Portal 2

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(Note: This review contains ZERO spoilers) / Updated April 29, 2011

If you like puzzle games, this is about as good as it gets. There is no other puzzle game like this, and believe me when I say you won't be disappointed. The first Portal game was just an extra; this is a full-length game. The first thing you'll notice is the inclusion of co-op which adds an entirely new layer of fun to the game. Think about what you could do with 2 portals, and imagine how you would complicate the puzzles with 4 portals instead. My friend and I were having an absolute blast trying to figure out just how to position our portals in tandem to set up the solution for these increasingly difficult puzzles. It's challenging and fun at the same time.

There were a few times where we almost gave up, and then the solution suddenly presented itself and we were able to continue. This game is not for anyone who is looking for a relaxing stroll through the Aperture Science Facility. This game WILL test your patience and intellect, and it is significantly more complex than the original game. Don't let that scare you away though, this game is absolutely amazing. New gameplay elements such as funnels, light bridges and gels come alongside the return of the Portal gun and not only do they present some intriguing puzzle designs, but they will test your wit in new ways that surpass even the sharpest minds.

UPDATE: My friend and I have finished the co-op portion of the game and the puzzles spike in difficulty near the end. There are roughly 40 co-op levels in the game, and there are a few trophies to make you come back to a few of the more difficult challenges. The length of the co-op will vary depending on the skill of the player, but my friend and I managed to solve all 40 puzzles in about 11 hours. Some people will say that it takes 5-6, but that's probably on a second or third playthrough. If you've never seen the gameplay elements before, you will have to take some trial and error to figure out how they work before you can think about trying to solve the puzzles.

The single player campaign is excellent, though this also spikes in difficulty pretty significantly about 1/3 of the way through the game, and then again 2/3 of the way through. The game starts off with a quick tutorial, but this game assumes that if you are playing Portal, you already have a pretty good idea of how to think with portals. Some of the puzzles in the middle of the game actually had me turning off my system until the next night, at which point I was able to figure it out in a matter of minutes. One thing that I really love about this game is the fact that it never tells you where you are supposed to go, you have to look around and then figure out how to get there by using everything in your environment. This is ever more evident once you reach a certain point in the game. All of the stops are pulled out and the amount of mind-bending thinking that you have to do borders on insanity. It's never too difficult though, as the solution is always right in front of you. The trick is you have to figure out how to make it happen with varying degrees of complexity. Some puzzles will take you 30 seconds, and others will have you trying things over and over for 30 minutes. All while being incredibly fun the entire time! The single player campaign took me about 15 hours to complete, and I will certainly be playing it again soon.

The voice acting in both single player and co-op is superb, and GLaDOS is even more hilarious than the first time around. It's pretty much a guarantee that you will find the dialog humorous, whether it's listening to GLaDOS telling you that you will fail to solve the next test, or that Wheatley thinks you may have died from a horribly long fall and isn't sure what to do.

The PS3 version of this game also comes with Steam integration and this is a breeze to set up. I managed to log into my Steam account on my PS3 and I was able to see all of my friends and send messages, view achievements, etc. Best part is you can access this all within the game too, and it was very easy to set up. Just type in your name and password, and I was immediately connected. I haven't been able to test out the PC / PS3 playing together yet, but I'll be sure to update my review once I am able to try it out.

UPDATE: Since the PSN has been down since April 20, I have been unable to play online yet. I was quite fortunate to have linked my PSN account to Steam, as players are currently unable to do this right now. When the PSN is restored this game will certainly be received better by the community due to the online portion being completely dead on arrival.

It's been a long time since I've been able to have this much fun with a video game, and one with so much content (apparently Valve is planning on releasing DLC and a map editor for the game to allow creating new levels). The only gripe I have with the game is a lack of challenge maps. One of the best parts of Portal was to see if you could solve the puzzles in the fastest time, fewest steps and fewest number of portals. That is sadly missing from this game, and it would be totally awesome in co-op mode. The story and level design make up for this, but there isn't a whole lot to come back to once you've completed the game. Even still, getting 20-25 hours out of a video game is pretty good for a puzzle game considering the competition these days.

If you're even close to being on the fence about this game, I highly recommend that you give it a shot.

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I absolutely adored the initial Portal game. I was worried that Portal 2 could not live up to the first game's groundbreaking gameplay. I'm pleased to report that if anything Portal 2 is even better than the first one!

You pick up with Portal 2 many years after the initial Portal left off. You're the same person being woken up from stasis by a little floating robot. He is trying to save you, but soon enough you are back in the system, solving puzzles, using your portal gun to create in and out portals. Then it gets even more fun. There are new goo substances that let you do even more amazing things. I won't describe them all because half of the fun is discovering what they do and how to use them. Suffice it to say that it brings gameplay to a whole new level.

The humor is simply spectacular. The subtle comments had me laughing out loud the entire way through. The main character is female and I have to wonder if them only really trigger in a female player's brain. I was playing with my boyfriend and some of the sly comments about weight went right over his head, while I was rolling with laughter at the prods that were being made.

The graphics are great, and when you go through the commentary track you realize just how hard the team worked to get everything to look just right. Their attention to detail is impressive.

The voice quality is also spectacular. The slight lilting of one character's voice, the deliberate pauses and emphasis of another these are voice actors who know what they're doing. It really shows when a gaming company finds the perfect person to embody an on screen character.

There's single player and co-op mode. This could be tough for solo players; they'll have to find someone to play with to get through those. I know several people who get massive headaches at watching the physics-mind-bending portal play on the screen so this might not be as easy as it sounds. Still it's well worth tracking down a fellow player to go through those levels with.

Is there a down side? Well, as mentioned, some people just can't handle watching the gameplay because of it's jumping-from-heights, rotating-quickly-in-all-directions style. It simply makes them nauseous. And it's also worth mentioning that some of these puzzles are *challenging*. They're not meant for four year olds to hop through. They require a great deal of logical thought.

But to me that's the beauty of it. It's almost a shame that walkthroughs are so easily available on the web, for people to give up after five minutes and find the solution. The joy of this game is that it trains your brain to find solutions, to seek out the answer to a puzzle by breaking it down into logical steps. In pretty much every case here, you can see *what* you need to do. You just have to figure out *how* you get to that end point. I strongly believe that this logical puzzle solving ability is a superb thing for all of us to get better at, and that Portal 2 is a fantastic way to boost that skill.

Plus it is just SO much fun from start to end.

Once we finished the game we immediately went through the commentary track and it is even more fascinating. So be sure to check that out!

Highly highly recommended.

Buy Portal 2 Now

Portal is back and better than ever! The tests are as mind bending as ever, and they've added new elements, like light bridges and emancipation gates. The graphics are smooth and attractive, but nothing that's going to make your jaw drop. The controls are as simple and effective as the first game. But then, none of that was what worried me. I had no doubt that they would be able to recreate and expand upon the technical aspects of the first game. My concern was whether or not they would manage to capture and continue the personality and sense of humor of the first game. I am very pleased to report that the sequel does not disappoint. The sequel pics up right where the first game left off, and GLaDOS holds a grudge. Her insults, passive aggressive comments, and general malice will have you chuckling throughout the game. Your new companion and guide robot also adds to the character of the game, though he can be a bit heavy handed at times. If you enjoyed the first game, you will love the sequel, both for its expanded challenges, and its unique personality. As long as you enjoy a good puzzle and have a sense of humor, you will never regret this purchase.

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I didn't play the first Portal, and bought this one strictly based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and was solving the puzzles in no time. The game commentary that you hear between levels is hilarious and, in my opinion, the best part of the game. This isn't to say that the game itself was not fun, it was. Such a nice departure from a lot of the mindless shooters and sports games that I normally play. Portal 2 does provide a great mental challenge. But after making it through several levels, I couldn't help but get a little bored by the repetitiveness of it all. Granted, new challenges present themselves to inject some variety, but not much.

I appreciated Portal 2 because of how different it was from any of the other PS3 games that I'm used to, and it is by far the funniest game I've ever played. But I couldn't help but think that this felt like a game that I might play on an iPhone or iPad (though obviously with superior graphics). I'm also surprised by the reviewers who suggest that Portal 2 has great replayability. Once you've solved the puzzle, you've solved it. There's no more figuring out to do because you already know how to do it. So, I can't say that I have any desire, whatsoever, to play the game again.

I don't want to make it seem like Portal 2 isn't an enjoyable game, because I did have a good time playing it. I just don't feel it's worth the $60 that it originally sold for, or even the $40 that it's listed for at the moment. It would be a great rental, however.

Want Portal 2 Discount?

Portal 2 is a continuation of the Portal we love but we added touches that make it Valve's best game ever. Harder puzzles coupled with the introduction of Excursion Funnels, Aerial Faith Plates, Thermal Discouragement Beams, Pneumatic Diversity Vents, Repulsion Gel, and Propulsion Gel make soLving a level even more sAtisfying. The graphics are also improveD from Portal 1 alOng with more complex level deSign in the now destroyed Aperture Science facility. I don't want to spoil any of the game but if you played Portal 1, everything will feel very familiar. The PS3 version of the game includes Steam integration so you can play along in co-op mode with PC and use the steam chat feature. Trophies / Achievements are synced with Steam. PS3 buyers get the PC version for free so this is by far the best console version to purchase.