Portal 2 Review

Will Fairway / May 25th, 2011 No Comments

Portal 2 is the follow up to Portal which was one of the more innovative games released in the last couple of years. This time around, Valve has brought us the sequel amidst huge hype for the PC and Mac OS X. The formula is the same from the last version with a game full of innovative gameplay and story. With a new story that builds on the last and brand spanking new puzzle elements, Portal 2 comes together to be a surefire winner.

There is no doubt that the original Portal game was a massive success so the bar for Portal 2 was already set pretty high. The question, however, was whether or not Valve would be able to produce a sequel that could live up to its predecessor now that the element of surprise in new gameplay was taken out of the equation. After all, a sequel would be more of the same, right? The good news is that it has everything players want with the of gameplay, an engaging storyline, and enough humor to keep interest piqued the entire way through. Some gamers, however, will find it on the short side, as it will end a little sooner that you might expect. However, for casual gamers, it’s short enough for those who don’t consider themselves hardcore gamers to actually play through to the end.

Portal 2 Review

The good news is that Portal 2 absolutely delivers on all accounts. For those who have been playing Valve games for a while, it comes as little surprise. The Half-Life franchise was a smashing success and the team at Valve have really outdone themselves with this sequel. The game is still highly enjoyable and incredibly hilarious. In fact, the game usually keeps players in one of two modes – either you are engrossed in trying to figure out a puzzle or you are laughing hysterically at the sarcasm and absolute hilarity written into this script.

The storyline in Portal 2, without revealing too much, is fantastic. You get to learn the histories and backstories of the characters with the story picking up right where the original Portal left off. As far as graphics go, expect to be impressed. In fact, you will find that the detail throughout the game is rich and stays that way throughout, rather than great opening graphics followed by a so-so visual style after seen in many games these days. Even better, the storyline and gameplay are still enough that these great graphics take a backseat to all that is fantastic about Portal 2.

Portal 2 Screenshot

Like with its predecessor, one of the best things about Portal 2 is the puzzles. You will find that the puzzles are still difficult and yet deceptively simple. The solutions always make complete sense, even if they do lead you to have one of those moments where you wonder how in the world you didn’t figure it out sooner. Compared to many games, where puzzles require solutions that can take hours of nonsensical guessing, logic prevails here, which is certainly something that appeals to gamers looking for a mental challenge rather than an exercise in frustration.

The bottom line here is that Portal 2 delivers in every way. Co-op gameplay can be frustrating if one of you is expecting to be carried through, but for those who know how to play or pick up on the learning curve fairly quickly, this is not a problem. The game is truly brilliant from start to finish. The storyline is great, the characters are detailed, engaging, and absolutely hysterical, and gameplay is fluid and captivating enough that you are not going to want to put this game down. Overall, it really looks like the team at Valve has outdone themselves once again with Portal 2.