The world has gone 8 kinds of ape shit for a 3 hour video game called Portal, and it’s citrus flavored container. Josh has scolded me on multiple occasions for not not playing it yet. He doesn’t understand that his simple directive of “JUST PLAY THE GOD DAMN GAME, YOU’LL BE SO FUCKING HAPPY WHEN IT’S OVER! FUCK YOU!” actually translates to “Go buy an Xbox 360 and The Orange Box just so you can play Portal, OR install Windows on your Mac via Bootcamp and procure the game via less-than-legal means JUST TO PLAY PORTAL! FUCK YOU!”
It’s more likely that I would drop $400 on a game system to play one game (I paid $250 for Wii Sports, didn’t I?) than it is that I would ever let a Microsoft OS creep its insidious creepy insidiousness onto my Macbook Pro.
Though I’ve yet to experience Portal’s glory hole game play magnificence, I have fully engrossed myself in Jonathan Coulton’s contribution to the title. Read more about “Still Alive” on JoCo’s site.
I play portal on my mac!
http://portal.wecreatestuff.com/
@Peter
Wow! That is incredibly cool. There goes my day’s productivity.
Productivity is so over-rated.
With all of the hubbub about The Orange Box, I downloaded and played the Half-Life 2 demo for the first time. I couldn’t finish because, after playing for a little over an hour, I feel sick. Like, really nauseous. BioShock didn’t do what this game did to me. I’m still trying to decide if I like it or not. The graphics are really slick, but… *barf*
@Dean: It’s probably the field of view. You can easily change it.
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Field_of_View
@corky
thanks for helping out. I assumed it was valves patented vertigo engine technology. Seems like the vommiting would just add to the immersive game play experience.
you didn’t make Jaba nearly fat enough
@Eli
Han, mah bukee, keel-ee caleya ku kah. Wanta dah moole-rah? Wonkee chee sa crispa con Greedo?
There’s only so many pixels. His girth can’t occupy ALL of them.
Plus, he’s more Pizza the Hutt than Jabba.
Have you ever looked at virtualization? For a fact, linux has had WINE, and WINE actually works quite well. I suggest you look up WINE with the Orange Box. Works great!
http://wiki.winehq.org/MacOSX
Read up there, mate. It's doable. It's doable SO HARD.
@WNRTPOB
I thought about running it in Parallels but I wasnt sure how the experience would hold up in vitualization. Im assuming I would need to boot Linux on the Mac to use WINE.
I, a Microsoft-bashing, Xbox-dissing, Mac-and-Wii owner, went out and bought an Xbox 360 just to play Portal.
Worth it.
The rest of The Orange Box is really great too.
@Josh Lewis
Thats a commitment right there. I applaud your crippling gaming addiction.
wait… you actually own a mac by choice? so do you hate having fun or what? I don’t understand. Sure Microsoft might not be the greatest company in the world but I cant honestly say I have never gotten pleasure out of using an apple product while my gaming desktop and my xbox 360 have greatly improved my quality of life. Apple FTL
@Jon
I dont even know how to address that. The two most life affirming moments in my life have been A) having a child and B) switching to Mac (and not necessarily in that order). Its like when youve been in an abusive relationship for so long that you just assume it has to be this way forever. Then you meet this new person who is not only WAY more attractive but actually wants to do the things YOU want to do, and talk about how your day was instead of just slapping you on the ass and telling you to make them a sandwich.
I made the cake in portal. It was delicious but, I forgot to add the sediment shaped sediment.
@Mysterioustree
As long as you have the fish shaped solid waste for garnish, I’ll still eat it.
@Joel
Nah my Weighted companion cube finished it yesterday. He gets crazy hungry sometimes it scares me.
Best. Game. Ever.
Seriously.
BTW, I found “HijiNKS Ensue” today via Kris Straub of Starslip Crisis. I’ve been working my way through the past strips. I can’t stop! This is great stuff, Joel. I start my day of every day at work with coffee & webcomics. “HijiNKS Ensue” just made the rotation.
Gabe is an jerk. I mean he let EA screw over the PS3 users with the Orange Box just because he was too lazy to develop for the PS3. It's just lazy.
I finally picked up the Orange Box off an Amazon gift certificate. When last I opened Portal, I was stuck on the 16th room. Someday I shall find a clever way to defeat it; I worry my reflexes just aren't up to the task. Portal's a great puzzle game. Far creepier than the computer voice are the sweet voices of the little guardbots. They make being eliminated by a hail of bullets sound so friendly. Getting the Friendly Fire achievement? Priceless.
Don't play Portal with vertigo though. I don't have vertigo, but my stomach does flipflops sometimes handling the view changes and spins.
It is completely possible to play Portal, as well as Half Life 2 on a Mac without Windoze. You just have to know where to look. I hear a certain bay has some good Cider.
I assumed it was valves patented vertigo engine technology. thank you for this all I really like and I will be back to read it again