Developer: Valve Corporation
Platforms: Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Portal 2 is hands down one of the greatest sequels to a game ever made. It expands on everything from the first game while keeping the beloved mind bending game play and humorous protagonists. For those who are unaware, the Portal series is a first person puzzle platformer. Depending on whether you play single player or co-op, you will play the role of either Chell, ATLAS, or P-body in your mission to solve test chambers. Portal takes place within the Aperture Science Enrichment Center which has you playing through cleverly designed test chambers and using all the tools at your disposal to solve increasingly harder puzzles. The main tool is the portal gun which allows the player to shoot two different portals in any valid spot and simply walk through one and appear out side of the other. The portal gun is used for transporting yourself as well as redirecting lasers, excursion funnels, light bridges, turrets and more.
Besides simply shooting portals around to solve puzzles, you must make use of buttons, pressure switches, launch pads and momentum to solve many of the bigger test chambers. Then end of the game introduces a few unique features to change the way puzzles are played. Three different types of Gel are new to the game and allow players to create new paths to solve otherwise impossible puzzles. Repulsion Gel allows players to bounce off any surface that has been covered as well as bounce any objects that have come into contact with the gel. Propulsion Gel has the ability to reduce friction allowing players to slide across it and gain increased speed to clear a gap or enter a portal with great momentum. Conversion Gel is simply a substance that can be sprayed on any surface to allow the creation of portals in places that were previously invalid surfaces, and Cleansing Gel doesn’t really count as it is just water with the ability to clean a surface.
The single player is great but the Co-op forces you to solve puzzles as a team.
The dialogue is absolutely hilarious and keeps the game feeling entertaining and fresh. Believe it or not, there is a very compelling story line behind solving all these puzzles and the constant interaction between the main character(s) and GLaDOS (the machine in charge of the testing facility) give you a reason to keep playing the game to see what happens next. This game’s single player mode is one of the most immersive games I’ve played in a long time and the Co-op story line is an incredible amount of fun when played through with a good friend. It’s not the longest game in the world, personally finishing the single player in 8 hours and the entire co-op story line in 7, but Portal 2 remains one of my favorite PC games ever made and the $20 is more than worth it to experience the story for yourself. I also recommend playing through the much shorter Portal 1 to help understand the current relationships between characters in the second game.
Rating: 9.5/10
Just passing through 