The best part about the Companion Cube is it's a tutorial for the final boss. You get to turn your crushing anguish at GLaDOS forcing you to destroy your beloved against her by destroying her soul in the same manner. Wait Portal is really dark isn't it

@jovankabroz6858

10 ай бұрын

Yeah, also in Portal 2 and its dlc GlaDOS lies to you alot of times that all humans have died and that 50,000 years have passed. In reality, its only been a couple of weeks. Also, at the end we can see wheat fields. Wheat fields will quickly be overrun by weed if left unattended for a long time.

@spootot

8 ай бұрын

deceptively dark yeah

Not in cruelty, Not in wrath, The Reaper came today; An Angel visited this gray path And took the cube away.

i played portal recently, and knew about the companion cube's fate. I didn't grow attached, but I did later down the line find a cube that I got by breaking a cube pipe with a rocket. I carried this until the end. It saved me from turrets. I had to leave it behind for the GLaDOS fight

I don't think the cube was entirely gone when thrown into the incinerator... At the end of Portal2, you are being send to the surface. In that scene when you are outside, a burnt companion cube appears and Chell (the player) gets to keep the cube

@unitds27-delta

16 күн бұрын

That cube also used the same model as Portal 1's, as opposed to using the updated Portal 2 model

@robloxian9962

16 күн бұрын

@@unitds27-delta Yeah, that's how the game tells you it's the cube you tossed into the incinerator in the first game :)

The worst part of this for me was that I was playing the game with a trackpad and keyboard, so it took an unusually long time for me to even get the cube in the incinerator. Pure torture! But it did have a lasting impact: my kids' bedroom has a companion cube rug

@somerandonamedz9991

Жыл бұрын

Where did you get the rug? I need one

the first time i played it, I didn't hesitate to incinerate the companion cube (i thought it was some kind of trick, so i did it quickly) ... and when Glados said that I was the quickest test subject on record, i really thought "holy shit, no way!!!!" and it felt like a gut punch that i was the most heartless person :'( (obviously i didn't think i was the quickest person in the world, but i thought that that message was put it only for people that did it quickly to make us feel bad, but it wasn't XD)

I hope This new channel pops off soon, bc the quality is just as Great as LFTS

@StoryModeOn

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! We're certainly trying to aim high :)

@LabradorIndependent

3 жыл бұрын

and then there will be cake.

My first instinct when I got that part was to throw myself into the fire instead and I got an achievement XD But then it messed me up saying I threw it in faster than anyone else and made me think that if I waited long enough I could save the companion cube. Companion Cube is love, Campanion Cube is life!

Portal's effect on me must have been pretty strong considering that at the first sight of the Companion Cube, I instantly was filled with warm and fuzzy feelings for it! RIP, my friend.

@RobertBarry1969

3 жыл бұрын

Play portal 2 through to the very end.

The developers mention that players DID try to take this special cube with them to the next levels since they became very attached to it. So it is no joke. At least not for a lot of people.

When my brother played portal for the first time I tricked him into naming it so that he would get even more attached He still hates me for that, and mourns Sabina

@ima-human9593

Жыл бұрын

Oh no😭 I called mine C.C

@CloverBlast

Жыл бұрын

I’m late, but you get your OG cube from Portal 1 at the end of Portal 2. So, if you have the game, Sabina’s Still Alive.

@galaxywolf8444

Жыл бұрын

R.I.P Sabina

Another great example of loss aversion is ammo and supplies in the Last of Us. Missing a shot and waiting a valuable bullet can mean the difference between life and death in that game, and it feels horrible when you lost that shot knowing it might be a while before you find more ammo.

I never felt bad for destroying the cube. I always thought it was funny that glados assumed just putting a heart on a cube and telling us to to care for it would actually make us attached to it. The joke being that glados doesn't understand how human emotions work

@kaitlyn__L

3 жыл бұрын

I definitely would’ve gotten more attached if it had a smiley face (even a crude one) rather than just a heart. As a very young child in school we all had to draw a little face on our lunchbox fruit, and I could NOT bring myself to eat it at the end. It actually went mouldy before I even got rid of it (and that felt even worse than considering eating it! Because I’d “let it slowly die”.) I couldn’t even eat a gingerbread man until I was, like, 12. But as it is, I was like you even it came to the Companion Cube. I laughed right away at the naming of the cube, and then instantly gave it up. So “you did it the fastest ever” felt apt, as I took less than a second, lol.

@_comment

3 жыл бұрын

Well said. Strange that it turns out that it was the DEVELOPERS who assumed just putting a heart on a cube and telling us to to care for it would actually make us attached to it.

@adacskipper

3 жыл бұрын

You did it for science. You monster.

@Le_Samourai

2 жыл бұрын

Same here. this video missed the mark for me.

@Le_Samourai

2 жыл бұрын

@@_comment the developers are sort of right because I’m QA testing people solved the puzzle more quickly when it was a companion cube instead of a normal cube. But that doesn’t mean players developed an emotional bond to a fucking cube

I want a Bioshock video so badly it hurts.

I played Portal for the first time last year and I gotta say the companion cube is my favourite fictional character ever. Some would say "It's not a character, it's just a cube" but we've been through a lot, her and I. No but seriously, what surprised me is how crushed I felt when Glados told me to throw her in the incinerator. I was like "But.. I love her" then I started looking for ways to save her, but nothing could be done and I just.. betrayed her. Man I love that cube. It's still amazing that they made me get attached to an object in a video game.

For some reason, when a game tells me something I usually trust it. I mean, the game devs wouldn't have given me the advice if it wasn't part of the game design. Even though I felt a little bad afterwards, I didn't even hesitate on dropping it in. Similarly, in portal 2, at the PotatOS reunion, I didn't hesitate to pick her up, until she went like "yeah I'm totally not lying to you" I also fell for GLaDOS' "this is the last test chamber before I let you go" trap.

5:44 - 6:11 Actually, if you use a bug to get a cube or turret from chamber 16 and bring it to chamber 17 and throw it into the incenerator, the game may think you killed the companion cube and let you go

@meteor2569

10 ай бұрын

you can even save all the cubes and bring them to the end of the game

Love the channel, and great interview! I have so much respect for Valve's design and the work they put in with playtesting. Their commentary modes have a lot of great insights like this. Thanks for the video!

Great episode, great interview! Geoff is a great guy. I actually just picked up his roll and write board game, Super Skill Pinball this past weekend!

Loving this channel so far!

@StoryModeOn

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Scott!

@inferno769

2 жыл бұрын

Scott, what are you doing here?!

everytime you say inanimate object, Harry from In Bruges screams at me 'You're an inanimate fucking object!'

Michael every single video you make is fantastic. Both channels are addictive and your analysis is always so captivating

@StoryModeOn

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! :)

Blender users had no problem chucking that cube in the flames.

Huh, I never actually cared about the companion cube. It wasn't really any different than the other cubes for me. However, I really got this from the radios. If I could find a radio, I would pick it up and carry it around the level while bopping along to the music. I would go out of my way to go back for it if I set it down to move a cube and was always crushed if I had to leave it behind. It felt like an accomplishment at the end when it disintegrated but I was still sad I lost it.

The story behind the development of Fallout: New Vegas, and its subsequent success, would make for a great video. It holds the record for most lines of recorded dialogue, and is regarded as the best entry in the Fallout series by many gamers, despite having been made in only 18 months.

I just thought that Glados says Chell was the quickest test subject to destroy the companin cube because it's true. Chell is special and that's why she was chosen to test so she could take down Glados. It dosen't really feel like Chell to get emotionally attached to the cube. And I truly think she is the only test subject that didn't hesitate in destroying it.

@aguyontheinternetlols998

Ай бұрын

I assume rattman was tested at some point, so probably him

It's unfortunate that the cube was introduced in the same puzzle you have to destroy it. It always just felt like a forced meme to me - you can't just TELL me to have a psychological attachment to something. You spend 10 minutes with it, and it's functionally no different than any of the previous cubes. I always tried to bring all cubes forward, because I grew up on adventure games.

@arthurpietrogarcia1057

Жыл бұрын

I mean It would get kinda boring to have to bring a cube for the rest of the game.

@ima-human9593

Жыл бұрын

@@arthurpietrogarcia1057 I would 100% do it

@flamingpaxtsc

11 ай бұрын

@a_comment I agree. I think it would be much better to have to bring the companion cube with you for 2 or 3 extra test chambers and then make you get rid of it

@_comment

11 ай бұрын

@FlamingPaxTSC Yes, exactly. Not sure wtf ​@@arthurpietrogarcia1057 got the idea that I was saying you should have the cube "for the rest of the game".

@arthurpietrogarcia1057

11 ай бұрын

@@_comment why being so mean?

Great video Michael :D

Appreciate the video and info of this classic gaming moment. Desire is an interesting topic to me. It's such a peculiar aspect of humanity. Not only the extreme desires we face through life, but the basic concept of it. For instance, you walk through a store and suddenly spot an item you like. And you WANT it. You didn't want it before, but now you do. Gaming is an excellent way to investigate it as well as it's in almost every game. You can be a person who is successful in many aspects of life, but then you play ANY game and there will be something you WANT and not just the win of the game. Maybe it's some flashy armor or a rare weapon. But it can be as simple as wanting that NEXT block to fit perfectly in that Tetris game you're playing. You didn't care about it before you started playing, but now you DESIRE it and often, this temporary feeling of desire is more powerful than eating or sleeping - things you NEED to do to live.

Man I would love to see more valve videos in the future, great work!

Tfw even if you use chest codes to get money (and can thus get more easily literally at anytime) but you still hesitate to spend it

ls this loss?

@GiantsRTheBest1

3 жыл бұрын

Is this an old meme?

so good!

Can see how challenging it is to get the player to care about something inanimate. How about a video on how you feel when you first take Yorda by the hand and the attachment that forms from having lead her around for 8 hours protecting her from the shadow beasts?

Oh hey, it's Geoff from Ludology! Neat!

The channel logo is pretty but a bit hard to recognize on small screen. I realized today that I've been ignoring your upload notifications because I couldn't remember who they were from

5:11 I *did not* know that that is a thing. Now I cannot stop fantasizing...

Great video! I highly recommend you check out Deep Rock Galactic. There's a game mode called escort duty that follows the same principles of loss aversion. I also consider it one of the best and healthiest co-op games out there.

When I was doing QA at EA years back the guys behind me were testing the PS3 version of this and would not stop going on about the companion cube. They tried to find a few ways to avoid destroying it. I believe there's at least one. I didn't work on it so I'm not sure. But man, they sure loved that cube.

When I first played this level I was.. 10 maybe? And I just turned it off and never went back. I just couldn't bring myself to destroy my companion cube :(

I'm surprised no one's bringing up the cube coming back at the end of 2.

Please, please, PLEASE do a video on these games: Little Nightmares 1 and 2 Inside Limbo

One of the fan theories is that the companion cube does contain a human body. The advice to disregard the cube is in case the human is still alive.

@Emerly

3 жыл бұрын

I believe it is sentient in some way, if you listen to it in Portal 2 it sings Cara Mia Addio. However, the light bridge and lasers also sing Cara Mia Addio so that could be a totally different thing.

@BabyCharmander

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but it’s a fan theory that has no weight to it. GLaDOS evaporates the cubes herself in Portal 2, and nothing falls out of them. If she could evaporate organic matter, she would have done so to Chell after Chell escaped.

What's your favorite game of all time? Let us know in the comments below! Sign up for CuriosityStream and get free access to Nebula: curiositystream.com/storymode

I always saved the companion cube with a glitch, I just loved them too much

Not the companion cube! 😭😭

Saddest moments in gaming

I remember I took some time to put it in. But also I've always liked to roleplay... so.

Poor cube :(

great channel suggestions : Nier automata dark souls 3

This was a triumph!

@rusted_ursa

3 жыл бұрын

I'm making a note here: "HUGE SUCCESS!"

@StoryModeOn

3 жыл бұрын

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.

@drhouses133

3 жыл бұрын

Aperture Science. We do what we must, because we can.

@kemcolian2001

10 ай бұрын

for the good of all of us

@flaker_oats

Ай бұрын

except the ones who are dead.

Sir Michael. Any Bioshock for the story mode? wait uhh.. this isn't my personal google account. :P

I'm a simple person, I see Portal, I click.

Something about your videos is incompatible with the KZread App for Android TV. After a couple of minutes you get a frozen frame whilst the audio continues. Skipping back unfreezes for about 3 seconds before a new frozen frame. Have no issues watching content from other channels, including Lessons From The Screenplay. Liking the content so far btw, just a shame I have to watch on PC or phone :)

As a total casual appreciator of game design who likes video essays on it for entertainment, I thought I had a grasp on how good Portal's design was. But I never would have imagined that GLaDOS mentioning the cube can't talk was a clever way to maintain player investment in it, all to make sure they remember to take it with them for the level! Incredible.

I never understood the love for this cube. When i first play Portal I figured the robot wanted to mess with my feelings so i was instantly detached to the cube

@kaitlyn__L

3 жыл бұрын

I wonder how our experiences growing up influence our perceptions of things like this in games. I was ruthlessly socially messed-with in school, with lots of “hey you’re cool let’s be friends - NOT!” type experiences. So, like you, I could smell smth would happen with the cube to try and mess with me.

I never cared about the companion cube but after watching this, I can't really say that I don't get why anyone would. I'd always assumed it was a joke about Ratman being isolated for so long that he projected his emotions onto it to a point where his schizophrenia was beginning to manifest itself through the cube. It's kind of creepy that it's that easy to manipulate human emotions in so many people. Granted, I have a stuffed animal on my bed because I'm an aspie so I guess I have no room to give my two cents on the matter.

It's wild how easily we can be manipulated, if done right lol

For science, you monster!

Guess I’m a sociopath, I never felt any attachment to the companion cube and dumped it into the incinerator without hesitation and regret every time.

@dragonhunterx5929

3 жыл бұрын

You Monster!!!

Anyone else not care at all for that box?

I never even realized that this cube was different other than the hearts, lmao. I was probably too little to care or to notice. And I thought the whole "dont listen to what it says" thing was a joke lol

Is this what they do with six in little nightmares 2? Shes your little buddy.

I personally disagree with the entire assessment on this. The campion cube didn't become a popular icon because people grew emotionally attached to it; it became popular because it meant to be a joke about how Glados doesn't understand emotiosn. It is a clever piece of game design, don't get me wrong, but I don't believe a single person would say the companion cube is a chracter or that is had an emotional death without being saracastic.

@Vonias

3 жыл бұрын

You clearly haven't watched very many blind let's plays of Portal. Yes people got attached to the cube, that is the primary reason it is popular. I've seen people spend like 10 minutes procrastinating before destroying the cube.

@BabyCharmander

3 жыл бұрын

Man, the fandom loves the Companion Cube. Many of us see it as its own character.

@LK_tutturu

3 жыл бұрын

Incorrect. Fact is you and I are in the minority

@RedRan6er

Жыл бұрын

Stop acting like you speak for everyone, lots of people got attached to the companion cube due to the loneliness you experience throughout the game, and maybe watch some lets plays just to see how they feel about the cube

@Gomikey_Gomikey

Жыл бұрын

@@LK_tutturu That’s obviously wrong seeing as how the developers have said that doing this made most people try to take the cube with them or find a way around destroying it

Good video. Sadly someone had told me all about the Companion Cube and the punchline after destroying it so it had no effect on me when I played

I agree with some other people in the comments. I think Michael took in his video the cube and everything about it too literal and left out the whole dead pan humor behind the whole game and especially this scene. It's a cube, the game or more like the antagonist is trying to make the player feel bad... about a cube! By painting a heart on it and calling it Companian Cube! It's almost like satire on video games. When looking at all those cosplayers, I have the impression it's more likely part of the joke to form this object into a real and important character (with maybe some soft sex-appeal, which makes it even more hilarious). I don't want to say Michael and Geoff are wrong in any way and game design-wise this part (as the rest of the game) is brilliant. But it also feels like taking a joke way too serious.

@BabyCharmander

3 жыл бұрын

As a Portal fan and a long time member of the fandom I can definitely say that a lot of us genuinely care about the cube. It’s often written as a full character in fanfics and some people theorize that it may have AI.

Привет❤️

Do the last of us part 2

Guys; it's a cube.

F

Fantastic video. But have to disagree with loss aversion as applied to the companion cube. You only get the companion cube for one puzzle and it lasts for all of about 15 minutes before you lose it. That's just not enough time to get attached to it. First play through, the companion cube was nothing more than a means to the next puzzle. I thoroughly appreciated all the dialogue and work that went into the cube, but it was no different to me from the regular weighted cube.

I literally couldn’t care any less to getting rid of the cube. It’s not like I had to have with me the entire game to form a bond, it was about 15-20 minutes with it before they ask me to incinerate it. Plus I just thought it was a box with a heart, not human connection to it whatsoever.

The cake is a lie.

am i the only person who didn't give two sh**s about incinerating the companion cube?

Is this only me, or the audio is slightly desynchronized from the video? especially seen when people talking. Annoying as hell. Great video, tho.

what a bunch of bs. I was happy to get rid of that stupid cube and I'm happy to spend money in game when I've got a ton of it. It means I'm getting something in return.