This game is amazing. The dialogue in the game is hilarious, the puzzles are well designed (almost making it too easy to see the solution sometimes), and co-op is an awesome addition. The only negative thing I can say is that I felt the game was holding my hand sometimes by having special tiles designating where you would need to place portals to solve the puzzle. Overall, this game is worth your money, and if you do buy it, play it with friends! The co-op in the game is really awesome.… Expand

Amazing game. Everything is improved from the first game. One of the best games of the year so far. If you liked the first one then you will like this one. This game has no flaws to be honest 10/10

This game was the best game I've ever played. I thought I was watching a movie. I thought I was Chell. Why isn't my life this cool? Enough said. Best Game of 2011 right here.

Incredible game. A single player mode you'll never forget. Co-op is tons of fun with friends and microphones. I highly recommend this game. The puzzles are just right, not too hard, not too easy. I can't wait for the new DLC!!! 10/10

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

Wow, what can't I say about Portal 2?
First off its amazing for its humor, game play, and puzzles.
Oh god the puzzles. I was stumped more than once, but that didn't keep me from playing.
I like keeping reviews short, so all I have to say is that Portal 2 is one of the first games in a long time that I've really, really wanted.

This game is simply awesome, with the high quality level that Valve always puts on its games. This is a second part, so you MUST have played Portal before trying Portal 2. If you don't, then you'll miss a lot of plot related stuff and obviously the experience will be disappointing. The gameplay is more dynamic than in Portal. It is not a test room after test room journey until reaching the final boss. This time a lot of sudden events will drive you through huge scenarios where you'll have to use the Portal gun to make your way through. Moreover, the portal gun has to be combined with new elements to solve the puzzles. Graphics do their job. Physics related sequences (walls and structures falling apart) look pretty good. Music uses some weird effects to make it easily identified with robots. Sometimes it is a little annoying (specially if you play with headphones). It is a short game (around 6 hours), but you can't make a puzzle based game much longer without boring the player. In exchange, everything is incredibly polished in a nearly obsessive way. In my opinion, one of the best games of this year, but it is mandatory to be a Portal fan in order to properly enjoy it. Don't buy it if it is your first Portal game!… Expand

A very very good puzzle game with a brilliant story, great voices and sounds and a quite good graphic. I really like the portal games for the portals and that breathtaking story.

I was a little worried at first at what would become from the sequel of Portal, for most sequels these days seem to be rushed and not done well. However, I found portal 2 to be an enjoyable experience. The main plot was great, the gameplay and the puzzles were easy at first, but during the game they became more and more difficult, which I liked. The typical valve humor and the easter eggs were also very attractive. After I did the singleplayer, I went to co-op, which was terrific too. I am very sure that, if it will be made, Portal 3 will be a success too. Great work Valve, for making another great game!… Expand

I loved everything of this game, the music, the ambientation, the graphics, the fun, the great voice lines and the great touch of mind resolving games that gives portal 2.

The entire game was freaking fun, always difficult as the first game and introducing some new characters that gives the game a complete new look in the story.

The new cooperative addition was completely amazing, telling a side story after the end of the main story, that is impressive in all kind of ways.

Valve managed to make a game that was completely unbelievable and fun with some incredible innovation and a excellent care of their games.

The reason why i gave a 10/10 is because during all the time I played Portal 2, I never got bored at any moment.

VALVE you did it again and i know that you will keeping doing this with all of your upcoming games.… Expand

This is a great game. The graphics are beautiful, the story is filled with dark humor, the voice acting is superb, and the puzzles are challenging. All in all, this is a fun and challenging experience worth the price.

Here it is, VALVe taking advantage over their attempts once again, and let me say how well they succeeded at it this time. Pretty well. Portal 2 is the sequel to their "test" that was simply an extra on the Orange Box bundle pack and that was even free on steam for several times.

This time, making it an official game, all their effort was put into it, taking the successful gimmick from the first game and enhancing it with additional features such as the repulsion/propulsion/conversiton gel, excursion funnel, faith plates and discouragement beams, filling it with a lot more pop culture than before, having more hilarious situations and now with an actual plot, this game is just steps away from being perfect.

The game takes place around 200 years after the first one, Chell was put into life support because of a mysterios worker (see lab rat comic for details) and after waking up, you're greeted to a new character which is by far the most important in the whole game, Wheatley. This british accented core takes you back to the aperture science building just so you can notice that everything is destroyed and the building is filled with plants and sorts of forests.

Even though it's using the source engine, the game has amazing graphics, showing that even source can be upgraded sometime without messing with anything else. Gameplay wise, it's pretty much the same from the last game, with the differences being the additional features presented in the game and the new layout of the test chambers. The soundtrack is simply incredible and it fits perfectly well with this game, being smooth in the background while you focus on solving the puzzles. All the voice acting in this game is perfect, the voice actors for Wheatley, GLaDOS and Cave were outstanding in their skill to do the voice of the characters and implement their personalities even more.

Great Co-op, great SP, great DLC, great game, great everything, WONDERFUL ENDING. Totally worth the money… Expand

It's the best story game I've ever played. Valve out did themselves with Portal 2, fun, thrilling, fast, and creative. It will eventually end up being remembered as one of the great games of its age. (Now if Valve would just release Half Life 3 already.)

Ok. This game rocks, i expected more because of its predecessor PORTAL , and i'd wish if were more complex in some puzzles.
The coop part is just great =) The price was a bit high at the launch, but now u can get this for less than 20 dollars.
(advice: go pick it up! now...!!!)

The thing that really separates Valve from other studios is that they have no time or resource constraints. Much like when artists are creating masterpieces, Valve has the absolute freedom to take as much time as it wants, and do whatever it wants with the game it's developing. Although other studios like Bethesda and Blizzard are pretty close to Valve in their approach to development, Valve games just have that extra something that pushes them past those two studios. It's a mix of absolutely flawless execution, immaculate scriptwriting, and sophistication of concepts. The close integration of these three factors in Valve games reminds me a lot of Apple and its products. Except in terms of what values they stand for, Valve is the polar opposite of the greedy Apple Inc. It just can't get any better. Now, going into a little more detail, the story of Portal 2 was actually a slight disappointment for me, as it just didn't have that subtle genius we saw in half life 2 or portal 1. It seemed A) little dumbed down for the console crowd (unlikely) OR B) somewhat hastily put together because of Valve's shuffling story ideas around before they got set on a definite path (They scrapped the original Portal 2 a year into its development I believe, and started over to make the current version). But besides that, the gameplay, map design, voicework, and set pieces -everything else, basically- is pure genius. It's just so damned creative that it boggles your mind. I give this game a 9.5 but unfortunately metacritic does not allow decimal scores, so I give it a 10, because it's definitely not a 9 point game as some would have you believe. There's really nothing else for me to say other than that you really need to play this game. It's one of the experiences that will define gaming history forever.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is really just ONE thing, thats not awesome about this game. Spoiler: you die when you fall off the track. Whats the purpose of long-fall-boots again? just save you when its good with the progress? But then on the other hand: deep holes might also include spikes. and you are not save from them. Besides that: falling of the track is not the common way to die in Portal2. That would be shot through (adorable) turrets. Or get grilled by lasers. Falling of is just... stupid. It really doesn´t happen if you just take a little bit attention. And the rest of the game is just... perfect.… Expand

For me is Portal 2 one of the best game ever. Intelligent, funny and when you play it with your friend in CO-OP mode, that's something unforgettable!

Now remember, the cake is a lie, guys. Other than that, the storyline is too awesome and gameplay is too awesome also. A must buy game. Don't look at the people who give bad reviews, it's cake, and cake is a lie.

This has to be one of the best games of all time. Super original premise (although it is a sequel), the story is amazing and the characters are deep. The enviroment is masterfully put together. The multiplayer mode ads a huge amount of content to enjoy and you can even make your own test chambers! Really this game is a must buy to anyone of all ages.

302 people don't even know what a gorgeous game is! One of the best games I have ever played. That's normal because Valve is in it. All I can say is that Portal 2 is my fourth best game on the list!

AMAZING game. Great plot, great characters, great gameplay. All around an awesome game. The only negative I could think of was that some of the levels, even later in the game, were too easy. I'd give it a 9.9 if I could. I refuse to give out tens though, because no game is perfect ;)

I simply love this game, I believe this to be one of the best examples of how Modern gaming can go through. The characters you meet are fruitful and they don't feel just like mere robots ! That was already a huge surprise to me , a major improvement to what Portal 1 had . As a puzzle game , it did not disappoint , it simply delivers.. now I just hope Half-Life 3 will complete my love for Valve.

If I say "The cake is a lie" or if I draw you a blue and orange circle and some stick-mens, you know of what I'm talking about. When Portal took our attention, we didn't expected the sequel, but it comes and it comes the way we wanted to. Elaborated Story, more details, beautiful graphics, multiplayer. The "Steam workshop" brings us the possibility to make maps, even models and to share it to all the Portal community. Portal 2's got more than the name, it has got the honnor to be with the best games of all times, and This is proved.… Expand

Portal 2 does the impossible. It makes an already perfect game even more so. The graphics and enviormental art are much more interesting than it's predicessor and adds another humurously dark plot with even more characters. The plot has been expanded to make this a full game unlike portal 1. Better yet there is a co-op mode with a whole slew of maps that are great with friends. And the best part of this game is there are easy map editing tools with the steam workshop, so even when you complete the lengthy single-player and co-op campaigns, you will be given infinite amount of replayability. Defenitly worth the $20 bucks and 150+ hours.… 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

Quite possibly the best game I have ever played. Don't listen to people who say its to short, or unfinished, or etc, because it is not. This game is perfect in just about every way, and worth closer to 100 dollars then 50.

I've always been a firm believer that games should last around 10 hours, unless their genre requires more. In many ways, Portal 2 didn't last 10 hours, but it wasn't as short as the first game. And you know what? Every minute of those hours was enjoyable.

Portal 2 expands in every way with a great presentation (thanks to a menu design that's similar to the more recent Team Fortress 2 menu), a whole range of new gameplay mechanics (Cubes that redirect laser, Light Bridges that you can expand with the use of puzzles, Gooey colors courtesy of an independent developer hired by Valve, and many others), and innocent yet very good gags. Coming from just playing Bulletstorm, it's nice to see gags like "Engaging Smooth Jazz in 3... 2... 1", which I believe can be enjoyed by everyone.

Are there any faults with this game (specifically the PC version)? Well, you can no longer change the FOV but, to be fair, I found I didn't need to do so. It looks just as good as any other Source game does. The game tries to sell you the idea of "customization", which basically is just buying clothing for your Cooperative Robot, but it's completely optional, there's no one forcing you to "participate in this scam" (This probably coming from the same gentlemen who buy pets in World of Warcraft). Finally, an issue I've seen too much is that there are now "loading screens" (a reminder of Left4Dead, if you ask me), but those who complain about those screens probably forgot that every Source game has had loading screens in some way, even the original Portal (what do you think happens when you take an elevator in the original Portal?)

In conclusion, Portal 2 manages to go steps beyond what the first game could do, with each chamber having a unique gag so you can laugh all you want, new gameplay mechanics which just feel fun, an impeccable presentation, and the best part? The requirements aren't that big. With the way the Source engine works, even my whiny little Laptop can play Portal 2, on the highest resolution (1337x763), and then some!

I recommend Portal 2 to anyone, believe me, it doesn't disappoint.… Expand

The negative reviews aren't even logical- an obvious console port? It's A VALVE GAME. The dialogue is excellent- you really feel for the characters. Valve took a risk at trying to put emotion into robots, and they sure as hell succeeded. I was crying at the end of this game. The storyline is really gripping and pulls you into the plot.

Story aside, the puzzles are a lot more challenging, but the game eases you in really nicely- my sister had no trouble picking up the controls and mechanics right away.

A++++++… Expand

Somehow Portal 2 has surpassed Portal 1 and in doing so has earned its place as one of the best games of all time. The puzzles are all great and the co-op mode is a fantastic addition to the game which brings the puzzles to an all new level. Of course it's the writing that stands out the most, almost every line spoken is hilarious and the voice-acting is incredible. If you don't like this game you're probably a bad person or just stupid.… Expand

Brilliant characters that shine till the very end, a story that makes you change your perspective multiple times, and fun gameplay make Portal 2 a must buy for everyone. One of the few games that feel like a work of art and love.

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.

I completed the co-op today and it was absolutely awesome, the game very good but not the best game Valve has made to be honest but that's a matter of taste, however a lot of people rating it as low as "Zero" and that's totally uncalled for since this game is excellent. So I'll give it a '10" to compensate.

I cannot believe the people who complain about the length of Portal 2. I have played sooo many hours of the original and consider myself pretty good at thinking with portals. I timed myself and beat Portal 1 in 1 hour and 5 minutes. Portal 2's single player took me 3 nights of solid 4 hour chunks. Great content the entire time, hilarious, original, and with awesome puzzles. The new gameplay elements like the gels, light bridges, excursion funnels, aerial faith plates, etc. add a lot of cool new stuff to the puzzles. I would love to see some awesome DLC or User Created Content. The only reason I don't give this game a 10/10 is that there is a considerable amount of loading but not so much as to hinder the story and experience very much.… Expand

Did you like Portal 1? This game takes everything great about Portal 1 and improves upon all of them. This is a must play game for any Portal fan. I can't recommend this game enough.

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

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.

Revising my original rating after playing through the multiplayer campaign as well - it's shorter than the single player campaign, but a lot more fun. My original minuses were the day 1 DLC and the length of the game - I've come to realise that there is a lot of unlockable content in-game, and adding the length of the multiplayer campaign as well it's a reasonable length game (still a rip off retail here in Australia, but that applies to almost all games). The pluses remain - great visuals, story and dialogue, clever puzzles and plenty of humour.… Expand

The game is great and fun. And unlike other games where solo and co-op are the same. They are completely different. the 1 reviews really failed this time around on meta critic, and I'm pretty disappointed in them. You can tell the game was made for the PC. It still uses the source engine. It has dlc that doesn't matter, character skins. People care about that enough to down vote it? Nobody complained with Resistance 2, or Kill zone. Downvoting the game because when it came out? Since when do we do that? So does that mean Duke Nukem Forver is going to be an automatic 0? Sure the potato sack thing was neat the problem is a most of those games people already bought and were great games themselves. But that shouldn't be a part of the review of yours or mine. I have spent so far 6 hours playing it. I'm almost done with co-op. It was and is pretty fun. Solo isn't too bad. Some of the puzzles I don't always get right away, which gives me a sense of accomplishment when I do figure it out. Same thing happens in co-op, generally one of us can solve it right away, but there were a couple where we were stumped for a good 10-15 minutes. The communication controls are pretty good if you don't want to use voice. A ping communicates a lot of information that voice doesn't always do justice.… Expand

Good lord! Its gooooood stuff.

I have yet to be disappointed with Valve. They seem cheery, good-humoured and understanding. Steam works well and practically gives games away sometimes. The Half-Life series have charm as well as a bit of brains. Left 4 Dead is just stupidly good fun. TF2 is like-wise. Portal is one of the best games ever created. Portal 2 is more of the same. Simply put, Valve have tried to scale a massive mountain of possible fan service and bringing over-all quality at the same time. Through flogging beta-testers over and over - According to the Developers Commentary (which is done better in this game by playing along side the main game) - they've shaved and polished everything to a shine. To the point where I swear the game plays better on my piddly little laptop than the original. Single Player is captivating, if not overly taxing on the old brains. I put that down to the fact that I've gone over the last game a few times and gotten rather used to that. People have complained that this game is easy but it might be more because of how well the last game trained you. Vary rarely did anyone I know spend particularly long trying to figure out how to get some where. Like a flying squirrel crossed with an acrobat, people were just flinging themselves in the general direction. Portal 2 actually made me have to stop and figure things out. Not for too long but I still had to stop and think (It could easily have been me being thick as I turned in circles, never really seeing the solution anywhere). A few of the puzzles had me completely stumped but it doesn't quite feel like Portal 2's main aim. Take that how you want but I'm happy with the fact that the game takes you into the absurd backstage of Aperture Science. While Portal Technology is perfectly reasonable for moving things around, they like to use a horribly complicated system of pipelines. Why demolish your previous labs when burying them below your new ones is a much better idea? Valve have placed a greater, eccentric charm on every place it can for the laboratories that brought you a weight-loss pudding that would make food bounce out of your body. Its treat to find all the idiosyncrasies that'll raise a smile or tell a tragic tail.

Steve Merchant, the best mate of Ricky Gervais, plays Wheatley: a personality core that's bumbling, cheery and has an English accent. He will be your partner as you do battle and science with the re-awakened GlaDos. All characters, limited they maybe, are full of charm and excellent writing. Some of the best lines come from both Wheatley and GlaDos. Co-op has wrongly gotten a lot of stick too. Lets get this out of the way: the hats are optional. The damn are for sale if you truly want them, as well as new flags for the robots and new gestures. If anything, its more of a tip for Valve. If you enjoyed the game, throw them a few quid to say 'thank you'. They could do some good with it. Even if its another 1to 1 scale model of the Engineer's Turret...

The Robot's are charming. Gromit from 'Wallace and Gromit' kind of charm, if that helps. Both of them are largely mute, communicating through gestures and weird noises. While they do show more personality in the trailers, they are allowed to express their little Laurel and Hardy inspired friendship through the adorable hugs and hi-fives they give them. As for gameplay, the most difficult puzzles lurk here. With two portals, your expected to do more and to do it safely twice. There are two of you trying to get through the course now. While any kind of story gets a massive back seat, mainly because its largely done in the main game, in favour of GlaDos' input and puzzles. It can either cause arguments or it can cement a bond between those playing. Its entertaining and challenging how the game places the safety of one player in the hands and skill of another. You have to work together or you will fail. We also have free DLC heading our way at some point. Its not certain what that DLC will contain but its a nice bit of frosting on an already rich game.… Expand

In trying to be completely unbiased about this review I tried to focus on the good/bad parts of this game and here they are. Bad: Entirely too short. You don't get to see the use of the gels in a complex puzzle in the single player game. I really wanted to see the complex puzzles we saw in trailers that we saw early on about the game. Bad: The loading screens between EVERY puzzle level (they are often less than 30 seconds, but still)
Bad: Crashes to desktop. I don't know who is to blame, the graphics card companies or Valve but check the internet, there are many people with unexplained crash-to-desktop (CTD) issues
Bad: An experienced gamer will have no problem finishing this in one day. Kind of wish you could choose a difficulty to extend the experience.
Bad: The price. Honestly, what is with companies pushing the boundaries of PC game prices. Leave the $50-60 price tags for the suckers on consoles who pay more for a game with dumb-downed graphics. The game is good, but not for $50.
Bad: Along the same vein as the price issue, no re-playability after you complete single player and co-op. Again, too expensive for the limited re-playability
Bad: The ending song was better from the original.
Good: Although there were some areas I was saying "What the f*&% !", most of it was based on the techniques you have learned so far (e.g, portal momentum on angled walls). Good: The storyline and voice acting. If you enjoy a good storyline to accompany an entertaining game, then you will love this game. It is really funny, and not the stupid-gotta-see-it-more-than-once-to-be-funny-Will-Ferrel-crap, it is well written. My memorable part "I'm going to try a manual override", then you are brought crashing through a wall. Good: Well polished game and physic mechanics that makes you admire how games really should be done (are you watching EA, Ubisoft, and other big game developers!)
Good: At a price tag under $35, this game is a steal. Until then, it just depends if you will shell out the cash now, or wait till later. It isn't a question of should, but a question of when.… Expand

Bloody fantastic game so far. PLayed about 4 hours and it's just getting better and better. The story telling is great, the atmosphere totally weird and bizarre, the sound interesting and engaging, the level design is outstanding. A great balance of puzzling and being sucked into a great and very different story. I mean, it's about sarcastic robots for christ sake! :) Love it so far.

This game is nothing short of excellent. My main concern with the reviews I've seen on here is people calling the game short or "slightly longer than the first Portal." I beg to differ. Portal 1 takes about 45 minutes- 1 hour to beat. Portal 2 takes a good 4-5 hours to beat. I'd say that's a pretty substantial increase. The new puzzles are exponentially more difficult than those in Portal 1. The new game elements like the gels and faith plates are awesome. They add so much to the game. The storyline is great, and there are a ton of easter eggs that most people skip over (for example, when you're passing the science experiments, the one with the giant plant growing out of it has Chell's name on it). To be honest, the graphics could have been better. When it comes to PC games, console ports don't really cut it. Other than that, I can't find any other real argument with the game.… Expand

Valve has done a great job, making a smash hit. Despite all of the users complaining (stupidly) about Day 1 DLC, the game is actually really good. The writing is the best I've seen in a long time. The story is engaging and the tie-ins from the ARGs were great. Both of the characters really grow on you. Thumbs up!

Makes the original look like a prototype. Valve has certainly done it again, and how.Portal 2 delivers in all the ways one can think of, and then some.Don't go on the baseless reviews with 0's,Portal 2 is definitely more challenging, more fun and much more portal-y than ever before.

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

Peaple who vote 0 you are quite patetic.. If you don't like the DLC simply don't buy it.. If some one like the new skin and stuff the DLC will be good for them..
Vote for the game not for this **** The hours of game play is more than many others game that cost 20â

For a sequel based on admired portal 1, Portal 2 is a very noble sequel.Lots of potential came from the original idea of first game that were untouched.and in this game we see some of them(not all) in a very good way of use all around the game.new tricks like gels that changed the whole gameplay are so credible.and not just the existence of them,that their pervade in missions shows us a very good mind(and will) for makin' this game as a real valve's new game.the exact moment that your going to say oh its enough,you'll see a new element that injects to gameplay and somehow change it all.
but sometimes we can see maker was empty of ideas,that time we see they cheat to push us forward.like very big map with mystify puzzles and bad path finding,yes they are cheats from maker!

and co-op...nothing more to add but i assure you,,,you will experience a new brand entertainment with portal 2 co-op.a real hell with good timing rule!… Expand

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.

Good game, but expected not to have the awesomeness that the first has, since its hard for sequels to do so. Really love it.

Also to those who think its bad because of day 1 dlc, they are retarded.

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

There is a reason metacritic should stop putting out user reviews.. there seems to be a trend for generally moronic low scores by trolls pushing a games score down from what should easily be a high score to a low score.. sort it out. Portal 2 is a classic. ok one player is a bit short but find a mate and co op is a blast. OH no i was charged full price for this game.. really.. u think. get a job and stop whining! 26 quid for something as fun. hell i bet u lot bang twice that much cash up your nose of a weekend to get so damn twitchy about stuff as u apperently are. Anyway consider this the last user review on meta i read.. bunch of tossers… Expand

GAME OF THE YEAR... so far anywayz. I dont know what all the hate is about seriously get over it. This game is an absolute masterpiece, one of the first games make me laugh so much that i had to pause the game, perfect gameplay and sharp story well done valve, wel done sir!!!

Everything in Portal 2 is awesome. Gameplay is even better than in the original, graphics are better.... There is always something going on in maps, so many small details. Anyone who gave this red score is a troll or hater or insane or something.

Just finished the game and... wow, just.. wow ! It's funny, it"s engaging, sometimes makes you think real hard, but then, when you are getting frustrated it almost instantly cheers you up with a hilarious joke. Both the old and new mechanics work really great and even for new players who missed (If you did, it's a crime you should be in jail.. or at least testing with GLaDOS.). The graphics and music are great, and the voice acting is awesome, Ellen McLain and Stephen Merchant did a great job. 10/10 without question!… 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

Ignore all the trolls giving this game any score other than the 10 it deserves. Does not feel like a port - This is one of the best looking games ever released. Easily the most interactive environment to date.

4 hours of game play is a LIE - Between the main campaign, the co-op, and the ridiculously high replay value, there is plenty of quantity as well as quality game play here. This is how DLC should be done. If there was a vote on DLC being strictly cosmetic and all actual game content being included at launch, I'd vote in the affirmative right away.… Expand

Incredibly well written game, a true comedy/drama finally brought to a video game. Some of Valves best work yet. A lot of complaint has been said of the DLC store and the ARG leading up to the release, but is irrelevant to the quality of the single player and coop game.

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.

I cannot believe the user reviews I am seeing. Folks are mad because Valve sells hats? Or the potato pack? Seriously? Really?!?!?!? Nobody forced folks to purchase either. As far as the hats, they don't affect game play and are purely for aesthetics. Personally, I will never get one but to each their own. By far this is one of the most fresh, innovative and fun games I have played in ages, GlaDos is in rare form. The levels are fun and intriguing and the graphics are very good. Are they Crysis 1 or Warhead good? Nope. But then again neither was Crysis 2. However the graphics are still above most other games out at the moment. Plus unlike the slew of recent console ports, the Source Engine still runs extremely well on a host of computers.

Game play? Well that is top notch. The puzzles are fun and it is quite the time waster. Those saying the completed it in 4 to 7 hours were rushing through. There is tons written on the walls in side rooms you should take a look at. It all adds to the story, but if all you want to do is the puzzles you may get through in the times posted, but you are missing a lot.

Overall if you enjoyed the story line in Portal, Portal 2 is for you. As I said GlaDos is in rare form, and personally I am a bad human being. Test results don't lie. Also, don't forget to read the comics in the game as this explains how you got back there.… Expand

Um., Day 1 DLC? What the hell are you guys smoking? You talking about the shop? THAT DOESNT CHANGE GAMEPLAY (Unlike ACTIVISION with their 15 dollar mappacks), you have no right to complain about that, its in TF2, so why not portal 2?

Wonderful game with so much humor and intelligent puzzles. I played singleplayer campaign in about 6 hours, listening to all the dialogs and enjoying every bit of moment. Looking forward to coop!

And those id*** who claim about the "optional"! hats and stuff (which are meant to be dlc) doesn't count. The game is superb and probably one of the best games this year.

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

Innovative, original, hilarious and wonderfully fun. A testament to what a sequel should be. Bioware's Dragon age 2 team should look at this game as a how to manual for releasing a sequel.

This game was great. Some of the poor reviews have legitimate gripes, although the majority seem to be by people who a) don't get that its a puzzle game and expect some kickass story with awesome ending b) have difficulty solving puzzles c) got super hyped up and as usual dissapointed because it's not battlefield 3 with portal guns d) chucking a tanty over optional dlc that adds no value to the game.
Giving this 10 out of 10 to save it from the retards of the world.… Expand

I really did not think that they could improve over the first Portal game, but let me tell you... I was so very wrong. Portal 2 improves on almost everything that the first one did right and touches you in a way that you never imagined your Weighted Companion Cube could.

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.

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

You MUST play Portal 1 before playing this. Puzzles are easier then in Portal 1, but few times you just think what you should do. Game is fun and voice acting is great. Sometimes this linear "tunnel running" feels really limited.
Most annoying things in Portal 2 is: Too small levels, and constant loading screens. Also, why there is multiplayer skinning that cost several dollars/euros/pounds instantly! For this reason, you just can't think if this is just another "try-make-quick-money" scheme... Too bad.

But if you want 5 to 7 hours of fun with small, not-too-hard puzzles. I recommend it! I do like Portal 2. Maybe it just need something more after playing thru? And I'm not talk about costly DLS's.… Expand

i can't help but think those who voted this game down simply did so because they either a) couldn't get through the game because the puzzles were too difficult and felt the need to punish valve for their own incompetence b) automatically dislike anything the general public likes because they view their own opinion as 'unique' only if it conflicts with everyone else, or c) are just plain crazy.

this game was a BLAST. the puzzles were challenging, yet fun and rewarding. the story line was engrossing and entertaining. the humor was sadistic and ever-present, and the co-op made me LAUGH TILL I CRIED at the joy of sending teammates to their untimely deaths at the hands of the game's deadly environs. was it short? a bit, but this game was an experience worthy of valve's reputation for quality, and definitely worth the $50. if you have the patience and mental faculties to wrap your mind around game play mechanics not found in any other game to solve some very interesting and challenging puzzles, and you just love good games, buy this one. if you don't like it, refer to my first statement.… Expand

I haven't completed it yet, but so far it's much, much better than I expected. Obvious GOTY.
The characters are the most compelling I've ever experienced in any game, and tough the ending was spoiled by a stupid leak (why on earth didn't Valve just release this when it was done?), it seemed like a really good one.
I won't give it full score, though, as the DLC **** HAS to stop.

This game is "SIMPLY THE BEST, BETTER THAN ALL THE REST . . ." No but honestly this game is the best game I have bought in I don't know how long and I haven't even tried the co-op. I was laughing so hard through the entire SP. The game also offers a very entertaining storyline . . . it's so good I wish they would write a book about it . . . It may be that this is just my kind of game and I'm writing this review with a little bit of prejudice but in all honesty the puzzles arenâ… Expand

This game is so much better than the original portal. Glados is back and hilarious, and now the addition of Cave makes it even more funny (the personality sphere is funny but sometimes a bit 'meh'). Gels, lasers and the other devices make the puzzles much more fun to solve and more satisfying as well. Dont listen to the buthurt people complaining about DLC, the reviews by ign, eurogamer etc are much more accurate.… Expand

After the end credits roll on Portal 2, it's kind of hard to believe that this series had its humble beginnings as a student project called Narbacular Drop, which itself just laid down the basic mechanical framework for the kind of fourth-dimensional puzzle-solving of the original Portal. Even the original Portal was all but defined by its tight focus and limited scale; it just executed on all those elements with a consistent, almost preternatural level of ingenuity and humor. I use the somewhat dismissive "just" here because the challenges of following up something so inventive and so universally well-received are arguably greater than coming up with the core concept in the first place. The element of surprise was a significant factor in the impact of the original Portal, but going into Portal 2, you know how a portal gun works, you know that Aperture Science is essentially a less diabolical, but equally irresponsible counterpart to Half-Life's Black Mesa, and you know that GlaDOS likes testing, but loves murder. With these known quantities in mind, Valve does about the smartest thing it can with a full-blown sequel to such an effectively minimalist package by tossing out many of the self-imposed restrictions of the original and largely ignoring the temptation to lean on lots of easy callbacks. What it lacks in the surprise punch the original packed, it makes up for with scope and scale, couching that now-familiar combination of deadpan humor and brain-boggling puzzles in a game that's significantly bigger and more robust in virtually every meaningful way, but without feeling any less dense.… Expand

Graphics were awesome, especially lightning. It has an awesome story that will definitely make you laugh and the upgraded gameplay from Portal 1 is just the icing on the cake.

Valve proves once again that it is the best game studio out there. A great sequel with a great atmosphere. Although i also think that dlcs, ingame shops, console versions and the like are absolutely unacceptable, i will ignore them for my rating of the game. The game is nearly perfect and deserves a 10. Only for ppl who playd portal 1 ofc.

with all this love towards valve and everyone saying this is the best game ever i cant believe they aren't working extra hard to bring us half life 3........ oh wait. Sorry its just that people complained about L4D2 and now this and i mean i can see why they aren;t to thrilled to be releasing the game everyone wants when people just complain about it. Overall great game and if you complain about how short it is ... go make a friend or two and play co-op there is a world outside of your basement.… Expand

Great game, little on the easy side but complete with all the things that made Portal 1 great. I don't know why so many people are complaining about the DLC. If you don't want to get it, don't.

This game is really great. The best single player I have played in years. The soo called dealbreaker DLC is just some stupid cosmetic stuff. Nothing that anyone needs to buy to enjoy the best game in long times! The humor, teh art direction and the music fit so perfectly together that it creates a really intense and enjoyable experience. And this game is not really 4 hours, more like 7...

I want to make this really clear, Portal 2 is amazing. I am disappointed with the number of people who have complained because A) they think the game is to short and B) they bought DLC obviously selling 'trivial' content and C) they believe the visuals are poor.

Before I discuss those two points I want to say why I think this is game is incredible, firstly it succeeds in being a great sequel, it's added loads of new gameplay mechanics to freshen up the puzzles and gameplay and hasn't tainted the original essence of its predecessor. The production values are astounding there are huge set pieces, stunning effects and some of the best voice acting i've ever heard in a game from the cast, particularly Stephen Merchant for his excellent performance as the babbling Wheatley and Ellen McLain returns scary as ever as everyones favourite AI baddy GLADOS.

Now to comment on the three main criticisms i've seen. The singleplayer took many hours for me to play (at least 7 hours) and I haven't even touched the cooperative mode either which is sure to take several hours as well. The day 1 dlc is quite obviously not meant to "extend play" and is instead meant for novelty, also you can buy all the dlc in a bundle for about a quarter of the price than if you bought each item separately (if you still bought it and feel cheated then your too stupid to be playing this game). Finally, while the source engine is indeed quite old, even on my moderately powered laptop the game certainly looked impressive (admittedly the framerate did falter during 'busy' segments of the game) and those of you with more powerful computers and the people who will buy the console versions will enjoy the game looking even better.

In conclusion, Portal 2 is a must buy this year, a certain contender for game of the year (if only Mass Effect 3 wasn't coming out this year), the game is smart, clever, well designed and a joy to play and I highly recommend picking it up but please if you haven't already please play the first game because it makes the experience that much better.

P.S. The ending is a great one, I can't believe some people didn't like it, It will leave you wanting more is all i'm going to say… Expand

honestly one of the best videogames i`ve played so far in my life. the writing was soo funny and the lvl design is outstanding for me..defenitly worth the 50 bucks!!!

The amount of whiny trolls here is just ridiculous. I imagine most of them haven't even played the game, and are just regurgitating what they've heard the others say. First off, the single player takes a good 6-8 hours. Still not incredibly long (and the only reason why I knocked off one point), but I'll replay it just to hear the dialogue, not to mention find all the secrets and get the achievements. And that's without touching co-op. How can you even call cosmetic hats DLC? Here's a hint: just don't buy them. Your game experience will be completely unchanged. The only people who should have a problem with this are exactly the kind of morons who see shiny digital horse armor and have some strange compulsive nature that forces them to buy it.

Don't even know what they're talking about with "Please don't turn off your console." Never saw it, and the game doesn't feel like a port at all.

After L4D2 I was worried that Valve know longer knew how to make a sequel as good as or better than its predecessor, but here they've clearly done the latter. The gameplay is better (hard light trails, gels and excursion funnels add a ton of depth) and the humor is better. But maybe that's the real reason why the haters are so mad, because there's no easily identifiable meme line to clutch onto and propagate ad nauseum like "the cake is a lie" (Ugh, that got old so fast).… Expand

This game is extremely well polished, and it's all the little things that show off this fact. Ignore all the 4can morons who are trying to wage an immature campaign because they haven't got a new COD game in the last 3 months to waste their time on. This game is good and worth the money, but if 50 bucks isn't your thing wait a few months and I'm sure it will be a week end deal.

Excellent game. There is far more variety in puzzles than last time, and contrary to claims that it's 4 hours long, it lasted me about 7 hours. Intelligent writing and humor makes this an unforgettable experience.

The DLC that people negatively mentioned is a non-issue as all the DLC is cosmetic only.

Don't even look at the people downvoting this game. The majority are trolls from /v/ who haven't even purchased the game. This game was Valve's masterpiece. It's just about perfect in every way.

I'll state this up front: Portal 2 is a paragon of game design. Everything about this game shows how Valve mastered the data they collected of their audience over the years through Steam and their other games. Portal 2 is filled with great gameplay, satisfying puzzles and some of the best writing you've ever seen in a video game. The character performances are spot on. It's a must buy for every gamer, young and old.

A lot of people seem to be concerned about the added store for the co-op bots, which I think is unfounded. All of the items are purely cosmetic and is hardly content they cut out of the game just to put a price tag on it. It can be easily ignored. The reason it's in the game is because it has apparently been a success in Team Fortress 2, so I don't mind Valve earning an extra buck to fund their next projects.

Valve will probably be releasing more free DLC for this game in the future, just like they did with Left4Dead and Team Fortress 2 (a game that's been receiving more than 10 huge free content updates since 2004!). Since the Source SDK is likely to get an update too, the community will get the tools to create maps and puzzles themselves.… Expand

I was afraid I would be over-hyped for this game. Watching videos, reading about others playing through it, they made the game sound like it would be perfect. After playing through the single player campaign, which took about 6 hours (and I was going through it very quickly so these people saying it took 4 hours are full of it) I only had one thought in my head at the end of it all. Perfect.

Is it the greatest game of all time? No. Did it perfectly continue the story from Portal 1? Yes. Did some puzzles make me scratch my head for a bit? Yes. Did the dialogue literally make me laugh out loud at some points? Yes. These are exactly the things I wanted out of this game. I got every single thing I was hoping for and then some. I've already bought a copy for a friend so they can play it too because this is a game that NEEDS to be experience by everyone.… Expand

Another winner from Valve. They may not release quantity, but everything they make is a winner. This game brought me back to Half Life 2 in parts, and that's a good thing considering I consider HL2 the best game in the past 10 years. So much fun, especially if you played and loved the first game.

Were people expecting a 40 hour RPG with endless gameplay options? Apparently none of the whiners played the first Portal, which would help them understand it's a puzzle game. Not a 10 hour FPS. That game lasted 45-90 minutes... maybe much longer, depending on your capacity for solving puzzles. Those that claimed it took them 45 minutes, go away trolls - at minimum, this game lasts 3-3.5 hours. I beat it in about 4.5. What Valve has done with this game is incredible - I loved it.

And, they didn't charge $65 like Mr. Bobby Kotick would have. For those that are claiming $60, 80, or 90 purchases, you better check where you buy your games. On Steam it was $45, and at Best Buy it was $35. Valve has always been fair to gamers, and they have released far superior games for less money. $65 for Black Ops? No thanks. That was only 6 hours of gameplay, and it was worthless. What are people complaining about??

The menus RESEMBLE those of a console. Oh well. Valve has always been very good about gearing their games toward the PC audience, since that is where their following came from. The graphics look wonderful - especially considering they are still using the 7 year old source engine. The graphics options were above and beyond those of, say, Crysis 2, which was a very obvious console port.

The DLC wasn't even a crucial gameplay purchase. Don't base your review of the game on your own failure to look into what the DLC was and whether or not it even offered improvements on the base game. And by the way... Potato Sack DOES NOT qualify as DLC.

This game was incredibly well made, and the comic relief was wonderful! I would recommend this to anybody, except whiny console fanboys. And those that purchased on 360 and PS3, DO NOT post your reviews on the PC section.… Expand

One of the best games I've ever played, the pacing combined with the witty dialogue and story make for an unforgettable experience. There are two experiences to be had though, both a co-op and a single-player. Each offer something unforgettable, and enjoyable in their own right. There is endless variety to keep the game from becoming stale. Any caveats such as the infamous "DLC" store, and the potato marketing stunt are far outweighed by what is an amazing game. We are gamers, right guys?… Expand

Thoroughly enjoyed this game. The single-player mode is incredibly challenging at times, with interesting new mechanics, humour that's had me laughing out loud in places and excellently written dialogue and story line. The attention to detail in the levels representing different eras in different stages of disrepair is astonishing, very immersive in that respect. The graphics are clean and the game runs very well (and looks great ) on an older system. If you are rushing like a mad thing, expect 4-5 hours of lonesome playtime (anyone claiming less than this is either cheating or simply full of kack). A more laid-back approach, paying attention to surroundings and dialogue will give 6-8 hours of an enjoyable gaming experience.

The Easter Eggs and Achievements hinting at other aspects of the Half Life/Portal universe are interesting and very well placed. Some are just off-the-wall nuts. In a good way. The co-op mode is excellent, as one would expect of the developer behind TF2 and the L4D series, and with a map-editor on release later this year, you can expect a decent replay-value in that sense.

A longer, better-presented take on the original in my opinion. I have no idea what the negative scorers have found so irksome, their points tend to be insipid and subjective without any apparent realisation that there are other aspects to a game than those they complain about. Now looking forward to seeing what's in store for the penultimate Half Life game… Expand

I just had to make an account here when I saw the kotaku link posting about how player reviews were panning portal2 on metacritic. All I can assume is that people giving bad (red) reviews were not really portal1 fans at all. Some of the comments are just lies. 4 hour game? In what universe? As a veteran portal1 player (who has mastered 100% of challenges in p1), I completed the game on first run through in about 6.5 hours and thought it was amazing. Don't forget the COOP is a totally new game with new levels and also lasts at least 5 hours depending on the skill level of your partner.

Really the only reason I've given it 9/10 instead of 10/10 is that I would have liked to see a 'Challenges' option for the hardcore among us to sink our teeth into after mastering the single and coop games. But getting a few of the harder achievements will suffice for now, hopefully a DLC will contain 'challenge' maps later on.

It was worth the wait, worth the money and definitely worth the hype.… Expand

This game is not Portal 1, as it shouldn't be. It takes the Portal concept to a whole new level, showing the history, and the future of the concept. I enjoyed every minute I played of this game, beat the entire thing, and the co-op as well. I haven't had so much fun with co-op ever. I laughed and laughed at the trouble we got ourselves into. It's innovative, creative, and the most important thing, down right fun, both single player and co-op. I see people complaining about the DLC. This is the way DLC should be. Players should not be forced to pay extra money for story content that should be in the game already. DLC is supposed to be specifically bonus, unnecessary content. If it was necessary it should be in the game. As for the Alternate Reality Potato Sack content, it was new, and enjoyable. This "treasure hunt" was a great way to get players really involved in their games. It was very very immersive, and I have never felt so well connected with other players as I did with this. It caused us to work as a team. All in all, it was the most creative and intuitive gaming experience I have ever had. 10 out of 10 for down right fun.… Expand