Portal 2

Odds are likely that if you owned a decent rig or a console by the time The Orange Box hit store shelves back in 2007--you bought it and experienced a little game called Portal. For the uninitiated, Portal was a cerebral, puzzle-based game seen from a first-person perspective, casting players in the role of Chell, a female test subject who had to work her way through devious test chambers under the watchful eye of the wise-cracking, passive-aggressive AI, Glados. It was a clever and hilarious romp through the sterile halls of Aperture Science, albeit, and incredibly brief one. Developer Valve are well known for creating hard-hitting masterpieces and the much anticipated Portal 2, adheres to that legacy very well. Because Portal 2 is without question the best game released to far this year, one that's chock-full of surprises and delightful humour both in it's enthralling single-player campaign and delightful cooperative challenges. So if the thrill of solving puzzles with the help of mind-bending portal mechanics still has you intrigued, then prepare to be blown away.

The story picks up an untold number of years following the conclusion of the first Portal, and after an eventful opening, you're quickly reunited with Glados who is still very much alive and upset. Hell-bent on escaping the now defunct and vegetated Aperture Science facility, you team up with a bumbling sphere named Wheatley and he makes for an excellent companion. Along the way you're treated to numerous, and often hilarious story twists to keep the narrative surprising and it also comes to a poignant, and climactic ending. Also note-worthy is the absolutely brilliant voice-acting and dialogue.   Ellen McLain reprises her role as Glados, J.K. Simmons delivers endearing pre-recorded voice messages as Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson, and Stephen Merchant delivers witty comedy in all of its British glory as Wheatley. Valve has always had a certain affinity for humorous dialogue, and this is their home-run. There simply isn't any game that is as funny on the same level as Portal 2.

Portal 2's campaign is structured largely the same as the first. You'll move from one test chamber to the next, conquering puzzles that continue to grow more in complexity, before riding an elevator to the next level. Where Portal 2 succeeds, is the way that it introduces new elements and environments as the game progresses. You'll explore all manner of Aperture Science locales, ranging from enclosed test chambers to large underground wastes, as well as trip through gel-testing facilities with Cave Johnson cracking wise at every turn.

The reason why Portal 2 is paced so well, is the way that it constantly weaves both new and old mechanics to create some truly

brilliant puzzles. You can now use light bridges to travel back and forth between gaps, muck about with both speed and jump inducing gel as well as excursion funnels to traverse chambers in ways you didn't even think was possible. The puzzles are all fantastic, striking a pitch-perfect balance between being hard, while also feeling logic and never frustratingly difficult. That's great too, because there are a ton puzzles, with some test chambers spanning multiple parts and objectives.

Where as the first game ran its course in about three to four hours, Portal 2 is almost twice as long, clocking in at around eight hours at the very most, but you'll likely feel satisfied when it's all said and done, regardless of length. To add some lasting value, Valve included a fully featured cooperative campaign, featuring entirely new characters, courses and challenges that should give you an additional four to six hours. All in all, the many co-op chambers that lay in your wake are all stellar, forcing players to rely on each other in order to succeed, and with four portals thrown in to the mix, you can expect to experience some truly dazzling and fascinating puzzles. You can even give your partner a hug or two if you're so inclined.

So yes, Portal 2 doesn't pack a ton of hours worth of gameplay but rest assure that every minute of the game, is absolute golden, whether you're playing by yourself or with a friend. I've played through both the single-and cooperative campaign roughly three times now and save for some pretty frequent and irritating load times, there really isn't much to complain about. It's simply video game making at it's absolute finest, thus earning Portal 2 a place among the best games of the year, and you really owe it to yourself to play it.