Thursday, April 30, 2009

Xbox Live Arcade Essentials-- #10


For the next 10 days, I will be counting down the 10 best games on the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). Each day will be an explanation of what the game is about and why you need to go download the free trial RIGHT NOW. They are free for a reason, but these are all well worth the small amount of cash.

#10-- PORTAL: STILL ALIVE (800 MSP)

Portal: Still Alive is an enhanced, downloadable version of the critically-acclaimed puzzle game that was bundled in The Orange Box in 2007. This version is just Portal, enhanced with unique achievements and bonus challenge maps. 
Gameplay in Portal is controlled much like a first-person shooter, except that your only gun is the portal gun. From this gun you can shoot orange and blue portals with the two triggers and go in and out of either one. There can only be one orange and one blue portal at any given time, thus where the strategy begins. The first couple levels serve as somewhat of a tutorial, but the game gradually builds up and becomes increasingly complex until the final two levels, which really test you're brain power (but relax, they are doable if you just analyze it enough). Guiding you on your "tests" is a hilarious A.I. called GlaDoS. She might sound boring at first, be the writers gave her some genuinely funny things to say.
It might sound kind of complicated, but in practice it is actually very simple. Just check out the video below for a glimpse of what exactly is going on, then download the free trial for the 10th best XBLA game right after.



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