25 essential video games every gamer should know

13. Portal

This unique first-person puzzle game by Valve combined mind-bending puzzles with ample sarcasm and dark humor to create a spectacular and meme-worthy game. The story takes place in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center and Chell needs to complete various testing chambers while being taunted by the AI GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System).

The game starts out innocently enough, as players are promised cake once they complete a series of tests. But slowly, through hidden graffiti and other clues, the player finds out things aren’t quite what they seem. The latter half of the game is then spent trying to elude GLaDOS as you make your way towards her to shut her down. Unlike most First Person Shooters, the player doesn’t get access to a gun that shoots bullets, but instead a portal gun. This unique tool lets players make two different colored portals that connect to each other and allow for a lot of mind-bending puzzle solving.

While the game was criticized for its short story and sparsely decorated environments, the hilariously dark script and physics puzzles were more than enough to make up for it. Portal also has a sequel titled Portal 2, which has a longer more in-depth story and the addition of a multiplayer mode.