Portal is fun. I could end the post right here, 'cuz I've already summarized my thoughts, but I'll go into further detail.
Portal is one of the most clever games I've ever played. The puzzles are fun, yet solvable. Not once did I have to consult a GameFAQs article to get anywhere.
And it's short.
Those same GameFaqkers keep marking Portal down because of its short length. PEOPLE NEED TO STOP DOING THIS.
Yes, it's short. It took me only two hours on my first playthrough. However, here's something gamers should know: if a game is replayable, then it can be any length it wants to be.
You could play Portal again and again; attempting the challenges, going through the game faster, trying out tricks with the Portal Gun, and it will be fun every time you do it. The game is so well-made, so tight, so streamlined, that its short length is not a problem.
Game's short? Play it again! Memorize the level design! That's what gamers did with games back in the NES and SNES generations: most games back then averaged a length of 30 to 60 minutes. Did gamers complain? No, they didn't.
I like short games, just as much as I like long games. Short games are criticized for lacking depth. Portal doesn't lack depth. I know many short games that lack depth, but I know a few long games that do, to.
So, people who hate Portal just because it ends quickly: would you rather play Tales of Legendia? It's about 80 hours in length. 80 hours of boring combat, weak voice-acting, lame graphics, a completely forgettable sountrack, and lack of creative level design that eventually dissolves into one of the most anti-climatic cockteases of an ending in the history of ever.
You wanna play that? Or do you wanna play Portal? Portal, a fun experience that never gets old, has amusing dialog, an awesome gameplay gimmick, beautiful graphics, "The Portal Song," and an ending that, while ambiguous, ends on a high note? Which would you prefer?
P.S. every time someone has criticized Chrono Trigger for being "too short," ("RPGs need to be 40 to 200 hours in length! Or else they will suck!) I go postal. You see where I'm getting at?
P.P.S. Same people criticized Persona 4 because it wasn't as long as P3. Come on, P4 is already about 45 hours in length. That's already pretty long. And it's just as substantial as its 70-something hour long predecessor.
