In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at CroTeam’s Serious Sam, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, Nintendo’s Metroid and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone Apps reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this fourteenth part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Portal (Xbox 360) – Oh, Portal…the little pack-in game that could. Released as part of the tremendous Orange Box package for the Xbox 360 in 2007, Portal quickly stole the hearts and minds of gamers worldwide. Innovative gameplay, a surprisingly riveting storyline and gameplay that consistently catches the player off guard, were part of the recipe that make this game one of the all-time greats. In considering the theme of this series, Portal makes this one of the easiest entries to identify a defining and memorable element. Anyone who has played the game will know that the Portal Gun is one of the most progressive elements of game design that has ever been developed.

The game starts out with several tutorial levels that set up the storyline and introduce basic gameplay tactics. It begins by setting the player up in rooms that have been engineered to test the player’s ability to use the Portal Gun in order to advance through obstacle laden and path obstructed levels. These short ‘test’ levels display gameplay elements that had never before been seen in videogames. Players were forced to learn these new game mechanics and were rewarded with incredible displays of space manipulation that are difficult to even conceive without seeing them in action.

As Portal continues, the Portal Gun takes on a new ability – opening two simultaneous portals. This innovative feature allowed a player to move around their environment in amazingly intricate and physics dependent ways. Manipulating momentum and gravity while forcing the player to make finely timed and precision shots were part of what made Portal the unforgettable gameplay experience it is. A surprise to many players, later levels of Portal actually break away from the ‘test’ levels and become more first person shooter esque, as the player attempts to escape the test facility.

Credit must go to the developers for ensuring that the game was not easy to break or glitch, as could easily have become an issue in such a title. Instead, the game runs at a silky smooth framerate and is incredibly stable.

Upon completion of Portal, the player is rewarded with what is easily one of the most memorable songs in the history of videogames. The song, “Still Alive,” was even distributed as a free track for the Rock Band game, due to its incredible popularity among fans. Portal delivers a gameplay experience that cannot be had with any other title. It presents difficult and unique challenges that give the player a true sense of accomplishment upon surpassing them. Portal is truly a game that all videogame players must experience.