Portal Review

 Pre-Opinion

I HATE PUZZLE GAMES. Games like Tetris and the like can get repetitive and lame fast. But love FPS games. Portal is a little bit like both. I got it for... less than 1.98$ (23% off.) A friend of mine had bought it for his switch and had enjoyed the games. I purchased Portal a few Steam sales later.  NOTE: All screenshots are from my playthrough.

Plot

The Plot for Portal is actually pretty straightforward. A psychotic robot named GlaDOS has trapped you inside the Aperture Science Labotories and puts you through rigorous tests with the promise of cake. But the lore is INSANE. Portal probably has the biggest lore base in gaming. (Unless its Halo.) 

An early test chamber with some turrets.

The lore claims Chell is a survivor of "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day." Where legendary villain GlaDOS gassed the entire complex with neurotoxin. This was shown in Portal 2 from some creepy graffiti and a line from Wheatly. Afterwards GlaDOS took all the survivors and made them go through the testing initiative. As you can imagine almost all the subjects... yeah, they died. so now GlaDOS has one subject left... YOU! The game begins with you trapped in a cubicle before you begin testing. GlaDOS puts you through quite a few tests (there are 19 in total.) And they add more and more elements such as: Energy bullets, Turrets, Acid pits, moving platforms, Cubes, And timed doors. In some test chambers you can find creepy hideouts.

One of the first hidden dens.

after 19 tests GlaDOS attempts to off you. In turn you begin your escape. I don't want to spoil too much of the story, so I'll let you find the rest out for yourself. 

GlaDOS

Also. Portal takes place in the universe of the legendary FPS: Half-Life. In fact, there are tons of easter eggs such as this:

A slideshow in an Aperture conference room. (Note the name!)

I always like a good easter egg!

Soundtrack

The credits while GlaDOS sings "Still Alive"

Portal's soundtrack is one of the best. The song: Still Alive featuring vocals by GlaDOS is famous even to being released for the Rock Band video games. If you want to know what the soundtrack sounds like check it out on steam HERE. its 100% FREE (You need a Steam account obviously). and it's really good as well.  I actually listened to the Portal 1 and 2 soundtracks while writing this.

Gameplay

Portal is a breed of FPS and Puzzle Platformer. The game is also kind of creepy. Here is an example of a test chamber: You need to reach a door on the other side of a maze-like area. HOWEVER, robot turrets block your way. in order to get past them that you have to portal above them and drop a block through your portal onto their head. Afterwards you have to go through some more turrets until making it though the final door to the exit. 

Dead turret.

The test chambers make you feel like you are trapped. 2 is significantly less eerie. Some test chambers are super easy, but others give you motion sickness. Some make you scream at your PC for 5 straight minutes. One chamber took me 20 or 30 minutes. All while playing this game you have a deranged robot with dark humor jokes talking to you as you progress through the game. 

Test exit

Overall, Portal shines in its gameplay and the fact that it constantly gives the player new challenges and elements to keep you interested so it does not get lame and repetitive like Tetris.

Post-Opinion

The post-credits title screen.

Portal is many things: Fun, Frustrating (At times), Creepy, Funny and Nauseating. But not Boring or Lame. Portal is a great combo of gaming styles like Half-Life. here are the scores:

PLOT: 97%

The plot and lore of this game speak for themselves. WOW.

GAMEPLAY: 92%

It is a bit frustrating at times but give it a break. the game is from 2007. The gameplay is where this game really shines.

OVERALL: 97%🌟

Portal is one of the greatest puzzle games of all time. Easy. And if you don't believe me? check it out on Steam. There is a free demo. It is a bit short, however. (I beat it in 2:30) Portal needs a 3rd game BAD.

Vampire Survivors Video Game Review.

 Pre-Opinion

Game's cover.

When I first saw this game, I saw someone playing it on Xbox game pass. I though... "All you do is move. That looks like a very meh game." But when I saw a friend playing it on Steam Deck, I had a second thought. I was getting bored of Halo and already beat Half-Life, so I was looking for something to play. This was on game pass, so I gave it a shot.

NOTE: Plot section is being left out. There isn't really any plot.

Soundtrack

Oh, the soundtrack.... it's really good. In its Steam trailer a reviewer says it's like popping bubble wrap to sick beats. This is pretty true. My favorite tracks are probably the Among Us ones. I really like the themes for the adventure levels and the early stages. I actually listened to the Among Us Polus Replica theme while writing this. The themes are all retro like going back to games like Castlevania (which influences this game A LOT.) But others are a bit more modern (Emergency Meeting) This soundtrack is a bit like saying: "They don't make them like they used to.

Gameplay

The gameplay is pretty simple. You start with one weapon and a few bonuses (You can purchase more with in game coins.) And you move around and use your weapon to kill enemies. these enemies will drop gems which level you up. after you level up you can choose to get a new weapon or effect or level up one you already have. 

Character Poe Ratcho with the King Bible and Garlic weapons.

As the game progresses new enemies will appear. For example: after fighting weak bats some tougher Zombies show up. There are also relics and other items that make play more interesting. There are also weapon evolutions that make them super powerful and mow through enemies. 

Character Morticaccio with Weapon evos: Bloody Tear, Hellfire, Death spiral and Vespers.

It gets out of control at about ten minutes in when most levels spawn massive swarms of enemies. After about 30 minutes the level ends. the game has plenty of secrets and unlocks to keep you interested for a while. Some items and characters downright stink though. The game's DLC content also brings a lot to the game. it's also nuts how crazy these levels can get.

Character Pasqualina using Santa water and Holy Wand evo to fend off the skeleton swarm.

Overall, I think the gameplay is good. You go from the top screenshot to this. That is nuts.

Post-Opinion

Character Antonio Belpase clears out bats with the Whip

I have put quite a few hours into this game at this point and bought the Emergency Meeting DLC and enjoyed playing it each time. My favorite part about it is how you have to plan out your attacks. you don't want 6 level one items instead of 1 level 8 item, do you? Overall, here are the scores:

NOTE: I am not scoring the plot.

SOUNDTRACK: 94%

A full set of retro styled BANGERS!

GAMEPLAY: 91%

The gameplay is addicting! I would like however if you had to do a bit more to control your character.

GRAPHICS: 89%

The game is lacking in animation. But that's reasonable when you have almost a thousand things on screen at once. the retro graphics are good, but characters have only 2 frames.

OVERALL: 95% 🌟

Bonus: Emergency Meeting DLC mini review

DLC Adventure screen

I bought this DLC because... Among Us. I thought... how would this work? But it turns out it did. It is pretty funny in game during the Sabotages: A long dormant volcano is erupting, and tourists are rushing in to see the spectacle. kindly press the button to prevent tourism. That is literally in the game. The Among Us weapons work really well actually. Particularly Connect wires and Emergency Meeting. (Both evos.) 

Crewmate Dino and Impostor Rina Hang out at the meeting table while surrounded by Shapeshifters and Ghosts.

The combo of two big games fits well and they weaponize over 5 tasks. I like what the DLC brings to the game and hope to see more game crossovers in the future.

Score: 90%🌟