Portal: Still Alive Content Already on PC

July 21, 2008 8:37 AM

The extra content contained in Valve's Xbox Live Arcade port of its wit-driven puzzle-shooter Portal is already freely available on PC, the developer has revealed.

The bonus levels are simply culled from Hen Mazolski's Portal: The Flash Version MapPack with no major enhancements, Valve marketing VP Doug Lombardi told former Shacknews editor Chris Remo.

Bringing the levels from the fan-made Flash version of Portal to the actual game, the map pack was released as a free download for the PC edition earlier this year.

Lombardi further clarified that the levels will not include any new story elements or commentary from GLaDOS.

Billed as an Xbox 360 exclusive, Portal: Still Alive is slated to hit Xbox Live Marketplace later this year.

Chris Faylor

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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avatar_58

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July 21, 2008 8:41 AM

Ok well there's an easy way to solve all this confusion - release the map pack over steam as an official bonus pack. That way everyone knows what the deal is and can stop asking.
- [deleted] 1271987451
  
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  July 21, 2008 8:52 AM
  
  [deleted]
  - Demius
    
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    July 21, 2008 9:02 AM
    
    they kinda did this with TF2 and sk's map..
    - avatar_58
      
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      July 21, 2008 9:08 AM
      
      Yes well what do they have to lose? The map pack is already free, just endorse it already so PC gamers can stop thinking they've been shafted when clearly they haven't. It's just a miscommunication thats easily solveable.
      - Schnapple
        
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        July 21, 2008 9:26 AM
        
        I haven't installed the map pack but is it a deal where you have to run the maps via a console command? If so, couldn't someone just make a Portal "mod" that loads from the Steam menu and just name it "Portal: Still Alive" ?
        
        TheIneffableBob
        
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        July 21, 2008 9:47 AM
        
        Portal has a built-in custom map loader.
- ovrlrd
  
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  July 21, 2008 12:15 PM
  
  Why do they need to do that? It's in their best interest to sell as many copies on Live Arcade as possible. If they officially released it on the PC they might lose a couple sales to people who already have Portal but don't know about these maps. Shady? Yes, of course it is, but I suspect a lot of the reason why Microsoft finally agreed to put Portal on XBLA is that it includes content that hasn't been seen before (by most people). Microsoft are a bunch of greedy fucks and if they heard that Valve released this map pack officially on the PC (at least before it comes out on XBLA) then they would be pretty pissed at Valve. Don't like it? The best thing to do is to not buy it, that would show both Valve and Microsoft that you don't buy content you think should be released "officially" for free. Which makes no sense anyway, because it's already out for free. Go download it, if it's the same maps it's well worth the effort and it's easy as shit to install.