Thursday 28 April 2011

Portal 2 Review

Portal 2 is a first person puzzle game that involves a futuristic gun that shoots two separate portals that allow for transportation between the two of them. It runs on Valve's Source engine, which allows for some intriguing physics based gameplay.

The first Portal was a cult success with its inclusion in The Orange Box, but was only a 3-4 hour game. The sequel returns with a full fledged campaign, and a new and exciting co-op mode which allows you to play through an entirely separate campaign with a friend, which requires teamwork and communication to complete objectives. 

Portal 2 introduces several new puzzle mechanics such as, light bridges, propulsion and repulsion gel, tractor beams and much more, which creates fresh and exciting gameplay. These new mechanics also allow for much more elaborate and difficult puzzle design, which is where Portal really shines. Unlike a lot of modern games, Portal 2 really requires you to think. Some puzzles you will be able to breeze through in no time at all, but others could have you stumped upwards of 30 minutes. Albeit the difficult puzzle design, Portal 2 rarely leaves you frustrated, and when you do succeed in solving a puzzle that has been stumping you for quite some time, the level of satisfaction that results is something you just don't achieve with many other games.

The only drawback of the game is the lacking visuals due to an outdated enginge. But the unique gameplay and great puzzle design, along with the hilariously dry humor that Valve is know for, really sets Portal 2 apart from other games. Portal 2 earns itself a 9/10