I Never Had This Much Fun When I Was Tested
Portal was a game that was released with the Orange Box and ended up being the most popular game of that neat little package. The paradigm shifting puzzles made gamers think in very unique and creative ways. It also didn't hurt the game that it had an interesting story and featured one of the most diabolical yet funniest villians in a video game in GlaDOS. The most unfortunate thing about it was that it was a very short game. Now 4 years later the sequel has arrived as a stand alone game. Can new portals and new mechanics justify a $60 price tag? Abso-fucking-lutely. This game is absolutely phenomenal and outdoes its predecessor in every way.
The Good:
Valve understood that simply adding more levels would not be enough. While the first 2 hours of the game reintroduces you to all the mechanics from the original portal things quickly change. New mechanics such as Aerial faith plates, excursion funnels, and gels come along and once again reset your ability to quickly solve a puzzle. Every mechanic is fully fleshed out and used in some brilliant ways. This is further enhanced by the multiplayer which provides an entirely new set of test chambers that require a friend to complete. Like most co-op games that require teamwork your enjoyment of this mode will depend greatly on how good your partner is but as far as the mechanics goes they manage to create some very complex and crazy puzzles that make you feel like a genius when you reach the solution. To me however, the thing that made this game truly special is the presentation and the story. The graphics give a very clean look to each of the testing chambers and the industrial sections look very dark, grungy almost as if it was taken right out of half-life 2. The story is also much more fleshed out and explores the story of Aperture Science in more detail. It is nice to see Valve flesh out this world and treat this game as a universe rather than an add on. The best part however, is the humor. GlaDOS gave a very dark humor performance in Portal 1 and she returns in full force in this game. However, the real stars are the new characters: Wheatley the Personality Core and Cave Johnson the President of Aperture Science. Both of these characters are brilliantly voice acted and provide some of the best, funniest lines in the game as well as the most emotional gravitas. This is all backed by a musical score that actually exists and is well done. The tunes remind me of an electronic theme like it was taken out of a Tron soundtrack and fits the game real well.
The Bad:
The only complaint that I can level against the game is that it features a lot of loading times which can break the immersion but is a very minor gripe that doesn't affect the game at all.
Portal 2 is a game that I had extremely high expectations for but managed to exceed those expectations. This is a phenomenal game that should be played by anyone who has a pulse
