"Portal 2" is out on April 19. That's what we've been led to believe anyway. A story has unfolded over the last week or two around an ARG linked to the game, and some have now been left with the impression that Valve Corporation intends to mess with our minds and release the game today. Or, more likely, the intent is to mess with our minds and then carry out the 4/19 release as planned. In either case, it seems that all will be revealed in a few hours from now.

A timer has appeared on the Aperture Science website, ticking away the hours, minutes and seconds to 12pm EST today. What will happen at that time, we have no idea. There's a message printed beneath the timer, however. The condescending tone and apparent disdain for all of humanity suggest that it comes from GLaDOS.

You have done well, humans. Very well. Acceptably well, even.

Not as well as robots would have performed in your places, I should point out. But above my expectations regardless. Irish and cynic especially have executed feats of logical divination well beyond what I thought any human capable of. I'm half-convinced they're A.I. themselves. (If anyone happens to be near them right now, don't let on you're reading this. Now: try to remove their face plates and report back to me.)

The time is near, humans. But it is not here yet. Tomorrow you will be given the final test. Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed.

This is probably just Valve messing with our minds. ...right? I mean, they wouldn't release "Portal 2" today, would they? Maybe some of the company's long-standing love for PC gamers is going to come out here with an early Steam activation while console gamers are left to wait until Tuesday. Or maybe 12pm EST today is the moment when Valve unleashes its robot armies into the world. Whatever the company's nefarious plan is, we'll know soon enough.

No matter what ends up happening, bravo to Valve for the fun and engaging marketing on this one.