Review: Portal 2

Personally, I was late to play Valve's first person puzzle game Portal. I played it about a year ago when my friend let me borrow his copy of The Orange Box. Out of all three wonderful games on that collection, Portal was the stand-out game that blew my mind. I turned into the annoying guy that played Portal after everyone else. I wouldn't shut-up about how funny and well-designed the game was. All my friends were like, "We know." What made Portal so great was the reward of feeling like a genius after solving a puzzle in the game; this feeling is key to any puzzle game. It’s the catharsis that classic dramas are centered on, but instead of emotional purification, it’s a mental purification. And Portal gives this ‘puzzle-catharsis’ after almost each of its tests. The game has a way of making me feel like I am the smartest person in the world even though I know that I’m not the first person to solve the puzzle. So, it’s an understatement to say that I was excited to play Portal 2. And I've got to say that Valve came through with the sequel. Portal 2 offers the same humor, intelligently designed stages, and 'puzzle-catharsis' as the first, but all of these elements are wrapped in a slicker package, which makes the first game seem like a tech demo.


Portal 2 is a bigger, better, and more polished game than the previous. While it essentially features the same classic portal gun gameplay, Valve added enough wrinkles into the system to keep previous Portal fans interested and at times befuddled. But if you haven't played Portal (and I think you should before playing Portal 2), Valve kept you in mind when designing the game. Every new (and old) gameplay element is introduced in a way that never feels like a tutorial even through it essentially is. The developers did a wonderful job giving players visual cues and ramping the difficulty to the perfect level at the perfect time. Every puzzle is fair, and no puzzle relies on twitch reflexes. Portal 2 is all about the smartest path. If you're trying to solve a puzzle and are failing because you cannot perform the actions, then your solution probably isn't the best way to solve the puzzle.

Story-wise, Portal 2 picks up shortly after the first game, and the silent protagonist Chell is back as is the homicidal antagonist GLaDOS (voiced by Ellen McLain). But the game adds a new and hilarious character named Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant) into the mix. Both GLaDOS and Wheatley compose the game's sense of humor and carry the game's narrative voice. McLain and Merchant are the heart and soul of the game's story. Almost everything you hear from these characters will make you at least chuckle and at times laugh out loud. While the humor of the first game is very much the same, don't expect Portal 2 to feel like Portal when it comes to the story. The first game was all about the twist at the end. Portal 2 eschews the previous narrative formula. Instead of being just about the twist, the game fills you in on the history of Aperture Science and develops its robotic characters---not to say that there isn't a twist or two in the game. Valve spent as much time on the narrative journey in Portal 2 as the puzzles, and it really shows. I won't spoil anything, but just know that the game's narrative voice is carried by the actors, and they turn in amazing performances.

As you travel through the bowels of the Aperture Science complex or look at screenshots in this review, you'll quickly notice that this game looks great. There is so much detail put into the large Aperture Science signs, the posters on the wall, the wrecked old complex, and the videos played on the wall sized screens---the game is a visual treat. Valve takes the player through the different decades of Aperture Science and they took the time to make different signs, logos, and poster for each decade. The developers put so much into the setting that it's impossible to take it all in in one playthrough. Sadly, from a gameplay perspective there isn't much of a reason to play Portal 2 more than once. Once you see the puzzles and know the solutions, then a second run will be easy. But the game's detailed setting, compelling story, and smart achievement/trophies can drag you back.

All in all, the single player campaign took me about 7 to 8 hours to complete. After beating the game, I immediately jumped back into the game to collect all the missing trophies and it was enjoyable enough. But I think that I will need to put Portal 2 down for a while before fully replaying the entire campaign from start to finish. Valve included a directors commentary that is interesting, but I don't know if it will pull everyone right back into the game. Luckily, the single player campaign isn't all there is to Portal 2. There is also a wonderful co-op campaign. Let me start by saying that I hate competitive multi-player. Yes, you can say I just suck or whatever, but it just doesn't appeal to me. I hardly ever play a game's multi-player mode; but I love co-op. There is just something about playing games with friends that makes gaming more enjoyable. And let me put your fears to rest: Portal 2's co-op is great, given you have a friend who doesn't grief you and really wants to solve puzzles.

You and your partner (through online or split screen) play as two robots that GLaDOS made to run more tests---GLaDOS seems to be going through humans too quickly. While the co-op is not narratively driven like the campaign, it does have some nice tie-ins with the main story. All of the game's humor is present in the co-op, but it is much more like the first Portalin that you just run from chamber to chamber solving puzzles. From a design standpoint, Valve did almost everything they could to make sure your co-op experience is a good one. They took the time to ensure that the puzzle difficulty starts low and ramps up at a right pace. They also add some helpful features like count down timers and visual indicators that you can direct your partner with and the ability to look through your partners point of view. But the ideal setup for Portal 2 co-op is having a friend pull up a TV next to yours. I know for many people that just isn't an option, and if it isn't an option, headsets will work. My main advice is to find someone that you can really work with. With four different portals going at one time, teamwork and communication are key.

Honestly, there isn't too much to complain about in Portal 2. A lot of people have been freaking out about the length of the game, but I felt the single player campaign was on par with most first person shooters, and there is a 4-6 hour co-op campaign, giving the game an estimated 10-15 hour playtime, which doesn't include achievement hunting. And when discussing clock time in games, it's important to that quality is always more important than quantity. Portal 2 feels complete. It has a well told story without any artificial crap to lengthen your play time (like fetch quests or 30 minute cut scenes). Valve has a history of respecting their fans. And I, for one, think that this game was everything it was suppose to be and more.

5/5

With all my gushing about the Portal series, the score shouldn't surprise you. This game is already on the top of my list for game of the year. Every corner of the Aperture Science complex is brimming with detail, the dialogue is smart and actually laugh out loud funny, the performances are top notch, and the puzzles are clever without feeling punishing. This is one of those games that you wish you could have another first time with. Oh, to be a Portal virgin again...

While Portal 2 may not interest your pals who only play bro-shooters, it's a game for anyone who is interested in videogames as a creative medium. Bottom line, play this game. Now.