Portal 2 Review By Garymason72

In 2007 Valve released ‘The Orange Box’ a compilation disk featuring Half Life 2 episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress, an online multiplayer game and The original Portal, a first person puzzle-platform game. Little did they know that Portal would become one of their most popular games, spawning its own independent release via the X-Box Live Arcade and PSN Networks respectively.

I for one loved the first game and when a direct sequel was announced in 2010 I was instantly excited. Did the sequel live up to my expectations or am I doomed to walk the halls of the Aperture Science labs alone forever?

For anyone who hasn’t played the first game, the aim of the game is to solve each of the puzzle rooms (known as Test Chambers) using the Portal Gun, A device invented by Aperture Science. The portal gun allows you to shoot out two portals, one blue and one orange. The portals can be shot onto any white wall, ceiling, floor or Platform. Enabling you to walk into one and come out of the other. The portals also work using momentum, to quote GLaDOS ‘Speedy thing goes in, Speedy thing comes out’, Falling in to a portal from height will propel you out of the other with the same momentum you went in.







As with all Valve games the graphics in portal 2 are excellent, using the same engine as Left 4 Dead 2, I never encountered any glitches or problems graphically. Valves experience with Left 4 Dead paved the way brilliantly for Portal 2‘s Co-Op mode, this is where the inventiveness of portal really comes into its own, forcing you and your partner to communicate with each other to finish the levels successfully. The additional Gels, lasers and Funnels are used to great effect in Co-Op, and the inclusion of the funnel reversal button just adds another dimension to the game play and gives you another thing to think about.

In the Co-op campaign you and your partner play as P-Body and Atlas, two robots built by GlaDOS, one from a modified personality sphere and one from a gun turret. It is explained that they were created so GLaDOS could fill her need to test without human test subjects, allowing her to create more extreme and deadly test chambers without having to find new test subjects each time they failed.
The writing and voice acting is really second to none, the cast has been expanded, rather than just Chell and GLaDOS, They have introduced Wheatley (Stephen Merchant), Cave Johnson the eccentric CEO of Aperture Science (JK Simmons) and Caroline, Cave Johnsons Assistant. Using top class actors has really paid off, the dialogue is engaging and the story really comes to life, despite only really hearing voices you really care what happens to the characters, and the clever story writing continues from the first game, promises of cake and parties continues to spur you on.



Personally I found the Co-Op campaign to be a lot more difficult than the single player; it’s quite obvious that Valve had focused on making Portal 2 a very challenging and rewarding Co-Op experience as well as having a great story and original single player.
I can’t really see how portal 2 could have been improved, it’s a truly original and inventive game, it kept me hooked all the way through both campaigns and even spurred me on continue playing to get the full 1000 gamerscore. The only bad thing was it had to end.

I would give Portal 2 a rating of 9/10, it’s truly one of the few games that manages a brilliant single player story and very challenging and engaging Co-op, Its definitely one of my favourite games of the year if not ever, I just hope they can make portal 3 as good.

Nice review!!!!!

I enjoyed that!

Another game I now want even more!!

Great review Gary, I loved Portal in the Orange box.

Definately a game i want to pick up eventually.

Thanks for stepping upto the plate mate!

I love your work

Great review mate, loved the first game. Another game I'll be getting when it's a bit cheaper.

nice review gary matey

looks like I will be spending more cash soon on this

Great review.

this is an awesome game, I didn't (for some reason) get on with the first one but I LOVED this. Might see if I can get the first cheaply, or maybe download it on the market place

Great review mate, loved this game just wished there could have been more of it! Always a sign of a great game when you a bit gutted when you've finished it

Heres hoping to some good DLC hoping it's more coop stuff as I really enjoyed this when there was an extra brain to help out lol

Good review, I absolutely loved both parts of this game. Singleplayer even more though 'cos the script is bloody hilarious. Lots of laugh out loud moments.

I hope the Dlc will be for both sp and co-op, Id love to see more of wheatley and GlaDOS, and I remember some of the earlier videos involving vacuum puzzles.

well done mate great review for a great game. can't wait for the dlc

Great review mate. Really enjoying playing this one

This has just arrived today, courtesy of Lovefilms free trial.

Looking forward to getting this on shortly (need a break from LA Snoire).