User Reviews

Unprecedented, both before and since. Literally nothing else like it has ever existed. Was it absolutely hilarious? Not really, though it had its moments. Did it have any sort of plot? Nope. Was it the most graphically brilliant show? Come on, it was G4, in 2002, about MMOs in the era of Everquest and Ultima...this was before the likes of Attack of the Show and even slightly before X-Play. Did you know there was a G4 before X-Play? Probably not. There was even a Cheaters. Nope, not that Cheaters. This was a show specifically about various cheat codes, hacks, and exploits in different games of the 90s and early 00s. But like most of the early G4 shows, they have since (tragically) been lost to time.

But, I remember.

No, what makes this show legendary is that it is essentially a deep dive into pretty much every MMO pre-WoW, before Blizzard came along and took over the MMO scene. It's hard to imagine, but before 10,000,000 people had active WoW accounts, there was a whole world of smaller, less graphically detailed online worlds out there, filled with boring side quests and generic mobs, with bustling communities many considered family.

Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, Ultima Online 2, Sims Online, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies...to name a few.

Portal is, more or less, a sketch comedy show that uses these old-school MMOs for its sets. It visits pretty much all of them at some point, giving you an inside look into the very early days of MMOs...which is, put simply, splendid.

Some day, video game historians will be a thing (I mean, they already are, but they do it for fun. Give it another 20 years, and there will be entire college classes dedicated to it). They will have to be 'very' dedicated into digging up archival footage of old games, but it will happen, and when that day comes, Portal will be the equivalent of a raid dungeon legendary boss treasure cove of information.

Only in the last few years have most of the episodes made their way back onto Youtube, all thanks to a single user who is based af. If you have any sort of interest in video game history, especially in terms of MMOs, this literally is as good as it gets.

This show started as an entertaining show for kids, but is now the equivalent of a documentary for early video games. If that sort of thing interests you at all, then you are in for a treat.

Disclaimer: Remember, graphics sucked back then. These worlds are not full of Orgrimmars and Ironforges. Keep that in mind, and you're sure to love it just as much as I did/do.

Portal has been cancelled. It was an amazing show, but G4TV's merger with TechTV ended up getting it pushed off of the block, to make way for other shows. A mistake indeed.

Portal was like a soap opera, but it was fun. Very fun. Very annoying at times, too, but if you can get past its flaws, its so awesome. Quirky and fun characters and story, gobs of anticipation, and the occasional tidbit about actually playing the games the story is based upon. To an onlooker, you'll seem crazy. But they are the crazy ones for not watching. :)

Portal is really only shown at midnight, and G4TTV has scheduled Portal for primetime recently, but they end up showing something else instead. -_-;;

Dave (the host) said on his website that he may return to G4TTV for a new program. Perhaps to continue Portal, perhaps not.

I love Portal! It's what really brings me to watch G4 Everyday! Dave is not only a brilliant actor but an amazing writer and producer! I look forward to every single episode! I think those who don't like Portal need to take another look and Re-watch it!!! And to all those who enjoy it, may we love it forever! It's the best show on G4 in my opinion and I'll cry really hard the day they take it off air!

I don't really like TV shows, but something about Portal keeps me coming back for more. Dave Meinstein writes and produces this show and, although quite low budget, makes his talents shine. The show is full of wit, comedy, and plenty of drama. Toted as the 'Soap Opera' of G4 channel, Portal takes you through the lives of virtual people from a variety of MMORPGs given life by very talented voice actors. Once in a great while there is a show in the mix of a 1,000 other shows that doesn't receive the praise or recognition it deserves. Portal is that diamond in the rough.

This is an interesting show, that uses characters within several different massively multiplayer online role-playing games like the very popular Everquest to more obscure ones like Second Life... it is very much like a moving comic book, where heroes are somewhat larger than life, and villians are pretty much irredeemable. At times, information about new games or hints for players in current games are presented in an entertaining way.

The show is very much like a British comedy to Americans... either people love it or hate it. It is a very original idea, however budget constraints from the growing G4 cable network makes the central location where host Dave Meinstein performs (called "The Hub") looks like something that could have been on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

If you are willing to try something with a original premise and a somewhat quirky sense of humor, then check out Portal... if more traditional shows like Friends or Everyone Loves Raymond are your style, you may miss the humor that this show presents.