The Strange and Unseen History of Portal

[@williamj.6418]

Putting a portal on the freaking moon is one of my all-time favorite video game moments.

[@TheJadedJames]

It wasn't until that moment that I considered how incredibly dangerous a portal gun would be OUTSIDE. My brain had been so acclimated to using the gun inside small rooms that even outside of something crazy liking firing a portal into space ... that gun could instantly link to the top of a skyscraper or any kind of hazard

[@williamj.6418]

@@TheJadedJames/ the moon rocks theory came around full circle. Cave Jonhson was a genius.

[@PashaGamingYT]

It was genius how well foreshadowed it was, and it made you feel so smart when you instantly realised what you had to do.

[@kaifchoudhary2538]

exactly

[@Foxfire_forty-nine]

@@TheJadedJames nah, unless the skyscraper was made of moon rocks. Because the portal gun only applies portals to surfaces covered with or made of moon rock dust.

[@TheDethBringer666]

You know the head of a company is probably good when he can appreciate the talent of a group of students.

[@KL-zt6jx]

If only he could also count beyond 2.

[@ezioaugustus2621]

Appreciate the talent? Lol that's a funny way of saying stealing ideas from vulnerable students.

[@AceSimGaming]

@@ezioaugustus2621 You mean hiring the whole team of students and giving them the resources to make their game?

[@ember-brandt]

@@ezioaugustus2621 He also gave them full credit. WTF with this comment?

[@topbadgun]

@@ezioaugustus2621 nice bait, Valve are'nt EA.

[@infernalskepandaen2127]

Portal 1 was great, but Portal 2 stepped up the game, mechanics, story and more importantly, humour, I had a blast with it and after all these years it still looks great and plays great.

[@Ten_Thousand_Locusts]

I think Portal 2 is simply too long. It's better than the first game in every aspect except pacing, the third act of 2 really drags. Still a great fucking game though.

[@jonbaxter2254]

I hold up the ending as one of the best I have ever played

[@ballswalls8189]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4nIooqLmdOAqLs

[@Patrix8558]

@@Ten_Thousand_Locusts I understand and probably can agree, but on the other hand, more Portal is more Portal which is a huge plus to me and hard to argue against that.

[@ExValeFor]

Portal 2 stepped up the humor? Stepped it up to where, to the noose so it could hang itself? Its unbearable, I still cringe when thinking back to what was done to glados and aperture in general in that game

[@iamvinku]

This documentary was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.

[@lordcthulhu627]

I remember being sad when portal 2 ended. I don't know why... I think it was because I wanted to play more. Such a shame that something brilliant doesn't go on forever. :(

[@nonlinear3084]

Finally, all that's left is TF2 unless you never complete the trilogy in some actually hilarious irony

[@TheDragonfriday]

Still wait last issue comic of TF2

[@LordVader1094]

@@TheDragonfriday Don't remind me of the pain :(

[@systemshocker7634]

😭

[@Polish_Beekeeper]

day of deafet

[@Jazzadrin]

Is TF2 in the Half Life universe? Otherwise how is there a 'trilogy' if Counter Strike, L4D also exist?

[@Minnevan]

God, imagine the sheer sock they must’ve felt when Gabe offered them to work at Valve, I’d call my mom screaming afterwords lol

[@johnny5805]

You nailed it with your unedited comment :-)

[@Arthur-cc6pc]

A powerful sock indeed

[@Minnevan]

@@johnny5805 I hate editing my comments, but I felt like an idiot for that one haha

[@Minnevan]

@Craig Adams it was sock and excitement from the beginning, but just sock is funnier, so voila

[@rza884]

if that happen to me that is the equivalent of losing my virginity to a supermodel in her early 20's

[@benwasserman8223]

Portal: one of the best, most creative and funniest puzzle game franchises I’ve ever played in my life.

[@jonbaxter2254]

Also oddly chilling in the parts behind all the gloss of aperture. Felt almost like a horror game

[@fappple]

@@jonbaxter2254 For sure, especially the Rattmann paranoid schizophrenic stuff. Such an excellent game, this video has made me want to replay it.

[@zarrowthehorse]

Great story too

[@stefanscicluna2799]

Puzzle game peasent

[@ExValeFor]

>portal >funny pick one. as in, pick 1, because portal 1 is the only one that even borders on funny. portal 2 sunk the franchise into a black hole of cringe

[@Dianophi]

I'm still a bit in awe why this channel is so "small" compared to the quality of the videos.

[@Foxfire_forty-nine]

Because there is a huge market of video essays and retrospectives. This is just one of many such channels that do them so it gets lost in the sea.

[@Dianophi]

@Devin C of course, I'm not saying they are the only ones in the game, I'm just saying they are doing some damn good work and should be recognized :)

[@BMPK]

@@Dianophi Don't feel sad for others bad promoting

[@ZackZavage]

Portal is phenomenal. The community mod "Portal Stories: Mel" is also very good.

[@zarrowthehorse]

Also the Blue Sky novel

[@scott_hunts]

Been enjoying the time travel mods.

[@protostar5946]

@@scott_hunts Portal Reloaded is great as well, but absurdly difficult.

[@scott_hunts]

@@protostar5946 I’m halfway done it now, it’s much harder than the base game, and even thinking with time machine, which in and of itself was quite a step up from the base game.

[@CNNR4]

JC DENTON

[@JosephDelgadillo]

This might be your best documentary yet!

[@807D14M0ND5]

I don't think this is made by one person. The voice is a prof narrater for starters.

[@dinosaur_monkey]

@@807D14M0ND5 😒

[@zarrowthehorse]

If anyone wants a Portal 3, search up Blue Sky. It's a fantastically written fanmade novel taking place after Portal 2.

[@-Flabbergasted-]

One hit wonder channel! My man

[@BucklingSwashes]

I remember downloading and playing Narbacular Drop the moment I heard about it. The concept seemed so unique and exciting that I just had to give it a try. It was certainly rough, and I'm so glad the creators got an opportunity to make it into something bigger and better.

[@chinaski6593]

I still remember the emotions i felt playing this games for the first time. Portal 2 is a Masterpiece and o doubt it will be topped one day. AMAZING video!

[@millennialchicken]

Portal & Portal 2 are the only games I refuse to delete off any of my hard drives. That is how much I love these games. I still remember getting it for Christmas 2011 on PS3 and playing it over and over. 2's ending still makes me cry, I'm man enough to admit that.

[@ryanhawksley1779]

How can you not love a game that has voice acting talent from Stephen Merchant & J K Simmons with a flawless script.

[@fmdesperado6110]

Funny how I revisited the two games two weeks ago and they aged well. Just in time for more portal.

[@spectertvxl]

I'm playing them for the first time now and I'm in love with both of them.

[@fmdesperado6110]

@@spectertvxl Im glad you are enjoying them. The dialogue is the best part of the game. I hope you're having a good time.

[@Patrix8558]

interestingly I just finished Portal Stories: Mel for the first time right now and the video is up.. :D

@@Patrix8558 Tried Portal: Reloaded?

[@Patrix8558]

@ yep! Actually played it after finishing Portal: Reloaded :D

[@reddavid]

I remember skipping a day's class to play Portal 14y ago. No ragrets

[@jeffmaine8759]

guessing you skipped an English class

[@RatzCarnatz]

@@jeffmaine8759 It was one letter chill out, you could use some punctuation lessons too.

[@jeffmaine8759]

@@RatzCarnatz It was a joke.

[@RatzCarnatz]

@@jeffmaine8759 Really funny.

[@jeffmaine8759]

@@RatzCarnatz rager kek

[@TheRealMNi]

One of the all-time classics

[@mattrice5998]

I'm always blown away with the high quality videos, editing, and above all else, narrating in all the videos on this channel. Thank you for doing such great work.

[@trelard]

The Orange Box was perfect to both sell the expansion and the base game, along with TF2 as a PvP component. I think I'm in the majority when I say that out of all the games in the collection, at the time, Portal was the most memorable part. Catchy as hell ending credits theme tune too.

[@axelprino]

It's already been a decade since Portal 2 came out? Boy, I still remember playing it with a friend from uni when it was brand new.

[@enzoofelba]

It's funny how much lore went behind the simple premise of solving puzzles to get from one end of the room to another. Moreover how iconic it turned out

[@benwasserman8223]

What I wouldn’t give to see a conversation between GLaDOS and SHODAN play out.

[@SixFootTurkey_]

SHODAN would crush GLaDOS like a bug.

[@Madkendler]

It would be like a conversation between the Cybermen and Daleks from Dr. Who.

[@doctormobius5]

You just awoke several ideas for me.

[@NotEnoughSound]

would go just as well as it did with XERXES

[@CSM100MK2]

@@doctormobius5 get over yourself

[@rowan7929]

Love them. I like it how in 2 they make you go through a history of the company with the paint and how Glados became Glados. .

[@Aggnog]

I wonder what the portal devs are doing right now. Checking some of their bios shows that a lot left valve right after portal and some of them haven't been credited to anything in years.

[@krowbar2009]

Great video which really made me remember the old school weird chills of something that I'd never felt before. big shout out to Steven Merchant though who for some reason did not get a mention. His voice which was a west country British voice gave great depth to portal 2. I'm not sure why gamers decided not to talk about him or his character at all x

[@Daniel__Nobre]

Couldn’t agree more. That felt weird.

[@ephiscus224]

Really? As far as I know a lot of people liked Wheatly

[@RalphEvangelista]

This was the game that captured my passion for gaming. I still go back and play both games from time to time

[@GMMReviews]

17:40 - F-Stop is basically the game 'Superliminal', another amazing puzzle game, you should definitely play. Obviously Superliminal was inspiring by F-Stop, but it's much smoother than taking photos, it's all about perspective.

[@Error404----]

I'm so glad that Portal wasn't any more than it needed to be. Portal 2's philosophy seemed to be "more is more." I don't know that I agree with that entirely, I still loved Portal 2 but... *INCOMING HOT TAKE* ...I didn't need to have a sidekick in a Portal game. For me it kind of lost the lonely, claustrophobic feeling I enjoyed in the original. Probably why I enjoyed the first part of "The Fall" so much. Plus, Cave Johnson is a legend.

[@Christian-gr3gu]

I Love portal, and not just because GLaDOS deep voice awaked something in me

[@NebulousFumes]

Truly one of the best games of all time honestly. There is simply a feeling that i cannot comprehend that the portal games invoke in me..it just facinates me how simple and yet incredible the games are, not to mention i think the ending of portal 2 is one of the most beautiful endings out there period. Portal 2 has a surpisingly touching and kinda tragic story (regarding the stuff with Cave johnson and Caroline).

[@Marinealver]

Fans: So Portal 3 when? Gabe: When have I ever given you a 3 of anything?

[@RC2225]

Half-Life 2, HL2 E1 and HL E2. ;)

[@AOIU982]

Portal stories Mel is basically a prequel and it's free it could be considered a 3 but from the community.

[@Poweredsoft]

@@RC2225 HL2 EP3 never came out, so point still valid

[@ketrub]

SteamOS 3 coming with the Steam Deck

[@Marinealver]

@@Poweredsoft Can't wait for Half Life 2 Season 2 Episode 1.

[@halflife3181]

Thank you GVMERS. I always appreciate the hard work put into these Docs.

[@ms.pirate]

I must correct that the cake wasn't an inside joke that started the meme. They wanted a hoop to be a meme but instead the fans made the cake a meme because of rat man's "cake is a lie"

[@pali1H]

I stayed up until 3am for it to be unlocked on Steam. I was so excited and it didn't disappoint.

[@jothain]

Quite interesting story. I always assumed that Portal was some kind of an Valve internal physics test that formed into new game.

[@Taorakis]

Also if you like Portal 1 & 2, go play Portal Stoties: Mel, it is an absolute Marvel of a Mod turned game. It's also free.

[@BiO811HazarD]

Just saw this video came out and thought “oh that’s gonna be good! Looks like I know what I’ll be watching when I eat lunch today.” But here I am 30 seconds later watching the video now instead.

[@alaric_]

Why does this channel have only 475k subscribers? Video writing, research, narrating and editing are absolutely top notch!

[@saturnotaku]

The heart of Portal continues to beat with all the fan made content available for download, including some honest-to-goodness campaigns whose use of the assets rival those of the base game.

[@lutherheggs451]

Too bad Valve likes to screw over teams to "steal" an IP.....Lets them make the game, makes them use Half-Life assets and then promptly steals the IP from them before saying good day sir........Same way they screwed over Turtle Rock, by letting them make the first Left 4 Dead, then promptly steal the IP and cut ties with them and Valve makes Left 4 Dead 2 on their own.

[@AdHocF1]

I’m disappointed you didn’t touch upon the elements linking Portal to the Half-Life universe. The Borealis, Black Mesa, the Portal technology used by the Combine, etc. One day, Chell and Gordon Freeman will unite.

[@Roy_Godiksen]

One of my favorite games of all time. To this day, still just as fun and enjoyable.

[@gabrielledebourg2487]

I remember when I played the first Portal. It was the first game I played in a single sitting and even if I was familiar with the memes then, none of them spoiled my enjoyment of that game. The short length didn’t matter, because it was so well crafted and paced that not a single moment was filler. It also felt like a precursor to other short games that were greatly enjoyed in a single sitting, from Gone Home to Untitled Goose Game.

[@jameswalt1]

This is a masterpiece of a short documentary. Seriously A+ broadcast quality. Bravo!

[@aer_ea]

Ey! New upload! This will be great!

[@madkarl4052]

So many thanks to you all for doing this episode on the beloved Portal.

[@MrZabersuv]

by far the highest quality content for video games on youtube

[@TheGameGrinder]

I LOVE Portal and so glad you covered it. One of my favorite - and one of the greatest of all time - gaming experiences. These games seriously need ports to all systems so people can experience these brilliant games. I pray for someday we get that finally connection to Half-Life. I hope for more.

[@Scorch052]

I've never been a huge Portal fan, but I will always respect these games for exemplifying how creativity and passion can elevate a good idea to a great game, even with limited resources and experience.

[@DragonDoFogo]

Portal is so dear to my heart, spent hours upon hours playing other people's creations. It'd be very difficult to top both games with a third one, so who knows if one day there'll be a third, but I'm Glad Portal exists.

[@ItsAlpacaMan]

Fantastic series, i am glad f-stop did not replace portals in #2/ Removing glados would have been really sad.

[@DefiantPunk0810]

This must have been a dream come true for the small development team. Not only did they join a game developer right out of college, but it was Valve, the creator of some of the biggest names in gaming. Then, to top it all off, their project was eventually attached to the canon of Half-Life, a game synonymous with PC gaming.

[@igodreamer7096]

Great game! Love The Orange Box compilation!

[@AMDSuperepus]

I will never forget the countless hours I spent with my brother playing the co-op mode. Portal 2 will always be in my heart.

[@benox50]

I feel F-Stop concept has already been made by a game where you took photo of the environment and can paste that portion into 3D space, like taking photo of a corridor and then pasting it multiple times to make the corridor longer. Its interesting to see F-stop more in depth here, great video

[@TechGamesAU]

There were Portals in the original ‘Prey’ game too.

[@Argoon1981]

That is true, it goes back even to 1998 Prey.

[@lutherheggs451]

And? Don't know why there always have to be "those kind of people" who feel the need to try and claim something else...It wasn't the same thing, it could only be done in authorized places and it didn't take you anywhere that wasn't the authorized place....Portal lets you do it anywhere.

[@jothain]

Yeah, I always thought Portal copied its idea directly.

[@jothain]

@@Argoon1981 that's what he meant.

[@Argoon1981]

@@jothain Thanks for the correction but I will let my comment stay because other people maybe think his "original" Prey, was Human Head Prey, because for some, Prey didn't existed before that (and imo they are somewhat right).

[@-Raylight]

Well, at least it's not the *"The Rise and Fall of Portal"* In other timelines, Portal and System Shock are really successful and they have crossover.

[@jgog1]

Man I just want you to be my GPS voice. I put these videos on when I sleep. It's SO calming

[@mthwr]

13:37 lmao that went wrong Hard , Great video like always !

[@its_mz]

I knew that I wasn't the only one that noticed that hard fail... xD

[@downsjmmyjones101]

Deus Ex and now Portal? Really hitting the classics. What's next? Dark Souls?

[@Xaynier]

You guys just don't miss. Great work.

[@aceofhearts573]

It sucks that Valve's output of games has grounded to an almost halt. They dont even license out the Source 2 engine. We never got any new left 4 dead or portal games and all the writers and most devs that made half life quit well before Half Life Alyx came out. I guess steams success destroyed their creative ability because they just make billions by doing nothing

[@kafasnasapanlatasattgmnogl7414]

I can't think how hard it is the technical and programming problems in this portal concept as beginner developer. Even thinking about all those glitches , stucking in the design, calculating jumping , floating , accelerating... And just 8 people made this in the beginning.

[@trslim6032]

Gonna be honest, I prefer Portal 1 to Portal 2. It had a mysterious and kinda sad atmosphere. And when you think of what is going on outside of the Aperture Labs, it just gives me a creepy feeling.

[@danutorr]

God i had forgotten just how much i love Portal. This game is the reason why i joined DigiPen and why i became a game developer afterwards.

[@StefanBourne]

Portal 2 was one of the first games i bought for the PS3, it was very unique and i liked it so much. Even the coop was very fun and i remember it until this day as one of the best coop experiences i had. If there was ever to be a Portal 3 i would definitely play it.

[@2nd3rd1st]

You didn't talk about the memes in the Legacy segment, unarguably the most impactful and longest lasting legacy of the games.

[@Dorraj]

Dude Portal 2's release on PS3 was great. When you bought it, in the case was a code for a copy of Portal 2 on Steam, so you could play with a friend. My friend played on the PS3, I played on the PC. It was great. Genius of them.

[@steeltekki]

This was great. Thanks. (Wish they had a mention of the Lego Dimensions p0rtal set! Impressive and features the same voice actors!)

[@jeffhex]

This documentary is a TRIUMPH!

[@Lo-Kag]

I was baffled when I saw the title "Why Portal 2?" I thought the question was "Why not Portal 3??" While I understand Valve's insistency to make games only based on innovation and not wanting to repeat themselves, at this point it feels idotic not to continue these revolutionary franchaices people are begging for.

[@archfxt3619]

Some choices arent made because they're logical . Same reason they didnt make HL3

[@EricMichaelLP]

I really like how P2 ends with exiting the small shed in the middle of the field… which was how they were told to start the game as students

[@jbator10]

The writing and narrationof your videos make videogame development and appreciation worth looking into for my parents!

[@SaltyRamen.]

This channel is underrated

[@CybershamanX]

Fun video! I was actually waiting for a post-credit ending twist! 😋 Thanks again, GVMERS! 😎

[@SECONDQUEST]

Great channel please keep it up 🙏 really feels like stuff you would see on TV.

[@caseymauldin8396]

Excellent documentary like always

[@sebastianvangen]

Portal 2007, Portal 2 2011 - 4 years. Portal 3?? We had to wait 4 years for portal 2. Portal 3, waiting 3 x 4 years. 2011 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 2023 a year starts with 2 as its precursor and ends with number 3 - Portal 3 confirmed.

[@coltonbucholz6278]

I love these documentaries. Keep up the great work!!!!

[@mrcrestful]

As a student in game development, this story is so inspiring. I hope I can be so talented and lucky some day!

[@ipellaers]

STEPHEN FUCKING MERCHANT. Still not over the joy I felt hearing him voice Wheatly.

[@TwistOfTransistor]

What a wonderful documentary. I feel very luck to witness it right now

[@jamdoodles]

It seems so insane to me that the students at digipen evidently don't own the rights to their own projects.

[@B-...]

Nothing describes the industry better than Valve bringing in these brilliant devs, then saying "Let's increase the team size by 7 and remove all the good things, including portals". Least they backtracked.

[@zmanjace1364]

Will there ever be a bundle as good as the Orange Box?

[@jothain]

That's indeed maybe the best value game bundle ever made. Very good content for someone new to Source games.

[@VKDante]

Let's go! Excited for this

[@rambokills2750]

YES finally a modern video for portal!!

[@stevemac6707]

Excellent video as always

[@elguitarTom]

It's like making music. Sometimes keeping things simple will make it better

[@SpikeStarkey]

Lego Dimensions really scratched an itch with the Portal 2 pack and its credits song. The pack and story level really feels like Portal 2.5.

[@smackin]

God, I love this channel. Amazing.

[@ToeShimmel]

If only Valve was not allergic to the number 3

[@TheRenegadist]

I wouldn't use random sound clips between transitions in the future, it quickly became annoying and took away the "oomph" factor that would hit every time a new one would appear.

[@24YOA]

Good guy Valve & Gaben. Seriously, taking a risk to hire these devs right out of university because he saw their teamwork and what the could do if they stuck together.

[@TheGameLecturer]

Portal custom maps and mods could be the subjects of an entire video, starting with the excellent Portal Reloaded.

[@ms.pirate]

I must correct you that the cake wasn't an inside joke that started the meme. They wanted a hoop to be a meme but instead the fans made the cake a meme because odlf rat man's "cake is a lie"

[@missabyss]

Awesome documentary! Portal 2 is still one of my all time favorite games. Too bad it’s not on PS4/5 :/

[@VALHALLA_REAL]

I would love to see a documentary about Left 4 Dead!!!! its one of my all time favorite games!!

[@as1tis]

That guy in the first clip quickly minimizing KZbin while the camera pans over :D

[@BDreGaming]

The best portal type of game/experience on last-gen and current-gen is The Turing Test

[@not_who_you_think]

thank you for this amazing video, my dude!