By Alec Meer on September 9th, 2010 at 9:42 pm.
I awake from a seven hour post-food poisoning slumber feeling beyond awful, but am instantly cheered by the latest in Valve’s unending stream of Portal 2 tickles. This time, it’s a lot more meaningful than a snatch of puzzles, environments or Ricky Gervais’ mate. This time, it’s the co-op in full vidaction – and, quite clearly, cast-iron confirmation of what the next Valve plush toys’n't-shirts we’ll all be squeeing helplessly at will be. Go Laurel, go Hardy.
Old news to anyone who was at PAX (or watched wobblecam footage from it), new, high-def news to the rest of us. And the moment two new iconic Valve characters are born, I suspect.
Here’s a blurry walkthrough of the co-op mechanics too, proving just how cute and expressive mute robo-chums Legs and Fats (they’ve not been blessed with official names yet, so let’s devise our own affectionate handles for the modified ambulatory turret and personality core) are even when just dossing about.
But oh, the potential for arguments in Portal 2 co-op. The degree of genuine co-operation, rather than both running to the front and shooting everything, is going to be pretty profound. Both players will surely have to be almost 100% servile to each others’ wishes and suggestions – which means I will be unable to play this with at least 97% of people I know.
09/09/2010 at 21:46 SheffieldSteel says:
Can I jsut be the first to say…
I liked co-op gameplay before it was cool :P
10/09/2010 at 00:19 drewski says:
System Shock 2 and Baldur’s Gate co-op rocked.
10/09/2010 at 00:27 jeremypeel says:
Damn right.
Me and my younger bro are tearing through BG co-op currently and having a whale of a time.
Sure hope we don’t come across any whales though. At least not until we get the Ankheg platemail sorted.
10/09/2010 at 08:47 Gnarf says:
I LIKED CO-OP WHEN IT WAS COOL TO LIKE CO-OP BEFORE IT WAS COOL TO LIKE CO-OP BACK IN THE DAY WHEN GEARS OF WAR 2 AND ARMY OF TWO THE 40TH DAY WAS NOT YET OUT AT LEAST I HADNT BOUGHT THEM ALREADY. OLE SCOOL
09/09/2010 at 21:50 Navagon says:
This game is going to be amazing. But yes, I’m not sure how well the coop would work without a partner who is a, well… bot.
09/09/2010 at 21:50 sudogamer says:
The graphics in Portal 2 (possibly the least important element) are looking really rather good, is this still the same Source engine as HL2?
09/09/2010 at 21:53 JackShandy says:
These adorable little robots are clearly dudes! What happened to Portal’s Ladies Only agenda?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2007/10/18/portal-totally-gay/
10/09/2010 at 08:28 Rich says:
Look between the legs buddy. Nothin’.
09/09/2010 at 21:57 Fringe says:
Looks like a game that could make or break relationships if played with your partner!
09/09/2010 at 21:58 tom says:
system shock 2…
09/09/2010 at 21:59 DrGonzo says:
That looks amazing. But I’m not too keen on it switching to 3rd person. I hope it doesn’t do that in the single-player. It’s quite immersion breaking.
09/09/2010 at 22:05 Vinraith says:
I think the third person stuff is purely for the trailers.
09/09/2010 at 23:04 RC-1290'Dreadnought' says:
It looks similar to the taunts in TF2.
09/09/2010 at 23:27 Brumisator says:
Taunts and various actions indeed.
Just like TF2.
It’s been shown in the PAX trailers.
09/09/2010 at 22:12 yhancik says:
I think GladOS calls Legs “Orange” in the gameplay vid (and I suppose Fats is “Blue”), but I of course like you names better :p
09/09/2010 at 22:20 CommanderZx2 says:
Third person is only included for when you do taunts, such as hug, wave, etc…
09/09/2010 at 22:24 Tei says:
The intro made me laugh two times. It works for me. :-D
09/09/2010 at 22:24 radomaj says:
Is it me or does GLaDOS sound sultrier than ever?
09/09/2010 at 22:35 Rich says:
I don’t think she took dying very well.
09/09/2010 at 22:53 Cynic says:
@radomaj
I told my wife you said that and she made faces like you were a perv.
Then we watched the ad.
Now she agrees.
09/09/2010 at 22:32 Fred Wester, CEO of Paradox says:
Right.
09/09/2010 at 22:48 Stupoider says:
@Fred Wester, CEO of Paradox:
You seem to be saying that an awful lot!
09/09/2010 at 22:53 Klaus says:
He is a robot.
10/09/2010 at 00:13 Fred Wester, CEO of Paradox says:
O_O
10/09/2010 at 00:29 MarkN says:
I’ve finally just seen what he’s done there.
I can be so slow at times. :(
09/09/2010 at 22:32 stahlwerk says:
“We would like to remind you, that this is not a competition. If it were one, however, orange would be winning.”
<3 Oh GlaDOS, never change… <3
09/09/2010 at 22:39 N says:
OH WOW GLADOS IS SO FUNNY. GAHAHAHAH.
:l
09/09/2010 at 22:51 Cynic says:
That’s the point here, she’s being sinister instead of what you see as not funny.
09/09/2010 at 22:45 Mr_Day says:
Squatbot and Spindly!
09/09/2010 at 22:45 shnyker says:
Oh GlaDOS we missed you.
09/09/2010 at 22:48 Cooper says:
Ok. This may have to be the first game I -ever- play co-op. Maybe.
10/09/2010 at 04:37 DJ Phantoon says:
I’m sure you can find a playing partner for the co-op if you can’t find anyone else with the game when it comes out on the foruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhms!
09/09/2010 at 22:48 GLaDOS says:
We assure you that Android Hell is a real place and you will be sent there upon the slightest sign of deviance.
09/09/2010 at 23:01 Jharakn says:
“Our super-fun regulations require us to inform you that you must now leave the theatre as measuring the effects of asbestos lined promotional clothing is not part of today’s presentation. Enjoy your free T-shirt, goodbye”
GlaDOS is one of the best computer game characters ever created in my opinion.
09/09/2010 at 23:01 FunkyBadger says:
Loved it when they hugged in the first vid! (This may be an exaggerated reaction to *nice* things after playing the Amnesia demo)
09/09/2010 at 23:11 wyrmsine says:
This game will be my next dose of relationship poison – looking very forward to it.
09/09/2010 at 23:16 Dominic White says:
The writing continues to be fantastic.
“You don’t know pride.
You don’t know fear.
You don’t know anything.
You’ll be perfect.”
Really looking forward to this.
09/09/2010 at 23:44 l1ddl3monkey says:
This.
I’ll play it just to hear the full script.
09/09/2010 at 23:22 Armyofnone says:
I was able to be lucky enough to play this at the PAX convention. Played super smoothly, and really enjoyed it, even if the bastard of a Valve team member threw me into a pit of death.
09/09/2010 at 23:35 Bret says:
Ah, Valve.
Never change.
09/09/2010 at 23:43 Radiant says:
Is that really a link to a Halo suicide bomb trailer?
Jesus Christ.
10/09/2010 at 04:43 DJ Phantoon says:
Suicide bombing is fucking rad brah
wait the kids don’t say rad anymore do they
anyways yeah I’m surprised that Medal of Honor is having more controversy when Halo is implying you should blow yourself right the fuck up.
10/09/2010 at 08:26 Thants says:
C&C Generals had suicide bombers as a unit.
10/09/2010 at 00:06 jaheira says:
Sigh. It’s coming up to three years since Valve made a single player game. Oh well, whatever, never mind.
10/09/2010 at 00:16 DJ Phantoon says:
I take it you were too busy bitching to get friends? And by the way, Portal will have a separate single player campaign.
The Co-Op is just icing on the cake.
10/09/2010 at 00:30 jaheira says:
None taken.
While they were making the co-op icing they could have been making more cake, or even a type of single-player icing that …. oh dear the analogy has broken.
10/09/2010 at 01:43 Shadram says:
The cake’s a lie, anyway.
… Sorry. Someone had to say it.
10/09/2010 at 04:41 DJ Phantoon says:
No I don’t think you get it.
The single player will be as long as a feature length game like Half-Life 2. There will ALSO be co-op. As a bonus.
Now when Portal 2 comes out and you decide you want co-op fun more than you hate your fellow humans, I suggest bouncing over to the forums at that time to look for a partner.
10/09/2010 at 00:19 gromit says:
It just came to me. HL3 will feature a new engine to replace Source.
That is all.
10/09/2010 at 00:30 deliciousandjuicypileofshit says:
valve confirmed you will not be playing with gordon in HL3. Which means ep3 should wrap up his story and he will prob die :)
10/09/2010 at 08:17 Malcolm says:
I doubt that. Source is continually evolving – compare source circa Half Life 2 with L4D (or these Portal 2 videos).
10/09/2010 at 08:47 Rich says:
“It just came to me.”
That’s what you get when you huff paint.
The next instalment of Half-Life will be an episode, the third episode, as they’ve always said.
deliciousandjuicypileofshit is right that they’ve also said that Ep3 will be the end of the Freeman story arch, if not the Half-life story entirely (spin-offs not withstanding).
This constant talk of a full blown Half-life 3 is crazy. Ep 2 was only 3 years ago, and yes I know they could’ve been working on HL3 since HL2, but why would they try episodic content if they always intended to drop it? Besides the episodes, they’ve clearly also been busy with all the other bits and bobs they’ve released, not least of which is Portal.
Oh yeah, and massive engine version iterations are not their style. Source has already changed a lot since HL2.
10/09/2010 at 00:21 bleeters says:
TF2 needs a hugging emote :(
10/09/2010 at 10:47 Spliter says:
Or a hight five one
And maybe even an all-team dance routine… that would be awesome.
10/09/2010 at 00:30 Dominic White says:
Portal 2: A puzzle-themed robot hug simulator.
10/09/2010 at 11:39 phlebas says:
Sold!
10/09/2010 at 00:33 jeremypeel says:
That trailer made me grin like a shit-eater who adores shit. It actually seems kinda churlish to ask for Episode 3 right now.
10/09/2010 at 00:38 UsF says:
With icing as thick as the cake itself. :)
10/09/2010 at 00:50 dudekiller says:
My semi-comatose brain managed to parse the top picture as being a picture of two robots, with the rightmost one of which striking a rakish pose in a pair of natty blue jeans.
Now I realise it’s not, and I kinda wish it was.
10/09/2010 at 01:35 MWoody says:
I don’t really like that first trailer, there – it’s prerendered, but it’s also close enough to the actual gameplay to border on false advertisement. Don’t get me wrong, excited for the game and all, but to my mind it steps over a line. With Portal’s casual-heavy audience, I guarantee there will be some who are disappointed come release that the main game doesn’t look like a Pixar film.
10/09/2010 at 04:16 DrGonzo says:
Well I think it’s the same as Left 4 Dead’s trailer. It does look shinier, but they do seem to be using the assets from the game. And I think the trailers do give a good idea of how the game plays unlike most other trailers for games.
10/09/2010 at 04:38 DJ Phantoon says:
Actually with the way they tack shiny bits onto the Source Engine to keep it current I wouldn’t be surprised if high end computer COULD run it at that resolution.
10/09/2010 at 08:38 Rich says:
Definitely uses the source engine, but probably not rendered in real time.
10/09/2010 at 02:11 Kenny says:
Mute?
10/09/2010 at 08:30 Thants says:
No.
10/09/2010 at 02:27 Serenegoose says:
I LOVE the soundtrack in the trailer. It’s perfect! I’m watching it again just to hear it.
10/09/2010 at 04:12 pupsikaso says:
It’s being demoed on a console.
I cried =(
10/09/2010 at 04:17 DrGonzo says:
I think it’s being demoed on PC with a 360 controller. You see a mouse cursor appear at one point during the presentation.
10/09/2010 at 15:01 pupsikaso says:
That’s… that’s even more salt in the wound.
10/09/2010 at 08:35 Rich says:
“The single player will be as long as a feature length game like Half-Life 2.”
I think that may be an exaggeration, but it’s certainly going to be substantial.
10/09/2010 at 08:36 Rich says:
Devil take this reply system!
That was a response to DJ Phantoon.
10/09/2010 at 09:56 Ian says:
“Don’t disappoint me, or I’ll make you wish you could die.”
Brrrrrrr.
10/09/2010 at 10:53 Spliter says:
This is the game I’ll be getting an internet connection for the entire year.
Just to download this game I’ll subscribe to a mobile internet connection 34$ a month for 12 months.
I really hope it lives up to my expectations.
And knowing Valve… it probably will.
10/09/2010 at 16:40 Pete says:
Is the co-op going to be offline as well as online?
10/09/2010 at 16:43 Dominic White says:
Unlikely. Despite it being fully-functional, Valve actually removed split-screen play from the PC version of L4D at launch, because people complained about it even being there. Reminded them of consoles, apparently.
10/09/2010 at 17:57 FunkyBadger says:
My irony detector just exploded… are you joking DW?
10/09/2010 at 17:57 FunkyBadger says:
Oh yeah, the robots… they’re clearly Simon Pegg and Nick Frost circa Hot Fuzz.