GLaDOS Powers Up for Portal 2, Steals Potato Chips

[Aprilgold]

I kept calculating the total time it would have taken before the potatoes started to go away,
It would have released at 1 o'clock where I live, so now its about 1 or 2 hours earlier, so FUCK YOU STEAM!!! I'm joking, actually, the steam version was supposed to be released at 7:00Pm on the april 19th. so your getting this extremely early, can't wait to play it with you guys.

 

[The Bandit]

1. There is no confirmation that anything in Portal 2 will tie to Episode 3, or Half Life in general. -wishes people would stop thinking that 'something related to a ship = EPISODE 3!'- The link is perfectly possible, but don't get upset if you're shown to be totally wrong.

2. The G-man thing is just a trick of the page. Even with the overlay, I can barely figure out what I'm supposed to be looking at.


And it's just potatoes. There are no chips.

That all said: I'm excited to see where this is going, even if I can't pick up my copy until tomorrow night.

He... He's very clearly visible dude. Get your eyes checked.

EDIT: My bad. I looked at the link the Escapist gave, which apparently shows a photoshopped version of what you're supposed to be seeing. The actual picture on the site looks much more like a skull, but, like you said, it's just a picture of the page.

 

[John Funk]

Dear Escapist, please find someone competent at reporting to write your articles, that is all.

but alas, it seems like our efforts will come to naught, leaving everyone with nothing but a bunch of excellent indie titles obtained at a rather impressive discount. A shame, really.

So, that's it. We're not getting Portal 2 early after all, so -

So the fact that 7 hours have been knocked off the launch time doesn't count?

(Edit: Apparently they're potatoes and not potato chips. I dunno, they still look like chips to me. Oh man, I could totally go for some potato chips right now.)

Well at least you corrected yourself, but given a huge portion of the ARG has been about potatoes you can't have been paying much attention.

Are you not familiar with the concept of misdirecting humor? Or does the fact that the news post goes on for multiple paragraphs after that introduction - to in fact outright state that we're getting it earlier - somehow elude you?

And I know it's about potatoes. I was assuming it was a visual pun on Valve's part. You know, microchips, potato chips?

 

[The Sane]

Are you not familiar with the concept of misdirecting humor? Or does the fact that the news post goes on for multiple paragraphs after that introduction - to in fact outright state that we're getting it earlier - somehow elude you?

And I know it's about potatoes. I was assuming it was a visual pun on Valve's part. You know, microchips, potato chips?

I read the article. And I must be missing a few paragraphs or something because there isn't a single point where you state that we are in fact getting it early. After that I guess I wasn't in the mood for the humor. Sorry I was a bit tetchy, but honestly, I don't see what you see.

 

[John Funk]

Are you not familiar with the concept of misdirecting humor? Or does the fact that the news post goes on for multiple paragraphs after that introduction - to in fact outright state that we're getting it earlier - somehow elude you?

And I know it's about potatoes. I was assuming it was a visual pun on Valve's part. You know, microchips, potato chips?

I read the article. And I must be missing a few paragraphs or something because there isn't a single point where you state that we are in fact getting it early. After that I guess I wasn't in the mood for the humor. Sorry I was a bit tetchy, but honestly, I don't see what you see.

"As of the exact moment I type this, there are 420,761 potato chips remaining. Since they seem to be disappearing at a bit over 10/second, if we convert that into minutes and hours, then the potato chips will reach zero around 10 or 11 PM EST - faster than the regular countdown, but only by a few hours (or my math could be totally off)."

I'm well aware that there are probably people out there doing the ARG who have calculated the time to the exact second. Mine was a rough estimate.

 

[The Sane]

"As of the exact moment I type this, there are 420,761 potato chips remaining. Since they seem to be disappearing at a bit over 10/second, if we convert that into minutes and hours, then the potato chips will reach zero around 10 or 11 PM EST - faster than the regular countdown, but only by a few hours (or my math could be totally off)."

I'm well aware that there are probably people out there doing the ARG who have calculated the time to the exact second. Mine was a rough estimate.

Ok, so thats what threw me. Paragraph about the separate potato countdown referencing a finishing time of a timezone I'm not familiar with.

 

[ben---neb]

Aaaaargh..I'm confused. When do us Brits get the game then?

Not until Thursday for a Europe release apparently

OT: Oh Valve, you crafty, crafty bastards. How I love thee so!

Game.co.uk sent off my copy today. In the past, I have received preordered games the day after they have told me the game has been dispatched, but I'm not holding out to receive it tomorrow. More likely Wednesday or the actual release date. If I get it early I will be overjoyed.

I love pre-ordering with Game.co.uk as without fail they always send me the games a day early. Personally I'm holding out for it to come tomorrow (checks watch) today.

 

[callmegreen]

well im on the site and the countdown says 7 hours although it might not be the countdown,,,, cause im stupid o.o

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Aaaaargh..I'm confused. When do us Brits get the game then?

About 10AM tuesday

goddammit!!! ive got to leave for work at about 10!, grrr that will be an agonising 13 hours.

 

[Excludos]

Aaaah valve, you clever little bastard. I'm probably going to get up early to see what this countdown does, a long with portal 2...something I never planned to do.

I will say this tho, clever advertising aside, valve are the only game developer out there where i buy every single game they make. They and Blizzard, difference being Blizzard only makes a game every 10 years or so

 

[Catalyst6]

Oh god I can't wait. Anticipation!

It had better be good, Valve. Otherwise I'm going to extract the time I spent worrying about it from you. In the form of teeth or beta disks for episode three. Just sayin'.

Also, the Gman thing is kind of a stretch. Me, I see a skeleton! Or is it a pony? Who knows?

 

[Aurora219]

Alright FINE I'll buy it now.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

This is crazy. lol listen to you people! I mean i dig portal just as much as the next guy..well maybe not as much as some of you but i mean...This is just an advertisment. They got a whole bunch of people to pay 40 bucks for a bunch of games chances are they wouldn't of bought if they didn't have potatoes. Think about that. The build up and all and hints, and countdowns don't get me wrong...well played valve well played. But i don't understand how anyone would "fall" for it and "buy" (sry no pun intended) into all of this instead of doing what i did. Check the website, route for all the suckers and hope that the game comes out early. Even if they did complete the boot process the game would of been released a few hours early at what 3 am? Sorry. I can wait a few hours, and use my 40 bucks to actually buy PORTAL.

 

[sunpop]

I love that amnesia is the least played not because it's bad but because it's so damn good no one has the stones to play it for very long.

 

[1337mokro]

Your math is off.

At 10 per second, meaning 600 a minute meaning 36000 an hour it would take 6.25 hours or 6 hours 15 minutes to have the counter hit 0 from the remaining 225000 potatoes. So that countdown clock on Steam is the final deadline. It might hit 5 minutes earlier but 5 minutes isn't really an early launch. That's the release button presser arriving at the office 1 bus earlier.

Only if some other people are going to go out and buy some great games cheap the portal launch will succeed early.

 

[The Random One]

When the potatoes run out, HL3 comes out. You heard it here first.

Damn, I hate Steam with a passion. I spent all weekend trying to sign up to get some games in the potato sack, trying to beat the ARGers. I finally managed to sign up late at night yesterday. When I went to complete the purchase, the tab closed by itself. Well, you can have your stupid potatoes and games, Steam. I didn't want them anyway.

 

[Angus565]

Coming out at 1 am for me.
No sleep tonight! <3

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

I have exams anyway so I won't be picking up Portal 2 until late May. I'm going to have to avoid the internet completely until then.

 

[Kyogissun]

You know, I wonder if at the end of Portal 2 there's gonna be a giant teaser and/or trailer for Half-Life 3.

I would totally shit my pants if that's the case.