Review: Portal 2

*Insert witty cake line here*

Developer: Valve
Publisher: EA
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC [PS3 reviewed]

When Valve released their Orange Box collection back in 2007, no one could predict that Portal would become the phenomenon it did. Almost four years later, while Portal’s clever and witty dialogue and hysterical dark humour is resigned to forever roam the internet as overexposed, mediocre memes, the gaming community is treated to Portal 2, one of the only truly deserving sequels of this generation. The only question that remains to be answered is whether Portal 2 is the icing on the cake or just a lie.

Portal 2’s biggest shortcoming is that it’s riding on the coat tails of Portal one. Portal one was so tightly self-contained and self sufficient that it could have easily existed entirely as a cut and dry puzzle game, but instead it was treated with a cleverly established plot that acted as an excellent framing device for the actions of the character without interfering with the presentation of the puzzles themselves.

Sure, there were easter eggs scattered throughout that hinted to Portal’s place within the Half-life universe, but they weren’t overly pretentious or required to understand the narrative. It was all in good fun, and it was a treat to Valve fans to be able to pick up on the references. Portal 2 feels a lot less like that solid, self contained puzzler and more like a collection of expanded story sections linked together with short, simple physics problems. Yes, it’s longer than Portal, but it’s also got a lot more padding and a lot less of the superbly presented, intelligent physics puzzles that the first one was so religiously built upon. It’s certainly a challenge to find the correct balance, and Portal 2 doesn’t exactly find it as easily as the first Portal did. The thing is, it’s hard to complain about it because the story is so legitimately good so well constructed that the top heavy nature of the narrative isn’t easily noticeable at first glance.

Portal 2 is still a great game, and it’s absolutely worth your time. The dialogue is still clever, the graphics beautiful, the controls still smooth, the physics still impressive, and the game still fun. A handful of new characters introduced add a layer of depth to the character relations and humorous dialogue as entertaining as watching other people get punched in the balls. Wheatley is the perfect foil to GLADoS, and Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson (voiced by J.K. Simmons) commentating on testing procedures acts as a general parody of far fetched sci-fi ideas in some of the most hysterical lines in the entire game. Aperture Science is an interesting, and entertaining world to explore, but it can feel a bit redundant at times. While the new puzzle elements are great, every few chambers or so basically acts as a mini tutorial just to make sure you remember that you can do that stuff they taught you six chambers back.

The game doesn’t wean you off of visual cues until you’re thinking entirely for yourself like the first Portal did, and it can be frustrating to do the same series of short and easy tricks to get from point A to point B between chambers. Even so, it’s really hard to criticize a game that presents itself so damn well, and Portal 2 certainly does that. It’s a great marriage of entertainment and playability in this high budget sequel that will likely be one of the best games of this year.

The game really shines in it’s co-op multiplayer campaign. No plot really needed, the co-op is fun, fast paced puzzling. The addition of two extra portals adds a whole layer of new and interesting aspects to the thought process of solving the test chambers, and creates a wholly unique and separate experience to the single player game. The only real problem with the co-op is that once you play it with one friend there really isn’t much point in playing it again with someone else, because you’ll only end up dragging them around doing all the work or else pissing them off by telling them the solution to every puzzle when they would rather solve them on their own. It’s a great experience, but it’s reliance on a second person limits it’s replay value considerably. The handful of other special features such as developer commentary and the interactive Super 8 trailer on the Steam version are also of note, and it’s nice to see that Vavle is able to keep the franchise fresh.

In a market populated with half ass sequels rushed through development in order to capitalize on brand recognition and snatch up a quick buck, (yes, I’m looking at you Bioshock 2) Portal 2 stands out as a game

that doesn’t have to be carried by it’s prequel to be good, and that is actually worth owning in and of itself. While a bit flashier and a great deal more padded than Portal, Portal 2 is every bit the sequel I had hoped for, with it’s wit, innovation, and entrainment value far outweighing the few smudges on this otherwise pristine title.

Galaxy Minute

-Tight controls allow for smooth gameplay, the graphics are beautiful, and the physics are impressive

-Excellent writing delivers great characters and story filled with irony and dark humour

-The emphasis on story takes away from the presentation of the actual puzzles

-The sections between test chambers can become redundant and make the game feel more padded than it should be

By: Nathan Bertram