Portal 2 Review

Well, it's finally time for my Portal 2 review. Some of you might remember that this was my 2nd most anticipated game of this year (before Mass Effect 3 got delayed). The first Portal was a remarkable experiment with a unique design, playstyle and was just plain fun. There was and still is no other game quite like it.

So how did Portal 2 stack up in comparison? Well, before I start this review, I want to apologize for how it's taken to get it out. April was a really annoying month in terms of schoolwork and other things. My house was having internet trouble all month and even when I had internet, finding a suitable teammate for the co-op was a bitch. I finally played a little with my cousin and that's allowed me to compile all my thoughts.

So, with that, let's jump into Portal 2.

STORY

The story for the first Portal was simple, but that was part of what made it enjoyable, especially for a game that could be finished in 90 minutes. Because this game was longer, the story needed a little more depth to it and it got that. Chell, the protagonist from the first game, wakes up in stasis after what appears to be a few hundred years. She meets up with the character Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant (yes, co-creator of the UK version of The Office).

The new character for Portal 2, Wheatley

Eventually she meets an old friend from the first game, GLaDOS, who is not particularly happy about what happened at the end of the first Portal. So she does what any pissed off AI does, she sends you down a pit into a bunch of testing chambers with the Portal gun. It's a simple set-up but it works and the addition of a new character plus a voice in the background for a few stages, and few twists along the way allow it to stay enjoyable.

I think we can put our differences behind us, for science, you monster.

 Part of what made the first Portal so much fun, was its humor. With this, Portal 2 definitely delivers. Portal 2 is simply hilarious. The dialogue is so clever and enjoyable and the delivery so excellent, that you would have to completely lack emotion not to get a chuckle out of at least ONE line. Surprisingly, no mention of cake ANYWHERE! What the hell is up with that?

The story has much more depth and more twists than the first game but it's still relatively simple compared to most games that we see today. That's not a bad thing however. A story doesn't have to be incredibly complex to be enjoyable and it thrives on its simplicity. A small number of characters and a few twists keep it going and keep it entertaining.

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

Like the first game and the story, the gameplay in Portal 2 is relatively simple. Also like the story, it thrives on this simplicity and is all the more fun because of it. Actually, change that to it starts out simple. Eventually new pieces are thrown into the puzzles that make them require much more thought.

One of the few complaints against the first Portal was that it was too short. This wasn't big though since it came on The Orange Box with four other games, one of the best deals in video game history. This game has much more content than its predecessor. The campaign is longer at between about 4-5 hours and there's also a co-op mode which will also take quite a bit of time.

The game's still a little short but the experience is so enjoyable that it didn't bother me at all. There were quite a few new elements added this time. First up, the gels. There are three kinds of gel: propulsion gel (the orange gel), repulsion gel (the blue gel), and conversion gel (the white gel).

Propulsion Gel

Repulsion Gel

Conversion Gel...and there are SO MANY inappropriate jokes I can make here

The propulsion gel is used when you need to get through an area quickly or if you need to make a big leap across a gap. The repulsion gel is when you need to jump to a high area and the conversion gel is used to make a portal-friendly surface. What that means is that if you can't put a portal on a certain wall, if you can get conversion gel on it, you'll be able to put a portal there.

Next there are the hard-light bridges, which kind of remind me of Halo. You can make these go anywhere by sticking a portal at the end of a light bridge and sticking the other portal on a different wall. Lasers also work like this.

Hard-Light Bridge

Finally, there are the anti-gravity funnels or "excursion funnels" which while inside of them push you (or pull you) towards a certain area. These can require smart and precise use of the portal gun. It's a bit hard to explain here but you'll understand what I'm talking about when you play it.

Excursion Funnel

There's a nice difficulty curve which makes it easy for anyone to pick up and play. However, some of the difficulty from the puzzles come not from brain-teasers but knowing where the hell to go and this is probably the game's biggest problem. Some of the chambers are ENORMOUS and it can be a real headscratcher knowing where to fire you're next portal since sometimes the area to fire it at is so far in the distance and so difficult to spot.

I don't mind challenge, but figuring out where to go didn't make me feel rewarded like the game's genuine brain teasers but made feel frustrated and like an idiot for not being able to complete something faster. That's something that the first game didn't really have except in one particular spot near the end. It's not a gamebreaker but it's still there. Other than that the campaign is excellent.

One thing that I remember seeing in videos that I'm shocked wasn't in there were the vacuum tubes. You know, those things that sucked everything up. Go on Youtube and you can probably find short clips of them. I was said to not see them in the game.

Now for co-op. This was probably the biggest addition that Portal 2 made and all the puzzles in co-op are remarkably well designed for four portals at once, or at least perfectly designed for four players.

Some of the puzzles can be very difficult to figure out. If you have a friend online or at your house, it's an awesomely fun time. However, it can be extremely annoying to play with someone who doesn't have a headset online.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Portal 2 doesn't need to have the best graphics but the environments can get a little repetitive. The first Portal had this problem too but its shorter length kept it from being a noticeable flaw. The Source engine is also still being used and upgraded by Valve and its physics are still solid but its showing its age. It's still looks good but there are better looking games out there.

Where the game really succeeds in its presentation is in its audio. The voice acting is the biggest strength here. Stephen Merchant is brilliant as Wheatley and his delivery of the dialogue is part of what makes the game so funny. Ellen McLain returns as GLaDOS and has the same great effect that she did in the first game. Finally J.K. Simmons plays the CEO of Aperture Science, Cave Johnson, who's voice can be heard from recordings in the facility. His lines are, like the others, hilarious and well-delivered.

The music is also great. Jonathon Coulton returns and scores the game and he does great work here just like he did with the original Portal. However, the ending theme doesn't quite match up to "Still Alive" from the original. It's good but "Still Alive" was just more memorable.

CONCLUSION

Portal 2 has more noticeable flaws than the original but that's just the consequence of being a bigger game. It's a catch-22, bigger game means more room for problems. Portal 2 is still an incredible game, probably the best new game I've reviewed on this blog. The campaign is very fun and rewarding even when it feels more like finding out where to go than actual puzzles and the co-op is enjoyable and nearly perfectly designed.

It's impossible for me to say which game is better because like I said, Portal 2 may have more flaws but that's because it's bigger and has more depth. If you enjoyed the first Portal though, you will love Portal 2. It's level design is outstanding and it's just a blast. For those of you wondering whether it's worth the $60, play the first Portal again and see how much you still enjoy it. Personally though, I recommend a purchase. It's just too good to pass up.