Got news?   tips@destructoid.com  |  Never miss a story:   RSS + Twitter + YouTube
Hey! New here? Destructoid is a gaming discussion community, updated nearly every 20 minutes. Make a quick avatar to comment and enter our contests. Take the tour!

 


Home Xbox 360 updates

We warned you: Portal: Still Alive breaks XBLA size record

4:02 PM on 10.22.2008, Nick Chester 21 comments

     Xbox 360

When we recommended last week that "you have a fair amount of space on your hard drive, say, 629 megs," for this week's Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Portal: Still Alive, we weren't kidding. 

Surprise! Portal: Still Alive in available on Xbox LIVE today and it weights in at -- you guessed it -- 629 megs. If your hard drive is full or you don't have one at all, don't say we didn't warn you; this officially makes Portal Still Alive the biggest Xbox LIVE Arcade game to date, breaking the current XBLA size-cap of 350 MB. 

When we question Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg at Tokyo Game Show on the size of Portal Still Alive, he couldn't comment on the game specifically, but did address the reason for cap increases.

"We don't want to limit developers from a creative standpoint," he told us. "So if they want to create bigger, more immersive-style games for digital distribution, [we] absolutely want to support that."

"At the same time, you want to also not forget about efficiency," he warns. "There are ways you can make your games smaller and more efficient and not impact the experience."

Obviously, Portal: Still Alive was not one of those games. With Sony pushing larger scale digitally distributed titles on PlayStation 3, we have a feeling it won't be long before Still Alive is dwarfed by other XBLA titles.


Next page: More Portal stories




Alkemdah's Avatar
Alkemdah at 10/22/2008 16:19
Ok help me out here. So portal, still alive is NOT a valve licensed property. How in the heck can this be put on xbox marketplace? I know valve doesn't really do the whole "your stealing our IP" thing but something like this kinda seems like a conflict of interest for valve.
mix's Avatar
mix at 10/22/2008 16:20
I want some more levels for portal through steam or something as the game only takes like 45 mins to beat...

Is this a whole new addition to Portal or just a portal port?

meh he he portal port, almost like porto potty, tee hee.
BlackSheep's Avatar
BlackSheep at 10/22/2008 16:28
There are ways you can make your gamers smaller and more efficient and not impact the experience."

gamers smaller???

run!!!!!!!
falinter's Avatar
falinter at 10/22/2008 16:35
Why shouldn't I put my already payed for Orange Box in the system instead?
dmgi's Avatar
dmgi at 10/22/2008 16:38
It's not technically a port since it was already ported through the Orange Box, it's just a standalone version of Portal with some extra levels.
solidgoomba's Avatar
solidgoomba at 10/22/2008 18:11
@Alkemdah
This is completely different from the fan made 2D game. It's an expansion with challenge levels.
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar
TrailerParkJesus at 10/22/2008 18:20
hmm, I guess I won't be buying it.
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 10/22/2008 19:06
So this is a port with a few new additions? I can pass on this for now.
Fleet3000's Avatar
Fleet3000 at 10/22/2008 19:23
ah portal. destroying the status quo of files sizes one inter dimensional teleporter at a time.
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 10/22/2008 19:30
Skip!
CrocBox's Avatar
CrocBox at 10/22/2008 20:41
Good call Nick :P
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 10/22/2008 23:34
I think what he's trying to say is, "Valve is awesome and makes us a lot of money, so we let them break the size limit. Everyone else, don't even think about it."
Clockwork's Avatar
Clockwork at 10/22/2008 23:50
Need moar details!!
-PL-'s Avatar
-PL- at 10/23/2008 01:06
I'll get it when it comes to PC.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 10/23/2008 02:28
@-PL-
It's been on PC for months, and for free.
mmstick's Avatar
mmstick at 10/27/2008 19:17
BAM XBOX 360 n00bies. Its not Portal still alive. IT IS A MOD THAT SHOULDN'T BE PAID FOR!!! it is just a small or rather the largest add-on map pack for Portal. This is illegal big time. It all derived from Portal the Flash Version go to kongregate and see. Dude loved it so he made a map pack based off all the levels. A LOT OF LEVELS TOO. and even decided to put the new challenges that where adressed in the flash version. you can find it at filefront, It is larger in this version of Portal: The Flash Version mappack but its still the same game. He even added a storyline and a different boss fight, and ending sequence. All of which fits the HL2 Story but IT IS NOT A PART OF THE OFFICIAL HALF LIFE UNIVERSE. IT WAS JUST A MAP PACK/ ADDITIONAL CAMPAIGN DEVELOPED MONTHS AGO. FOR ANY OF YOU NOOBS WHO BOUGHT IT I LAUGH AT YOU YET AGAIN. all of the good stuff is only on PC. i can play xbox, gamecube, some nintendo DS, and previous versions on my PC. I can mod every game i own and have entirely new games. Buy one PC games, get 3,4 or even dozens of revamped modifications and map packs just like this one for nearly every pc game i have. I can play 1,000's of free online games that make WoW look like a mini dwarf game for kindergarden kids. My point is. This is pointless and should never have been relaesed especially as it violates VALVe big time but seems they are letting microsoft slide. Can't fight Microcrap. They can make far greater games than the planet has ever seen and have far greater mods than any other game especially since they teach you everything they have done in all of their games so you can make games of your own in which I have done myself. look at garrysmod, look at SMOD, look at all the other mods and source games that aren't available and won't be available for XBOX. while some may have the bigger hard drives like us PC (PWNS) users we have 4,000,000MB, or 4,000GB, or 4 TB, and then there is the next biggest hard drive capacity for PS3 (NEXT BEST), then there is XBOX360 (WORST), and finally the WII (wii wins most things against competitors XBOX and PS3, but just doesn't have the graphics that n00bs want). Only n00bs care about graphics man. the WII owns XBOX in all ways but graphics. You can even play Half Life games with your WII mote or use your wiimote in general for pc (if you have a bluetooth dongle adapter and wii mote). I have Halo 3 graphics, Halo 3 weapons, Halo 2 weapons, Halo 3 maps, Halo 2 maps, all in my Halo Combat Evolved for all you you Halo n00bies.
hood_954's Avatar
hood_954 at 10/28/2008 03:22
@mmstick
long comment is long.

hence, tl;dr

all i got was you being an asshat
MrSlippery's Avatar
MrSlippery at 10/28/2008 19:49
wow mmstick. you're the kind of PC gamer I loathe. grow up.

oh, and learn some grammar and proper spacing, plz.
mmstick's Avatar
mmstick at 03/04/2009 13:48
Well I am sorry MrSlippery but I have always been frustrated at consoles. There is nothing wrong with my grammar unless I am very frustrated. I hate how Microsoft makes people pay to play a small mod. Next they might as well grab Portal: Prelude as it's story and graphics are exceptionally well. The game, however, is impossibly hard. They may have updated the game since when I played it but I would not know. Microsoft is a very selfish company that thinks they can own everything. Apple doesn't even get into the picture for gaming. Linux could but isn't.

PS: Your grammar was not good in your post either.
All my favorite games are with VALVe and it's mod community. I despise Microsoft for trying to turn the mod community into another marketing scheme.
prev next

Returning Dtoiders: login now to post a comment

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just Create an avatar now - it's fast and free: PLUS you also get your own gaming blog and begin posting stories and uploading videos in our open community area that may also appear on our home page. Sign up and we'll guide you through it, it's easy and 100% anonymous.




 Original Videos

 Reviews
Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack
Overlord II
Yosumin Live!
Let's Tap
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
View all Game Reviews

 Community blogs -   39759 Dtoiders!

This month's theme: Untapped Potential

New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide


 Originals

The best and worst '4th' videogames EVER!











more original Destructoid stories



 Popular now more













Destructoid is:
Nick Chester
Editor-in-Chief
Jim Sterling
Reviews Editor
Dale North
News Editor
Hamza Aziz
Community Manager
Anthony Burch
Features Editor
Rey Gutierrez
Video editor & director
Niero
Founder, publisher
Letters to the editors
tips@destructoid.com
Associate Editors
Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
Brad Rice Jordan Devore
Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
Dyson Samit Sarkar
Contributors
Adam Dork
Ben Perlee
Daniel Lingen
Joseph Leray
Joe Burling
Mikey
Will Maddock
Stella Wong




get involved

register or login
post a blog
post a forum
enter a contest
discuss a review
contribute a news tip
write a guest editorial
support

new member's guide
login assistance
tech support
report abuse
email our editors
read our dev blog
nuclear crisis?
keep in touch

RSS feed
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Flickr
Game nights
Meet-ups
seriously

about us
advertising
terms of use
privacy policy
jobs at MM
buy our crap
our network

Tomopop
Japanator




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