If the original Portal was a perfectly paced game that benefited greatly from its simplicity, than Portal 2 is a work of genius. And if the single player portion of the game is wonderful, and shows Valve as the masterful and evolving developer it is, than the co-op turns the volume, essentially, to 11. Valve gets me. I don't know how, but they must somehow know my inner thoughts and dreams as a gamer. I have played Half-life 2 through 3 times over, and each time I found that I had taken something(s) for granted in my previous playthroughs. I played HL2: Episode 2 4 times through, and had similar experiences. Portal 2 is no different. I've played my share of Counter Strike, sunk about 40hrs into the Left 4 Dead franchise, and even played some Alien Swarm but Portal 2 is Valves best multiplayer game. Valve recommends playing through Co-op with a friend... someone you know. I must 2nd that recommendation, as I (we) experience many LOLz and F U's throughout, that would've been much less enjoyable if I had no idea who was on the other end. Also, the puzzles are perfect. Every last one. You must play this game. You must. You must. You must. You mus.....
