[Tejstar]

Great news, Portal 2 is official! Game Informer has featured the game on the cover of next months magazine. The game will be a "full-fledged, standalone sequel."

[Chaos]

I've just squirted.

[Knyght_byte]

Originally Posted by Chaosx

I've just squirted.

ahhh, we're like the Trevi fountains
(sp on the name?)

[JimmyHart]

Announcement here Steam News with a few underlined letters that spell drattmannh0nee. Dunno what that is for.

Also, there's been a patch on Portal 1 and there's a modified ending.

YouTube - Portal 3/3/2010 Update: New Ending Sequence

[Digitalism09]

It's looking really great, my biggest concern funnily enough is that Valve try and make it too self referential and loop back to some of the jokes from the first game, though I have faith in Valve as they almost always know exactly what they are doing.

Also co-op mode should be interesting, I remember playing Portal with a friend and we both noted how co-op would be a good addition which would really test two peoples friendship as they try to time jumps through portals.

[Chaos]

Is co-op confirmed? That would make my day.

[Monopot]

Oooh and its coming to Mac as well

[rodrubber]

I'm making a note here, huge success....

[JimmyHart]

From here: Portal 2 details - Half-Life Fallout

Right on the heels of the announcement, information from Game Informer's Portal 2 cover story is beginning to trickle onto the interwebs, and some of it is quite surprising!

A lot of time has passed since the events of the last trip to Aperture Science. So much time, in fact, one might call it hundreds of years. You read that correctly! More than a century has passed since the events of Portal, and much has changed. The labs are overgrown with foliage, a striking green contrasting against the clinical whites. Chell somehow returns as the protagonist, and the always delightful murderous AI GlaDOS returns as the antagonist.

Where Portal was seen as a 'test', Portal 2 is seen as a 'game', with all new mechanics introduced to keep things fresh. While the portal gun remains unchanged, the game world introduces a number of new ideas; reflection cubes will reflect lasers, special paint splatter will trigger special reactions (such as making surfaces bouncy), and physics will now play a stronger part in portal challenges. Placing a portal near an air vent sucking in air will allow you to direct that pressure, and physical reaction, to other areas of the level via the secondary portal.

Co-op now confirmed, players will find themselves not in the shoes of mere humans, but instead bipedal robots. Each robot will possess a portal gun and work together to solve devious puzzles in their own separate campaign. Communication being the key, Valve have focused on enhancing feedback; those playing on PC will be able to use a picture-in-picture box to see what the other player is doing, and players will be able to place information icons around levels to quickly direct each other to do the right thing at the right time.

Exciting times ahead! Keep your eyes peeled to Half-Life Fallout for more information as it breaks.

[siber0]

You just made my day.

[rickinyorkshire]

Excitement.

I like that they are now making 2 into more of a 'Game'. I enjoyed 1 but I completed it in a couple of hours.

[JamesMason]

I'm really looking forward to this

I hope it works out. My only reservation is, what made the first one so good was the compelling, yet simple story. The way the whole thing unraveled was just beautiful. Obviously we'll be going into this game knowing that GlaDOS is insane, so it's going to have to pull something else special out of the hat to make it as magical as the first.

[JimmyHart]

Portal 2 event at E3 cancelled for a "surprise". It better be what we all want it to be! Otherwise I'm opening 20 credit cards to fly to America to fight Gabe.

Valve E3 event cancelled...for a surprise? - Half-Life Fallout

[Pinky Floyd]

Pleeeeeaaaase let it be Episode 3

[messenger]

Originally Posted by Pinky Floyd

Pleeeeeaaaase let it be Episode 3

It has to be HL3 surely ............

[Pinky Floyd]

Originally Posted by messenger

It has to be HL3 surely ............

Can't be, Ep 3 has to complete the HL2 saga first!

[JimmyHart]

Originally Posted by Pinky Floyd

Can't be, Ep 3 has to complete the HL2 saga first!

Yeah exactly, I've heard loads of people mention Half Life 3, I hope it isn't because Ep 1, 2 and 3 are part of the Combine (HL2) storyline.

Not that I don't want a new major version, but I think it would be an Episode (length, new features, story, characters, gameplay) in all but name. If it is an Episode, then that would leave the actual HL3 for loads more innovations, big improvements in Source.

If this surprise is Ep3, I suspect it's taken so long due to them improving Source as they go, as well as 2 L4D games and Portal 2.

[Knyght_byte]

Originally Posted by JimmyHart84

Yeah exactly, I've heard loads of people mention Half Life 3, I hope it isn't because Ep 1, 2 and 3 are part of the Combine (HL2) storyline.

Not that I don't want a new major version, but I think it would be an Episode (length, new features, story, characters, gameplay) in all but name. If it is an Episode, then that would leave the actual HL3 for loads more innovations, big improvements in Source.

If this surprise is Ep3, I suspect it's taken so long due to them improving Source as they go, as well as 2 L4D games and Portal 2.

With a bit of luck it'll be a 'Purple Box', HL2:EP3 & Portal 2 with L4D2 being the ickle freebie.

I don't really care, just so long as one of the games (HL or P2) is released by Xmas!!!!!!!...lol

Admittedly I'd prefer more HL based gamery, especially as it appears Portal is not being aligned to HL directly other than the Aperture Science/Black Mesa links on the projector displays etc. At least, I'm assuming it is not if Portal2 is set 100 years in the future....lol

[JimmyHart]

Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

Admittedly I'd prefer more HL based gamery, especially as it appears Portal is not being aligned to HL directly other than the Aperture Science/Black Mesa links on the projector displays etc. At least, I'm assuming it is not if Portal2 is set 100 years in the future....lol

I'm not sure, some people think they are linking them, some not, it's hard to tell. There are subtle hints, like the AS logo on the ship, Glados mentioning that something really bad is happening outside (7 hour war?), but could all just be nothing. I think they'll keep both games totally seperate with HL being a shooter, Portal being puzzles, but link the stories a lot more.

All speculation though, as long as they release a Half Life game soon, I don't care

[namuk]

Portal 2 postponed until next year - The Tech Report

[Michael]

Originally Posted by namuk

Portal 2 postponed until next year - The Tech Report

God 'ol Valve time

Tbh, I'd rather it where finished than released on time.

[namuk]

Originally Posted by Michael_L

God 'ol Valve time

Tbh, I'd rather it where finished than released on time.

that Goes For for all games

[Knyght_byte]

Figured it would be when I got PC Gamer through the post the other day and it was on their 9+ months thing still

[JimmyHart]

The surprise isn't Episode 3 apparently. He sent an email to halflife2.net:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...abeemail-1.png

And Valve released a statement:

Aperture Science, doing business as Aperture Laboratories LLC, in partnership with Valve today announced the successful completion of an ethics-review-panel-supervised release date restructuring process. Portal 2, the sequel to the ground-breaking title that earned over 30 Game of the Year awards despite missing its original ship date, is now targeted for a 2011 release.

Representatives from both companies acknowledged that public safety concerns factored into the decision. They went on to say that even though Portal 2 will arrive slightly later than planned, all life on earth won't instantaneously stop as every molecule in your body explodes at the speed of light, which is what would happen should a rip ever appear in the fabric of Valve Time.

"Also, the game will be even better," they added, missing an historic opportunity to create the first product delay press release to mention that a product is being delayed to make it worse.

To ask questions about how close we all came to dying, or to ask futile questions about the previously announced E3 ***PORTAL-2-THEMED-FOR-GOD'S SAKE*** surprise or, less futilely, to schedule an appointment to attend a Portal 2 screening at the Valve booth during E3, please contact Valve's delegate to the EU's Valve Time Studies Group, Doug Lombardi.

[Pinky Floyd]

I love Valve press releases

[Chanser]

After the Portal 2 for PS3 surprise, here some videos.

E3: Gameplay of Portal 2 - Gamersyde

[Chaos]

Originally Posted by Chanser

After the Portal 2 for PS3 surprise, here some videos.

E3: Gameplay of Portal 2 - Gamersyde

Looks incredible. I am so excited aout this game.

[RationalGaze]

Some great new ideas in those videos, and the graphics look great. One thing I have never liked in Valve games is that they don't show the character's hands when you are carrying something, so it feels like I am playing a tech demo and I am constantly reminded I'm playing a game. It really stands out in the video where you see the character carrying the personality pod and he just floats in front of her and can rotate and move about any way he wants as if he is being suspended there. The same thing happens when you carry the companion cube.

[Monopot]

Great videos there! Looks to be shaping up to be a great game again!

Owwww it burns

[semiskimmed]

i simply cant wait to get this, i really enjoyed the first one albeit short but now a 'full game' sounds fantastic! :D