Portal 2

Valves second take on the dimension bending puzzler genre is nothing short of artistic beauty. When it comes to level design, story, dialogue, and character interactions Portal 2 is second to none in almost every category. More often than not people who play Portal 2 will have already experienced the 'masterpiece' of the first Portal, either standalone or bundled with The Orange Box. Coming from someone who played the sequel first I can say without a doubt that Portal 2 surpasses the original in almost every way.

The Beginning

Portal 2 opens with a wonderful display by your soon to be robot companion Wheatley, whom guides you through a stage of regaining yourself after an obviously long absence from the world. The dynamic Wheatley brings life into the world that you are 'born' into, his emotions are wonderfully recognized by Valve using creative ways to make him seem almost human. Wheatley's presence and voice are welcome and always a good change of pace from the sometimes repetitive puzzles that are crafted between the story bits.

Wheatley becomes the star of the game in the second and third acts, although there are tidbits of glorious writing to enjoy earlier, especially when he interacts with another certain resurrected robotic character. His witty and unapologetic dialogue transcends the medium and would be suited for something along the lines of an HBO original series or well produced independent film. He will keep you laughing and interested in the story that unfolds through his interesting personality and unique quirks.

Story

For anyone that hasn't played Portal 1 and are concerned about jumping into Portal 2, don't be. I played Portal 2 with very limited knowledge of the first game (other than the positive reviews that it received). You play as Chell, and from what I can derive from the opening and first few areas of the game, you are lost in some kind of scientific military complex fixed on testing, testing, and testing some more. You are the subject of those tests and as such you must navigate the strange world of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Chell is fixed in a generic jumpsuit and is soon making her way through the puzzles with the standard issue portal gun. The portal gun itself can shoot two types of portals, orange and blue, with one portal leading through another. This gun is one of the reasons that the story is so interesting. Why does the gun exist? Who created the gun? What is the purpose? While not all of these questions are answered the story misses few beats and is very rewarding in the end.

Testing.... Testing... Gameplay!

The gameplay of Portal 2 is immensely satisfying, cubes trigger doors, buttons trigger gameplay enhancing features. The movement of Chell feels very natural and on par with Valves other games such as Half Life and Left 4 Dead. Different game changing elements, such as the orange goo for speed, and blue goo for bouncing, making the game feel unique and the world of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center feel believable. Whether you are flying high above the back routes of Aperture or speeding your way through abandoned test hallways Portal 2 delivers on almost all fronts. If I have a complaint, and I do, it has to do with doorways and tractor beams. On the PC version I found myself, more than once, stuck on the side of a portal, having to recalculate my jump. This problem breaks the action and progression of the game, but ultimately is only a minor frustration. Tractor beam sections can be somewhat frustrating in a couple of ways. First the switching mechanic was hard to wrap my mind around as well as switching the polarity. I also had a few instances where trying to move around while in the beam resulted in me falling to my quick and painful death. Again both grievances are minor in comparison to the variety and fun that is to be had. You always feel smart when you complete a puzzle except when you forget about the games early mechanics and you realize how 'dumb' you were not to think of that right away! There are a few other surprises in the gameplay that I won't spoil but rest assured there are plenty of unique ways that portal drives the gameplay.

Conclusion

The longevity of Portal 2 is one of its biggest strengths and weaknesses. My first playthrough I clocked at around 8 hours playtime, and I explored quite a bit. The story and game, however, benefit from the tightly wrapped package leading to one of the most fulfilling endings in video game history. The reason that I can't be down on its length, aside from the tight story, is the introduction of the steam workshop and its Perpetual Testing Initiative which brings user made test chambers to the masses. The editing tools are so simple I made some (impressive) chambers within a couple hours of messing around. All of this and there is still two player co-op. Some complaints of the co-op are the random people that you will encounter, and I can atest to this as well. This mode is best experience with a friend preferably via mic on steam, or in the same room on PS3 (best option in my opinion). Everyone should play the co-op in this game, it excels at everything that makes the single player great, minus the story which is still interesting.

Portal 2 will remain one of the highlights of the current generation of games for many years to come. The attention to player actions and the acting of Stephen Merchant (Wheatley), J.K. Simmons (Cave Johnson), and Ellen McLain (GLaDOS) are second to none. If there is ever a video game hall of fame Portal 2 belongs as a first ballot along with the entire supporting cast. It's that good.

A review by S. James Lubke