Portal 2 Review

If you’re reading this then you’ve probably played the first Portal. If you haven’t then seriously, stop reading this right now and go buy it! I mean it, right now! I’ll wait. Anyway, if you’ve played Portal you know the the magic of the game. The way you rack your brain flinging portal after portal, falling unprecedented distances until you finally find the solution to that test. Sometimes you just stand there staring at the room, trying to figure out exactly what it is you’re meant to do. A few minutes (or hours) later you suddenly have an epiphany. You know how to solve it!

This stumbling followed by euphoric revelation happens countless times and is one of the things that makes Portal great. If you’re like me you’ve been waiting for the release of Portal 2 in wary anticipation. Looking so forward to playing the game but worried it will suffer sequel syndrome and fall flat.

But worry no longer, Portal 2 exceeds expectations and will blow your mind once again.

Gameplay

9.5

Portal 2 captures all of the magic and mystery of the first game but with it’s own unique twist. Seriously, if they didn’t put a huge twist on it would it really still be magical and mysterious?

The basic mechanics remain constant (thank god!) and circle around the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Gun. The player must navigate through treacherous tests by strategically placing portals as a means to reach the end of each room. Sounds simple. It isn’t.

This time around the player will have to make use of several new little tweaks to the system including: lasers, three types of manipulation gel (repulsion, propulsion and conversion), light bridges and excursion funnels. Each of these little doodads add another layer of depth to the puzzles and keep the game original and entertaining.

The only real downside is later when navigating from test to test. The time in-between tests is the most frustrating part of the game. These usually consist of simply finding places to put portal so you can reach the next test but it can take several minutes to just FIND where you need to go.

These are a rarity, however, and the rest of the game shines gloriously despite this minor flaw.

Video / Audio

9.0

The graphics of Portal 2 appear very similar if not identical to it’s predecessor. Most things throughout the game are shiny, smooth and neat, creating the feel of a true testing environment. Despite the lack of obvious visual improvement, this game is beautiful. Why improve something that’s almost perfect?

The sound effects and music are also iconic. Throughout the game a certain kind of music will play as Chell accelerates, whether is be by gravity, propulsion gel or even simple springs. In this way Portal 2 combines music with sound effects in a way that I have never seen before.

Perhaps the most important aspect of video and audio in Portal (as all Portal players know) is the voice acting. Not the voice acting of the players character (Chell is mute) but of the robots and prerecorded messages you encounter throughout your testing. Anyone who has played the original would recognize GlaDOS’s voice anywhere.

Story

10

Portal 2 does something that a lot of games try but fail to accomplish: have a silent protagonist and an incredibly enthralling story. The funny thing is that a lot of the characters throughout the game actually acknowledge your “mute”ness and make fun of you for it. In the first sequence of the game it displays a tool-tip saying something like, “Press A to say your name”. A, of course, is the jump button, and instead of responding you simply jump in place. The character then assumes that you have suffered “brain damage.”

Every character shown throughout the game is iconic and memorable. Even the displaced voice of Cave Johnson, only heard through prerecorded messages, develops a life of it’s own.

The dialogue in Portal is matched only by the dialogue of Portal 2. Every sound byte is pure gold and an almost instant meme. I don’t believe there has ever been a game where nearly every single line makes me laugh.

In addition to all of this, the story of Portal 2 is compelling and full of twists. You befriend enemies, experience betrayal and even reunite with your lost love (companion cube).

Content

6.5

Portal 2 features two distinct modes: single player and co-op. Each mode has its own storyline with unique puzzles and progression.

The Single Player is about twice as long as it’s predecessor and quite a bit more complicated. This being said, the single player still only takes 4-6 hours to complete if you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately, it does not showcase a challenge mode as the first one did and thus leaves little incentive to continue playing after completion.

The Co-Op is very well done. It forces the two players to work together and brainstorm. Honestly, i thought Co-Op was much more challenging than the Single Player as it involves four portals instead of the usual two.

Despite this, once it is completed, as with the single player, there is little incentive to play again. If your friend hasn’t completed Co-Op but you have, or viceversa, Do NOT play it with them. Doing this will completely ruin the Co-Op experience because one of you already knows the solutions.

The main complaint about this game seems to be that people don’t think they’re getting what they payed for. Granted, the single player and multiplayer by themselves are only about 5 hours each, but that is a great deal more than the first game. The content is a little low for a $50 dollar game, but nearly every minute of it is gold.

Huevos Factor

10

Portal 2 is probably one of the most masterfully made and unique games that I have ever played. It provides a refreshing change from the usual shoot-em-up or grindfest of the typical FPS or RPG. I enjoyed every second of this game, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you haven’t played the first Portal, go get that instead, you’ll appreciate the second more. If you have played it, I recommend you pick up Portal 2 ASAP.

Breakdown:

Gameplay	9.5
Video / Audio	9.0
Story	10
Content	6.5
Huevos Factor	10

Total

9.1

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