And indeed he's right!

No, it's not a better game. It may be more effective emotionally, but portal is much more fun, and thus, a better game.

Sausages are better than shoes.

@haowan
Haha, well said!

I honestly find these "best game" declarations funny. Games are a huge, highly diverse medium. Trying to say that one is better than another is like saying that "Great Expectations" is a better book than "Calculus and Analytic geometry: Third Edition". Or like saying that a Hyundai Sonata is a better vehicle than a Liebherr T 282B dump truck. Just let it go and enjoy the games.

The author of this article doesn't seem to realize that he is the one being mocked by the Eric Wolpaw quote he included.

@ Mischief Maker:

I think he does, but he disagrees with the characterization that cake is superior to "stuff to think about". Obviously, things are different from other things, especially when it comes to a creative medium.

I suspect Tim used the word "better" to draw traffic, "more meaningful" might have been more on point.

That said, you drew some traffic buddy!

I find myself wondering why Nick Montfort says "Passage is Better" rather than "I Prefer Passage".

Personally if I'm talking about Passage in ten years it will be as part of a list of games which other people got more excited about than I did. Alongside Halo.

"I suspect Tim used the word "better" to draw traffic, "more meaningful" might have been more on point."

I don't really think Passage is though. Passage teaches a very simple lesson, one that can just as easily to acquired by having a pet gold fish.

Portal, regardless of the creator's intent, contains more complex examinations of control, authority, unconventional thinking, and contains some genuinely excellent black humor.

Passage has been called art by some, and thats fine. Something being art though does not guarantee it is of great worth, or has any intellectual challenges and insights. Playing Passage is unlikely to enhance you as person, or teach you something that you did not already know.

Portal is better than passage, I don't think people will remember it after ten years, just because it's not that amazing. I didn't see a lot of lessons to learn in passage nor it gave something to think about. I personally think passage is more like an experiment, but not art.

I found the plot of passage to be cliche and the ending predictable.

Are we all so desperate for a video game we can point to and call "art" that we latch onto a project with barely one toe outside the demoscene as the greatest game EVAR?

What complete BS. I'm all for art games, but Passage better than Portal?

If anything it tells us that the writer just wants traffic to his site for making such a bold claim. Something I didn't go for and something I won't be linking to my friends outside the indie scene but gamers.

Maybe Passage conveys some simple things and has very simple physics, it says it's things with great effect. On emotional level Passage is great game.

It's like saying "StarCraft is better than Day of the Tenticle".

It's silly.

@Albey:
I would slap whoever said that.

Actually a more apt analogy would be saying Progress Quest is better than Deadly Rooms of Death.

By the way, the girl who took away all my treasure chests died first. Does that mean I win?

@Wacky Willy: I agree, and yes, her death is your goal in the game. YOU ARE WINNER!