The crazy, brain-and-world-bending puzzles of Portal are back in Valve’s highly anticipated sequel, Portal 2. This time with a more fleshed-out experience that promises to take players outside of the confined spaces of the Aperture Science Laboratory test chambers and into a bigger and better experience. Combine that with a more robust cast and a focus on humor, and you’ve got what turns out to be an early and strong contender for Game of the Year in 2011.
Let’s be honest, the story of the original Portal lacked size. However, what it lacked in size it made up for in the experience it gave players. Unfortunately for Valve, they wouldn’t be able to recreate that again. What they needed to do for Portal 2 was offer a grande-scale story that far and away surpassed that of the first; and that is exactly what they did. The return of series favourites like GLaDOS and the addition of new characters like Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant) come together to make Portal 2′s larger story irresistible. Without this great cast of characters, it would have been impossible for Valve to tie together test chamber puzzles with large chunks of story that players actually look forward to. Adding such a great story to a puzzle-focused game is difficult to do, and for Valve to nearly perfect it is a great achievement.
If you’ve played Portal before, you already know of the fantastic gameplay that Portal 2 offers. When players are not running through Aperture trying to escape, they will be welcomed back to the puzzle-filled test chambers. Using a special Portal gun, the player can unleash a blue or orange portal on certain walls, floors, and ceilings. Stepping through one Portal will put you directly through the next. Mastering how these Portals work is essential to your success in Portal 2.
Some “hardcore” players may complain that Portal 2 is too easy, but I feel the opposite. While the game does offer a lot of puzzles that aren’t as brain-bending as some of the later levels in Portal 1, I feel that the puzzles can still be very difficult at times. Instead of bombarding players from the beginning with intense puzzles, Valve has made Portal 2 a little more accessible by easing players into more difficult puzzles. There will of course be those who hate this, but don’t let them turn you off from the game just because the first handful of puzzles are quite simple. Don’t worry, it gets quite difficult again very quickly.
Continuing with the theme of a bigger and better experience, Portal 2 has added a co-op mode to the Portal framework. In Portal 2′s co-op mode, players choose from two portal gun-equipped robots, Atlus and P-body. Using these robots, players must invest themselves in a true co-op experience where relying on your patner is essential. The special puzzles designed for a co-op experience all capitalize on having two Portal guns and truly force players to co-operate. But really, did you expect anything less from this game?
The big worry most prospective Portal 2 players have is whether or not the game will begin to get repetitive. Portal nailed the smaller experience by packing so much into a small space, but it’s understandable that some may worry if Valve is able to fill the larger space with enough refreshing content. Portal 2s fantastic story, deep single-player and multi-player modes, and the breadth of interesting tools to help solve puzzles, like prepultion gel, all help to make Portal 2 far from a repetitive experience.
While I may be gushing over the great aspects of Portal 2, which there are many, there are a few small problems with the game. The biggest problem is how Portal 2 completely engulfs the original Portal. By making Portal 2 bigger and better in every way, Valve completely removed any relevancy the original Portal had. For someone who loved the original Portal this is a bit disappointing as my fist love of the series can now be erased from my hard drive and never touched again. I understand that Valve wants to kiss Portal 1 goodbye from a business standpoint, but it would have been nice to leave something out that would make Portal 1 something that fans can go back to. Fans go back to games like The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time for nostalgia and Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Tanooki suit, but with Portal 2, there is no need to go back to Portal 1 because it eclipses it.
So while there is a ton of great new content for players in Portal 2, this can be both a blessing and a curse for fans of the series who may want even the smallest reason to actually select Portal 1in their Steam account instead of just scrolling by it to select Portal 2 instead.
Portal 2 far and away surpasses the greatness of the original Portal. Every single part of Portal 2 is better than its equivalent in the original Portal, and the new additions are just as good. But while these great things blow away its predecessor in every way, that will likely be a bit of a disappointment for Portal fans who want a reason to go back to the original. Despite this small set-back, Portal 2 is a must own game. So go, purchase Portal 2, and expand your mind!
Pros:
- Immersive story
- Fantastic gameplay
- Great new additions
- Good co-op mode
Cons:
- Destroys any need to play the original Portal
- Some may think the game is too easy
SCORE: 9.8/10
