Potato Sack ARG: Remember When GLaDOS Took Over All Those Indie Games?
GameOn Magazine|Issue 140 - June 2021
Jamie looks back at one of gamings most ambitious promotional campaigns
Jamie Davies
Potato Sack ARG: Remember When GLaDOS Took Over All Those Indie Games?

Valve’s darkly humorous puzzler Portal 2released 10 years ago. Can you believe it?That’s 10 years since we first made friends (and enemies) with moronic machine Wheatley; 10 years since we plummeted Long Fall Boots-first into the sleazy history of Aperture Science with Cave Johnson; and 10 years since we formed the most unlikely of bonds and made amends with murderous AI GLaDOS. There’s no doubt about it, Portal 2 was a masterpiece, a gel-sliding ride through history, a tongue-in-cheek look at the absurdity of bureaucracy and a deeply emotional story all rolled into one incredible package. Even now, a decade on, it holds a permanent place in that warm, cosy corner of our memories alongside our favourite films and the last day of school before summer. Are you remembering Portal 2 now? Are you smiling? Yeah, me too.

Not so easily remembered, at least for most of us, is the potato-fever that swept the indie gaming scene in the run-up to Portal 2’s release. If you’ve played Portal 2—and you really should have done by now—you’ll know why Aperture Science and potatoes go hand-in-hand. Before the game’s release, though, an eclectic Steam bundle titled “The Potato Sack Bundle” didn’t immediately ring any Portal ‘bells’ in players’ minds. It certainly didn't spell the start of a Portal 2 ARG, but that, my friends, is exactly what it was.

What’sanARG?

This story is from the Issue 140 - June 2021 edition of GameOn Magazine.

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This story is from the Issue 140 - June 2021 edition of GameOn Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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