Mod matters, with Ashton 'There's a mod for that' Mills.
Portal. One of the most ingenious and fun games to ever grace our PCs. Simple premise, unique take, well executed, and a catchy end-tune that spun a thousand YouTube spinoffs.
But after completing this magnificent game we were left with one feeling: Please sir, can I have some more?
And more you shall have! Thanks to, not Valve, but a team of aspiring modders behind the mod Portal Prelude which, as you can no doubt guess from its title, sets you back into Aperture Science at a time before Portal takes place.
Not that this really matters, the point is it's a Portal expansion, adding 19 new levels of play with one significant difference: the guys behind this mod are bastards. If you thought any of the original Portal levels were hard, you won't get far in Portal Prelude. And it's not because of any of the usual mechanics that game designers use to make games hard (aka let the AI cheat etc), but simply because some of the puzzles in Portal Prelude can be aggravatingly devious. Which is part of the essence that made Portal so enjoyable: this isn't a game for twitch-finger FPS freaks, it requires extensive use of your noggin (which, for some gamers, has become overrun with cobwebs).
In addition to wicked design the modders also lent their voices to the mod. This was perhaps a bad move, as the voice acting is terrible, but as this is such a brief component of the mod it can be easily overlooked.
The bottom line is if you loved Portal and wanted more, Portal Prelude is for you. Just don't say I didn't warn you - shave your head now, because you'll likely end up pulling your hair out, only in that frustratingly joyous puzzle solving way.
Issue: 117 | October, 2010