Portal 2

I would hate to be a game designer, especially when you're making a sequel. How much of the original do you keep, how much do you add to make it better, or fix up issues with the first one, and how much tinkering can you do before you start in infringe upon the integrity of the original, particularly when the original was a ground breaking game. That's something you should consider through today's review, which is for Portal 2.

The original Portal was fantastic. Period, end of sentence. Yes, it could have been improved upon, mostly in that it only took an hour or so to get through it. Sure there were challenges, like trying to beat a level without taking more than 30 steps, but I've never been one for branching out beyond the core single player game. So how do you go about creating a sequel to that new first person puzzler that Portal established?

Spelunking around in the bowels of Aperture, I still couldn't find the cake.

 

One of the things that's immediately obvious is that this game has a lot more depth, and story, to it than the previous. It is no longer a battle of wills between GLaDOS and our silent protagonist. The introduction of the "helpful" Wheatly, or recordings of Aperture's founder, Cave Johnson, all add humor, a sense of story, and background information on Aperture, to the game. So pay attention to what other characters are saying, to you or each other, because all of that is pretty funny, and helps break up the puzzling portions of the game.

Speaking of puzzles, and since that's the heart of the game,  you probably want to know how they are. Well, they are definitely more difficult than the first game, but that is more because the solutions seem to be so specific, rather than the more open ended feel of the original. I got the impression that there was really only ever one way to solve any given room, and it was more a matter of execution than creativity, with many rooms having few surfaces that you can even use the portal gun on. While it's great that I got 6 hours of play time out of the main game, the whole time the puzzles didn't feel like they were on par with what the first game had to offer.

Making a mess, for science!

While the puzzles were disappointing, Valve did add some really cool new mechanics. Three types of gels make for even more ways to interact with your environment. These include:  propulsion gel, that makes you move faster as you run across it; repulsion gel, which allows you or objects to bounce off it; and a white gel that allows you to make portals on otherwise non-portal surfaces. It will be interesting to see where the community takes these new mechanics, and just what kind of crazy things you'll be able to do in the custom maps that always follow Valve's games.

 

There are other additions to the game as well, such as co-op mode and the return of challenge mode. Now co-op mode is supposed to be a big part of the game, in that it's this huge deal. I'm sure it can be pretty fun, given the right partner, but honestly, I'm not one who wants to try and solve puzzles with others, who I have to depend on to execute things perfectly, in order for us both to succeed. So if you've got someone you can trust, let me know how this part of the game is, because it is a place I will never venture.

Characters that add depth to the game include a potato.

Overall, Portal 2 is pretty fun. The puzzles are more frustrating, more "man, I need to look at an FAQ" than the previous, but still worth the investment. The story, or the humor that passes for it, is really good, and it's probably worth picking up just for that. I got it in November 2011 for $11 or so, but I've seen it for $10 or less since then. If you're not planning on going beyond the single player story, which took me about 6 hours, I wouldn't pay anymore than that. Still, a good game, at 7 out of 10.

So, the final breakdown:

Score: 7/10

Suggested Price: $10