GLaDOS is a symbol of her uneasy passion for inhuman testing. Chell works her way through increasingly difficult puzzles until our android overlord gives up and throws her into a wide-open room filled with deadly turrets. But as it turns out, GLaDOS herself had a hard time in Portal's first test chamber, never mind the lethal turrets.
Of course, by GLaDOS we mean not only the murderous singing supercomputer, but beloved actress Ellen McLain, also known as Half-Life's Overwatch, Dota 2's Broodmother, Left 4 Dead's Witch, and Team Fortress 2's Administrator. He has established himself as a major figure at Valve, being the most prominent voice in almost all of the studio's games.
But ironically, McLain is a self-described “technophobe” and hasn't dabbled much in gaming, let alone Portal. “Do you know I’ve never played that game?” McLain said in the new Fall Damage video: “My husband, Sniper voice actor John Patrick Lowrie, has been playing the game, but when I tried to play Portal 1, I couldn’t get out of the first level.”
But I'm sure Chell's voice acting is great in Portal.
…and she has no idea where Portal 3 is
It was inevitable that the floor would be revealed to fans' comments. someone I'm going to ask about Portal 3. Sure, if you ever get a chance to ask GLaDOS a question directly, you should ask: What's going on at Aperture Science these days?
As expected, McLain is in the dark, just like the rest of us. “I don’t know,” she emphasized. “And that’s my answer.”
There haven't been any leaks about a new Portal game, and looking at the canceled iteration of Half-Life 3, Valve seems more interested in incorporating elements of the series into Gordon Freeman's story. This makes sense, considering that the centerpiece of the Episode 2 Cliffhanger is the interdimensional Aperture Science ship Borealis.
For example, the scrapped version of HL3 in 2015 began in an old laboratory after a brief dream sequence, revealing that one of Gordon's arms had been amputated and replaced with a robotic Aperture Science prosthesis. This would have led to a portal-like tutorial where you could use these new appendages to solve puzzles. Sounds very Chell-ish, right?
Valve today is very different than it was in 2015, so don't read too much into these old leaks. But it at least indicates an interest in bridging the gap between the two series. Perhaps we'll see the spirit continue in the rumored HLX, which is reported to launch in spring 2026. Time will tell. But for now, don't expect Portal 3 to arrive anytime soon.
- released
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October 10, 2007
- ESRB
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tea
- engine
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source engine
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Confirmed
