So one of the games I played a little bit last month is Thinking w/ Time Machine. If you don't know it, it's a mod for Portal 2 that adds a sort of tablet that appears to control time in a strange way.
I freaking love this game. Now, I haven't played much of this game as much as I wish I had. I'll be the first to admit I am pitifully bad at it. But HOLY CRAP. The time machine tablet uses a similar readout as the Delorean from the Back To The Future movies, which is a slightly predictable but appreciated reference. The whole of Aperture Science appears to have undergone a severe update with glass doors and buttons. The cubes appear to be assembled in the room with you. I think the cube droppers retain a bit of their original program as after they are assembled they are launched into the air. Not a bad thing, just interesting. Now, the time machine works interestingly, and I believe it was the best way possible. You chose a time that you wish to jump back to, and then you perform an action (such as putting a cube on a button, or shooting a portal.) You then jump back to the previously selected time, and watch yourself perform the act. You then can use the version of Chell you are controlling to perform a separate action. It's very creative, if a bit unintuitive.
There are, however, a few issues I have with this game. For example, the completely unexplained futuristic appearance of Aperture Science. The game appears to take place directly after Portal 2, so why the big change? I guess it could be because you appear to be in a more experimental wing of Aperture anyway, they also were experimenting with new room tech. Another thing was that you can see Chell's body. I really hate it when people do that, because it seems so unfinished. I'm pretty sure that's why Valve never does it. The body never seems to follow the movement well. The game also appears to be a huge challenge. It reminds me of Portal Prelude if you are familiar with it. It was a mod for Portal 1 and it was HARD! I think it was Swedish or something. But whatever. It's definitely a challenge if you're into that.
I can't really say much more about it because I've not played that far in, but it holds a lot of promise. I look forward to completing it over the summer. However, I've got a lot on my plate as far as games are concerned, so we'll see. Anyway, till next time!
--NerdWorld
