A gun that defies the laws of space, allowing you to go from one point to another at the blink of an eye. What more could anyone ever want?
“Portal 2” is a sequel to the smash hit “Portal,” a game by Valve that came out in 2007 and was revolutionary with new technology that no one had ever heard of before. The portal technology was something thought to be completely impossible. There had been plenty of games with portals that would warp you or objects from one point to another, but never before have they been portals you could look through to see where you’d come out if you went through it.
“Portal 2” added onto “Portal’s” innovative features by adding gel physics, in which there are three types of gels that each have different properties and can be used to perform amazing feats and need to be used to solve some of the game’s many puzzles.
As a puzzle game, it’s generally expected to be very short, but it feels like it’s about twice as long as the original “Portal.” As a hardcore gamer, I took seven hours to complete my first play-through of “Portal 2” and maybe about four hours to play through the co-op campaign with a friend. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable, and there were a great deal of easter eggs hidden around, which would undoubtedly add hours of game-play if you were to go looking for all of them.
The original “Portal” became quite funny during the course of the game, as a crazed AI system rambled on about everything, but “Portal 2” has taken it to the extreme. The whole game was a hilarious experience of a computer trying to convey sarcasm, the same computer trying desperately to insult me, pre-recorded messages from an imbecile of a man who owned the facility the game took place in, and the bumbling actions of a moronic computer.
The game is chock-full of unexpected twists and serious moments intermingled with the nonstop comedy. It has a great story and an absolutely amazing climax with a great resolution. Not only is the story of the single-player game great, but the co-op has a very interesting story and an ending that may be alluding to a possible “Portal 3.”
The game is smooth and has a minimal amount of bugs. I think I ran into only one tiny thing that might be considered a bug, and it wasn’t a game breaker at all. One thing I noticed about the game was an absolutely excellent use of music. The ending song to “Portal” was amazingly catchy and quite a cult favorite of many gamers, a song by Jonathan Coulton called “Still Alive.” “Portal 2” ends with another song by Jonathan Coulton, “Want You Gone,” which is just as catchy, in my opinion.
The game’s use of music is not restricted to the credits though. Music, in the form of several notes that generally go along with the song that is playing, is used to indicate you’re making your way through a puzzle.
Overall, despite it being completed in only seven hours, the game was a great experience and one I recommend to everyone, as so far it is hands down my favorite game of the year.
