal was the very first thing I wanted to play. About to finish it (have been distracted by HL2) and really have enjoyed it. Looking forward to the advanced levels.

I tried to find every way I could not to incinerate my companion cube, to no avail. Afterward, I cried. The achievement helped ease my pain.
:cry:
 
[quote name='Tybee']
I tried to find every way I could not to incinerate my companion cube, to no avail. Afterward, I cried. The achievement helped ease my pain.
:cry:[/QUOTE]
What?
You mean you incinerated it??!?!
YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU REALIZE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SET IT ON THE LEDGE?



I'm just messin' with you. I did that to my brother (made him think he could have gone through it without incinerating her) and he got all upset.

Seriously, the Companion Cube is an even more emotionally attaching NPC than Alyx.
 
Talk of the companion cube makes me yearn for the Valve companion cube fuzzy dice I've been promised for Valentine's Day.

Going to love explaining those to everyone that gets in the car.
 
I just played through Portal and I gotta say it lives up to the hype and love. Anyone have a link to good copy of Still Alive without the lyrics? Its the version of the song that plays in the menu. I recorded it through my cell phone and edited on my computer and made it a ringtone. It sounds pretty good but I'd like a better version.
 
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