Gaming Perfection?
Portal, to me, is the pinnacle of game development. It has everything that a great game needs, excellent gameplay, tight controls, great level design, a reason to want to keep playing, and great sound design and music.
But what sets this apart from all other games are the characters. The three main characters are all incredibly memorable, even though two of the characters never utter a single word. Portal manages to take gaming storytelling to the next level but taking it to an old school level of not needing endless dialogue to move the story along. The dialogue that does exist, though, is some of the most humorous writing and delivery that I've heard in a game.
Then comes what I think is the most important part about this game. The length. It does NOT wear out it's welcome. The second that you think it might be going on for another couple hours it ducks out the back and says "see ya later". That was a brilliant move by Valve. Ultimately, the length is the reason I've played the game more than any other game in recent memory. It once again hearkens back to years past by saying "hey, I don't have to be 40 hours long to be fun!". All those elements come together in a nice looking package that is the closest to gaming perfection that I've ever experienced.
No other game even comes close, old or new.
