What’s this? A Portal mod featuring eight new chapters, nineteen test chambers, forty-eight challenges, six advanced maps, and a brand new storyline just coming out of nowhere? Looks like it. Set as a prequel to the events in Portal, Portal: Prelude shows what Aperture Science was like before the completion of GlaDOS. Team leader Nicolas Grevet explains that back in January, he had the idea to undertake this project since no one was doing anything “really serious” with Portal at the time.
Portal: Prelude, as its name states it, is an unofficial prequel to the game Portal. Its story revolves around the pre-GlaDOS epoch, even before she was plugged in. At this time, test subjects were monitored by real Aperture Science employees, whose work was tedious, lengthy and repetitive. This is why they decided to build a great artificial intelligence that could both replace them in these difficult tasks, and also take responsibility for many other tasks within the complex and compete with Black Mesa's superiority.
All employees of the Aperture Science complex are now eagerly awaiting GlaDOS. Maybe even a little too eagerly, as the upcoming events will tell...
Nicolas decided to speed up production after Valve made the announcement that they were working on an official prequel back in June. Since he’d been keeping the whole thing a secret -- he wanted to surprise everyone with a fully finished game -- the urge to get this out first led him to work twice as hard; now we can expect to see Portal: Prelude released before the end of September. That's certainly good news, because I really want to play it.
It's things like this that makes me regret buying the 360 version of the orange box because my computer at the time is teh suck. I would buy it again but I am broke and saving for other games. Oh well.
Back when I first played Portal I missed everything important because the computer I played it on has integrated video. Now that my own computer has a video card worth a crap I care that this gets done before Mr. Lawyer gets to it first.
@Scrixx
Um, no thanks. I'm not particularly interested in mere mods. Unless he's done something drastically different with it, I'm not really interested in more of the same, even though "the same" is decent.
Unless he can replicate the genius level design that made the first game so much fun to play I'm not interested. Its one thing to recreate the Portal universe, but another entirely to create the puzzles that go with it.
If he can pull it off though, I have a feeling Valve will come calling with a job offer before long.
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006
VIDEO.DESTRUCTOID | JAPANATOR | TOMOPOP
6:04 PM on 09.16.2008 
