Portal 2 – Review

Portal 2 is a sci-fi first person puzzle videogame developed and published by Valve Software. It’s currently available for the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and MAC.

You’re back as the human test subject Chell trying to escape Aperture Labs yet again. In Portal 2 the chaos you caused from the first game is apparent at Aperture Science Enrichment Center. After waking up in a motel room from years of stasis hibernation a quirky eyebot named Wheatley helps lead Chell on an escape attempt out of Aperture Science Enrichment Center.

GLaDOS the robot dictator of Aperture Labs is back with a larger role to the story in Portal 2. Portal 2′s story is consistent throughout the single player campaign and finishes with an awe inspiring ending. I won’t spoil any of the story so I will keep this article spoiler free. The main premise of Portal 2 is similar to Portal. Chell must live to escape Aperture Science Enrichment Center by completing puzzles using the portal gun. A few new characters are added to Portal 2′s story that helps create a visceral enthralling single player campaign. You have Wheatley (the hilarious quirky eyebot) played by Stephen Merchant.

Cave Johnson (Aperture Science CEO) played by J.K Simmons was added to the story. All of the characters were great even though they are mostly disembodied voices. The atmosphere of Portal 2 is much more varied with destroyed levels from aftermath Chell caused from the first game. There are foliage levels with moss, trees and grass. There are huge underground cave like structures and of course normal test chambers that your used to seeing from Portal.

The PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 came with a full copy of Portal 2 (PC) for Steam. That is cool since the PC and PlayStation 3 versions are compatible online with co-op etc. The neatest thing I like about this version as a console game is Steam integration. Pressing select lets you access Steam’s many features on the fly while playing Portal 2. Chat, check steam achievements or view global stats. Its seamless and worked perfectly.

Portal 2 won’t wow you in the graphics department. The game doesn’t look bad at all it looks average. Most of my complaints have to do with some of the scenery, its drab. I’m talking about the deeper bowls of Aperture Science during the cavern area. The texture work is good for the old Source engine. The physics during chamber construction was cool. The Portal gun is always nice to look at (I don’t know why). The lighting was decent. Portal 2 does look better than Portal on most facets but its not up to 2011 standards visually. Valve, time for a 2.0 Source Engine.

The voice actors, dialog, music and sound design were great. Seriously, they are all great. From the performances of Ellen McLain as GLaDOS to the witty hilarious quirky Wheatley as well Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson. You get a real atmosphere and “felt” the voices even if they are a robot potatoes or a voice recorder. The voice acting was phenomenal in Portal 2 and makes you want to stand still during gameplay and listen to what they have to say. The music is subtle flowing in and out at the most opportune time during gameplay. The ending song was genius, phenomenal and horrible at the same time.

The portal gun is the main element of Portal 2′s gameplay. You create two portals with two shots of the gun. One blue one orange. One portal is to enter and the other portal in to exit. You use your portal gun to escape and conquer a myriad of puzzles, tricks and traps. One of the things I was concerned about regarding Portal 2 was how are they gonna make the gameplay better. We all know you cannot make Portal 2 play exactly like Portal.

Valve created a longer deeper story driven game but they added many objects. Like gels and cubes. There are redirection cubes that you must use to control lase rbeams in Portal 2. There are blue, white and orange gels that have different abilities for Chell to use. For instance some puzzles require you to jump high, run super fast or create portals on non portal surfaces. The gels are absolutely essential in beating some of the more complex puzzles. In some test chambers I had to use and incorporate all the gels.

Also new to Portal 2 are blue light beam walkways you can use with your portal gun to create bridges to walk on. There is also blue and yellow energy funnels that you can travel through or send gel through. Valve was smart by adding these components to create a nice add on to the original Portal style of gameplay. The gameplay was really fun, engaging, and at times challenging. I always had a sense of real accomplishment when I was able to beat a difficult puzzle. The boss fights were few and far between but the final boss fight was really entertaining and memorable.

The single player campaign can last you anywhere from up to ten hours it depends on how good at puzzles you are. The Easter eggs achievements/trophies are plentiful. Its worth going back just to listen to the dialog again imo. I remember Portal from The Orange Box was more of a add on game. Portal 2 is a full fledged game with many hours of gameplay. New to Portal 2 is the all new co-op campaign. Its a true separate campaign with different puzzles. Get a friend through steam or PSN (in my case) to play.

You can also play co-op split screen locally. In co-op you have four portals you can fire. The levels make good use of your cooperative skills and portal guns. If you don’t have a mic you can give orders to your co-op partner like where to shoot his or her portal or stand in a certain area etc. You can give each other gestures and just goof around if you want. Its really fun and doesn’t feel tacked on at all. It adds to the replay value as well. Oh and, its really fun!

Portal 2 isn’t innovative like the game before it. Regardless, Portal 2 is the kind of game you cannot forget. Valve was able to make a memorable, fun, challenging video game with Portal 2. I will never forget the final boss fight, ending and the song at the credits.

* 9/10

Author: Jason A Flowers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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