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Opa-Pa

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,810
Just passing by to share that I feel pretty stupid for never realizing Cave and Caroline were Chell's parents lol. But yes, fantastic game with a very cleverly told story, I love it and the ending stays with me still despite not having known everything about it.
 

NO!R

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,742
Holy shit. This sucks.

I never played Portal 1 but loved 2.

Portal 2 is sublime.

To find out such a beautiful story twist via forum post utterly blows.

I don't know how I didn't pick up on it from Portal 2, or if it's even possible (only put together that Caroline had a thing with Johnson and he immortalized her as GladOS).
 

angel

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,333
It's told incredibly subtlety, which I think was the best choice.

So the obvious thing shown is Caroline (the basis of GLADoS' personality) and Cave were involved with each other. You also can know from the first game and something that you can find hidden in the second game that Chell was in the facility when this all happened because she was visiting on "Bring your child to work day", which means Chell's mother was an employee of Aperture. Moreso you can find in the area in Portal 2 with all the science fair exhibits the children held on take-child-to-work day, a potato power exhibit that's grown out of control, and if you look at the label of who's exhibit it is, it's Chell's. Of course some irony later when GLADoS needs to be powered by a potato battery as that was Cell's science fair project.

GLADoS at multiple times says things to get a rise out of Chell, including that she's adopted and that her mother was a test subject. Chell is not the same race as Cave Johnson or Caronline, and Caroline did ultimately become a test subject to make GLADoS. When GLADoS is overwhelmed by the emotions of Caroline, she says in a tender way to Chell that it's good she's awake. GLADoS also mentions that Caroline was a lot like Chell.

In the background of Cave and Caroline's photo you can see Chell just barely in the back of the frame:

latest


Both of the ending songs heavily allude to it. The opera song with the turrets at the end especially, which is the song, "Oh my daughter" in Italian. The lyrics in English are:



While GLADoS puts up a front of making Chell leave because she's sick of her always not dying, the real reason is probably after regaining Caroline's memories and feelings, she wanted Chell to go on to live.

Where is chell in that picture? It's a statue behind them.
 

angel

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,333
Even the wiki seems to think chell is in the background, when its obviously a statue. Zoom and enhance:

statue.png
 

Rackham

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,532
d with a bunch of gimmicky paint nonsense and absurdist comedy. Cave talks about giant mutant moth men and other dumb shit. Portal is in the Half-Life universe. A portal gun is one thing, but everything Portal 2 added to the mythology of the Universe was detrimental to the internal logic of the world.
Yeah really detrimental to a world where there is dimension traveling aliens that formed a covenant and an alien that dresses up in a business suit who can stop time and relocate Gordon Freeman to a different place and time.
 

angel

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,333
I understand the issue they faced with tackling a sequel. The cat's out of the bag, the voice over isn't automated, it's an evil robot. You can't recapture that. But what they did was retread with a bunch of gimmicky paint nonsense and absurdist comedy. Cave talks about giant mutant moth men and other dumb shit. Portal is in the Half-Life universe. A portal gun is one thing, but everything Portal 2 added to the mythology of the Universe was detrimental to the internal logic of the world.

itchy-and-scratchy-1.jpg


When Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib twice in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones
 

StuBurns

Self Requested Ban
Banned
Nov 12, 2017
7,273
itchy-and-scratchy-1.jpg


When Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib twice in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones
I fail to see your point.

Sure, comedy doesn't have to be logical, but the tonal shift from Portal to Portal 2 was too large to me, especially in the context that it was a part of the Half-Life franchise. And sure, now we can look back and say it was the final entry in the series, so it doesn't matter, but at the time, many people believed HL3/EP3 was still likely to happen, myself included. The GAF thread about the achievements in Portal 2 is a good indication, if memory serves me correctly.
 

angel

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,333
I fail to see your point.

Sure, comedy doesn't have to be logical, but the tonal shift from Portal to Portal 2 was too large to me, especially in the context that it was a part of the Half-Life franchise. And sure, now we can look back and say it was the final entry in the series, so it doesn't matter, but at the time, many people believed HL3/EP3 was still likely to happen, myself included. The GAF thread about the achievements in Portal 2 is a good indication, if memory serves me correctly.

Im teasing because it's sci fi, it doesn't all have to 100% completely tie up. Picking it apart does often end up like the itchy and scratchy scene.
 

Medalion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,203
People freak out over a Half Life 3 being announced... I never felt that way about Half Life... Portal on the other hand after the 2nd, I was waiting and pleading for that sequel... still has yet to come... cuz Lord Gaben doesn't know how to count to 3 anymore
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
Correct me if I am wrong, but the writers for Portal and Half-Life are gone, right? Including some of developers and designers? Without them, I can't even imagine Valve wanting to make more games like Half Life or Portal, let alone making shallow imitations.

They had Justin Roiland step in and write the Portal bits in The Lab and they were just as funny as Portal has always been IMO. Those bits were also my favorite in The Lab.
 

Blackie

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,643
Wherever
Agreed OP. Portal 2 is in my top 3 games all time, would love a re-master for all current gen systems or a sequel :)
 
OP
OP
Oct 25, 2017
1,683
Correct me if I am wrong, but the writers for Portal and Half-Life are gone, right? Including some of developers and designers? Without them, I can't even imagine Valve wanting to make more games like Half Life or Portal, let alone making shallow imitations.
Maybe they already wrote the story of Portal 3 and HL 3?
But to be honest....I think both games are done. Half Life 3 is now like Duke Nukem Forever. Whatever it is ....it will be a disappointment. And the story of Portal is pretty much told. The ending of Portal 2...was a great one actually. I do want another Portal game but I don't think we will get it.
 

AlwaysSalty

The Fallen
Nov 12, 2017
1,442
i wouldn't say wheatley goes crazy out of nowhere...

My favourite bit, to be honest, is wheatley finally outsmarting you by booby-trapping the personality switchplate but accidentally blowing a hole in the roof and then you seeing the full moon.

You know what you need to do
Yeah I though the whole moon dust thing was a throw away line and then I was like no way!
 

Adamska

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,042
Portal certainly has a clever story (the co-op, too!), but I still think the most bittersweet ending has to be God of War III or MGS2 or 3.
 

Red Devil

Member
Oct 29, 2017
824
It's told incredibly subtlety, which I think was the best choice.

So the obvious thing shown is Caroline (the basis of GLADoS' personality) and Cave were involved with each other. You also can know from the first game and something that you can find hidden in the second game that Chell was in the facility when this all happened because she was visiting on "Bring your child to work day", which means Chell's mother was an employee of Aperture. Moreso you can find in the area in Portal 2 with all the science fair exhibits the children held on take-child-to-work day, a potato power exhibit that's grown out of control, and if you look at the label of who's exhibit it is, it's Chell's. Of course some irony later when GLADoS needs to be powered by a potato battery as that was Cell's science fair project.

GLADoS at multiple times says things to get a rise out of Chell, including that she's adopted and that her mother was a test subject. Chell is not the same race as Cave Johnson or Caronline, and Caroline did ultimately become a test subject to make GLADoS. When GLADoS is overwhelmed by the emotions of Caroline, she says in a tender way to Chell that it's good she's awake. GLADoS also mentions that Caroline was a lot like Chell.

In the background of Cave and Caroline's photo you can see Chell just barely in the back of the frame:

latest


Both of the ending songs heavily allude to it. The opera song with the turrets at the end especially, which is the song, "Oh my daughter" in Italian. The lyrics in English are:



While GLADoS puts up a front of making Chell leave because she's sick of her always not dying, the real reason is probably after regaining Caroline's memories and feelings, she wanted Chell to go on to live.

The Italian lyrics of turret song were completely improvised by the singer. This trivia is also mentioned on the wiki you took the lines from. Any kind of implications in it is coincidental.
 

UnNamed

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
616
Cell is not Caroline daughter. Caroline didn't have any son, she was alone, as Cave said, she was married with science.

IIRC, Cell was with her father during the Combine invasion.
 

VAD

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,531
I too have never picked up on Chell's parentage. My mind is blown. Does anyone remembers if she keeps the gun after being expelled from Aperture Science? If so, I can believe she is ready to kick some combine ass with uncle Gordon in Half-Portal 3, coming whenever.
 

wrowa

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,373
I know this is a strange opinion but I really want another Portal game.....Half Life can stay dead (sad but its the truth) but Portal....no, Sir. Not developing Portal 3 is a crime!
Nothing strange about it. Every time people are asking for Half Life 3 I'm sillently thinking to myself: "Yeah, whatever, just give me Portal 3 instead." Neither of it will happen, though. :(
 

kiguel182

Member
Oct 31, 2017
9,441
Portal 2 is such an awesome game. Fantastic all around, from gameplay to story to how it all fits together. It's so good.
 

Overflow

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,156
Wollongong
The ending has always stuck with me, and I keep meaning to complete P2 again because it was such a wonderous experience. The writing and execution is simply top notch.