Great Story, Great Puzzle!
The new gel and laser are really fun to play with. The co-op mode is super fun to play with a firend. Wow!
Worth every penny!

Can't say I've finished the game yet so maybe I shouldn't post here, but I don't care. Everything I've experienced within the first few hours simply astounds me - as a gamer this is the type of game I long for, deep, involving and innovating. Portal 2 may only build up on the original, however, it does it in such a way as to be judged an outright masterpiece - the original Portal now merely seems like a 'warm-up gig'.

Put it this way - you can tell the devs at Valve had fun making this game, and their hard work and effort truely shows.

There are some comments on here about consolification - ignore them. The ARG may not have been to everybody's taste, but this is Valve and they do things differently. They set an example to the many other PC devs out there who have sold out to the console crowds, the example being that if you truely support your fans - you will be rewarded.

Thank you Valve.… Expand

People need to get over themselves. This is an amazing game. Well worth the money. Not everybody is as smart as you and can beat the game in 4-5 hours. Some people actually like to listen to the dialogue and look around for secret rooms and other things like that. There are secret rooms, you know? All I'm saying is the people complaining about the price or complaining that it's too short, GET OVER YOURSELVES! If you truly believe you can make a better game, then do it!… Expand

Absolutely fantastic game. a fast paced, witty and intelligent single player, with memorable characters and some hilarious plot twists. simply the funniest game ever, and one of the best. The co-op provides the same great portal experience, but this time with a friend which makes it even more enjoyable and hilarious. the graphics are sharp and pretty, Valve clearly know what they are doing with their Source technology, seeing as 7 years on it still provides great visuals. Portal 2 also has a fantastic soundtrack and superb voice acting. If you want a fun, challenging and worthwhile experience, Portal 2 is the game for you!… Expand

one of the best games of the year so far. This has the best senses of humor i'v seen in a video game. One last think BUY THIS GAME its on steam so pick it up.

I am honestly rather ashamed to be a part of the PC gaming community right now. For a long time, I was proud of how PC gamers acted towards others. We, with some exceptions obviously, were a cordial lot, and **** was at a minimum. But looking at what has happened with Metacritic User scores of Portal Two has really brought the bile up in me. It's merely a bunch of little children acting like even littler children, holding their breath until they get a lollipop.

4 hours? If this game took you four hours you cheated, or you rushed through or ignored dialogue (which was the funniest dialogue I have ever heard in a game, I might add). The game takes 7 hours at the least. It took me longer. I explored everything, and took my time soaking in the wonderful world Valve has created. And even this 7 hours is merely the single-player game. The co-op game has an entirely different storyline, and although I haven't had the chance to play it yet, I'm sure it's up to the same standard that the single-player is.

Secondly; Day one DLC? Ha! If you call those purely cosmetic additions to the co-op game DLC, then you really are griping. Sure, in the strictest sense of the word, it is downloadable content. But so are the hats in TF2. Now, I think they are way over-priced to be honest, but they are entirely optional, and don't change how the game plays at all. Also, some of them get unlocked with achievements, so you can get them for free.

Thirdly; The ARG. Sure, it only ended up being released a few hours before the actual release date, and that did annoy me to some extent. But it was, again, optional, and I had a good time participating in it, and I played some games I might never have that I am now a major fan of, such as Defense Grid. I also think that Valve MAY have overestimated the amount of people that would play the ARG. I myself was surprised at how few did. I think Valve had probably meant to release it a day early, over maybe even earlier than that, but unfortunately, not enough people participated. This is something that will be addressed when Valve issue a full statement about the ARG I'm sure.

Lastly; a console port? Really? Grow the hell up people? One tiny little oversight by Valve on the saving screen and everyone starts screaming bloody murder. If you think this was a port by just that, then you're either just trolling, or are truly a moron. My rig is in dire dire need of being upgraded, but Portal Two worked wonderfully on it, and managed to stay remarkably pretty on it at the same time. A misplaced word does not a console port make.
Overall, a fantastic game, with the newest build of the Source engine, that while still being clumsy in some regards, has held up remarkably well. The dialogue is funny where it should be, and poignant and moving where it should be, and throws in a few curve balls as well. I can't remember the last time I was so happy just sitting back and taking in the dialogue of other characters. I couldn't help but laugh out loud on numerous occasions, which is something that only rarely happens to me in games. Valve managed to expand the core concepts of the game, and add in a few new ones, all without the dreaded Sequel Bloat that seems to plague games these days. This game will go down in the hall of fame, trust me on that.… Expand

Simply one of the most fun and entertaining games in a long time. It's full of humor and plot twists. Playing co-op with a good friend is even better than single player.

If you are reading these reviews and are unaware, several popular forums started campaigns to lower the average score by giving zeros. No reason or logic behind the negativity, just to sh*t on something popular. Here are a few things Portal 2 is not:

1) Portal 2 is not a 4 hour game, a 2 hour game, a 15 minute game or any other exaggeration that has been thrown out there in the zero score reviews. The length of the game is going to vary depending on your skill level and whether you do much exploring around or looking for Easter eggs (there are a couple of good ones to be found), but the single player lasted me 8 hours, getting stuck on two puzzles briefly. It also has a lengthy co-op campaign that is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, they don't recycle the SP levels. 2) It is not a "console port". I bought the game on PS3 to play split screen co-op with my girlfriend, but I played the PC version that came with it for single player. I have a modest PC but am able to play at near max settings and it looks and plays brilliantly. After seeing and playing both, the PC version is the best version of the game, hands down.

3) It is not a Day 1 DLC filled monstrosity that nickels and dimes you to death to play through any part of the game. The only DLC in the game is meaningless cosmetic items like hats for co-op. The co-op campaign is set up in a way that I expect there to be extra levels added, and given Valves track record in Team Fortress 2 and Left4Dead, I expect that DLC to be free. This seems to be the balance they have reached, TF2 updates have been plentiful and free, while hats make them money. Others can disagree with me on this, but if cosmetic crap = $$$ and maps/levels = free, I'm thrilled by that.

4) Portal 2 is NOT a zero score game. A score of 0 should be reserved for the very worst of the worst garbage out there, probably games that are broken and unplayable. I respect the opinion of anyone who has written a reasonable low score review, some people simply didn't enjoy the game as much and that's fine, but the people who have written zero score reviews filled with nonsense or lies are just idiots. The campaign to lower the score of the game for no logical reason really shows off the worst of the internet, nerds with too much time on their hands and a false sense of empowerment from tearing down things other people enjoy. Pros: Exceptional writing and voice acting, genuinely funny and engaging. Expands the world of Portal and back story dramatically in funny and interesting ways. Same great portal gameplay expanded by tons of new elements that never feel out of place or too difficult to use with the portals. One of my favorite, most insane, funny, and unique endings to a game ever. If you enjoyed Portal or puzzle games in general, you'll love this game.
Cons: Personally, my only gripe is the load screens. The source engine has always had a lot of load points, but this game uses a full screen load screen that kind of takes you out of the flow of the game momentarily.… Expand

Pretty awesome game, very nice dialogue with good humour, fun game play that builds on the first, perfect campaign time (Just cuts as I get bored at the 7 hour mark) and an actual a co-op campaign that some games that fits perfectly. Would have gave it 9/10, but all the morons saying its a 3 hour DLC ridden pile forced me to bump it up to 10 for the overall score.

This is IMO the best game valve has made so far. It has incredible detail and varied level design, really fleshing out the history and characters of aperture science. Add to that new mechanics, greatly improved graphics (and graphic design) an interesting soundtrack and nice little easter eggs throughout you have a strong contender for single player experience of the year. The voice acting is freaking amazing as well.

This is all before you even get to the co op (where playing for a friend makes up for not having the banter that your enemies/allies provide in sp). Which are more challenging and very fun with a friend. I await the patches valve will bring to this (for the simple reason that for the microtransaction store to work people will have to keep playing the co-op, or perhaps a revived challenge mode). I have to add that's speculation (but informed speculation given the ~ 4 year support valve gave to tf2 its other big multiplayer release with an in game store .

All in all, best game so far this year, depending what BF3 and elderscrolls bring to the table its a strong contender for GOTY. Do not miss this! Its a prime example of what our industry is capable of.

(current play time sp ~ 6-7 a few more if you go back for achieves, co-op was around the same length, maybe a little longer, definitely enough bang for your buck, very original charming, will make you laugh and care and even think a little bit.… Expand

Very fun game, visually amazing, and great characters. Easily Valve's best game yet, and instantly one of my all time favorites. 7 hour singleplayer and 5 hour coop. Anyone complaining about it being short is expecting an RPG or something. As for the DLC--it's microtransactions, not DLC. DLC would imply new content, not skins. Since it's just coop with a friend it really doesn't matter if one of you is wearing a hat, and if it bothers you that much--just don't buy one. Simple as that. Stop whining, it's an amazing game.… Expand

THIS GAME IS NOTHING SHORT OF A MAGNIFICENT SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT. GlaDOS would be proud. And believe me, you don't know GlaDOS until you've finished Portal 2. If you loved the original Portal, you're going to fall wildly in love with the sequel!! I wish I could give this 6 stars. This game is so rich and detailed that it is better than most Hollywood movies, let alone most videogames. I'll give you 2 words why this new Portal is so much better than the original: CAVE JOHNSON. One of the many new characters, Cave Johnson is the founder of Aperture Science... and he is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. But even better, Cave Johnson provides one of those crucial things that is missing from 99.9% of all videogames today: A STORY. A REAL, TRUE, HONEST-TO-GOODNESS BACK STORY. Oh sure, with Portal 2, you've got puzzles to solve, but you've also got an AMAZINGLY RICH BACKSTORY that satisfies and delights and humors you every step of the way. You will find yourself exploring & listening & laughing to the backstory of Aperture Science for just as long of a time as you spend solving puzzles!! And what could possibly be better than symbolically TRAVELING BACK IN TIME to solve the puzzles that Aperture Science put out in the 1950's and 1970's?! SO MUCH FUN!! SO HILARIOUS!! SO REWARDING!! It really is a testament to the geniuses at Valve Software that they SMARTLY KEPT EVERYTHING that was so perfect about the first game, and -- to prevent you from getting bored with the same ol', same ol' -- they improved upon it in every way humanly possible!! New types of objects to interact with keep the game fresh & exciting: objects like laser redirection cubes, propulsion gel, repulsion gel, and cute weighted cubes from the 1950's. If you thought you had fun flying through the air with momentum in the original Portal, wait until you start bouncing all over walls with repulsion gel, sliding down hallways with propulsion gel, and creating your own portal surfaces with conversion gel! Talk about FUN!! Adding gels to Portal was a simply magnificent idea, without making the gameplay mechanics any more difficult! I'd also like to take a minute to comment on the GORGEOUS ART DESIGN and the MESMERIZING MUSIC SOUNDTRACK throughout the entire game. It must have taken an entire team of genius artists & visionaries years to come up with the hundreds of gorgeously-rendered locations and perfect mood music that carry you through the entire game. If there is a downside to Portal 2, it is that the puzzles are shorter & easier to solve this time around. I felt like the puzzles were closer to a beginner's level this time around, and I wish they were slightly more challenging. (However, this may be because I was trained so well by the original Portal.) But what the puzzles lack in challenge is more than made up for in sheer fun, an amazing cast of characters, hilarious laugh-out-loud comedy, a wonderfully rich & deep plot, and the amazing Cave Johnson/Caroline backstory. So all of that taken together is really what makes Portal 2 shine beyond my wildest imagination. You will feel COMPLETELY SATISFIED INSIDE YOUR SOUL when you play and finish this game, because the game RICHLY REWARDS YOU for diving into this entire world. Outside of the original Portal, I can't think of ANY game I've played in the last 10 or 15 years that was as PURE FUN and RICHLY SATISFYING as Portal 2. NOTE: If you haven't played the first Portal, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you purchase & play the ORIGINAL PORTAL FIRST! If you don't play the original Portal, you're not going to understand much of the storyline in this Portal. Plus, you may be totally confused with the early puzzles in Portal 2, because they don't spend a lot of time retraining you on old skills. Don't gip yourself out of this experience by skipping over the first Portal. And, of course, the original Portal is a worldwide classic, so why WOULDN'T you want to play the original Portal first anyways? REGARDING THE PRICE OF PORTAL 2: There are some nincompoops here complaining that the game is too expensive. I personally found it a great value for my money. There are other people here complaining about the high cost of DLC (downloadable content)... this make no sense at all, because you don't NEED to purchase ANY DLC AT ALL to finish this game. The DLC is only for the most hardcore nerdiest of nerds, who need to dress up their robots in multiplayer mode with extra add-ons that are completely unnecessary. If you're THAT MUCH into this game and yet you're complaining about the price of the unnecessary/optional add-ons, then maybe you should get off your couch and look into getting a job so you can afford to dress up your robot? IN SUMMARY: This game is FANTASTIC. Kudos to the developers for not ruining what was a good thing to begin with, and for simply expanding upon the same winning formula!! I hope they create a Portal 3!!! Oh boy, do I hope they create a Portal 3.… Expand

Totally epic game. No idea where all the negative reviews are coming from. It's most likely from people who got the original Portal free as an add-on. They want everything handed to them. Portal 2 is an expansive game unlike its short predecessor. While I agree that i wish it was longer, I can't take away points for that. To do so wouldn't be logical. The story was great. The plot its self stayed true and was a nice continuation of the story in the original Portal. The characters were great as well. GLaDoS still has her "love to hate"(or "hate to love") personality intact with a bit of a twist. I love the direction they took. Skill curve applies to all type of gamers not just egotistical "pros" which is a plus for the novice gamer. The co-op is brilliant however short.(DLC please or possibly some free courses . I'm lookin at you Valve. You can capitalize here) I was able to play thru the entire co-op with someone who didnt even speak english thanks to the reticule system Valve has in place. Well done there. All in all, I cant find a reason to subtract even a full point from this masterpiece. My only complaint is that I want more.

I would love to see some more advanced chambers (hopefully valve has alot of DLC planned because I for one will buy any and all new content for this great game) Some free co-op courses would be a great addition. Take a note from the Super Meat Boy team on this one Valve. Also once the editor as out if co-op courses can be built and browsed in game, it would be excellent.

Great job Portal 2 team. You have released the GOTY. If for some reason you dont get it it will be GOTY to me and to many others im sure.
10/10… Expand

After seeing so many bad reviews lowering Portal 2's score, I felt compelled to write one review myself. In a nutshell, Portal 2 is a great game, definitely better than the original. It is probably three times longer, the single-player campaign is really funny and well designed. You will feel like a genius after solving many of the test chambers. The only difference between this game and the original Portal is that while the original game came out as an unexpected pleasant surprise, this one was preceded by insane levels of hype (particularly after being preceded by the mind boggling Valve ARG). In my opinion, this is the only reason this game is getting somewhat lower scores than the original Portal. There are many people that cannot make an objective review of something after so many hype, they will always feel letdown, no matter how great the game is.… Expand

This game is a **** piece of art (look here, Mr. Ebert). It continuosly surprises you and pushes the limits, it's full of humor, the production values are outstanding.

At a normal pace and looking around, it took me 9 hours to finish it. The coop is also excellent, I haven't finished it yet and I've played 4 hours already. Given today's standard length for games, that's very good, especially thinking that there's no filling here. Every single minute is excellent.

The first thing I did when I finished the game was start again. This is game of the year, probably game of the decade.

Any user that gives this less than a 9 because they didn't get to play it days earlier, or because Valve somehow put a gun in their heads and forced them to play some of the best indies out there at a fantastic price, is a **** IDIOT that should sell his or her computer, and never play a game again. Write down their names, and never ever again read whatever drivel they have to say. They have no soul.

Stop reading this already and go buy the game. It's THAT good.… Expand

Absolutely wonderful. Keeps you on your toes, varies its visual style much more than the first Portal, is three times longer (it took me about 9 hours to complete not rushing), has even more easter eggs and lovely hidden things to find, doesn't stop throwing funny dialogue at you, challenges you more, offers more gameplay variety without breaking anything and everything is balanced nearly perfectly. I can't think of much at all that is at fault, and I have only played co-op for a little bit so far.

I also started playing through with developer commentary and the opening sequence took them 92 days to complete. This is a labour of love guys, and it shows, it's non-stop hilarity and wonder throughout and has beaten Half-Life 2 to my favourite game of all time. It's gonna be a while until someone beats this in my mind.

There are people complaining? I'm bewildered. Truly.… Expand

Let us just set the record straight, these reviews giving portal anything less than at least an 6 are just people who were fully prepared to hate the game upon release. I am by no means a Valve Fanboy, I too was upset by the marketing ploy of the Potato Sack and the false pretenses of the "release portal 2 early" but all that aside this game is by far the BEST GAME released in the last year. People who say that this game is "only 4 hours long" have to be some form of Ultra Mecha robot programmed to destroy games in the quickest way possible skipping all dialogue and ignoring any possible discovery of easter eggs. I consider myself an accomplished gamer and I wasnt even halfway through the game and I had playing for at least 4 hours. Factor in the added co-operative mode which is easily at least another 4 hours with its own unique characters and storyline, somehow the math doesnt add up.

Portal 2 has the charm and feel of the original with better PhysX *pardon the pun* and updated graphics. Sadly I think those that say the graphics are dated honestly must be using the same Computer/Video card that they used to play the original. I personally was able to run the game at 16xMSAA and and 8xASF 1900x1200 and the game looks flawless. Sound is amazing as always *Hard Light bridges 60hz humming the theme song, what?* It almost has a feel of the music games where every action leads another piece of aural harmony. I would recommend using a headset to get the full effect however. I will say however that this is a PC game, users who got the Xbox version may be a little disappointed, the 360 is dated tech anyway. The PS3 version might be marginally better, but I know they myself personally would have a hard time trying to solve some of the puzzles using Dual Analog just for sheer reflex and accuracy alone. As I stated before I am not a MkVII Portal Puzzle Destruction Android. The puzzles are tricky, they start off slow and easy but quickly become harder and more fast paced. I found myself scratching my head in a few parts wondering not only what the point of the puzzle was but then how to solve it.

Just to quickly touch on the "Day 1 DLC" claims... are you people retarded? They're hats and skins to make your co-op robot prettier... if you dont want a pretty robot... DONT BUY IT, IT HAS NO BEARING ON THE ACTUAL GAME! Sorry for that...

TL;DR - Game of the Year. Red Reviews are Ignorant morons who need to go back to playing Madden. This game is art in every sense of the word, Visuals pop, Audio is aural ecstasy, story and gameplay are wedded in bliss. Stop being butthurt and allow yourself to enjoy this amazing game!… Expand

One of the only games I've ever played that actually met my high expectations.

First off, the single-player mode is simply incredible. The writing is brilliant, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is amazing. And the great thing is, the action and witty dialogue never stop or slow down as you play through the story. As soon as you start it, you'll want to keep on playing until you've finished it. As for the online co-op mode, I've yet to play it, but I hear it's just as good.

Bottom line, buy it. The story mode alone is worth the price of admission.… Expand

Basically, as amazing as a sequel to Portal possibly could have been. Brilliant puzzles, new mechanics, new characters with new humor, the same old characters with the same old humor. And excellent co-op. There's nothing to criticize.

Probably one of the most polished and well put together games I have ever played. It's hard to say anything about this game that hasn't been said by the critics, but the thing that struck me most about Portal 2 is how seamlessly the gameplay and story come together. In traditional Valve style, Portal 2 never interrupts the gameplay with cutscenes, instead a lot of the plot and history of Aperture lie in the little details spread throughout the game. The game allows for an element of discovery practically unheard of in first person linear games, since most developers tend to think subtlety and something as simple as reading signs is beyond the capabilities of the player. Overall I think this game is a must have, the single player is great and the co-op works better than I thought.… Expand

Pay no attention to the bad reviews, as an avid and old gamer on lots of platforms, I have never seen more intellectual and better narrated game. It is so polished that you can't believe it has just released 3 days ago. The atmosphere makes you feel lonely, sad, always monitored and thrilled at the same time. Flawless! 10.0

Definitely longer than 4 hours and I'm not sure why people keep saying that. I am about 4 to 5 hours into the game and I am on Chapter 5. There are 10 chapters in this game. Now I've played the first one and that was sweet and short and probably took me 2 to 3 hours. I imagine that this one is going to be 7 to 8 hours long and thats how long all the Half Life games have been as well.

I haven't even dove into the co-op too much yet but it is extra fun especially if you have a friend to play with.

Day one DLC? Who cares its useless DLC anyway. I don't need a hat for my robot in the co-op. This game is way too hilarious, fun, and engaging to even began about crying about day one downloadable hats and shoes.… Expand

Simply amazing. I doubt even Episode 3 will beat such a masterpiece as this. Thank you, Valve, for another incredible game.

I don't care if you're a woman, a pensioneer or a.. Baby.. This game is worth the price and more.

Filled with intricate puzzles, funny dialogue, an amazing story line and great music. A must for anyone who has already beaten the first Portal and looking for a challenge. Game play wise, Portal 2 friendly to those who are new to the Portal universe, easing them from simple puzzles to more complicated ones at a pace they can keep up with, but the story line may not make sense at certain points since some of it requires knowledge from the Portal 1. But then again, IT IS a sequel. What would you expect?

Co-op is fun and keeps the player interested throughout the different chambers. With the "ping" tool players can communicate easier with each other, and the mic makes it even better. Though if players don't have access to a mic, communication can be a lot more difficult and make certain puzzles more frustrating to complete. That's only dependent on the player though, not the game, as the game provides various methods for players to "talk" to each other. Definitely impress by co-op.

... And the credit music is awesome too.… Expand

There is nothing more that I can ask from a single player video game then "Let me enjoy the single player experience. Valve literally did nothing wrong with this game. This game is underrated. it should have 100.

Quite simply one of the best games of the year. Superior to the original in every way. Don't listen the reviews saying it's only a minigame. Like the game or not, that's a flat out lie. There's 6 to 8 hours of game time in the single player alone. Plus there's an entirely seperate co-op campaign that's just as long. And it's one of the best co op experiences I've ever played. If you liked the first one...you're gonna love this one.… Expand

most the people who are voting this game down are saying the following in fancier terms "ITS A PUZZLE GAME, YOU DONT SHOOT ANYTHING, ITS STUPID, HURR DURR" Guess what folks, they have COD AIDS! IF YOU DONT LIKE A PUZZLE GAME, DONT, BUY, A, PUZZLE GAME, but guess what, this game is more of an adventure game than it is a puzzle game, the expierience that you will have when you play through this will be one that you will never forget because its that awesome. I had a friend say "Portal is stupid because it makes you feel smart" well guess what, all games are supposed to make you feel somthing, so that argument is irrelevent.… Expand

Absolutely 100% enjoyable game. Funny, challenging, polished. Just play it. Anyone who has a bad review of this game is sad. A wonderful sequel, but also terrific by itself to those who have never played the first one.

Best Game I Have EVER Played! The story is great, the level design in fantastic, and oh my God its so funny! It takes the original game and improves it in every way!

best game i've played all year. the negative reviews must come from idiots who didn't realize they were buying a puzzle game, and morons who don't like to use their brain. for those silly kids, go play COD, us intelligent adults like our gaming entertainment a bit more refined, thank you.

If you prefer quality over quantity, buy this game. It's the finest 8 hours of game I've ever played, and it was worth every penny. The writing is brilliant, the voice acting is superb, and the puzzles are challenging but not masochistic. This game is funny, innovative, and in all aspects magnificent. The only thing I can criticize this game for is an abrupt transition from one theme to the next. Don't listen to the reviews that give this game a 0: they're either over-entitled idiots who vote 0 because they find one aspect of the game they don't agree with or they're butthurt because of the ARG.… Expand

This game looks very fun. So fun, in fact, I am considering buying it. The first was awesome, so I would only expect the sequel to be very similar in fashion.

Not the best VALVe game, but it is still great. Bugs, bad map design, short and easy, still enjoyable.

Needs better support for 3+ players though.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Only problem with this game is it lacks the surprise element of the first game. Everything else is better: better gameplay with new elements like blue jelly and solid light, better graphics, awesome voice acting and nice script, interesting story, good puzzles, not too difficult though. Plus now there's a co-operative campaign to play with your friends online.… Expand

This game reminds me what videogames should be about: fun, phantasy and fun. Oh did i mention fun already?

An absolutely blast and I did not even try the coop mode! 2011 seems to be a great year for gamers, but every other game coming out this year has a real high bar to jump over!

Okay the short version, Portal 2 is a masterpiece. Buy it. Go on, do it now. For those of you who like to read, here's the detailed version. Portal 2 is the funniest game I've ever played. You need to play this just for the comedy value. Remember those amusing Cave Johnson trailers? Its like that throughout the entire game. The writing and voice acting are amazing, and this combines to allow the various robots in Portal 2 to show far more personality and emotion, than Human characters in a lot of other games by other developers. The level design is creative and the puzzles are intelligent, and best of all, the game doesn't grab you by the ear and drag you to the objectives. Instead, the player is given space to work out the solutions for themselves. There are clues, but they are subtly built into the surrounding area. If you're ever stuck, just look around, and you'll figure it out. Like the first game, the player is taught new tricks slowly, before getting a chance to use what they learned in more complex situations. I personally value gameplay over graphics, but if graphics are your thing, Portal 2 is gorgeous to look at. I've read some people saying the single player is 4 hours long. This is completely wrong, it took me 8 hours, and I don't see how anyone could get through it in under 6 even knowing all the solutions straight away. There is also a coop mode which I haven't tried yet, but which should add a bit of extra replayability. The only bad thing I can mention is the inclusion of the Mann Co â… Expand

I don't usually bother writing reviews, but I had to write this to counter all those baseless low scores. Notice that most scores after release day or 9 or 10s? This has got to be the best game Valve has put out so far, even if it's short. People complain because Valve made it out to be the best thing since sliced bread, well guess what? Every developer over-hypes their game, it's how you sell. Obviously if you don't enjoy puzzles or Portal 1 you won't like this, that's like hating FPS games and expecting to like Halo of CoD.

If you liked Portal this offers more of the same, with the edition of a story, new areas, improved graphics, and much longer gameplay. It also introduces some new features that make the puzzles more interesting. It's not perfect, despite what Valve and their fanboys make it out to be, but considering it's as long as most FPS games that people pay full price for, it's well worth what Valve asks for (and you can often find it for less).… Expand

Not going to lie, this is one of the best games I have ever played. Like puzzles? Portal 2 has got you. Awesome story? check. The game retains most of the magic of it's predecessor, and makes it even better. GoTY all the way.

Portal 2 very simply tops the original in almost every single way with the only thing letting it down being the reduced novelty of the basic portal mechanic. It is incredibly well written, excellently voiced characters with genuinely designed levels and all wrapped up in a package of non-conformism compared to the usual AAA video games.

Ultimately Portal 2 is just a pure piece of entertainment from start to finish and if it does not get Game of the Year then there simply is no justice in the industry. No game in the past three years comes close to what Portal 2 is and that is not just opinion, it is the truth of the matter.

Get this game on PC/Mac or PS3, only get the 360 version if you have no other choice since you get the most value from the other versions.

And for all those who badly rated Portal 2 on metacritic for asinine reasons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yytbDZrw1jc… Expand

Most of the things I love about this game have already been addressed in other user reviews.. I'll just say that this is probably the first game I've seen that can be funny, scary and mysterious at the same time. Also, the dynamic music engine is wonderful. Looking forward to post-release DLC chambers!

Great game that is well written and has a fantastic sense of humor. I havnt tried the multiplayer yet(still working on single player) but the game could well be game of the year(we will see about Skyrim).

Totally best game from Valve. Story is fantastic, personalities are fantastic. Whole game is FANTASTIC. Really good optimization. Playing on notebook and it slightly heatened. Tryed coop too. Ending is way out of my mind. Very cool. Damn, don't have so many words to describe the game. Entourages are so EPIC, especially at the BOTTOM. Really Good Game. Best regards, Valve. Maybe you will surprise us with more stories and games.… Expand

The best game I have ever played. Challenging, funny, long, and just plain brilliant. Its a workout for your brain, but if you are up for it, is incredibly rewarding.

This game is is the best game from valve ever, the visuals are unbelivable, the sound is amazing, the puzzles are hard but once you figure it out it you feel smart and love it, the story is unbalivabley awesome, co-op is great ONLY if your friends have it otherwise you dont get to play... otherwise thats good, still this is the most awesome thing ever...of all time.

I really don't understand the hate some users are heaping on this--this game is FUN!

Absolutely loved it all. The dialog is once again endlessly quotable: sharp, witty, and intelligent. Those reporting that it's not funny...are certainly not humorous people. In fact, they're probably dead bores, socially obtuse, and only adept at creating awkward silences. For anyone else with half a sense of humor, this stuff is gold. Plot's solid, there's some great history about Aperture Laboratories, and it does a great job at wrapping everything up. The puzzles are challenging, all the new elements are a lot of fun, and it feels like there was a great deal of thought, care, and innovation put into this. As I played, I couldn't help but marvel sometimes at just how much I missed this kind of experience--Portal 2 takes on all the good of the original game, and makes it even that much better. A must buy, and a strong, well-deserved contender for Game of the Year!… Expand

Amazing game.

8 hours of single player
4 hours of co op
stunning graphics
many easter eggs to be found. funny as hell

if you say other wise go have some Deadly Nerotoxin already.

I completed the single player mode and it has left me awed in amazement how I have really enjoyed the game so much. You think it's just Portal with more maps? No!! It's more than that ! Portal 2 has brought more refreshing puzzles and an amazing storyline with major twists. Valve really done it again!

Basically, this is a game that needs to be played to be believed. There will probably never be another like it, in terms of writing, style and voice acting. Ignore the haters, and their trivial points. Just play this game, because it's probably as close to perfection as the medium will ever get.

The new mechanics introduced in Portal 2 really give it a new angle on puzzles, where sometimes you nearly facepalm after figuring out how simple the puzzle you've been staring at for half an hour really are. Character development of supporting cast is well done, The humor is still there despite the lack of a good meme (near as I can tell). I have not yet done the multiplayer (holding that so a buddy can get achievement) but this is one of the most entertaining games I've played in a long time. The notable downside is the low replay value, unless you space it out long enough to forget all the solutions and forget the humor. I'd still say this game is totally worth buying, low replay value is the only reason I'm scoring it below a 10.… Expand

Reasons to not to buy this game: NONE!!! (unless your husband or wife has recently warned you not to spend too much time on your PC or console playing games.) I have written several reviews on this Forum. But i have never been so enthusiastic about a game like this one. It is fascinating in many ways and great fun to play. Another game completely developed with the player in mind. Excellent value for money. Out of the box innovative, atmospheric puzzling game-play. I have played and enjoyed many good games in my life since the commodore 64 bit pc but this is one i will remember. I think that every year we find about 3 to 5 good games that are really worth buying. This one comes on top of my list list containing: World of goo, ME 3, Crysis 2, Dirt 2 and the Halflife series. Please do not let negative user reviews influence you on not buying this game. It is about 40-50 hours of fun and action on the single player campaign. (I haven't started the coöp mode yet.) Please give me a mark if you find this useful info. ps: There are a few easter eggs hidden in this game, check google if you wish to find them.… Collapse

some people are complaining about Portal's transformation into half life episode 3. this game rocks. its a good portal game. it has superb mind blowing puzzles. narration is incredible. Glados' passive-aggressive dialogues are super funny! Go buy it, work on puzzles achievements when you are done with the game find a friend and play multi-player. and get over with it. ITS A VALVE GAME. VALVE ROCKS!… Expand

Portal 2 is an improvement upon the first in every way. Funnier, better graphics, and the puzzles require greater thought to pass, especially when they add gel to the mix. It loses 1 point because I bought the PC version, and I'd have to buy another copy in order for my girlfriend to play co-op with me.

Portal 2 is an absolutely fantastic game. Amazing level design, I have been going round and stood still many times just to marvel at the beauty of the levels. The level design really makes me feel immersed in the game and gives me the experience I was looking for, really giving the feeling of being in an immense underground complex.

The puzzles don't feel as challenging as the previous title, I only got stuck twice because I either couldn't see where to go next, or took a little longer to work out how to use the new features.

People are complaining about day one DLC and saying it is inexcusable, day one DLC is inexcusable ... WHEN it adds something to the main game/ story. Day one DLC that is just cosmetic for the co-op and does not add anything to the experience what so ever at all ... is fine. If you're not happy about the DLC, vote with your wallet and don't buy it, it adds nothing, you're not missing out!

Portal 2, game of the year (so far).… Expand

this is a review of portal 2. portal 2 is amazing, it is a very very very very very good game and the only thing i want to do is to give this game 10 points because there are many strange people out there that are rating the game down and portal 2 is much better than 8.2. i don't understand people hating this title.

This game deserves a 10 on the strength of the multiplayer component alone... I've honestly never had as much fun with a random person... I was literally whooping for joy on completion of some of the tougher puzzles.

That being said, the single player campaign is absolutely perfect. A perfect gaming experience. It deserves an 11 to be honest... anyways I just finished it and I'm still soaking it in... All i have to say is... Great job valve. Greatest game company in the world.… Expand

If you enjoyed Portal, you will enjoy Portal 2. It's funny, creative, and different. What else can you ask for in a game? I honestly don't know what people are talking about when they whine about "level design" and "art design" being bad. Also, I'm about 4 hours in right now and not near the end, and that's not counting co-op. And for what it's worth, game length isn't everything. You WILL play this more than once. If you've been wondering about it, but were dissuaded by these whiny brats on here, worry no more! Just get the game. You will like it.… Expand

A fun puzzle filled game with some of the best dialog I have ever heard in any medium to date. Great gameplay, interesting challenges, beautiful environments. If you are looking for a great game to make you laugh one minute and pull your hair out the next, look no further.

This game left me stunned. Its brilliant, in so many aspects, and the fact that i haven't even touched the co-op mode yet for sure makes this the so far best game of the year. Its rear with games that are so good that i give them a ten. Only one game last year, but what i know for sure is as soon as i finished a game its obvious if its a ten or not. This was no exception. Valve have done it again...… Expand

Good looking, fun and interesting story with cool twitches makes this one of the more pleasant experience this year together with Crysis 2.

It's not far from being a 10 but drops down to 9 because of it's short single player that was a lot easier than in Portal 1 that required fast actioned portal shooting that their is none of in Portal 2.

Great game - I enjoyed this far more than the original. I'd like to say that I enjoyed every moment of it however there were two or three times that I became a little frustrated with some of the puzzles (but that's probably just me). I enjoyed the last set of puzzles in the game more than the in between bits (making your way through the environment) however I still loved playing through this game and I can't wait to replay it again in a few months time when I've forgotten what to do again.… Expand

Very much enjoyed this game. The writing is superb and the Source engine is still a viable option in this day and age of DX11 and all those bells and whistles.
It may not be all that long compared to say, Mass Effect 2, but not many games these days are. I never particularly felt that it was short, I just enjoyed the game and it took me about 6 hours to play through the single player. For £25, that's a pretty good deal considering I'm yet to play the co-op.… Expand

Pay no attention to anyone giving this game a bad score, they are the people who want to nit pick the small details. I enjoyed this game immensely. The dark humor, the underlying story that you had to piece together, the puzzles. I can't name a single thing i didn't like about portal 2.

It may take a couple hours to beat (around 7-8 for me), but converted into Valve time, this is equal to about 35-40 hour's worth of other high-rated games.

Not perfect, but pretty damned good. With sequels popping up left and right and usually missing the mark by a fair way, Portal 2 takes what was good in Portal and, well, keeps it good. The writing for the dialogue is spot on, the co-op is just fantastic, down to a snarky GladOS making comments at you waving at her cameras, and the portals are as good as ever.

But. In some cases the puzzles feel a bit too easy. In many cases it's too obvious where you should be placing portals, and one feeling that I consistently had while going through the single player game is that there was far too many surfaces that you couldn't attach a portal to, meaning that when you found one, you knew it was important. I felt that took a little away from the game.

That somewhat minor quibble aside, the game is just great.

I hope there will be more available for the co-op aspect of the game, as I think this is where the game really shines (user-generated or commercial, both would be good), and if they expect people to spend any money in their co-op bot decoration store, there better be a good reason to do it.… Expand

One of the best games I've ever played, I haven't tried the Co-Op mode yet but the single-player storyline is full of surprises and other things I've never expected before. This game is totally worth buying.

The good: Great writing and presentation, awesome new mechanics, and just a real ambition for what a game can do.

The bad: Short, less replayability than the first as this game focuses more on puzzles than action and acrobatics, and inevitable but perhaps still disappointing: P2 can't possibly recreate the surprise of P1 when discovering that what looked to be an amusing little puzzle game was actually packed with story, characterization and top notch dark humor.… Expand

Greatly improved to the previous title. Better and more complex levels. Nice und improved story, funny dialogues and a lot of more ways to get through the levels. 9/10

Portal 2 is a good sequel to the first Portal. It offers a lot more content and a bit more cohesive story. You get plenty of witty dialog and jokes, which make up a good part of the game. The puzzles are mostly easy to figure out, and probably only a few at best will stump you a bit if you are truly "thinking in portals." The co-op game is completely separate from the single player and while it's a bit shorter than the sp game, the co-op is worth playing and equally enjoyable. If you enjoyed the first, definitely check out Portal 2, it's worth it. If you weren't impressed with the first one, this won't win you over. Also, Valve will be offering some free content for all platforms in the near future. Plays well on the PC and would definitely *not* consider it a "bad console port," as many like to say.… Expand

This is a great game, and everything important has been said by the reviewers, this is more aimed at the people who complain about this games length or various other things that are completely un justified. For one, the game takes more than 5 hours if you completely immerse yourself in the game rather than charging levels and not caring about anything else, it took about 8-9 hours for me. Secondly why does anyone have a problem playing a 9 hour game which is all 100% quality, than a 40 hour game with 4 hours of quality because its so padded, or has you doing unnecessary things to make the game longer. People should seriously stfu about this. Co op has even more hours built in to it, and Valve is going to release more levels and content as well over time. Consider it an investment if you can't find it in yourself to pay for one of the most brilliant games of 2011. Comedy, game play, innovation and more. What else would you spend $50 on game wise? You can spend $100 on a "quality" re-skin of the CoD franchise I guess. Portal 2 is brilliant and well worth the money.… Expand

The game is absolutely stunning. It took me about 8 hours for the single-player campaign according to Steam meter and these were the 8 hours of absolute brain candy. Some may say it is not enough for 50 bucks but I can tell you it is much better deal than paying 30 for a 2 hour movie and yet people are not complaining about that. Also it feels just right - add 30 minutes more and it would become either repetitive or would have to add more game elements making the game much longer. My guess is that Valve probably had much more material, probably enough for a good expansion pack or even Portal 3, but I think they have chosen to make the game shorter on purpose. This way it can be more polished and can be finished in one weekend so that player would not lose the immersion by interrupting it in the middle. I have not played the coop mission since it is hard to find time but I did not buy the game for the multiplayer option anyway.

The design is beautiful, the story is great and has those sudden twists that remind me of some of the David Lynch movies. Puzzle difficulty is spot on - just hard enough to bring you to the verge of frustration but never carries you to the land of long wasted hours spent trying to figure out what you are supposed to do and cheating by going online. I even thought for the moment that it may be user adaptive since I was able to just blend into the story so well and solve everything without me being a typical puzzle gamer - I play mostly FPS but occasionally do the old style Myst type adventures. The quality of work is what I expect from Valve - not a single glitch and level design is done so carefully that each frame is a piece worthy of display. Games like this make video gaming an art form. I care less if it is is DX9 or 11 but one thing I would want is a little more world interactivity - perhaps in the style of Bioshock where player could read some diaries, e-mails etc. Also with all the vast number of objects in the game none can be manipulated even if just for the heck of it - feels somewhat 90s or early 00s. But I guess that is done on purpose so that puzzles would not become too easy in some cases. After all we are taken to a lab environment, meaning it is controlled.

Is this the best game ever? Matter of taste. But it is definite 10 points and makes my personal list of the best games ever together with HL/HL2, Escape from Butcher Bay, Bioshock and S.T.A.L.K.E.R (this one after all the patches in place and if played in Russian) and perhaps Doom 3. Only these could capture and keep me in their world through entire game and that is how I judge a game.… Expand

I'd like to give Portal 2 a 10, honestly I would, but as many have mentioned, it lacks a bit of the freshness of Portal. I was hoping for new mechanics, not just new ways to use existing mechanics. That being said, Portal 2 is an amazing game, filled with great puzzles, witty voice acting, and what is probably the best co-op play since SMB on the NES. The advent of Steam of the PS3 is a nice touch, and I'm personally excited to see where it goes from here.… Expand

What i loved: The beginning The ending The voice acting and characters The humor The co-op feature The developer commentary feature The AVG What still needs some improvement: The puzzles were a little too easy and you don't really have that great feeling of accomplishment after solving a puzzle The texture resolution were a bit too low at times The game feels empty around the middle
Needs more ways to **** up besides falling down or getting shot by sentries (eg. more enemies)
Would like to see more than 2 people co-op in the future, maybe many teams competing against each other
Guest passes for Portal 2, i know a few people who would like to try out just at least the co-op before buying the full game, we are not all millionaires Gabe (lol)

But overall, great game you guys made, definitely a worthy successor to Portal 1, would love if you would improve on the co-op/multiplayer feature though, i need a new game i can play with bros on a Friday night, besides l4d and killing floor, and this would be perfect if more than two people could play together.… Expand

finished the single player the other day. loved it. had a great time. not as long as half life 1 or 2 but not horribly short considering i now have co-op to look forward to. even with just the single player this game was remarkable. story was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the voice acting. Steven Merchant was fun (watch "idiot abroad" btw, very funny). not every puzzle was a brain buster, but i did have to give up on a few and come back to them after a break before i finally figured them out. in the end this is a puzzle game for the masses, so if these arent hard enough for you wait a few months, the mods will be here soon. My biggest gripe is that i didn't realize until after i'd pre-ordered the game on steam, that the best value is the ps3 version. apparently if you buy for ps3, it installs steam, and then you have a cloud copy that can be played on ps3, pc or mac (you can save games across them-as well as play co-op with ppl on other platforms-not xbox though apparently). I don't know that i'll ever want to play on ps3, but i wouldn't have minded the option. maybe if i had someone over that wanted to play split screen. that kind of thing works better on a couch. but in the end i probably would've bought through steam anyway just to show valve in dollars that the pc gamers are still here.

I could care less about the hats. if people will pay for em, go head and sell em valve. just make sure you put the money into Ep3 or HL3 (whichever comes first, preferably sooner rather than later). now if LEVELS were available as DLC on day one, THAT would be something to complain about. And the haters are arguing themselves out of an argument. you cant hate the hats, and then complain that you have to pay for them. just don't buy them, you don't like them anyway! As for the graphical complaints, i agree its not the most impressive glossy finish ever, but it still looks great. I personally am still very much in love with the Source look. I don't know how much further they've technically pushed source past L4D2 but regardless the game world looks really good.

Bottom line, i really enjoyed the single player game, and i'm looking forward to enjoying the co-op starting tonight.

But i would like to say to those who are putting mountains of bad reviews out on recent pc games (or ports). I know you're frustrated (as am I) at the disrespect being paid to the pc gaming community by developers. but now it seems that the anger is blinding and no matter what a game looks like when it comes out, its getting inundated with mountains of "0" reviews for a game that even in the reviewers own description has redeeming qualities. If we are going to tell the developers that no matter what they do, we as a community will see their work as an appalling failure with absolutely no value, what is to keep them trying to satisfy us. All i ask is that we be honest with our criticism (and our praise). and hopefully we can continue to be a cohesive community that they continue to market to in a way that makes us happy. They already have less reason to continue to make great games for us because there's such a huge pool of console gamers that are easier to please. we shouldn't negate what little reason they have to work with us by failing to reward them for good work.

On that note, i wanted to give this game a 10, but since i know i have a chronic case of valve fanboi-itis i figured i should tone down my score to compensate for any possible misperception on my part. Plus i dont like to give 10's. In this I'm an optimist ever hoping for an even better game someday. And i wont give that game a 10 either (unless i see a mountain of unfair zeros that i want to counteract).… Expand

Fantastic follow up to an already amazing game. Portal 2 ranks up there with Bioshock 1 and Deus Ex in terms of timelessness. Though the single player isn't the longest ever, the multilayer is an all new campaign that extends the story. Overall the game is just fine lengthwise, and every second is of amazing quality. No complaints at all.

This game had me laughing from start to finish. The puzzles were well conceived, the writing was brilliant, and the story kept me wanting more. It was reasonably priced, and the co-op adds a nice element to puzzle solving while trying to do it with a friend. There are some obvious trolls in the negative reviews complaining about the "cash shop". The fact of the matter is that it has absolutely no bearing on the game play whatsoever and is completely optional. I still cannot think of a good reason why allowing people to further add to a game that they purchased is a bad thing....… Expand

INTRODUCTION
Portal 2 is a very good game which is in most ways better than its predecessor (Portal 1). Many people are complaining about the size of the game but i was playing from 9:00-4:00 (8 Hours) and i am just about near the end (i think).
SINGLEPLAYER
The Singleplayer portion of Valve's Portal 2 is reputable and is not as bad as some people think it is.
The only bad thing is the propulsion, repulsion and convulsion gels are added in toooo late in the game and should have been added in earlier to make for longer gameplay. Other than that the story is very gratifying with good music and excellent voice acting from Cave Jhonson (J.K Simmons), Wheatley(Stephen Merchant) and GlaDos (Ellen Mclain). There are some good twists and turns and the art design and levels detail is admirable.
The single player has about 8-9 chapters and is approximately 8 hours long.
CO-OP
I Played some of the coop yesterday online with someone i didnt know and it was fun. You quickly can get familiar with the controls of the ping tool and gesture tool.
The character design is awesome with funny gestures like knocking the other players head off with your hand.
The levels are a lot more complicated and have to be completed with a partner so it is actually coop unlike other games where you could just go it alone.
There are some good features like the ping tool that lets you communicate without a mic e.g. go through that portal, place a portal there etc etc.
The coop is excellent and is good with just anyone but brilliant with a friend.
LOW SCORES
Lots of people are giving portal 2 low ratings because they didnt understand and they were just bothered about all the money they spent on the stupid potato sack pack well you shouldnt have got it then it was gonna come out soon anyway NOOBS!!!!!
There are also a lot of people complaining about DAY 1 DLC WTH There is no Day 1 dlc There is that robot enrichment thing which who cares you dont need to buy things to get stuff you can earn things in game. NOOBS!!!!
And last of all Portal 2 may be a console port but who cares the graphics are admirable and the level design is amazing so who cares if it is a console port if it is nearly perfect NOOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CONCLUSION
Portal 2 is a hell of a game which is nearly perfect and could be one of the best puzzle games of all time.
So to all you NOOBS who are complaining just dont buy the game if you hate it so much.!!!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Portal 2 is not the best game I've played in the last few years. And there are a number of small issues that I have with it. I'm not a huge fan of the ARG experience that led into it. However, a lot of the work went into this game really succeeded. Solid atmosphere. Great moments. Challenging at times. I have no regrets picking it up.… Expand

It is finally the best game of the year - if we put all aspects of gameplay, etc. together. And maybe best game from Valve, my favourite developer. I give him 10 of 10. i am not interested in "Mann Co. store" in TF2, except community map creators stamp support - this is great way to say :"Hello, we are here and we very much appreciate your work". So if you dont want this, stuff dont buy it. It is a great way to financing future free DLCs or maybe another map creators like in TF2. I hope we get SDK soon and some cosmetic tweaks in menu would be great. Hint disabling, portal ghosting etc. After few updates will be perfect in all ways.… Expand

If there is such thing as a perfect sequel, this is it. Truly unbelievable. That's all you need to know. I had to add more to fir the 150 character limit, so I'll just quote GLaDOS. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.

I have to say i was going to be one of those "not worth the money... only 6hours of game play!" types then i was i finally got another to do CoOp If you feel like you have only got half the playtime you are expecting and have not done all of CoOp well to be honest that is only because you played half the game. BUT WAIT I FORGETTING HIDEOUS DLC THAT GIVE UNFAIR ADG... oh what is that it doe not give an advantages? When why are people complaining? They want it but do not want to buy it? Tell that to Porsche I would love one of their cars for free... they say no? How about a free hamburger Wendy's... sonic perhaps? Whataburger? oh to bad. Guess you have to pay for things that cost money... who knew.… Expand

Thought it was fun. Co-Op was really fun too. Haven't beat the game yet but really enjoying the game so far. :D

Only problem really was the "robot enrichment"... hats ruined TF2, hope hats don't ruin portal 2 :)

This game was fantastic. Don't listen to the whiners who expect the impossible out of a game. I agree with the Kotaku article--gamers are simply developing expectations that are unrealistically high. This game was incredibly fun, engaging, the co-op is perfect, I haven't seen one bug, and the story is engaging. What more do you want? The game is too quick, but it's not as good as Portal 1? This game is three times as long, and with co-op puzzles that aren't anywhere in the single player game. Grow. UP.… Expand

Loving every second. Aperture labs has been recreated wonderfully, the character and stories surrounding the place have been incredibly well fleshed out and I'm still finding myself wandering around feeling really clever when i complete challenges or tasks in a way that I think is novel or smart but actually turns out to be what I was meant to do all along.

The single player game is 10 hours of pure joy. The best writing in gaming, great puzzles and lots of laughs. The only complaint I have is that you have to increase the mouse sensitivity a bit for the controls to be perfect. Source engine screams: I'm running on Mac Mini late 2010 (Win 7 via Bootcamp) with a 320M and 4GB of memory with all the bells and whistles turned on - never dropped a frame.… Expand

Portal 2 was a worthy successor to the first portal. It was longer than the first but maintained the quality and humor of the original. The new puzzle pieces were interesting and fit in with the game. My only qualm is the lack of advanced chambers, but Coop, which is also a blast, makes up for that.

The BEST ending I've ever experienced in a video game. Great character development, and though the story lagged a little in the middle, I still loved it _to death_. About the 0 scores: haters gonna hate. DLC is completely cosmetic, it's not like it improves your experience at all. And it's not a 4-hour campaign, I finished it in 9.5 hours. Open Steam now and click 'Buy' if you haven't already. There's a good chance you won't regret it. ;-)… Expand

The game is great from pretty much every point of view, and compared to the 1st Portal it has a much better length, especially if we include the co-op mode as well. The only problem is that despite it being longer than the 1st Portal it still left me wanting more.

Hopefully that will be compensated with user maps and DLC. Mean wile 9/10.

This one of the best games I've played in a very long time. Not only is it loads of fun, but it's interesting, funny and just a blast over all. I can't find one bad thing to say about this game other than it's very confusing at first but you get used to the entire portal system.

An amazing game from start to finish. This game isn't for everyone but; those who enjoyed the first game will love this one. The comedy, gameplay, just everything. It's all here. It took me about 9 hours for the single-player portion alone; and theres still Co-Op to it. Totally worth it

Totally polished, full of brilliant mechanics, perfectly paced, and featuring stellar writing, voice acting and Science! Not to mention a brilliant co-op campaign and an exclusive track from The National. What more do you need in a game? Sure it's not a 40 hour epic, but it's an 8-10 hour single player experience, because that's how long it runs, no matter what people say, plus a challenging and entertaining co-op mode and the certainty of user created maps in the future (this is the Source engine after all, people are going to mod in new levels), which makes it well worth the triple-A pricetag. As for the DLC, there *is* no DLC, at least not in the usual sense of the term. There's a shop where, if you are foolish enough, you can pay money for cosmetic additions to your co-op avatars, and if you feel that something like that would ruin the game for you, then I truly feel sorry for you because you will miss out on the fantastic experience this game has to offer. Ignore the whiners who are ticked off because they futilely bought the Potato Sack to get this game to come out on the weekend (they really shouldn't be complaining: the Sack was a fantastic deal on a bunch of great indie games) and judge the game on its true merits, which are top notch.… Expand

Portal 2 has got to be one of the best games i've ever played. I've beat the single player twice now (once with the commentary, which was more scarce than i hoped for but a great addition nonetheless) and plan on playing it again and again on into the future. As someone else said here, the script and atmosphere are so cool that its fun to reenter the world despite knowing the puzzle solutions. But the co-op, oh GOD, the co-op. Portal 2's co-op campaign is the MAIN EVENT. to all you people out there criticizing the game for being too short, or not worth 60 bucks, then you must not have a cool enough friend to play the co-op with. Seriously. it is 5 or 6 hours of the BEST GAMEPLAY ON THE PLANET. That brings the grand total of Portal 2's game time to 10-12 hours, and THAT is a lot of game in this day and age. I cannot say enough good things. Valve has outdone themselves with this game. The more I think about it, the more i like it.… Expand

If I had to summarize in a few words Portal 2 would be "masterpiece, " "splendid, " "brilliant ". And yet, there are so many other superlatives that could describe us as VALVe here proves his genius once again. In its mechanisms of gameplay as its level design and writing, Portal 2 is simply brilliant, intelligent and incredibly funny, as in his solo in his campaign co-op campaign.

Logically THE game of the year to own and even the decade.… Expand

The top selling point of Portal 2 is the atmosphere, which far surpasses that of the first game. Absolutely amazing. Very nice graphics, delightful tasks to solve, nice new game-play mechanics and an epic underground complex to explore. Nicely played, Valve.

This is a seminal piece of gaming. The most solid story-driven and all importantly fun gaming experience that you will have had in a while i'm willing to bet. The twists and turns in the single player mode's story coupled with the game's truly ingenious level design. It has an almost unbelievably well balanced difficulty which initially leaves you saying, "Well, i'm totally stumped" only to be followed (after thinking things through in your head) by a sudden realisation, followed by a rewarding and triumphant execution. Also, the Co-op mode is an absolute joy! Played with a close friend, partner or relative, the game becomes so much more of an intimate experience, not to mention the absolute INSANITY of the puzzles that are born out of 4 portals being utilised. All this AND Valve are bringing out an end-user development kit shortly after release, so the fun is not likely to end any time soon! All in all, this is a game you *need* to play. It's an experience you won't soon forget. I can't recommend it enough!!!… Expand

This game is awesome. If you liked Portal, even a little, get this. Even if you didn't like Portal, it is worthwhile. It is hilarious, fun, tough but not too tough that you won't play. And multiplayer is a total blast. So much fun figuring out the puzzles while sabotaging your friend at the same time. Sure, the in game purchases are annoying, but that doesn't impact gameplay, and I just pretend it isn't there. Best game of the year so far.… Expand

This has been the most enjoyable game I think I have ever played. The comedy throughout is perfect and had me laughing from the first moment ("when you hear the buzzer, please stare at the painting.") to literally the last second of the single player game. The voice acting was masterfully done, and ever witty comment made by Wheatley, GLaDOS, and Cave Johnson was perfectly timed. The puzzles started out similar to the ones in the first Portal, but gradually grew more unique and larger in size. They included a zoom feature which is very helpful because sometimes you end up placing a portal so far away that you can barely see it otherwise. The learning curve is gradual. The new mechanics added to the game were genius; they brought so much to the puzzles, and they had to be used multiple ways as well, making you have to think outside the box. This game does a good job of pulling you into the world of Aperture Science is all its grandeur.

I have very few qualms with the game, but they are apparent. there are points in the game which seem to drag on. most of the time the pace is good, where new mechanics are added in each puzzle, but there are a few places where there's really no story happening and there's nothing new, just frustrating moments sitting in an enormous room trying to figure out how in the world you are going to get to the next test. There was one area where I literally looked around for about 30 minutes trying different things, and it was all because I could not find the one tiny area the game wanted me to put a portal. While most of the time you feel like you are trying to solve a puzzle, there are a few times where it feels like you are trying to figure out what the level designer was trying to get you to do. A few of the test chambers (and areas in between) have such an odd solution, and you've tried something very similar, just to fall a few steps short. Then you reload, thinking you didn't jump right, so you try again and fail. Unless you put the portals in exactly the right place and do exactly what the level designers wanted you to do, you can't pass.

With all that being said, I still think it is one of the best games I have ever played.

As far as the co-op goes, I was only able to experience a few of the final tests, and I joined up with someone who only had about 5 tests to go. I'm sure the beginning of the co-op test are easier and there's a decent learning curve, but where I started was fairly difficult. That being said, I felt it was more fun than the single player game. The puzzles forced you to work together, use each other's portals, and make sure each other gets to the end of the test. It doesn't count if you get there and leave your buddy behind. With all the frustration it brought, it definitely makes you think even more outside the box. The only qualm I had about the co-op was the ending. It seemed very simple and non-climactic. Other than that, I think that the co-op is going to be very fun to play through over and over. I also really like how the robots' creation and existence is given in the single-player game.

Many people are upset about what they call a DLC. I wouldn't call it that. You can pay for cosmetic appearance for your bots when playing co-op, but that's it. You actually even earn the costume parts as you play the co-op as well, so you don't even need to spend money to look different, you just have to play through the co-op.

I would normally rate this a 9, but there are so many trolls reviewing this game that I feel like I need to give it a 10 to balance them out. So, my real score: 9/10.… Expand

Witty writing, an environment that is both consistent with the original yet interesting and new. It's a sequel, so it won't be the same unexpected revelatory experience of the first game. Instead, it delivers exactly what a fan of the first game could expect, and in greater quantities, and in a more polished package. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Brilliant game.
Starts off brilliantly, continues on brilliantly, and ends brilliantly. Lots of thing you will laugh at and remember for ages.
The Co-op is great too, especially when something goes wrong or you miss judge something and see your partner go splat into a wall you miss judged.
Yes the game may not be the longest in history, but come on, if you ever played Portal1 (and you should) then you must be an idiot* for expected this to be a 20+ hour epic.

*Idiot is a very weak term, should be much stronger really.… Expand