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Portal 2
Topic Started: Apr 28 2011, 09:41 AM (214 Views)
TheGreg
Administrator
Take the original Portal, add a thick layer of polish, expand and improve the gameplay and story and you don't just have a great sequel, you have a legitimate game of the year contender and a masterpiece.

Debuting as a part of The Orange Box in 2007, Portal was praised for its mind-bending puzzle-based gameplay and its witty writing. But as a relatively short-lived experience as part of a compilation, it probably didn't receive the notoriety it deserved.

That shouldn't be an issue this time around.

Portal 2 doesn't just succeed in every aspect, it excels in it. The gameplay is expanded to a full game length and developer Valve has brilliantly built upon the wonderfully addicting and original ideas of the first game.

Portal is extremely complex and simple at the same time. The goal is always clear, reach the exit. From the very first side-scrollers, this has been a staple of video games. We just never had a portal gun to use before.

Solving these puzzles (or tests) require you to use your brain over your reflexes, and that makes this series instantly unique. Good spatial comprehension is required. Some of the more complex puzzles will have you jumping off ledges into one portal in order to transfer momentum and fly out of another while using strategically placed gels (A brilliant addition to the gameplay) that cause you to bounce high in the air, gain extreme speed by running over them or even to place portals on surfaces that you previously could not. There are also cubes that redirect lasers and gravity streams that transport players and objects across distances.

The combination of all these elements is executed perfectly. There is a wonderful learning curve to this game and each test has been brilliantly conceived. Solving the more complex puzzles is extremely satisfying.

These new aspects along with a few more cinematic interludes give Portal 2 a good variety and help to break up the gameplay very nicely. This is a great example of how to pace a game. It never slows down and never becomes tedious or repetitive.

The first game had some very funny writing, but Portal 2 easily outdoes it. This is the funniest game you have ever played, period. The characters are wonderful and the voice acting is superb. Stephen Merchant, J.K. Simmons, and an old friend from the first game all provide great comedic performances.

The story is pretty darned good too, with a lot of well-executed twists and turns and an awesome bit where we take a trip through the history of Aperture Science. The story is never intrusive to the game and will have you laughing out loud from beginning to end.

This is how you present a story in a video game.

Along with the full-game treatment, Portal 2 steps up the visuals and the sound. In fact, the smooth, detailed graphics and unique art direction are so good that they really look an entire generation ahead of the original. This is a great looking game in every respect. Even aspects that don't involve the game directly (like the water, for example) look phenomenal. There is a level of polish here that we simply do not see very often.

There is also a completely separate cooperative mode included that I have yet to try out. But based on the single player alone, Portal 2 is a must have.

This is an absolutely masterful product and a unique and unrivaled experience. Portal 2 is about as good as gaming get. If anyone ever asks, this is why we play video games. Anyone who has any interest in this medium should play Portal 2. It's easily the best game I've played in a very long time, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it start popping up on lists of the best games ever produced. It, very simply, should not be missed under any circumstance.
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