Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/X08: Hands-on Portal: Still Alive (XBLA)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/22/x08-hands-on-portal-still-alive-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/22/x08-hands-on-portal-still-alive-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/22/x08-hands-on-portal-still-alive-xbla/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A buzzing noise fills the room as you are shaken awake. Bright lights bounce off the windowed walls of your 4 foot by 5 foot holding cell, making them twice as bright. As you rise from your bed and adjust your eyes a timer clicks from beyond your transparent walls and immediately you can't help but to fear you've seen this all before.

Portal: Still Alive is the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title based on the critically acclaimed original found in The Orange Box from Valve. Those who were unfortunate enough to never play the original Portal are in luck as Portal: Still Alive is essentially the exact same experience but with a few added bonuses.
"With Portal: Still Alive, you're getting the original game that comes in The Orange Box," an Xbox representative told us. Experienced players need not worry, however, as Portal: Still Alive will sport, "a host of new levels and new achievements." As recently confirmed by Doug Lombardi, some of the new levels included are the maps found in Portal: The Flash Version map pack, currently available for free on the PC.

Explaining how Portal: Still Alive feels is harder than you'd imagine it would be. It would be easy to say it felt like Portal -- since it is exactly that -- but one key element was missing from our hands-on time: the sound. Forget the enigmatic pops and buzzing noises emitted from turrets, the metallic bounce of energy orbs or the whizzing noise of a freshly summoned portal; removing the sound made us realize how important the dialog was to Portal's success. While sounds will be included in the final build of the game (breaking news!) the noisy atmosphere helped to confirm one of our lingering fears: with no new audio from fan favorite GLaDOS for the bonus levels, Portal: Still Alive feels lifeless.

If your wish for Portal: Still Alive is extra challenges with a disregard for story, then this Arcade release is exactly what you want (and it controls as well as it ever has with an Xbox 360 controller). However, if you're not okay with the lack of any story elements, Still Alive may have you worried that the Portal train is making an unnecessary stop on Microsoft's Arcade.

Portal: Still Alive is slated to release exclusively on the Xbox Live Arcade by the end of the year.

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]]>joystiqfeaturesportalportal-still-alivestill-alivevalvex08xblaxbox-live-arcadeXav de Matos2008-08-22T08:00:00+00:00Portal: Still Alive additional levels based off Portal: The Flash Version, won't include GlaDOShttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/portal-still-alive-additional-levels-based-off-portal-the-flas/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/portal-still-alive-additional-levels-based-off-portal-the-flas/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/portal-still-alive-additional-levels-based-off-portal-the-flas/#commentsFiled under: , ,


There's been an understandable amount of excitement regarding the pseudo-sequel to 2007's "Game of the Year", Portal, following the E3 '08 unveiling of Portal: Still Alive. However, little was announced about the title by its digital anti-heroine at the Microsoft Press Conference -- luckily, Valve's Doug Lombardi spilled the beans about the game's new features, and its relationship to the first groundbreaking title, in a few interviews during last week's shenanigans.

In one such interview with GameSetWatch, Lombardi explained that Still Alive is a standalone version of the original Portal. The additional maps and challenges that were revealed on Gamerscore Blog will be pulled from the Portal: The Flash Game map pack, a 3D rendition of the award-winning web game based on the original pastry-rich puzzler. This map pack, lovingly crafted by We Create Stuff (the minds behind the Flash game), is available (and free) to download for PC portal-hoppers now.

Unfortunately, neither GlaDOS, nor any other "story elements", will be included in the extra content. As excited as we are for this expansion, the prospect of zipping around an abandoned research facility without the accompaniment of an unsettling, sing-song voice just doesn't seem right.

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]]>doug-lombardigladosportalportal-still-aliveportal-the-flash-game-map-packstill-alivevalveGriffin McElroy2008-07-20T14:30:00+00:00Harmonix confirms 'Still Alive' will be free 'indefinitely'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/harmonix-confirms-still-alive-will-be-free-indefinitely/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/harmonix-confirms-still-alive-will-be-free-indefinitely/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/01/harmonix-confirms-still-alive-will-be-free-indefinitely/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Let them eat cake! A Harmonix representative has confirmed to Joystiq that the delicious download of Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" is planned to be at "no charge indefinitely."

Major Nelson noted that the download would be forever gratuit on his Twitter, but on this high holy day of foolery we just wanted to double triple quadruple check with the source. So all the procrastinators out there can take their sweet time picking up the song on XBM and PSN users -- who won't get the song until April 17 -- don't need to worry they'll somehow miss the free period.

[Via X3F]

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]]>harmonixjonathan-coultonrock-bandstill-aliveAlexander Sliwinski2008-04-01T21:00:00+00:00Rock Band Weekly: 'Still Alive' free now on XBM, April 17 for PSNhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/rock-band-weekly-still-alive-free-tomorrow-on-xbm-april-17-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/rock-band-weekly-still-alive-free-tomorrow-on-xbm-april-17-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/rock-band-weekly-still-alive-free-tomorrow-on-xbm-april-17-for/#commentsFiled under: ,


[Update 7:30pm ET: Our poker buddies at X3F let us know that the extremely impatient amongst you need wait no longer. That's right, "Still Alive" is available on Xbox 360 right now; unfortunately, PS3 owners still have to wait until April 17th. Go get it!]

This is a triumph! And, of course, by "triumph" we really mean "not an April Fool's joke." Harmonix has just announced availability and pricing details for the Rock Band release of Jonathan Coulton's cult hit "Still Alive": it's dropping tomorrow for the low, low price of $0.00.

Individual song
  • "Still Alive" - Jonathan Coulton (0 MS points/ $0)
Video for this week's Rock Band DLC is after the break (including our own vid of Coulton performing the song in Rock Band live!). We're going to warn you now that the song is a spoiler for Portal, but if you haven't spent the three hours to finish Joystiq's GOTY by this point ... well, we're sorry. "Still Alive" will be available tomorrow on Xbox Live and on April 17 for PSN due to the store update.




Portal landed the top spot in our 2007 Game of the Year Awards, but who filled the other nine spots? We've got Halo 3, Call of Duty IV, Rock Band, Peggle (yeah Peggle), and more. Take a look.


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]]>jonathan-coultonportalrock-band-weeklystill-aliveAlexander Sliwinski2008-03-31T12:58:00+00:00Video: Jonathan Coulton performing 'Still Alive' Rock Band DLChttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/24/video-jonathan-coulton-performing-still-alive-rock-band-dlc/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/24/video-jonathan-coulton-performing-still-alive-rock-band-dlc/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/24/video-jonathan-coulton-performing-still-alive-rock-band-dlc/#commentsFiled under:


On Friday night we were lucky enough to witness a pretty special event: geek-rock troubadour Jonathan Coulton performing his song "Still Alive" at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. There's nothing new about that, he's been performing it since Portal's release last year. What is new is that he was playing it in Rock Band, where it's due to be released as downloadable content, and we just so happened to get it all on camera.

Unfortunately, most of Coulton's Rock Band band wasn't quite up to his level, with the lone exception of ... hey, it's Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont, who you should recognize from her GDC videos here on Joystiq.

One of the Harmonix folks there told us the track was only in production for an unusually short six weeks, thanks in no small part to Valve's willingness (you might even call it eagerness) to license the song. They also said that, though nothing has been finalized yet, they're expecting the track to be attractively priced at $0.99 leaving you no reason to avoid it. High-def video embedded after the break.

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]]>GDC08Jonathan-CoultonPortalRock-BandStill-AliveChristopher Grant2008-02-24T16:25:00+00:00GDC08: Jonathan Coulton scores 95% vocals on Rock Band's Still Alivehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/gdc08-jonathan-coulton-scores-95-vocals-on-rock-bands-still-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/gdc08-jonathan-coulton-scores-95-vocals-on-rock-bands-still-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/gdc08-jonathan-coulton-scores-95-vocals-on-rock-bands-still-a/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's hard not to love Jonathan Coulton (or JoCo), especially if you're a fan of Valve's Portal. The recent news that Still Alive will be coming to Rock Band as downloadable content was accompanied by JoCo's appearance at Valve's party on Wednesday. Mr. Coulton posted to his personal blog about the experience yesterday, noting that he 'only' got 95% vocals on the song he created. The question we've been asking ourselves is: who is singing the song on the track - Coulton or GLaDOS?

He also noted that Portal snagged the Game of the Year, Best Game Design, and the Innovation Award nods from the GDCAs. Coulton observed that BioShock had won the GDCA award for Best Writing, a merit he thinks should have gone to Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw's work on that quirky game about tests, thinking, and cake. Luckily for Wolpaw and Faliszek, they're the first winners of the (soon to be coveted) Jonathan Coulton award; maybe the GDCAs should rename the prize for Best Audio?

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]]>gdc08gdcagladosjocojonathan-coultonportalstill-aliveMichael Zenke2008-02-22T14:00:00+00:00GDC08: Still Alive coming to Rock Bandhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-still-alive-coming-to-rock-band/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-still-alive-coming-to-rock-band/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/21/gdc08-still-alive-coming-to-rock-band/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There are plenty of parties here at the conference, and they're usually not the best source of news. So imagine our surprise when we read this morning that Valve used their party on Wednesday night to let it slip that Jonathan Coulton's brilliant song "Still Alive" would be available as DLC on Rock Band.

As if that weren't face-meltingly cool enough, the announcement was made by Harmonix staffers who took to the stage to play the song on their Rock Band instruments alongside Coulton himself. When is it coming? We don't know. Will it been soon enough? No. It will not.

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]]>gdc08harmonixjonathan-coultonportalstill-alivevalveJustin McElroy2008-02-21T18:00:00+00:00See the Top 12 covers of Portal's 'Still Alive'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/see-the-top-12-covers-of-portals-still-alive/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/see-the-top-12-covers-of-portals-still-alive/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/see-the-top-12-covers-of-portals-still-alive/#commentsFiled under:

We've mentioned before that we worry the internet is close to killing the golden goose of Portal references, with no small amount of help from your friends at Joystiq. That doesn't mean, of course, that we're in any way tired of the game's big finale, Jonathan Coulton's brilliant song "Still Alive." YouTubers are just as smitten as us apparently, with enough covers popping up on the service for GameSetWatch to compile a Top 12 list.

We think their #1 pick is pretty much irrefutably awesome, leaving us to debate only which cover makes us the most uncomfortable. We have selected the video above, a heart-melting salvo of earnest warbling and ... props. Don't worry, sweetheart. It's called an awkward phase because it will, eventually, end.

[Hey visitors from Jonathan Coulton's blog! As Coulton himself pointed out, you probably shouldn't be mean to this young lady for sharing her song with the internet. She seems like she could be the world's sweetest human, and karma can be a real pain about stuff like that.]

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]]>jonathan-coultonjonathancoultonportalstill-alivestillalivevalveJustin McElroy2008-01-21T11:00:00+00:00Orange Box game, soundtrack, on sale online and in-store this weekendhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/orange-box-game-soundtrack-on-sale-online-and-in-store-this-we/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/orange-box-game-soundtrack-on-sale-online-and-in-store-this-we/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/28/orange-box-game-soundtrack-on-sale-online-and-in-store-this-we/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Continuing our mission to help everyone acquire The Orange Box regardless of financial means, we deliver the following news. If that last-minute Steam sale just isn't for you - who knows, maybe you don't game on a PC, or don't have a credit card, or don't have broadband, or don't have a roof over your head - Valve just let us know that "leading online and retail outlets around the world" will be discounting the gaming superpack this weekend. So if you've got gift cards to blow and/or you're looking for a console version, check out GameUK in the uh, UK or Best Buy in the States.

Maybe you've already got the game, but just can't get the sound of it out of your head. If so, consider the official soundtrack, on sale at Amazon in delicious un-DMRed MP3 format for the new low price of $7.99. if you're into just the hot new hit single "Still Alive," snag just that for $0.89. Oh, and speaking of "Still Alive" peep this recent interview with the mad scientist behind the song, Jonathan Coulton. Referring to his understanding of GLaDOS, Coulton says, "It helps that my own personal conflict resolution techniques rely heavily on passive-aggressive behavior."

Hey, us too! We expect Coulton to contribute some more video game tunes in the future -- at least if he wants us to keep writing about him.

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]]>Orange-BoxPortalRetailStill-AliveValveChristopher Grant2007-12-28T17:15:00+00:00Jonathan Coulton sings Portal's 'Still Alive'http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/jonathan-coulton-sings-still-alive/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/jonathan-coulton-sings-still-alive/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/16/jonathan-coulton-sings-still-alive/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you haven't gotten the note about Portal yet, well, it was a HUGE SUCCESS. We can't really overstate our satisfaction and for those who would like to hear the song from the finale sung by the original creator, Jonathan Coulton, we've got one video above and another after the break. Just to reiterate, the song does give away plot points -- but seriously, finish Portal already, it's done in an afternoon.

The video above is from a concert in Atlanta and the one after the break is from the AT&T channel when they visited Coulton at his home studio in Brooklyn. Spoiler Alert: Oh, the AT&T people also feed Coulton cake, but there's something wrong with it -- and, no, it's not a lie.

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]]>coultonportalportal-songstill-alivetheorangeboxvalveAlexander Sliwinski2007-11-16T13:20:00+00:00