I rather adored portal. I didn't play it until well after the hype, and so I'd already seen all the "the cake is a lie" jokes and loads of spoilers, so I really didn't expect to love it. But i did.
A lot of it is down to the atmosphere and pacing, that's true, but I found the puzzles logical and challenging. Can't think of any game that has "altered the way i think", but it sure was fun. Exploiting glitches usually means (a) it's not a glitch, or (b) you're doing it wrong.
One thing I liked about it was that it wasn't as prescribed as Braid (another game i only played way after the hype, and enjoyed - but not as much). In Braid there was mostly one way to do things... in portal there was usually one clear way to proceed, but as you learned the rules you'd find lots of other ways to go about things.
It was amazing to find that levels i'd been so proud of figuring out the complex solution to, could actually be solved in one portal.
I've replayed about 3 games in my life. this is the only one i've ever replayed immediately.
Maybe that's the point of difference. I feel 9/10 + 6/10 doesn't equal 7.5/10. It equals 9/10. ;-)
but of course you're right...

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but I really don't remember any puzzle that required glitch-exploiting, maybe pixel-perfect accuracy but I don't have a problem doing that with a mouse.
I really enjoyed the humor and puzzles in Portal and for me it was worth the $5 I payed when it was on sale but I wouldn't have payed full price because the game is too short.
On the other hand I haven't enjoyed Braid too much. I dislike its art and pretentious story-telling. I was amused for the references about Mario but I think the "story" is vague just for the sake of trying to appear profound or philosophical but I couldn't care less about it. Maybe that's what has been keeping me from completing Braid whereas with Portal I couldn't wait to hear what GlaDOS would tell me in the next puzzle.
Of course I know I'm right so your review doesn't matter to me.

You know what game WILL redefine how you think of the universe? Chu Chu Rocket. Don't believe me? Play it.
You will be fidning ways out of rooms by only making left turns in no time.
Find a non-exploit way to beat the gold in Challenge 13: least portals.
BTW, to anyone disputing my claims of glitch-exploitation and pixel-perfect being required, how many challenges have you beaten?
Keep in mind 7.5 isn't a terrible score, but it's perfectly accurate IMHO.

$5 on Impulse now.

The portal mechanic was fun, but they didn't do as much as they could with it. The real reason that I enjoyed it, which seems to be the main reason why you enjoyed it, and the main reason that most people enjoyed it, is that the atmosphere was very well done.
That and Jonathan Coulton kicks ass.

Since you played Portal so far after the fact, it probably did create high expectations.
When this came out though, to me...it was extremely refreshing. I considered it a puzzle game with an interesting plot, great narrative style, perfect length, and I really dug the art direction.
It wasn't the best game ever or anything. It was just done with so much polish and little compromise.
So many pitfalls could have happened. Such as "Oh we're in first person...so lets add combat." (ie. Mirror's edge, guns in VTMB)
Or they could have artificially made the game longer by making us do the level three times each. So many good little games do this.
So yea, maybe it got a lot of extra love for just being well made a different enough from everything else on the market.
Also, numeral scores...WHY!? Must they even pervade forum reviews lol.

-O O- I made a Portal :o)
* see the little stick poking in one and out the other!
Nice review. Fun little game while it lasted. The best part of the game is the song at the end.
EDIT: here you go Portal Song

Been a while since I did it, but I recall it being pretty easy: stand on the pressure plate, shoot a blue portal through the walkway so it's next to the upper platform, and then somehow grab the box (can't recall how), jump through the portal so that you land on the platform while holding the box, then use the little space available to run and "throw" the box so it lands on the lower platform, shoot an orange portal through the now-open door and step through the blue portal next to the upper platform you're standing on.

I still have one in pristine condition that I play whenever I get a chance. Also, @ Anjohl, your review is accurate IMO. The game wasn't that mind blowing.

The "somehow grab the box" is the glitch.

I agree with most of the sentiments expressed. It has good atmosphere but the game play is nothing exceptional and its woefully short. Of course, it is typically packaged with the Orange Box so as long as you enjoy TF2 and HL2 then its a good bargain. On its own its barely worth $5 depending on if you play the challenge maps/additional content.

Overhyping can ruin a game. Portal is awesome, but the obsessions over it got way out of hand. All I knew when I went in was that it was a first-person/puzzle hybrid made by Valve that lets you use portals in interesting ways, and I loved it.

I got it with Orange Box and the reason for me getting the OB was the HL2 episodes. Got my money's worth out of those alone and I considered Portal a side-bonus. Turns out Portal was exactly what I came in thinking it was, a side-bonus. Atmosphere was intensely awesome though, love the story. If they had more levels it would be alright but it's just too short and easy.

Oh? It didn't strike me as profoundly illogical back then - it seemed reasonable considering how the portal gun doubles as a low-power gravity gun and the balcony thingey isn't solid... Each to his own, I guess.