Short but Sweet
Portal 2 is too short. Not in the "wow this game really didn't give me what I paid for" way but in the "wow this was so fun, I really want to do a whole lot more!!"
The puzzles weren't particularly difficult. Arguably, they were easier than the most difficult puzzles from the first game. But unlike the first game, they were all fun. There were puzzles in the first Portal that were challenging mainly because they pissed me off and required precision reflexes- or death-and another load screen. Those puzzles are gone in Portal 2. If I figured out the solution to the puzzle, I was generally able to enact the solution, and if I messed up I generally had a way to set the mousetrap up again without having to reload or die. I only died if I was doing something completely wrong. This left me with a freedom to experiment and try different things and just have fun with the environment.
And that environment you play in is particularly fun. For the most part, the sterile world of Portal is mostly gone and in its place is an Aperture Science building that is barely holding itself together. This made for some pretty cool transitions that often required crossing perilous catwalks which forced you to be mindful as you traveled to your next test. And the new things you test with are particularly fun and probably were my highlight. The light bridge, the vortex, the various gels-these were all really cool.
And to top it off, the puzzling probably isn't the best part of the game. What I really enjoyed was the story. I thought the first Portal was a cute story and definitely memorable. Portal 2 really ratchets that up. The humor is terrific and I laughed out loud more that once. That's saying a lot because generally I think games that try to be funny usually fail pretty badly at it. Yet all the humor does not interfere with the poignant moments and it did not stop me from relating to characters I was surprised to find myself relating to.
When I beat the game, I had a giant grin on my face as the credits rolled. I don't think a game has inspired such emotions since Red Dead Redemption, and that game had it easy, since making me sad is no big feat. Portal 2 did something even more difficult and made a giant pessimist smile. Great stuff.
The puzzles weren't particularly difficult. Arguably, they were easier than the most difficult puzzles from the first game. But unlike the first game, they were all fun. There were puzzles in the first Portal that were challenging mainly because they pissed me off and required precision reflexes- or death-and another load screen. Those puzzles are gone in Portal 2. If I figured out the solution to the puzzle, I was generally able to enact the solution, and if I messed up I generally had a way to set the mousetrap up again without having to reload or die. I only died if I was doing something completely wrong. This left me with a freedom to experiment and try different things and just have fun with the environment.
And that environment you play in is particularly fun. For the most part, the sterile world of Portal is mostly gone and in its place is an Aperture Science building that is barely holding itself together. This made for some pretty cool transitions that often required crossing perilous catwalks which forced you to be mindful as you traveled to your next test. And the new things you test with are particularly fun and probably were my highlight. The light bridge, the vortex, the various gels-these were all really cool.
And to top it off, the puzzling probably isn't the best part of the game. What I really enjoyed was the story. I thought the first Portal was a cute story and definitely memorable. Portal 2 really ratchets that up. The humor is terrific and I laughed out loud more that once. That's saying a lot because generally I think games that try to be funny usually fail pretty badly at it. Yet all the humor does not interfere with the poignant moments and it did not stop me from relating to characters I was surprised to find myself relating to.
When I beat the game, I had a giant grin on my face as the credits rolled. I don't think a game has inspired such emotions since Red Dead Redemption, and that game had it easy, since making me sad is no big feat. Portal 2 did something even more difficult and made a giant pessimist smile. Great stuff.
