GLaDOS Origin Story Told in Full Portal 2 Comic

[Ogargd]

Loving how she got the neurotoxin =P

 

[Carnagath]

It didn't feel like an enemy without the dripping contempt of SHODAN.

That's the point, she's not supposed to feel like an enemy. Until she dumps you into a furnace. In my mind, Shodan is more like a demon and Glados is more like a serial killer.

 

[Goldeneye1989]

How do you measure "Tenacity"?

You find traits that are common with tenacity. You do trait analysis, what ever of those traits are high in correlation with each other can suggest ways to measure it.

 

[Goldeneye1989]

I'm not sure this was really needed. All I needed to know about GlaDOS was that she was an evil computer with a wicked sense of humor. I'm always afraid when I find an awesome character in a game and then see the developers start adding things to round our the character.

It's like Jack from Mass Effect 2. My first impression was "Badass Biker Chick with No Shirt and Biotics" and then she was a tortured child, then emotionally unstable (and not in the cool psychopathic way), then she fell in love with you, then she was angry when you picked Tali instead and goes all passive-aggressive and by the end I'm tempted to let her die in the final mission so I don't have to deal with her in Mass Effect 3. Less is more sometimes.

What was I talking about...? Oh yeah, GLaDOS origin; great for those of you who want to know, but I think I'll skip and keep GLaDOS perfect in my mind.

That's an interesting concept. Can you be evil without a concept of morality. Even though she has a morality core that is her only exposure to morality. She justifies herself by progressing the learning of people. (a very common reasoning for most scientific studies).

To me i see GLaDOS as a brainwashed cultmember who has never been able to perceive or expirence human or emotion is it;s broadest spectrum. It's has the influence of one person which is. "Science above all else".

 

[Rainforce]

Oh the drama.
"This will be the end of us."
NOOO DON'T LEAVE T_T!!

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

Valve teamed up with IGN Comics to release the comic in two parts, both of which are now available. The comic follows Doug "Ratman" Rattman, an Aperture Science employee otherwise known as the guy that scribbled all those helpful messages on the walls of the test chambers in Portal.

Not to split hairs but I'm not sure Ratman is his real name. If you look on page 22 the name before Chell, is a Doug Hopper... That might not be him but it's an awful interesting coincedence. To be honest I'm not sure if they ever use the ratman name but I'm too lazy to go back and read the thing again ATM

 

[Kapol]

Just out of curiousity, has anyone decoded the binary on Chell's paper on page 9? Good comic though, I love how it actually told us NOTHING while at the same time telling us something. Of course, I also like how it seems the companion cube is intelligent. Based on the left/right choice near the end, the cube has been guiding him the right way until he couldn't hear it anymore...

also, Captcha: roesear roasting... sounds delicious.

 

[Tharwen]

The apparent origin of "the cake is a lie" was a tad random - was it by mere chance that the phrase manifest itself?

GLaDOS offers cake to the test subjects as a reward for completing the tests, and Ratman realises that she intends to kill them instead.

So, he scribbles all over the walls that she's been lying about it. You can see the scribbles in Portal.

 

[Tharwen]

(Sorry, double post)

In my opinion it isn't so much a game as a tech demo.

It basically is; they made it as an experiment.

There were exactly 2 enemies in the game...turrets who you could defeat by BUMPING INTO THEM. And the rocket arm which wasn't so much an enemy as a game mechanic.

Again, exactly right. It's not meant to be combat. They're meant to be another puzzle mechanic.

I think the rockets felt a bit out of place though.

 

[Piotr621]

Am I the only one hoping that Rattman will make SOME sort of appearance in Portal 2?

 

[Daverson]

So... who else noticed the gravity gun? =p

 

[Jandau]

"I'd ask you to think outside the box on this, but it's obvious your box is broken. And has schizophrenia."

ROFL! Gold!

 

[Alex Cowan]

If that was "Bring your Cat to Work Day", I don't want to know what the "Bring your Daughter to Work Day" mentioned in the game entails...

 

[IvoryTowerGamer]

Anyone else think it's interesting that GLaDOS is alive in the comic (IE after we kill her in Portal 1 and before we reactivate her in Portal 2)?

I'm 99% certain that the portions where GLaDOS talks take place in a flashback - he's recalling the day she managed to kill the scientists that created her.

Anyway, this was a very touching and interesting bit of backstory, with some wonderful art to boot. Color me impressed!

Anyone else think it's interesting that GLaDOS is alive in the comic (IE after we kill her in Portal 1 and before we reactivate her in Portal 2)?

This could be regarded as a mistake, but with all the comic's themes of perception vs reality I wouldn't be surprised if it has some bearing on the plot of Portal 2.

I'm not sure if this is correct but flash backs my friend, flash backs

Oops, you're right. I was under the impression that page 23 was no longer a flashback, but upon looking at it again I realized that Ratmann is clean shaven there. Reading comprehension FTL =)

I played portal last year way after all the hype. In my opinion it isn't so much a game as a tech demo.

I think I completed it in about 2 hours of total play time, maybe 3 hours if you count deaths.

There were exactly 2 enemies in the game...turrets who you could defeat by BUMPING INTO THEM. And the rocket arm which wasn't so much an enemy as a game mechanic.

The whole boss fight just felt stupid. Hey dummy AI...if you just STOPPED firing rockets you would win!

And I think I'm the only one who found the computer mostly obnoxious and only slightly funny. It didn't feel like an enemy without the dripping contempt of SHODAN.

Well from a design perspective it is certainly a game, not a tech demo. If the villain/humor didn't resonate with you that's one thing, but the organization and mechanics all definitely make it a game.

 

[SuperShadowAce]

The starting chamber he went to sleep in was in the E3 trailer, think we'll get to see him?

 

[Mahorfeus]

The apparent origin of "the cake is a lie" was a tad random - was it by mere chance that the phrase manifest itself?

GLaDOS offers cake to the test subjects as a reward for completing the tests, and Ratman realises that she intends to kill them instead.

So, he scribbles all over the walls that she's been lying about it. You can see the scribbles in Portal.

I figured that much, but I'm talking about the binary code on Chell's file. It literally spells out word for word, "The cake is a lie." down to the period. I'm sure it was just a warning to her, but I was wondering if the binary itself was just a random printout, since it was created before GLaDOS went insane. Or, er, more insane.

Of course, it could just be an easter egg not meant to be taken seriously.

 

[Zeema]

Finally, we have context.

Did you Forget?

Context Sensitive?

 

[Dr. Paine]

The only issue I have is that, in no way, was GLaDOS' origin story told, much less told in full. We've got a much better grasp on the background of Aperture, GLaDOS, Doug, and Chell though, and this makes me quite happy.

-is so glad to have gotten the pre-order in- Cannot wait for this game, and the comic was a great lead in!

 

[Beryl77]

Wow this comic is great. It has pretty much everything I could have hoped for. Some backstory, a great new character and a really cool art style. I love the difference in the style when he's still normal and when he's a bit crazy and then how the "normal" style starts to get more crazy together with ratman starting to lose his mind. Oh and of course it also has some awesome GLaDOS humour.
I can't wait for this game, it's my most anticipated game this year.

 

[Russian_Assassin]

well that was entertaining.....but does that mean wheatly is evil or was he trying to save her?

He was trying to save her, by giving her a chance to reawaken and try to destroy GLaDOS again and this time run away. Perhaps by the time Portal 2 starts, it will be long after the 7 hour war, during the events of Half Life 2 and episodes (that's how Portal ties in with Half Life I guess). Perhaps she will give her Portal Gun to Freeman somehow. That would be awesome!