Portal Isn't as Good as Passage

[CSN NewsBot]

You mean to tell me you've never heard of the game entitled Passage? That's alright, not many people have, but apparently it's so much better than Portal it's not even funny.



How does a game that takes you through the complete life cycle of your character in the span of five minutes, features a max image area of 600x96, and did not feature a massive retail release beat Portal? Let's find out.

There are a few reasons that people might prefer Portal to a “message game� with “stuff to think about.� Sometimes people don’t want to think; they just want a new gun that shoots something radical, and to be trained in shooting something radical with their new gun. Actually, the gun in Portal allows you to do different types of abstract thinking and to encounter physics and combat tactics in a new way. So Portal isn’t a total reprieve from thought. It’s just a compartment for thought, an underground testing complex hermetically cut off from the world, purportedly message-free.

Further comparisons say that Portal is akin to Mario Kart 64. In ten years time it'll be nothing more but a fun novelty to pick up once in a while, but given 25 years time Passage will still still show "how games can model our world and what we care about in it."



Some rather bold claims there.

[sathanas]

Passage sounds really up itself.

[Diamond Dust]

sathanas wrote..

Passage sounds really up itself.

seriously, it's not really close to portal, they seem to do that just for attention. I'm going to make a 8bit game and compare it to counter-strike maybe I can get the same kind of attention?

[Zips]

Uhhh... the person who made Passage didn't write this article. I hope you guys realize that.

[PseudoKnight]

Are they claiming Portal is nothing but a gameplay mechanic?

[Thortok2000]

Portal is a gameplay mechanic, some humor, and a whole lot of polish. It's a fun little game.



I haven't played Passage.



I don't need a video game to philosophize. I do that just sitting around staring into space. Heck, I can even philosophize with my eyes closed. And two hands behind my back. Although that's not comfortable.



I play games to be entertained. I agree most people don't like to think when they're playing games, they just want interactive movies that increase their ego by telling them they've accomplished something. I, on the other hand, like a game that makes me use rational thinking to overcome problems. An intellectual challenge is one that I find more interesting and stimulating than a skill-based challenge. I can then take this kind of thinking on to real life and use it to overcome situations that occur outside of the virtual world as well.



What does philosophizing do? Not much, really. Sure, you think a lot, but not in a way that gets anything done. Keeping in mind that I philosophize all the time, I don't limit myself to that one form of thinking. You can't take what you've learned through philosophy and go on to accomplish something. All philosophizing does is change your outlook on things. Maybe change your motivations, maybe even change your behavior. But whether your motivations change or not, philosophy doesn't actually help you accomplish what you're motivated to do, whereas puzzle-solving and critical thinking can.



I disagree with the author of this editorial. I believe a game that increases problem-solving thinking surpasses a game that teaches you to philosophize, when it comes to entertainment, which is the purpose of a game. Now, while I do believe society needs more philosophical thinking, of which I'm strongly in favor, I'm however not entirely certain a video game is the way to go about it. What do I suggest instead? Advertisements.



But that's a whole 'nother subject.

[FatboyTim]

I suppose I'm expected to want my 5 minutes back.

[KillahInstinct]

Must say I didn't try Passage, not even after this article.



For a well-informed opinion I guess I should, but the graphics look horrible and as already previously pointed out, it just seems someone is trying to use Portal's hype as an attention seeker (whether it be the developer or someone who does like the game).



Not very inspired to try it - perhaps later.

[FatboyTim]

I wouldn't bother.

[MassyBoy]

Don't understand it in the least

[_PeNgUiNs_ lord]

i played passage, you don't really play it as much as hold the right arrow button and watch your 8bit dude grow old and turn into a tomb stone, you may choose to make the boring journey with a female friend who dies earlier than you........thats pretty much it.