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Game Debate to the Death! Portal VS The Longest Journey photo

Last week's debate started off the final odd debate brackets with the first of three PC rounds for the Dtoid Army to vote on. I don't think I could have picked a better rivalry to kick things off with, and the two titans didn't disappoint, with each bringing massive amounts of support. It sure as hell wasn't as chaotic as the recent Iran riots, but it still made for a good group of comments to read through. Here are the results:
  • Counter-Strike (61 votes) -- "Terrorists. Win." -- Winner!
  • World of Warcraft (30 votes)

This week I honestly wanted to go with a different pair of games, but because I had a feeling it would turn into a massacre (a larger one than this one will most likely turn out), I decided to hold off on Portal VS Myst for a few more weeks. So this week we get two vastly different gameplay experiences. It's hard to compare any game to Portal, but back in the day, The Longest Journey had plenty of praise as well. Both can be bizarre and addicting, but with their game lengths and art styles being so far apart, I'm hoping for some polarized comments.

Which game do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some PC friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner.

Bonus Question: What is one thing you don't like about the game you voted for?


Continue: More Valve stories





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102 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Milestailsprowe's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:14
Milestailsprowe
Havent played lonegest journey but its FUCKING portal
Havoc Fang's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:15
Havoc Fang
Portal, but I don't like how there are times I don't hear the radio OR Jonathan Coulton in some form.
mrberns's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:19
mrberns
I actually do almost want to put down The Longest Journey as its a favorite of mine, but really Portal was just so groundbreaking and amazing that I don't know if anything could compare.

Portal
phantomile's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:20
phantomile
The Longest Journey. I know it won't be the popular choice, but I enjoyed it SO much, and Portal was just too short.

Don't get me wrong, Portal is one of the most fun games I've ever played, I just happen to have a more deep-seated appreciation for The Longest Journey.
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:24
Fronz
portal kicked ass but i'm voting for the longest journey. don't have time post an explanation, sorry.
pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:24
pascuz46
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm PORTAL 4 LIFE!!
Los255's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:24
Los255
Portal. Subtle humor, extremely creative gameplay, awesome maps (PC version FTW), and the best ending song ever.

Bonus question: I seriously can't find anything wrong, but if I had to nitpick, I'd say length of the game. I didn't want it to end and I couldve done more puzzles forever. But with the PC version, you have mods!
Intruder's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:25
Intruder
Portal f'sho.

Quirky and short.
TOEmastro's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:34
TOEmastro
Portal is my choice


I guess I could whine that the companion cube wasn't around long enough
ajaxender's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:41
ajaxender
Portal. If I had to pick a best game, I'd probably give it to Portal. I think its the most well designed, complete, and above all, fun experience I've ever had with a game.

There is nothing I dont like about Portal. It would take too much effort to come up with what I like least. Its not necessarily the best game at some (or even many) aspects, but I dont think a single part of it even comes close to letting the rest down. Even the short length is fine by me, it makes for a great single sitting play-through.
Alex's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:42
Alex
Portal is just fun. Much fun. Also cake.
Paroxysm's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:50
Paroxysm
Portal. The Longest Journey is one of the most overrated adventure games ever. It's not great it's merely alright but it came out at a time when adventure genre offered nothing but shit. Not being crap isn't an especially strong claim to fame as far as I'm concerned. Stupidly simple puzzles(with only the occasional pixel hunt to add any difficulty at all) and the most boring, generic fantasy dialog I can recall. It did have a decent story and setting though.
mrplow8's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:54
mrplow8
The Longest what? I've never heard of it, so I'm going to have to say Portal.
tkyy's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/16/2009 23:57
tkyy
Portal. Debate ENDS!
pumpkinhed's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:10
pumpkinhed
Portal! Portal! A thousand times Portal!
grafkhun's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:11
grafkhun
The Longest Journey, mainly because it's the severly outmatched underdog. I only played a small chunk of this game at a friends, but I liked it. Portal was a riot though. Wait a second, didn't The Longest Journey have a subtitle 'Dreamfall'? or was that the sequel or something? Oh well, maybe I'm just making that up.

Vote: The Longest Journey

Bonues Question: The only thing I didn't like was that I didn't get to play it more!
whormongr's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:14
whormongr
portal is one of my favorite games period- so I gotta go with it
MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:14
MrSadistic
The Longest Journey, hands down. Portal is a fun FPS, but TLJ has an incredible plot, atmosphere, characters, etc.
Exquisitor's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:20
Exquisitor
(====)
Portal
Portal
Portal
Portal
Portal
Portal
(====)
bVork's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:23
bVork
The Longest Journey. Portal is good and all, but I don't think I'll ever forget TLJ. It was such an amazing and magical game.
RAB's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:26
RAB
portal obviously.

don't ask silly questions.
nukka jdav's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:30
nukka jdav
Longest Journey.

God damn, I have a soft spot for you fucking point/clickers.
ThePopeCat's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:31
ThePopeCat
The Longest Journey, anyone who hasn't played it should be ashamed. Don't get me wrong, I loved Portal. The Longest Journey is easily the second best adventure game I've ever played (Grim Fandango is #1)
Holiday's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:37
Holiday
Love Portal too but you know Dreamfall: The longest Journey was a full on adventure game with a good story and likable characters, especially Zoe. I'll give Dreamfall the nod here but really these two games are no where close to being comparable. How about Dreamfall vs Syberia?

P.S. ZOE LIVES!
Pacopaco's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:37
Pacopaco
It's been a while since I've played The Longest Journey so my experience might be a bit hazy, but I gotta say Portal. One of the most solid games I have ever played in my life.

The only gripe I can think of is that I don't remember much in terms of ambient music except during the obvious moments. That may just be my bad memory, though.

Aside from that, I can't think of anything other criticisms. It was that solid.
twister1988's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:40
twister1988
PORTAL! >:O
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:42
BlackSunEmpire
Portal for me thanks
link331's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:46
link331
Portal.
dgschrei's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:50
dgschrei
The Longesst Journey. Story ftw. Portal is simply an overrated puzzle game.

Also anyboy who hasn't played TLJ yet: Get your lazy ass to Steam and buy the damn thing. It's awesome and it will definately run on your PC.
KaL YoshiKa's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:56
KaL YoshiKa
Poor The Longest Journey there's no way in hell it's going to win this debate but it's still a fantastic game. So I'll vote for Longest Journey.

I found some of the game to drag on a little bit but hey that's almost a positive for an adventure game. The sequel was too short and ends on a cliff hanger :(
Omikron's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 00:59
Omikron
Longest Journey..... I love the game but I know its gona lose cause noone knows what the hell it is :P
Chocobo Knight's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:00
Chocobo Knight
I give my vote to The Longest Journey.

Portal is a great little game, but The Longest Journey holds a special place in my jaded gamer heart. <3
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:10
Magnalon
If Portal doesn't win...

Vote: Portal

Bonus: The lack of challenge rooms/end-game content. It was MEANT to be short, but I would have loved some easily designed extra challenge rooms.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:14
DinnertimeNinja
Haven't read this other comments but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Portal will win by a LANDSLIDE.


Also, I'm voting for Portal.

Longest Journey was interesting, but if you're going to be putting Portal against an adventure game, this isn't the one to topple it. Too simple, and too tedious for my liking.
OpTiMaL's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:26
OpTiMaL
The Longest Journey. Mainly picking it because I think this slipped under the radar for a lot of people. Portal was fun, but it was extremely short.
Professor Pew's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:31
Professor Pew
The Longest Journey easily! Screw that overhyped Portal.
everybodyruns's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:43
everybodyruns
portal.
X51's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:54
X51
Portal had better gameplay, but The Longest Journey (and its sequel) had a better story, and story always wins in my book.

One thing I *didn't* like about The Longest Journey was that puzzle with the duck floaty and the rope to get that key in the subway station. What a pain in the ass.
Kaleidoskull's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:59
Kaleidoskull
Hm... Let me think about th- PORTAL. I love TLJ, but I had to vote Portal because, well... it's Portal, come on! It's fantastic!

Bonus: It didn't last forever. :P
hpv's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 01:59
hpv
The Longest Journey. Portal was good, but I really don't see what all the hype was about. It's a good game, well crafted. It didn't blow me the fuck away. Not even close.

Maybe it's just that I didn't play it right when it came out, but I'm more inclined to believe that the people over-hyping it are merely simpletons.
ZenHK's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:02
ZenHK
Do one thing - right now, i implore you.

Youtube. Search 'still alive', find the correct video -you know the one- while you're letting that little bar fill to ensure you aren't interrupted, remind yourself of the final fight with GlaDOS.... check?


...Hit play...



..note that by 0:15 you're grinning, even if its only a little. You remember how it felt the first time you watched that? It was bittersweet, because you'd just finished something quite extraordinary.

My vote goes to portal, for a whole host of immersive in-game reasons that only bolster the lengthy if overly elaborate point made above.

apologies to those that haven't played through it - though really, what the fuck are you doing on destructoid if thats the case!?
SurplusGamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:05
SurplusGamer
Portal. That game is a masterclass in design.

I am a big adventure game fan so when I finally got round to TLJ last year I was so disappointed with its completely ridiculous puzzles and plot which leaves far too much unresolved and feels rushed at the end.
GoldenGamerXero's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:17
GoldenGamerXero
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

That's cold man now if anyone who made The Longest Journey sees this they'll feel like crap.

PORTAL.

BQ: Nothing. It may have been short but I liked it short.
Forcepath's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:26
Forcepath
Vote: Portal
Kalmah's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:28
Kalmah
Portal
UglyDuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 02:44
UglyDuck
I don't even vote in these things, but today I'm going to vote for the Longest Journey because you know it's going to lose to Portal, despite the fact that it is a beautiful, incredibly well written game. Portal is the better of the two, but The Longest Journey deserves recognition.

You're an evil son-of-a-beach putting these two up against each other. You could have at least used a shit game.
FiXXXer667's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 03:06
FiXXXer667
TLJ. Because I played it when it came out, because it was the first time I skipped school for a game, or empathized this much with a character.

Portal is flawless in its execution, but it still fails to evoke more than said grins and chuckles. TLJ did much more. From the opening dreamscene of the dream intro sequence to the sprawling metropolis of the *real* world, it was excellently written, and amazingly designed and drawn.

Of course, I don't expect TLJ to come even close in this vote. This is Destructoid, this is '09, this is the ADD generation that can't point and click without circle-strafing and will vote just to get an excuse to type "the cake is a lie" (notice skillful insertion of meme above :P).

Christ, thanks Fronz, now I feel like an old man.
DrManik's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 03:15
DrManik
Played both. Loved both.
The Longest Journey wins though for me, Portal isn't even a contender, as much as I loved it. TLJ has such wonderful writing and the direction of Tornquist is superb. The world is so much more real than any other game.
JustLikeBuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 03:17
JustLikeBuck
The longest journey because it's a better game, with better story, visuals that still impress today, and it was long enough to justify retail price.

Portal was one long tutorial.

So TLJ wins for me, though I would be surprised if the vast majority of Valve fans have actually played a Point and Click adventure, let alone TLJ.
TheBigFeel's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/17/2009 03:33
TheBigFeel
Exquisitor wins :)

the longest what now? Portal, hands down... but if there's a game that can be favorably compared to Portal, I ought to check it out. Thanks for the rec!
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