Portal was one of those shockingly creative games that offered an unforgettable experience. However, it had some problems that created worries coming into this sequel. Luckily though, developer Valve has addressed nearly every issue that fans had with the original Portal, and has even found ways to take the charms of the first game and improve upon them in Portal 2.
Probably the largest and most obvious problem with the original Portal was its length. Every moment of its gameplay was fun, but after it was all said and done, you realized just how brief the game truly was. This time around however, Valve has outdone themselves with a much longer single player experience, as well as a surprisingly successful cooperative mode which we will touch on later.
Portal 2 expands on pretty much everything you would expect it to. The ever-popular and utterly hilarious evil villain GLaDOS is back, and she isn’t happy about the state of the Aperture Science facilities. However, you’ll soon be introduced to Wheatley as well, another fun and likeable character, who is actually friendly and will help you with various things in an attempt to escape the facility. Wheatley adds even more humor into the game and even, at least in my opinion, outdoes GLaDOS.
The meat of Portal 2, as with the first title, is the puzzles, which are all solved in a unique way by using a portal gun from an FPS view. However, there are some new twists this time around. There is now bouncy goo and light bridges thrown in, as well as the old trick of speed continuing through a portal. This means you’ll have wild puzzles going on where you’re popping portals on the ground and falling into them so you can shoot out the other portal off the wall into bouncy goo to reach the next room. All of these puzzles have a unique twist to solving them, and though they can a bit of a mind boggler at times, Valve manages to reach a level of challenge just below frustrating.
Although some parts of the game will appear impossible at first, spending a bit of time concentrating on them will find that there is always a solution, sometimes a very obvious one. It feels very rewarding to finish the puzzles, and the fact that the game somehow manages to still feel entertaining rather than annoying is quite the accomplishment in itself. Obviously the longevity of the game cannot really be judged as well as with others. While all games have varied times of completion depending on experience, Portal 2’s can be quite sporadic due to a variety of factors, luck being one of them. Sometimes you will see easy solution right away, while other times it will take you a bit longer. Either way, the single player mode offers hours of fun and challenges, and a satisfying ending. However, unlike the first game of the series, this one does not end there.
Portal 2 also introduces a cooperative mode which continues the story past the events of single player. Only two people can play at once, but that’s all you’ll need to continue having a blast with this game. In fact, co-op can be even more fun than single player if you have a good partner. Each of the two players steps into the metal shoes of a robot armed with a portal gun. Do the math and you end up with 4 portals.
These puzzles can be absolutely crazy at times, but as with single player, Valve somehow manages to keep things fun and challenging, but almost never frustrating. However, I’m going to emphasize what I said earlier about having a good partner. You need to have somehow that has a decent amount of skill, because if one player isn’t contributing, the pair cannot advance. This can be frustrating to experienced players or intimidating to new ones. Luckily, Valve has inserted some commands to assist each other and point things out, but you’re still probably going to have the most fun if you play with someone you know.
When I first heard wind of a sequel to Portal, I really didn’t know what to expect. But as has happened many a time, Valve has managed to utterly stun me. Portal 2 is just as creative a game as its predecessor, and offers bundles more in terms of content and value. I give this game a 9/10 and the Knockout Award. Though it certainly is not a game that will appeal to everyone, if you’re into puzzles, physics, or just looking for a challenging game that’s guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever played before, look no further, for you have found it.
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replayability: 9/10
Dialogue: 9/10
Story: 8/10
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Originally posted on w3techie.com