I'm experimenting with a new blog title. It looks sticky, so I might stick with it.

Does anyone else find it deeply ironic that Wheatley has a head like a fucking orange?

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Portal 2 is it's cast. 

Wheatley, GLaDOS, Cave Johnson, even the sentry turret; Portal 2, and indeed Valve as a developer, exceed in crafting a world that extends far beyond the physical limitations of the screen. Large chunks of Portal 2 take place throughout landscapes rich with history, which consequently beg exploration and drive the player to continue. I was frequently reminded of Fallout 3 as I portalled my way through the extensive mausoleum that is Aperture Science laboratories. I wanted to soak up as much of the fiction as possible.

 For all the time you spend in empty rooms there is seldom a moment where you ever truly feel alone, constantly buffeted throughout the campaign by it's robotic menagerie of personalities. Portal 2 has a fantastic sense of humour that oozes from every pixel. GLaDOS is a wonderful antagonist, hilariously funny whilst maintaining a deeply sinister undercurrent of loathing aimed at the player. It's hard not to laugh at Wheatley, the endearingly moronic sidekick, as he frequently offers you useless advice. I don't think I will ever get bored of pushing over Sentry Turrets and hearing them bleat helplessly as they struggle with gravity. Cave Johnson, the millionaire entrepreneur, is similarly entertaining with his hazardously dismissive and upbeat messages, brusquely explaining the origins of Aperture Science and his involvement in it's managerial decisions. It becomes hard to resent the man who is ultimately responsible for your intense and gruelling sequence of tests, despite the fact that he is clearly a complete arrogant bastard.

  

It's these characters that make Portal 2 really shine.

 By giving these characters their own agendas, valve gives them consistency beyond their pre-recorded messages, allowing the player to fill in their characters as complete entities and not just hollow robotic tour-guides. As the story progresses, these agendas become clear and the empathy the player has with it's cast increases - making the finale of the game tremendously tense and exciting. It is Valves understanding of this that makes Portal 2 such a vibrant and engaging experience.