This game-I think-was very educational in the ways of strategy and had positive messages. My concern would be it had some blood when your shot (which happens only 2,3 maybe 4 levels) that stays there but very small amounts that you dont notice if your not looking for it!
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Is it age appropriate?
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Innovative puzzler with first-person action.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Portal was written by Dwight Odelius
Parents need to know that this game contains some blood, the potential for the player to die, and some violence against inanimate objects. Parents should also know that the game is set in a near future in which humans are mysteriously absent, with suggestions that they have met some disturbing but unspecified fate.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the possibility of sapient machines in our future and what our ethical responsibilities might be. Because this is set in a future mostly absent of humans, families could also discuss dangers, both real and imaginary, that could cause human extinction.
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More on Portal
What’s the Story?
In PORTAL, the player controls a human character as if in a first-person shooter, only the player doesn't have any weapons, and there are only a few inanimate "enemies" to shoot. Instead, the player must work their way through increasingly difficult puzzle areas, guided by audio instructions from an artificially intelligent computer named "GLaDOS."
To solve the puzzles, the player uses a device called an "aperture gun" which creates a temporary passage between surfaces. It works like this: shoot at a wall to create an opening, then shoot at the ceiling to create a second opening. Step through the opening in the wall, come out the one in the ceiling. Portal's sophisticated physics engine takes care of the rest.
Is It Any Good?
Puzzle areas generally take the form of a room or series of rooms through which players must proceed in order to "win." The aperture gun makes it possible to create a portal in order to get to out-of-reach areas, drop onto moving platforms, or retrieve distant objects. That fairly simple formula produces some fiendish puzzles which invite the player to repeat them many times over. That's good, because the game is unfortunately quite short, with only a few hours of game play to finish off the main story. And finishing is required: the charming little song at the end makes the struggle well worth it.
Portal is an excellent game, the standout star of 2007's Half-Life 2:The Orange Box game compilation, which also included the Half-Life 2 saga and Team Fortress 2. As a stand-alone product, Portal includes no additional game content on top of what was included with The Orange Box, so those who own The Orange Box should not pick up this edition of Portal. But since The Orange Box is an M-rated title, if you have a teen looking for an interesting puzzler, this stand-alone version of Portal is an outstanding choice. It represents a new genre of game that combines the sophisticated physics of a first-person shooter with minimally-violent puzzle content.
Publisher’s Details
Developer: Electronic Arts
Released on: 04/09/2008, Price: $19.99, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: T
Released on: 04/09/2008, Price: $19.99, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: T
Our Members Say
See all 32 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Safety isn't an issue
- Easy to play
Good learning strategy game with mild violence
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Easy to play
nothing is wrong with this game
This is one of my favorite game of all time!!!! the only thing bad is you get shot at by a turret in two levels and theres very little blood.thats all that i can think of. But this game is the ;best. But don't buy it for your 5 year old in the orange box, you need to be at least 12 to play that. buy your kid this game.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Safety isn't an issue
- Easy to play
can take a small ammount of blood tha appears on nearby surfaces if a turrent happens to shoot you
I see no problem with buying the game for anyone over 8
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Safety isn't an issue
- Easy to play
amazing
blood is pretty bad i have the 360 so its graphic but crate game might be the best (The Cake Is A Lie!!!)
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Might be too scary and bloody for younger tweens.
This is a great game, I love it! I rate it iffy for 12+ though because the blood is graphic and realistic and some parts of the game can be really dark and creepy, and useually funny as well. In one level, you can find this off to the side room with "THE CAKE IS A LIE" written over and over again in blood on the wall.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents feel the site is safe |
| 100% | of parents say it's educational |
| 100% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
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