Portal 2 Review

Are You Ready for Portal 2?

The time is quickly approaching when gamers will finally be able to get their anxious little fingers on Portal 2 for XBOX 360.  Tuesday, April 19^th, 2011 has been deemed the official release date if you live in the United States.  If you reside elsewhere, sorry but chances are, you’re on a two day delay and won’t see the game until the 21^st.  In case you are not familiar with the first Portal that was released in 2007, this is a one-of-a-kind, ultra-intriguing first person, puzzle-action game that is beyond addictive.

Storyline

Portal 2 is an exact mirror of its predecessor so experienced gamers will somewhat feel at home but don’t get too comfy because there’s plenty of freshness you won’t recognize.  You return as Chell once again who is the protagonist of the game.  You’ll also find that the artificial intelligence computer system named GlaDOS is dormant but fully functional, despite that is appeared as though she was destroyed in the end of the first game.

Chell finds herself in a motel room as Portal 2 opens where she is put to sleep by robotic voices.  When she awakes it appears although several years have gone by.  Chell is able to escape with the help of  Wheatley, a personality sphere and she begins her adventure once she arrives at the test chambers that she’s more than familiar with in the Aperture Facility.  GlaDOS is awakened and starts rebuilding the facility and Chell is once again faced with an exhausting assortment of tests.

Gameplay

There are a few exciting new features in Portal 2 including a co-operative, two-player mode where players are required to work together to complete each level.  Also new are elements such as laser redirection, tractor beams and paint-like gels that impart special properties when touched like having temporary increased momentum.

You mainly play Chell in Portal 2 but there are also two new robots, P-body and Atlas that you can dictate too.  Your goal is to maneuver your characters through test champers from the start level, through to the exit.  To solve puzzles, you’ll use the portal gun that basically works the same as in the first installment.

Although most single-player game time takes place in test chambers created by the personality cores of GlaDOS, there are times when you need to place yourself in areas behind-the-scenes where GlaDOS can’t observe you.

Value Corporation has stated that both single-player as well as co-operative campaigns are more than twice as long as the original Portal which is refreshing for games who were clearing the last campaign in three hours before.  Oh, and if you had issues with keeping track of your location before, Portal 2 uses outlines through obstacles and walls so you can at least see where you’ve been.

Graphics

The graphics are dynamic in Portal 2!  You won’t see those fake-looking shadows that everyone was so annoyed with in the first one that magically appeared full force out of nowhere.  You’ll also appreciate that the game is far more detailed and brilliant to observe.  The personality cores are more expressive and the environments such as walkways are substantially more defined.  There’s really not enough good to say about the graphics.  The paint is extraordinary and you will definitely notice the thoughtful improvements.

Conclusion

Journalists who had the opportunity to screen the game have already labeled Portal 2 as the Best Action/Adventure Game as well as the Best PC Game so it’s epic on every platform.  It’s also been nominated for Best Console Game and Best of Show.  IGN even named it Best of E3 for 360, PS3 and PC as well as Best Puzzle Game and Best Overall Game.  If that doesn’t convince you, it already won the 2011 Most Anticipated Game award by Spike VGA.  Portal 2 is the puzzle game to buy this month!

9 / 10