So I just finished playing through all of the content Portal 2 has to offer. Here are my thoughts...
Gameplay: Just like its predecessor , Portal 2 is played from a first person perspective. And unlike your traditional first person shooter, instead of shooting bullets, you are shooting portals. You can shoot 2 different portals that will seamlessly connect to each other which the player can pass through. Just like portal one, this makes for some very interesting, awesome puzzles. Yes, Portal 2 is a puzzle game. But it is also so much more than that.
In addition to all of the gameplay elements from Portal 1, Portal 2 offers some awesome new features. They've added stationary lasers that can have their direction manipulated by using cubes with lenses on them, and of course you can also change their direction by using your portal gun. Another addition is a beam of light that can be walked on, or used as a shield against turrets. You can control the position of these light beams with your portal gun. They've also introduced worm holes that you can manipulate as well with your portal gun, and also change the direction that they travel with buttons found in the game map. Last but not least they've added three gels that have different properties. The blue gel acts as a sort of trampoline, allowing you to jump to new heights. The orange gel allows you to run extremely fast, and the white gel allows for surfaces to accept portals, where as before they could not. The puzzles in both the single player and the cooperative multiplayer are very well thought out, and well balanced. They are not easy. Many of the puzzles felt very challenging to me, and that is something I don't find in many new video games.
Throughout the game, you are constantly being entertained by multiple characters, and their voice acting is fantastic. I found myself constantly laughing at all the witty remarks made throughout the game.
I also want to say that the story telling in this game was superb. You learn much much more about Aperture Science, and about GLaDOS, but not enough to take away the mystery and eeriness of the place. I can't say too much about it here or I would spoil it.
As far as game length, it was at least twice as long as the first portal. Maybe three times as long when you include the multiplayer.
My only complaint about gameplay (actually my only complaint about the game), is that sometimes you get a loading screen when it doesn't feel like there should be a loading screen at that part of the game, and it kind of throws off your pace a bit, and takes your mind out of the game for a second.
Graphics: The Source Engine is just about 7 years old, and it still looks amazing. Portal 2 is by far the best looking Source Engine game I've seen. In Portal 1, the environments got a bit repetitive and boring. Not the case here. Portal 2 looks amazing, and it is always changing. The robot animations are incredible as well. Valve really outdid themselves in this game. From tree roots and vines creeping into the testing areas, to animated floor and wall panels moving around as if the place was alive, to huge open areas that really make your jaw drop when you realize the scope of the place you are in. Absolutely breathtaking.
Audio: As I said before, the voice acting is amazing. But there are also sound effects for just about everything, and it all sounds fantastic. In game music is subtle for the most part, but it fits the mood of the game perfectly. When something intense is happening, the music picks up, and it really helps pull you into the game. Also... I did not think they would be able to top "Still Alive" from Portal 1 for their end game credits song. But they did. The new song is even better, and you should all be excited to hear it. (Yes it is still sung by GLaDOS).
Final Thoughts: This is one of the best games I've ever played, and quite possibly the best game to come out in 10 years. It is so refreshing to play a game that was made to be a good game. They are few and far between nowadays, and I thank Valve for giving me one of the best video game experiences of my life.
Also... If you can play it on PC, then I suggest you play it on PC. Any first person game is ten times better on PC. That's not bias talking, it's a fact. First of all you can pump up the graphic settings much higher than you can on a console, and you get mouse control. Enough said!
Score: 10 / 10
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