Portal 2 Review
Portal 2: Review
Game reviewed on [PC]
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Wow I’m smart and you know what, you can be too! Playing Portal 2 is a rich and satisfying experience
that made playing the game a question of having fun rather than being skilled. If for some freakishly
miraculous reason you haven’t heard of this game and don’t know what it’s about, it’s a puzzle game
that makes the player go through a series of test chambers using no other equipment other than a
portal gun and the game environment, not to forget “physics†(It’s your best friend, mate!). Most of the
puzzles, especially in the latter part of the game look unsolvable and downright impossible and when I
got to the verge of giving up, enlightenment dawned and I would have the – ‘why didn’t I think of it
before’ feeling. But the sheer exuberance I felt after beating those puzzles, alone, was worth the price I
paid for the game!
The game has a longer and richer single player storyline than its predecessor with an added Coop
campaign including its own story. GlaDOS is back to ‘test’ the player and bombard him/her with a
constant stream of petty insults and funny suggestions. There’s a new character in the form of a small,
funny, football shaped robot, ‘Wheatly’ who helps the player escape GlaDOS’s evil (or is it?) clutches.
While doing so, the player gets to know about Aperture’s murkier and unusual past.
All the original incumbents from the first portal are back with some new inventions like Refractor cubes
(for reflecting laser beams), Excursion funnels (for levitating in thin air), Hard Light Bridges (much more
than just bridges if used creatively), and lastly the three viscous gels(for accelerating, repelling and
creating portals on non-portal receptive surfaces). The player is given ample time and challenges to get
used to and master each of these concepts before moving on to the other and the player must master
and use all of these goodies near the end of the game to finish.
The game runs on Valve’s widely successful and used ‘Source’ engine and while the graphics are
remarkably better than the original Portal; it lags behind when compared to some of the other
contemporary games out there. But the shortcomings this game had visually are more than taken care
of by the games exceptional audio. The background music is a treat and nicely blends in with the pace
and complexity of the situation and the voice acting is equally top notch. All of the games characters are
depicted fantastically and you won’t forget or not laugh at the stupidity of Wheatly (voiced by Stephen
Merchant). A special mention for the science loving sociopathic owner of Aperture, Cave Johnson voiced
by the actor JK Simmons (Spider-man fame).
Coming to the multiplayer, Portal 2 has a new feature, the Coop. If the single player campaign was fun,
you can only imagine how the Coop would be! Playing the game with a friend adds a new dimension to
the game. So choose your partner in science wisely, preferably with a good friend to have the
most out of the game. The maps are specially designed to be played Co-operatively so you should discard
any notion if you have, that the game would be easier because you have more portals at your disposal!
If you have more heads involved, communicating is a must and the game offers an extensive platform
using non-verbal tools to point out and time well with your partner. And do I need to mention that trust
is an important part of being successful here? But that doesn’t mean you can’t mess around and kill your
team-mate every once in a while
! You and your partner play as either P-body or Atlas who despite being
robots surviving on the whims of a controlling and manipulative GlaDOS show a funny and human side
through expressions that are bound to put a smile on your face. Portal 2 works because it acts as a
medium where you can show your knack for detail and problem solving skills, especially in the coop
context where you can try figuring something out before your partner for bragging rights.
After playing this game I would say, with awed appreciation for Valve for coming up with so many
innovative and delightful games one after another over these years, this is the game to beat for 2011
and with this game Valve has not only sustained the monumental expectations from fans but raised the
bar even higher.
especially after listening to cave johnson and glados.
hyeah: