Portal 2 is the sequel to the game that inspired the masterful fan film by @DannyTRS

Filmmaker and host of “The Totally Rad Show” Dan Trachtenberg made this short film based on the Portal video game franchise titled “Portal: No Escape.” If you don’t know what Portal is, this film does a pretty good job conveying what the whole thing is. It took him a year and a half to make it with help from some other very talented filmmakers.

This video is “winning the Internet.” Posted online about 24 hours ago (as I write this) it has generated more than one million hits on YouTube. I hope this starts something for Mr. Trachtenberg. He has been a successful commercial director for a few years. You likely have seen his handy work in some form without knowing it. Hopefully this opens up some opportunities for Dan to make a larger scale film or whatever else he might want to do.

Portal is one of those games that I think would translate well into film and Trachtenberg proves it with this short. I would be interested in seeing what further could be done in the Portal/Half-Life world on the big screen. We probably will eventually see something and if anything this short gives us a hint of what could come.

I have been looking forward to this game for a long time now. From its innovative realistic facial technology to its out of the box thinking gameplay, “L.A. Noire” was set to scratch a gaming itch I have had for some time. After a few hours of playing the game, I have some initial thoughts. Mostly good, but there are some nagging problems with the over-all experiance.

I am not far enough into the campaign to give a full review, but having experienced a good chunk of the gameplay, I can honestly say over all “L.A. Noire” is a landmark achievement in gaming. Utilizing an investigative technique to discover clues that will later be used in one-on-one interviews with the games characters puts the gamer in a perspective not often seen in games.

Where Noire also serves itself well is the reward for not getting a question right. While it does present you with a “you did that wrong” note, it does allow you to move forward with that mistake and opens  up new doors in the game to collect new clues and talk to different people. While this serves as a strength for the game, the developers didn’t go full out with it. By telling the gamer they didn’t  get a question right, it doesn’t entirely encourage them to move forward. I have heard from a number of other gamers who simply restart the questions until they do get it right.

The most glaring problem I have had with “L.A. Noire” is the driving mechanic. Taken directly from Rockstar’s main franchise “Grand Theft Auto,” the driving in Noire feels out of place. While the vehicles feel true to the era, the twitchy nature of Rockstar driving and poor AI control for oncoming traffic makes for a jarring, less satisfying experience.

While the driving is a problem in the game, a lot of the game works and works well. The story is mature in how it delivers information and doesn’t assume the player is stupid. It delivers a strong narrative in an industry filled with immature gaming experiences.

Along side “Portal 2,” we have seen some wonderful games launched this year. I’ll follow up with “L.A. Noire” when I’m farther along. So far though, it’s the game I have been dreaming of for years. From the setting to the gameplay. Well done Rockstar.