Portal star Chell is keeping things simple for the game's sequel. Same orange jumpsuit, it's just...rolled up. This concept art for the character shows she could have looked not just different, but a lot different.

Uncovered as part of Valve's vast, potato-based alternate reality game being run to promote Portal 2, the art shows Chell looking like an extra from Brazil, an extra from THX 1138 or a robo-legged runner from Mirror's Edge.

While they're interesting designs one and all, we're obviously glad Valve kept it simple for the final design. After all, two of their other most iconic female stars - Half-Life's Alyx and left 4 Dead's Zoey - get around in a hoodie and a track top respectively. No need to make things messy just for the sake of it!

There are also some great pics showing concepts for her trademark "chicken leg" stilts, as well as designs for the co-op mode's robot colleagues.

Lots of Portal 2 concept art [Super Punch]

As forewarned, Valve has released the first portion of its Portal digital comic at IGN. In it, we meet Rat Man, rank and file Aperture Science workers and learn more about the origins of GlaDOS. Read Portal 2: Lab Rat now.

Turn your office into a miniature Aperture Science testing facility with Ryan Howerter's awesome lil' Portal turret made from LEGO. There's more than just a handsome model to follow, Ryan's put together a full-on step-by-step Instructables tutorial showing you how it's done, from materials to construction.

What if, instead of action figures and comic books, our favourite video games inspired classic, dog-eared works of literature instead?

These images by A. J. Hateley show us just such a scenario, taking some fairly random games - a little Half-Life 2 here, a little Deadly Premonition there - and basing torn old books on their stories and worlds. Some are literal interpretations - much like those we all so enjoyed back in 2009 - while others go a little further, becoming pieces of fiction merely based upon (or inspired by) the source material.

As a man who has allergic reactions these days to heady works of literature, I think I might just settle in with a glass of wine and that "Green Influenza" survival guide. You never know when it'll come in handy!

Wilderness As A Girl [AJ Hateley, via it 8-bit]

Not officially, mind you, but then unofficial unions in PC gaming can often be better than the "real" thing anyway.

Eugenio "Motanum" Roman put this thing together, which recreates the Aperture Science Labs from Portal (at least in spirit) and makes a passable Team Fortress 2 map out of them. While you can't use a portal gun, GLaDOS features, as do those little balls of energy that killed you instantly in Portal (and they kill you instantly here as well).

The map is available here as a 34MB download.

Don't expect a polished affair from it - it's a little long and a little bland in spots - but hey, it's free, and it's a Portal map in Team Fortress 2. There are plenty of people who a combination like that will appeal to.

[via PC Gamer]

OK, so since she IS a computer, Portal's GLaDOS wouldn't exactly need a rig of her own. If she did, though, it'd look exactly like this.

This is the Hammerhead HMR989 from DARWINmachine. And aside from the fact it's in a rather elegant, glowing "case", its key point is that it's not really a PC case at all. Rather, it's a frame for a PC's components to be bolted to, since it's basically an inside-out computer, stuff like the drives, fan etc exposed for the world to see.

Intended for "hardcore gamers" (well, duh), the case's designer, Matthew Kim, has a "background in race car engineering", which explains why it looks like the result of a steamy night between a Formula 1 car and a Portal turret.

If you're interested, there's one available, and it costs...$2,899. Plus shipping.

Hammerhead HMR989 [Darwin, via technabob]

If you play Portal 2 on PS3, you can play with people on a PC. Neat! And to make sure as many people as possible are doing just that, the PS3 version of the game will include the PC version.

All players have to do once they get the game is link their PlayStation Network and Steam accounts. Once that's done, they'll have a Steam Play (so, PC and/or Mac) version of the game ready to download in their library list.

This cross-platform play even extends to giving PS3 users the ability to chat to PC gamers, and vice-versa. Oh, and PS3 users can even save their game in the Steam Cloud, meaning Valve has them tucked away in their servers in case something ever goes horribly wrong with your PS3.

That's a whole lot of "firsts" for both Steam, the PC multiplayer service of choice, and Sony's PlayStation Network. Not to mention a free copy of the game you can, for example, take with you on a laptop when you're not on your couch with the PS3.

And if all this works, and works well, let us welcome out glorious cross-platform future with open arms!

Note blocks, which play a tone in one of two octaves, were added to Minecraft with the PC hit's update yesterday. Already someone's figured out how to make them play the introduction to the Portal theme "Still Alive."

YouTube poster Tritex989 made the music machine, which plays automatically thanks to redstone powering each note block. "I didn't continue it, 'cause i would be forced to only play the melody and that would sound too simple in my opinion." he wrote.

Other experiments have popped up on YouTube as well. Here's the Harry Potter Theme, though it's not redstone-powered, so the user has to activate each block.

How long until the inevitable Super Mario Bros. theme? If you've got the time on your hands, the Minecraft Wiki breaks down how to set the notes for each block and which block provides which of four percussion equivalents. The harp sound is the only musical instrument.

Thanks to Ryan H. for the tip!

You'd have K.O.L.M., a Flash-based, Metroid-style adventure about piecing together a sad little platforming robot. And while K.O.L.M. may feel heavily inspired by some great games, its audio-visual style helps to set this game apart.

There's traditional "Metroidvania" item collecting, shooting, and puzzle-solving, but the tilting camera, the somber soundtrack and a few neat audio tricks make this game worth a taste. There's also a guiding voice, a la Portal's GlaDOS, that will help you through the multi-room adventure. K.O.L.M., by Antony Lavelle with music from Tommy Robin, has been out and playable for a little while now, but thanks to Rock Paper Shotgun, we're now better aware of its existence.

If you've got some time to spare for this Flash-based adventure, give it some time.

K.O.L.M. [Armor Games via Rock Paper Shotgun]

Steam is ringing in the season with ridiculous savings on some of the best games available for the PC and Mac, with weekly and daily specials from now through January 2. Now how much would you pay?

I don't feel I'm exaggerating in the least when I call the sale prices Steam is putting on PC and MAC games and publisher bundles ridiculous. They've got the newly-released Oddworld Oddbox at 50 percent off, for example. That's Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath for $12.49. Ridiculous, right?

Along with normal sales, Steam will also feature a Holiday Bonus Sale each day, which will require users to qualify for additional savings. For instance, players that own Team Fortress 2 will gain an extra 10 percent off on Portal today.

Here's a list of the titles kicking off the first round of saving:

F1 2010 50%
Battlefield Bad Company 2 66%
Fallout 3 (Game of the Year) 33%
The Deus Ex Collection 85%
LEGO Batman 75%
Peggle & Peggle Nights 60%
Prince of Persia (Franchise) 75%
Portal 75%
F.E.A.R. (Franchise) 75%
Titan Quest Gold 75%
Super Meat Boy 75%

Why are you still here? You should be shopping.