ARGhh, Portal 2 alternate reality game has final exam

by Alexander Sliwinski on Apr 15th 2011 9:01AM

(Musical accompaniment for this post)

The Portal 2 ARG is coming to an end, but GLaDOS, much like Senor Chang, can never die. Also, she has something planned with a final countdown.

The Aperture Science page seems to imply that once the "final test" is solved Portal 2 will be unlocked early on Steam: "Tomorrow you will be given the final test. Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed."

Despite feeble math skills and general ineptitude with time, we've calculated that the countdown ends at noon Eastern (9AM Pacific, 5PM UK). Our advice? FAIL THE TEST, because some of us have to work today.

Update: There are more cryptic details being posted on the Valve forums that lead to the idea of an early PC release. "TWO HOURS TO NEXT TUESDAY (UNLESS OTHERWISE REDETERMINED)." Add that little log to the ARG fires, you monsters.

[Thanks, Mavus]

Source: ApertureScience

Tags: arg, microsoft, pc, playstation, portal-2, potato-fools-day, ps3, Steam, Valve, xbox

Reader Comments (53)

I second failing this test, because I still need to scrounge up the $40 for the Potato Sack. I don't need you humans doing the things you humans do and cost me the chance to do the thing that humans do.

What about us PS3 types? I doubt Amazon's going to send me my disc any faster. Not fair, Valve!

@mondeca

in the same boat, Valve I hate you!, but I love you...

@mondeca
Ah the age old, if I can't have it, no one can...

@Mmmmz

Not at all. I'd LOVE for Valve to tell Amazon to send me my PS3 disc sooner!

Hey, I've already got class on Tuesday as well. Better today than the middle of the week.

Somebody might have to take the afternoon off...

This is awesome. The game already leaked last night for dirty console pirates.

Here's hoping for some awesome coop and eyefinity support.

Notice how the link is missing the letter's e and f. It goes /a/b/c/d/g/h/abcdgh/ Think its pointing to anything?

@goodtforce

OH MY GOD THEY'RE ANNOUNCING EPISODE FOUR

@quiggy haha That or EPISODE 5! We'll find out soon enough

E and F are the 5th and 6th letters... 2 letters are missing.... 3+2 is 5 and 6/2 is 3! omgggggg

I myself am really hoping that my local record store breaks street date on the 360 version this weekend. Otherwise, between my backlog and the Gears 3 Beta on Monday, I'll be plenty busy until Portal 2 hits $40 or so.

Maybe by then, people will be sick of quoting whatever meme comes out of P2. Then again, that "Friday" nonsense is still around (and I heard someone do a Borat "Very nice" the other day,) so we may be in for a long haul on this one.

@baby sea tuna

friday is timeless

@AntiVillian

I meant that as in on a weekly basis

@baby sea tuna

"...I heard someone do a Borat "Very nice" the other day..."

Ugh.

I was hoping that got relegated to the same dark corner as "Not the Mama" and "Did I Do That?..."

This tricked me into buying Portal 2 now... curse you, Valve, and your tricksy marketing schemes.

@J2thearrin

You're trying to bully...a website?

Were all the third graders in your immediate vicinity out to lunch, or something?

@J2thearrin

see while you were busy constantly hitting reload on kotaku, Joystiq named us the best readers

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/vote-for-joystiq-in-the-2011-webbys/

If the game unlocks early on steam, I'm just going to cancel my PS3 pre-order and get it that way.

I don't feel up to going through the motions to make the PS3 version free anyway, because of my "conscience" (for whatever that is worth). I'd describe the method, but it's douchey, and I'm kind of ashamed of myself for having thought of it in the first place. If you are planning on doing it, know that it is definitely a karma foul. My only hope is that retailers will see through it, and not let it happen.

That out of the way, what are the chances that this thing really unlocks today? Wouldn't retailers be pissed off that they've been beaten to the sale by Valve? I mean, I hope it does, because I have nothing else to do today, but I'm not holding my breath.

@BananaBoat I doubt it will happen to be honest; if you use a code like that and try to return it you definitely won't get all of your money back because you'll have used all some of the content within the game box.

@Resonanse - I'm not a complete scumbag. The "method" didn't involve "returning" anything, as much as it did... screw it I'm just going to list the former plan.

Step 1: Buy P2 on PS3 from Amazon for $55 with a $20 credit
Step 2: Take out code for free steam copy
Step 3: Trade PS3 version right back in to Amazon for roughly $35
Step 4: Play the PC version for free, like a #winner.

It's certainly not illegal (the PC code is a free gift, after all), but it is of questionable morality. I thought the idea had been mine, but then I remembered that I saw an entire thread about it on GAF, and it became clear to me where I got the stupid idea from.

The market will sort itself out. Unquestionably, some are going to go through with it (hurdling me and my pathetic human morality, like androids) but there will be so many used copies of the PS3 version out there, that no retailer will pay more than a few cents on the dollar for it.

Eleven minutes...today could get a lot more awesome (compared to how it is right now: Rainy, droll, and just kind of meh). This ARG better not end with some awful "The cake was a lie" joke.

You can't do that anyway.

In order to get the free copy for your pc, you have to have a PS3, and register your pc Steam account thru it, or create one. It then checks to see if the account is the same, and then it unlocks it.

Otherwise, you don't get a free copy.

@Drakkenfyre - Right...but I'd have the PS3 copy long enough to activate the PC version through it. After that, the PS3 version is perfectly functioning in the "used" sense of the word, so there is no reason that it couldn't be traded back in, and the PC version doesn't need the PS3 version to function after the initial setup.

Now, the one hiccup could be if the PS3 game ties itself to one steam account, and no other steam user can play online through it, but I haven't heard of that being the case at this point.

I should reiterate again that I am NOT going to do it, but I know a lot of people are going to try.

WE'RE LEAVING TOGEEEETHER!!!

@camronm21

HAHAHHAA

Samething I though when I read Final Countdown!

hahahah this songs remembers me of Arrested Development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt_ro2aerQg

@J2thearrin - You'd rather that they spoiled the ARG for everyone well in advance?

Seriously though, please never use the K word again. K was bad enough before the Gawker-wide redesign (which is worse than a myspace page full of blinking GIFs and unavoidable hard rock music) but now? Now it's an unnavigable eyesore, filled with "content" often consisting of a link to someones deviantart page (because they made some neat videogame themed fanart) or a story about how quirky Japan is (for the one millionth time). Bleh.

Joystiq, you lost a really good joke :P

Final Countdown?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt_ro2aerQg

Oh, a musical accompaniment, how charming.

-click-

Fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

PLEASE finish the test! I have to be out of town all next week, and won't be able to play until next weekend otherwise.

Today I can just skip out of work (No-Boss Fridays rock, FYI) and play all afternoon.

I've never heard a better fake chewing noise than that.

"Our advice? FAIL THE TEST, because some of us have to work today."

Yeah, that's stupid because most of us also have to work Tuesday. The difference is, Fridays are usually less busy, and as Rebecca Black has so eloquently informed us,
"Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after...wards"

That's much better for the majority of people then a Tuesday release!

So I say let's solve this bitch and play all weekend! WOOT!

My laptop can't even run some of the Potato Sack Games so I'll definitely not be running Portal 2, but the ARG has been more than enough fun for the past two weeks.

I'm... I'm so confused.

RIght now the wiki is down and pointing to a ywa@limetric.com. A quick google search turned up that being associated with Zombies. New L4d maybe?

If it's unlocked can I get my PS3 version sooner? Please?

3 minutes on the clock!

At the end of the ARG....an advertisement for other games, that could potentially make Portal 2 release faster.

Boooooo

Just....

Boooooo

Ok so now that they confirmed it will release early, is that for JUST pc? Or also PS3 and 360

@DJ Kenneth A - They didn't confirm it will release early. If enough people buy (or play, I guess) the potato sack games, it may release early, according to the site that came up after the timer hit zero. That also means it may not release early, I guess.

Either way, it would be PC only.

@BananaBoat :( Well that was kind of a let down. I got a little over excited lol

@BananaBoat I should also mention that your sun screen fails me at the beach. That could just be because I burn easy though

@DJ Kenneth A - Can I let you in on a little secret? Slurm and my sunscreen are created in the same factory, using the same special ingredient.

It may not be UV protective, but it sure is delicious.

Well it looks like they want people to play games in the potato sack to release the game early.

Disappoint.

Drink more Ovaltine!

@antaydos - God help me, I laughed. So hard, that I shot my eye out.

I'm waiting on my PS3 version, so an early Steam release won't effect me at all.

HOWEVER, I wish to take this moment to cheer my fellow humans on and encourage them to pass the test and prove that we are the superior being.

GO HUMANS!

That's stupid. I'm not buying the potato sack and playing those games just to POSSIBLY release the game early. Wow... very disappointed.

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my - We got trolled good; We got trolled real good.

Doubly so because for a second it said "April fools", and then "Just kidding, haha" or whatever. I read that, and thought the game was going live right then and there.

Nope. Damn viral marketing BS.

This is complete B.S., you really failed this time valve.

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Portal 2

ARGhh, Portal 2 alternate reality game has final exam

Reader Comments (53)

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:06AM SystemPatch said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:07AM mondeca said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:57AM Pojomofo said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:18AM Mmmmz said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:23AM mondeca said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:14AM Timerider said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:15AM txphisher said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:16AM goodtforce said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:32AM quiggy said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:35AM goodtforce said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:47AM aughscreennames said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:20AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:31AM AntiVillian said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:31AM AntiVillian said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:38AM Urethra Alfredo said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:25AM kph59 said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:39AM Urethra Alfredo said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:44AM shadowhowl1900 said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:45AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:31AM Resonanse said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:50AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 5:22PM Drakkenfyre said

Posted: Apr 16th 2011 2:23AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:46AM camronm21 said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:56AM Ashkental said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:54AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 9:54AM Ashkental said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:06AM BlobDude said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:13AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:22AM TheDarkWayne said

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Posted: Apr 15th 2011 10:51AM oOWallaceOo said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:33AM Gooblechev said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:54AM DJ Kenneth A said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:56AM CodeToJoy said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 11:57AM DJ Kenneth A said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 12:01PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 12:02PM DJ Kenneth A said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 12:05PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 12:09PM DJ Kenneth A said

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