Outside Aperture Answers Portal's Biggest Question

[Daniel Park]

Wow. Eisen Feuer (whose name in German means "iron fire" - how badass is that??) is a true craftsman.

 

[Temah]

That was simply spectacular.

 

[LiquidGrape]

I always thought of the companion cube thing to sort of be a "What the hell is this?" kind of thing for Chell. I mean, I didn't really care when the time came to incinerate it, I thought it was kind of funny that GlaDos thinks I would be attached to a fucking cube after a few minutes of testing, and I thought that would convey through to Chell as well.

So yeah, if we're talking nitpickings here, I don't think Chell would be attached to some things (the companion cube, cake) as dearly as GlaDos might have thought.

I agree.
Don't get me wrong, I think the work put into this film is remarkable, and it's easily one of the most well-judged fan films I've seen. It's funny, and fairly inventive, but...it felt as if it missed the point, somewhat.

This is something which has bugged me for ages about the reaction to the companion cube and cake in the original Portal.
In the first game, GLaDOS was thoroughly unable to grasp what something like genuine emotional connection really is, which is why she presented the player with such vacuous and uninformed substitutes. She assumed that painting a heart on a weighted storage cube would be enough to endear the test subject, and that a slice of cake would be all the incentive the subject would need to perform the hazardous tests.

This is obviously a ridiculous notion. We are aware of this fact, and that is why it is an element of satire, not emotion.

I won't deny anyone to feel guinely attached to the companion cube, if that be the case. More power to you for getting so engrossed in the fiction, I say.
But I can't help but feel some people are missing out on the punchline.

 

[matrix3509]

I always thought of the companion cube thing to sort of be a "What the hell is this?" kind of thing for Chell. I mean, I didn't really care when the time came to incinerate it, I thought it was kind of funny that GlaDos thinks I would be attached to a fucking cube after a few minutes of testing, and I thought that would convey through to Chell as well.

So yeah, if we're talking nitpickings here, I don't think Chell would be attached to some things (the companion cube, cake) as dearly as GlaDos might have thought.

I agree.
Don't get me wrong, I think the work put into this film is remarkable, and it's easily one of the most well-judged fan films I've seen. It's funny, and fairly inventive, but...it felt as if it missed the point, somewhat.

This is something which has bugged me for ages about the reaction to the companion cube and cake in the original Portal.
In the first game, GLaDOS was thoroughly unable to grasp what something like genuine emotional connection really is, which is why she presented the player with such vacuous and uninformed substitutes. She assumed that painting a heart on a weighted storage cube would be enough to endear the test subject, and that a slice of cake would be all the incentive the subject would need to perform the hazardous tests.

This is obviously a ridiculous notion. We are aware of this fact, and that is why it is an element of satire, not emotion.

I won't deny anyone to feel guinely attached to the companion cube, if that be the case. More power to you for getting so engrossed in the fiction, I say.
But I can't help but feel some people are missing out on the punchline.

Missing the point here. The film makes the obvious assertion that Chell is slightly crazy from her trials. Therefore forming an emotional attachment to an inanimate object is not that far-fetched, and so-called sane people do just such things in real life all the time anyway. Also, the film explicitly shows us that Chell has a liking for cake before she even started the tests.

Now you can argue that that it doesn't stick to established lore lore as far as Portal 2, and thats fine.

But as your criticism stands, your just trying to tell a crazy person what is and isn't plausible.

 

[Spygon]

Good effects but the video is rather boring it just shows chell has gone rather crazy that would make sence but dont see why they had to make an 8 minute video for it

 

[Demonicdan]

I always thought of the companion cube thing to sort of be a "What the hell is this?" kind of thing for Chell. I mean, I didn't really care when the time came to incinerate it, I thought it was kind of funny that GlaDos thinks I would be attached to a fucking cube after a few minutes of testing, and I thought that would convey through to Chell as well.

So yeah, if we're talking nitpickings here, I don't think Chell would be attached to some things (the companion cube, cake) as dearly as GlaDos might have thought.

I agree.
Don't get me wrong, I think the work put into this film is remarkable, and it's easily one of the most well-judged fan films I've seen. It's funny, and fairly inventive, but...it felt as if it missed the point, somewhat.

This is something which has bugged me for ages about the reaction to the companion cube and cake in the original Portal.
In the first game, GLaDOS was thoroughly unable to grasp what something like genuine emotional connection really is, which is why she presented the player with such vacuous and uninformed substitutes. She assumed that painting a heart on a weighted storage cube would be enough to endear the test subject, and that a slice of cake would be all the incentive the subject would need to perform the hazardous tests.

This is obviously a ridiculous notion. We are aware of this fact, and that is why it is an element of satire, not emotion.

I won't deny anyone to feel guinely attached to the companion cube, if that be the case. More power to you for getting so engrossed in the fiction, I say.
But I can't help but feel some people are missing out on the punchline.

Missing the point here. The film makes the obvious assertion that Chell is slightly crazy from her trials. Therefore forming an emotional attachment to an inanimate object is not that far-fetched, and so-called sane people do just such things in real life all the time anyway. Also, the film explicitly shows us that Chell has a liking for cake before she even started the tests.

Now you can argue that that it doesn't stick to established lore lore as far as Portal 2, and thats fine.

But as your criticism stands, your just trying to tell a crazy person what is and isn't plausible.

Yeah; the last people she would have seen would be the scientists and even that was a long time ago, being completely alone for that long it's not much of a suprise that she would have developed some kind of mental health problem. I loved the fact she had a tiny TV and a betamax.

 

[LiquidGrape]

Missing the point here. The film makes the obvious assertion that Chell is slightly crazy from her trials. Therefore forming an emotional attachment to an inanimate object is not that far-fetched, and so-called sane people do just such things in real life all the time anyway. Also, the film explicitly shows us that Chell has a liking for cake before she even started the tests.

Now you can argue that that it doesn't stick to established lore lore as far as Portal 2, and thats fine.

But as your criticism stands, your just trying to tell a crazy person what is and isn't plausible.

Yeah; the last people she would have seen would be the scientists and even that was a long time ago, being completely alone for that long it's not much of a suprise that she would have developed some kind of mental health problem. I loved the fact she had a tiny TV and a betamax.

Good points.
I guess I'm just so used to thinking of Chell as this tenacious, steely character that when she shows an inkling of vulnerability, I reject the idea.
Error on my part, I suppose. But I have to say I always loved that the games never victimised her for the sake of some melodramatic contrivance.

 

[Metalrocks]

this was amazing. she acted really well (and looks attractive) and the portals looked very real. lol, scratching her own back with the portals is a good idea. sure would make things easier.lol.
really well made. she finally had her cake.

 

[irishda]

I agree.
Don't get me wrong, I think the work put into this film is remarkable, and it's easily one of the most well-judged fan films I've seen. It's funny, and fairly inventive, but...it felt as if it missed the point, somewhat.

This is something which has bugged me for ages about the reaction to the companion cube and cake in the original Portal.
In the first game, GLaDOS was thoroughly unable to grasp what something like genuine emotional connection really is, which is why she presented the player with such vacuous and uninformed substitutes. She assumed that painting a heart on a weighted storage cube would be enough to endear the test subject, and that a slice of cake would be all the incentive the subject would need to perform the hazardous tests.

This is obviously a ridiculous notion. We are aware of this fact, and that is why it is an element of satire, not emotion.

I won't deny anyone to feel guinely attached to the companion cube, if that be the case. More power to you for getting so engrossed in the fiction, I say.
But I can't help but feel some people are missing out on the punchline.

Missing the point here. The film makes the obvious assertion that Chell is slightly crazy from her trials. Therefore forming an emotional attachment to an inanimate object is not that far-fetched, and so-called sane people do just such things in real life all the time anyway. Also, the film explicitly shows us that Chell has a liking for cake before she even started the tests.

Now you can argue that that it doesn't stick to established lore lore as far as Portal 2, and thats fine.

But as your criticism stands, your just trying to tell a crazy person what is and isn't plausible.

Yeah; the last people she would have seen would be the scientists and even that was a long time ago, being completely alone for that long it's not much of a suprise that she would have developed some kind of mental health problem. I loved the fact she had a tiny TV and a betamax.

I'd have to go with Liquid on this one. While she definitely would have problems interacting with humans again, I can't see her trying to reconnect with things that were barely involved with her time at Aperture. Hell, they might as well have thrown in her having a potato as a stand-in for Tom Hank's Wilson. The whole film comes off to me as more of a meme homage than any sort of relevant lore expansion, like an old joke everyone should be sick of hearing by now. I can just see two guys sitting there, and one turns to the other and goes, "You think she made a cake when she got out?"

The biggest frustration for me was how inappropriate they titled this article. This didn't answer what happens to Chell at all, except that she will have a bland apartment and absolutely nothing else. Where is she? And how did she get all this stuff from Aperture, like the food cans? And where in the hell do you get a betamax in 2011? You don't even see that shit in pawnshops.

 

[BlackHazard]

The part where she scratches herself is hilarious.

 

[Avaholic03]

I loved it. The one thing though is that the gun looked like it weighed too much...

She was lugging that thing around.

Who's to say it doesn't weigh that much? It's gotta be tough fitting all that science in such a small device.

 

[Demonicdan]

And where in the hell do you get a betamax in 2011? You don't even see that shit in pawnshops.

The point is that she has been gone for so long that everything she has is decades out of date, I mean if you'd just been freed from a murderous AI the first thing you do isn't going to be to replace your TV.

 

[Roganzar]

1. Using portals to scratch your own back is BRILLIANT!!!!

2. I like how it touches on the fact that Chell probably has at least some PTSD from all the crap she suffered at Aperture.

3. Special effects were sweet! The portals were quite amazingly well done.

4. Chell is hot. I approve.

5. The whole thing is mildly inconsistant with Portal 2 and is obviously intended as a followup to Portal 1. I'm not complaining, just pointing it out.

Damnit you beat me to it in those comments, espcially the PTSD thing and the back scratching, lol.
Actually, the way it looked made me think it was between Portal and Portal 2. You know how you wake up in that room the first time. Chell's apartment looked a little similar, to me.
Just brilliant.

 

[irishda]

And where in the hell do you get a betamax in 2011? You don't even see that shit in pawnshops.

The point is that she has been gone for so long that everything she has is decades out of date, I mean if you'd just been freed from a murderous AI the first thing you do isn't going to be to replace your TV.

She doesn't have anything though. Unless she was so poverty stricken that her house consisted of just a tiny tv and a betamax player to begin with, she went out and got this stuff after Aperture. That's why this doesn't work as a "life after" movie. It answers zero questions while just adding more. It's a cute, and technically well made, video, but it serves more as an homage than any sort answer.

 

[Helios_(DEL)]

Concept was interesting apart from that, just nnly valve should touch valve titles, sorry.

 

[BabySinclair]

Very nice, good imagery and overall well done.

 

[Demonicdan]

And where in the hell do you get a betamax in 2011? You don't even see that shit in pawnshops.

The point is that she has been gone for so long that everything she has is decades out of date, I mean if you'd just been freed from a murderous AI the first thing you do isn't going to be to replace your TV.

She doesn't have anything though. Unless she was so poverty stricken that her house consisted of just a tiny tv and a betamax player to begin with, she went out and got this stuff after Aperture. That's why this doesn't work as a "life after" movie. It answers zero questions while just adding more. It's a cute, and technically well made, video, but it serves more as an homage than any sort answer.

If she got it after aperature why was the video 50% recruitment ads for aperature science? I think they gave it to her, but I think this is probably looking too far into it.

 

[beema]

Very well-crafted.

nitpick: Chell is a white chick in it

She doesn't have anything though. Unless she was so poverty stricken that her house consisted of just a tiny tv and a betamax player to begin with, she went out and got this stuff after Aperture. That's why this doesn't work as a "life after" movie. It answers zero questions while just adding more. It's a cute, and technically well made, video, but it serves more as an homage than any sort answer.

Looks like it was an Aperature-run housing complex (aperature branded food, etc) which has been abandoned for years. Chell was the daughter of an Aperature employee, so this makes sense. She went back to her crappy Aperature house. I don't see anything wrong with it...

(generic Aperature branded food made me think of DHARMA food... hehe)

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I liked it, VERY well done, very impressive.