14 DAY TRIAL // Valve Software, the developer best known for designing the Half Life series and the creator of premier digital distribution service Steam, has announced that it will be delaying the launch of Portal 2 until next year while also confirming that it's planning to deliver a “surprise” at the E3 trade show connected to the game.
Again taking on the humorous tone of the fictional Aperture Science, Valve stated, “Even though Portal 2 will arrive slightly later than planned, all life on earth won't instantaneously stop as every molecule in your body explodes at the speed of light, which is what would happen should a rip ever appear in the fabric of Valve Time.”
The official reason for the delay is that “making games is hard,” which probably means the company needs time to flesh out the experience and make sure it's as attractive to gamers as the first Portal. Valve also remarked that it had “a historic opportunity to create the first product delay press release to mention that a product is being delayed to make it worse.”
Rumors have recently surfaced saying the company is getting ready to announce a new Source engine or the long awaited last episode in the Half Life saga at the E3 trade show but the fresh press release makes it clear that the E3 surprise will be “PORTAL-2-THEMED-FOR-GOD'S SAKE.”
Portal 2 is set to take place a few centuries after the events of the first iteration in the series and will see GlaDOS reprise her role as an antagonist, with the gameplay apparently built around exploring environments and solving puzzles using the Portal gun. Gamers will again control Chell, who was apparently cryogenized after the first Portal. The game is also set o have a cooperative mode where players will be taking on the role of a turret gun and a personality core.