Currently, I only discuss the single-player campaign, which is sufficient for a basic review of the mechanics and general feel of the game. I haven't completed the co-op campaign yet, but will edit my review when I do.With
Portal 2, Valve deftly surpasses most of what made the original so incredibly memorable. While not necessarily adding much new to their puzzle-solving-formula, the story, humor and presentation linger longer than the actual puzzles after the credits have rolled, and that's not necessarily a bad thing at all.
The curtains are flung wide open this time and the scope is magnified by 1000 as you once again venture through Aperture Laboratories as the muted protagonist Chell. It's been some time since you were walking into walls and out of ceilings with your portal gun, solving puzzle rooms and frustrating the murderous wiles of your kindly-psychotic, robotic guide GLaDOS. The labs have certainly seen better days: Panels lay crushed, walls are off kilter, and various structural innards make passage impossible without some help. Here is where your trusty portal gun and memorable cast of characters come in to make
Portal 2 a worthy argument that video games are, without a doubt, art.
If you played the original, you know how the trademark mechanics work. If you’re new to these mind-twisting elements called “portals,” here’s a lesson on how they help you progress: panels of a certain material allow you to use your portal gun to make a hole that can connect to another hole you’ve made somewhere else on a similar panel. That sounds confusing, but say you’ve made a hole in the floor and one in the ceiling: go through the one in the floor … you’ll come out the one in the ceiling, and vice versa. It’s mind-bending at first, but once you have your eureka moment and understand the physics, things only get better and more challenging from there.
Coming from a 4-hour fun and humorous puzzler, the sequel has the challenge of being engaging for a longer period of time worthy of a full-fledged, stand alone title while keeping what made it delightful in the first place. Although the sequel brings with it all the basic elements that established the
Portal name (puzzles with portals, turrets, cubes, GLaDOS, dark hilarity), Valve has given us a slightly different experience.
One way they’ve met the demands is to branch out farther from the test chambers than before. Yes, you’ll still find yourself confined to rooms with panels, lasers and cubes with (seemingly) only one way out, but to avoid the monotony of room after room, we get to see the bigger picture of what’s going on behind the panels and even a history of Aperture Labs. This makes perfect sense because not only were the puzzle elements well done in the first game, the writing and character of GLaDOS were so highly praised that to ignore those aspects would be a disgrace to the narrative and clever talents of those who have crafted it. Thankfully,
Portal 2 does not disappoint.
In many ways, the writing outshines anything else in
Portal 2. The puzzle designs are fun and keep you going, but the characterizations of GLaDOS and show-stealing personality core Wheatley constantly entertain you and make the whole experience an intelligent and darkly comic joy. We even hear the voice of Aperture Labs founder, Cave Johnson, and his lines are as equally well-voiced and written. The humor stands out, as it is constant and drips with sarcasm and subtext, but there are some strong moments of drama and sincerity that bring the whole storytelling to a deeper, richer level.
With all that said, it’s not tip-top perfection. The story elements serve best to change the pace from going from puzzle to puzzle, but things can still feel a bit repetitive by the end (the same can be said of the writing, as we expect a punch line after every other sentence). Thankfully, Valve was aware and didn’t make the campaign too long or too short. The puzzles themselves, though, don’t seem to be as devilish, although they still progress nicely in difficulty. That’s not to say they’re not good, but I still didn’t feel like I had to think too much outside the box than usual. Also, when you’re taken outside the test chambers, sometimes the level designs fall victim to a “Well, we need the player to have a panel they can make a portal in ... we'll throw one in on the wall over there for the heck of it" mentality; panels don’t always have a logical reasoning for being where they are, even if the place is supposed to be lying in ruins. And unfortunately the graphics overall are passable to good, but not stellar (with the exceptions of GLaDOS and Wheatley who need that extra bit of attention).
I also miss the option of a Challenge mode like there is in the original. Granted, the narrative doesn’t really lend itself to one, but puzzlers have that natural element of solving them and trying again even more quickly that it seems puzzling (pun!) not to include something like it to provide that infinite replayability. I guess the addition of co-op supplements this lack.
I will be adding the co-op portion of this review once I have finished it.It could be argued that
Portal 2 is not a $60 worthy title due to its lack of replay and scant offerings. In my humble opinion,
Portal 2 satisfies the heck out of me and my wallet. It’s a fun offering with puzzle and plot twists that is long enough if you don’t rush though it but instead appreciate the story and characters, which are the forefront this time. Add a separate-but-related cooperative mode and you’ve extended the game’s worth a bit more. I’d rather pay well for a quality product that knows what it can best offer rather than several uninspired, tacked-on hours just to add length.
The original
Portal threw the typical FPS and puzzler conventions on their heads and made it’s own spot in the industry. Now, with
2, we are given a similar journey with puzzles to solve, but with deeper meanings, more humor, and more reasons to appreciate the mythos inside and outside Aperture Labs. While not perfect, it’s still one of the most enjoyable experiences you will have in video games. Ever.
Do yourself a favor and play
Portal 2 . For science.
5.0