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

This game is fantastic, the dialogue is funny, sadistic and very well written. Valve really has outdone themselves with this. Really looking forward to co-op it will add even more on to the length of the game.

One of the better games to come out this year. Don't listen to all these idiots giving it a low rating. The game is good and long, graphics are great, story is great. Anyone who gives this a low rating clearly has the IQ of a squashed potato.

Why, oh why, are people panning this game, just because of its silly in-game store, or because the ARG wasn't the fabulous success they imagined it would be? Neither affect the core experience of Portal 2, which, just on its own, not only manages to completely blow away its predecessor in terms of content, humour, intelligence and fun factor... it also manages to be one of the best games Valve has ever made.

I started playing the Single Player campaign at 10am, and finished playing at around 6pm.
Now, I'm one of those people who'll start a campaign, and not stop until it's finished. That doesn't mean I rushed it, mind; one of the things I love about Valve's games is that it rewards you for straying off the beaten track. Easter eggs, extra dialogue... you name it. Portal 2's content is layered incredibly well, so that if you're enthralled enough to go back for another playthrough, you're sure to find or notice something that you didn't before. (I'm already on my second playthrough of the campaign.)

And the beauty of it is, it's so **** brilliant. Seriously. I can't begin to explain just how satisfying, how hilarious, how clever, and how completely fun this game is. I simply can't do it enough justice, compared to you picking it up and playing it through yourself. There is so much content; so many belly laughs, so many 'eureka' moments... That it would be completely unfair of me to just jot them down on a list. As corny as this'll sound, you really have to see it to believe it.

Another interesting point... From what I've read thus far, the true star of the show is the Co-op mode. I've not even touched it yet (mainly because I don't know anybody else who has Portal 2 yet), and I still already **** love the game as a whole. I have no idea how people can possibly pick fault with it, based on such meaningless niggles like the ones listed above. The positives outweighs the negatives to such a ridiculous degree, that second I started playing, all my doubts and preconceptions vanished. I'd spent the weekend doggedly following the ARG, as I'm sure thousands of others did, waiting for the game to be released... I'd guessed a day early. Perhaps two! But I never let myself fall into the trap of condemning the game itself because of its marketing; just because the slightly earlier release wasn't early enough for some, it doesn't make it a terrible game (or 'minigame', as some idiots on here have described it).

So please. I am begging you. Try it. Ignore the childish naysayers on here and just bloody try it. You will love every second of it, especially if you loved the first Portal. And if you've not played the first Portal, don't let that deter you. The game stands up on its own perfectly well, and I'm sure it'll be seen from now on as the benchmark for all games that fall within its genre.

Buy it, play it, love it.
Also, potatoes.… Expand

I loved it! It took me about 8 hours to finish. All the character's were very entertaining and full of personality. I liked the new gameplay elements with the different gels. Some of the parts had me stumped for a little while. Mostly the last hour or two. I thought the final battle and ending were great. The song at the end was pretty good too, it's no still alive. I was kind of surprised to hear a new original song because I was kind of expecting a remix of the old one. Haven't tried the coop yet, but I plan to play through single player again with the commentary on. Just a total Portal fanboy. So happy they made a sequel that doesn't ruin the series. I hope they make another one!… Expand

Just some pure facts about the game Single player is 5-7 hour long Co-op is 4-6 hours long The "DLC" Is just like the TF2 hat store. It bears no impact in game. The users complaining about buying it expecting content then feeling ripped off are idiots. The "Potato collecting" bears no impact in the game at all and these users got 12 great games for $30. The game is not a console port. The game expands both the universe and gameplay a large amount. It is a completely new game worth every penny.
DLC will be coming out in the future. The actual content DLC will be free for PC and PS3 gamers, 360 will not receive the DLC.

Overall I give this game a 9/10 it was 10 hours of hilarious laughter for me with an ending that no one saw coming. Pick it up if you enjoy both thinking and comedy. I will actually be giving the game a 10/10 score however to counter many of the trolls giving it a 0/10.… Expand

If there's ever been a debate as to whether storytelling in games can rival that of a good movie or engrossing book, it's over. Portal Two is, to put it simply, on par with any movie ever made. Whilst playing you can't help but feel the care that has gone into this game, it's got more polish than the Mr Sheen factory. From start to finish the game oozes classy dialogue, helped along by sublime voice acting from a notable cast such as J.k Simmons (Cave Johnson), Stephen Merchant (Wheatley), and the returning Ellen Mclain (Glados). With so much talent at hand you might think it difficult for valve to keep the balance in check but they have managed incredibly. No one character outshines any other and all three get their moments in the spotlight, showcasing Erik Wolfpaw and Chet Faliszek's hilarious script. The gameplay itsself begins similarly to the first but soon takes some exciting twists as many new tricks are introduced and some brilliant new setplays are thrown at the player. One of the main criticisms with the prequel was samey level design and monotone colours; this has been righted, and how! Some of the views to be found in Portal 2 are breathtaking and the updated source engine never fails to do the game justice. Length-wise the singleplayer campaign is much, much longer than the original (took me about 6 hours, whereas I can do the original in 35 minutes). Having just completed the game let me tell you I feel very much that I got my monies worth and I haven't even started the co-op yet. To be honest I feel perhaps I should have waited to write this review as I'm still stunned from the ending and feel pretty speechless. I must say, however, that the naysayers bringing the overall user score down are simply either trolling or haven't got the game. This game is near perfect. I say near because I've finished it and the only downside I can see is that the game had an end at all, such was the amount of fun I had beating the tests. This is simply a must buy for anybody who owns a PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. It's funny, charming, shocking, scary at times, and the ending is downright insane. I could continue but I'm exhausting my list of superlatives. Valve have struck gold again, this is simply genius. Best game ever.… Expand

This is the most entertaining. charming, intelligent videogame of the last five years, a breath of fresh air in the sea of call of dutys. The single player campaign is roughly 6 hours long, and the coop campaign is about the same, so I really had no problem with the lenght here, plus its an unforgettable ride. The portal based puzzle gameplay is done to near perfection. Don't let some trolls whining about some inconsequential DLC fool you into thinking otherwise, if you liked Portal 1 even just a little bit, or just want a creative, imaginative videogame, get this.… Expand

This is the best game in years, It does everything right from the puzzles to the dialogue to a story which was surprisingly engaging for a cast that is mostly robots. If your thinking of buying this game then ignore the user reviews and look over at the critic reviews, this game is nigh on perfect and the only reason it is getting low scores is because of trolls who scream foul at the briefest mention of hats. They are entirely cosmetic and optional. Also this game is not short like many of the user reviews say. It took me 8 hrs and I haven't even started the coop yet. All in all a brilliant game, Valve's best game since Half Life 2.… Expand

This game far and wide surpasses the first one in many ways. The puzzles are quite a bit harder with out being too hard for new comers to play, and yet again valve pulls it off. There are about 6-7 new additional unique mechanics aside from portals that have been added to make this game more challenging and thought provoking. And the game its self clocks in at about 3 times the size of the first one, with fully interactive cut-scenes show-casing an engine that has been in use for 7 years since the release of half-life 2 (This isn't a bad thing as it is absolutely breathtaking). It seems that the world its self is fully destructible with each component working in a real world physics engine that still sets the industry high for realism. The Voice work is extremely well done with each character having its own unique personality and while there may not be many different characters there is a lot of depth to the ones that are presented. Every single level has so much detail put into it that playing this game over again is not going to be a hard thing to want to do. As for the co-op campaign, i have yet to try it, but im sure it will be a great experience. I don't mind spending 45 of my hard earned dollars on this game because I know that valve will continue to bring me excellent games and because I know that valve will also release a level editor for this game that will allow people like me to create new levels that can range from the seemingly impossible to solve to the easiest of easy if i so want. As for the DLC that is not MANDATORY to enjoying the game. It reminds me of League of Legends or even Valve's other title, Team Fortress 2. None of the items in the store will make me better at this game, nor are they necessary to enjoying the game on a different level. Don't buy it if you don't want it. Overall this game is brilliant.… 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

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really loved this game. It had an awesome start, it had awesome twists and turns, and it was fun all through. There are really only minor things to criticise, like a few lazy jokes and that kind of stuff. But that's just my opinion. Plus, that's like 4 in 1000. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the atmosphere, and it was just the right amount of difficulty. There isn't much replayability though. But I never play games with good re-play value more than once or twice anyway, so it really doesn't matter to me. And I know there will be huge amounts of user created content and a bit of official story-driven DLC too.

All in all, I loved it.… Expand

Loved portal 1, loved portal 2. Sure, the portals are the same, and I admit the chambers were a bit easy and I breezed through all but one of them. However, for the single player mode, I prefer easy chambers over hard chambers that get in the way of me seeing the story develop. I'm glad to see they put challenging chambers in the coop, outside of the single player story, so I'm not dying over and over trying to complete chambers. I think Valve did alright by Portal 2, and there's enough content here to keep me glad that the Portal 1 story will live on. I took one point off because I, like others, expected a longer game for the amount of hype and price, even if it was amazingly polished!… Expand

I've played only the single player portion of the game and I think that it is a masterpiece! Excellent Puzzles, voice over, graphics, story... every gamer of the world should play this game at least 1 time.

A great game that offers a fair bit of challenge and many more hours compared to the original Portal. Multiplayer Coop extended replayability, but is only advisable with a friend. The mechanics of the game are solid, with tweakings and the introduction of new elements that help to expand the variety of the game. The focus of this however seems to be slightly more glamourised, as L4D2 was to L4D, there is a lack of seriousness in comparison to its predecessor. While Portal can be considered a mysterious and dark game, Portal 2 is more of a Black Comedy, with increased elements of sillyness which really detract from its overall themes and interfere with the ability to keep the player immersed. Although the humour is top-notch, the game should have been better if it was darker and not a comedy. Visuals are still quite good, but there have been no monumental steps; but this still stays true to the saying Quality of Quantity, with the game being very polished and smooth. A better engine and gameplay mechanics are more suitable than extreme graphics. Extremely disappointed with the DLC-Cash-Grab Store. Just like TF2's online store, but with far less appeal and merit to the game as a whole. It really is just a cash-grab, and Valve should not be commended for acting in such a way. A serious concern as to the direction of the company; are they focusing on the games during production, or the money spending opportunities. Overall, a very pleasing buy, but there is too much hype for the game for monumental praise. The game does however deliver on everything it promised, it's just that people tend to overblow expectations.… Expand

I'm very confused as to why everyone is complaining about the length of the game. I played for more than six hours last night and still didn't finish it. I took my time with some puzzles, but I don't think I'm slower than the average player. I have yet to play the co-op campaign, so I'm looking forward to at least another six hours of gameplay there. This game is definitely more than four hours long.

There seem to be a lot of complaints about the ARG and the potato collection game. This optional extra didn't force anyone to take part, and didn't push the release date back; it was a chance to have the game released early, but it didn't work out. I didn't bother to buy any of the Potato Sack Pack games, so I have no unwarranted complaints about the price of that.

The paid DLC isn't good if you don't like spending money, I'll agree, but once again that stuff is entirely optional, and it's also entirely cosmetic. Even if you don't touch the DLC (which is my plan), you aren't missing out on anything. Valve isn't selling new levels or important plot points, just skins and accessories for your character. They've obviously based this decision on the popularity of their Team Fortress 2 DLC.

Portal 2 is one of the most polished, funny, challenging, and all-round fun games that I've played. The dialogue is written and acted well; the score is atmospheric and emphatic; the visuals are gorgeous and the gameplay is challenging without being frustrating. It has more than its fair share of 'Wow!' moments, especially when you've been working out a puzzle for five or ten minutes and then you finally figure out how to do it.

Don't listen to the trolls; this game is great, and it is definitely worth buying for you and/or a friend.… Expand

Nothing short of amazing. I was hooked from start to finish with this game which brings a whole life to the original game. The game uses the source engine, although old still looks fantastic. I remember every step of the way being blown away with the landscape which it is clear valve has spent months perfecting. The game also brings a whole new range of gimmics which which creates numerous fresh challenges and ideas that are challenging but not frustrating and often make you feel like a genius for solving them in the creative ways that valve has layed out. The story is full of twists and turns that keeps you glued to your screen. At a very respectable length that leaves you fulfilled, engaged and simply wanting more. If you enjoyed portal 1 then this game is a must!!… 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

Don't listen to the bad reviewers, unless they are some sort of portal expert, finishing the game in 4 hours is impossible, and an online store hardly counts as DLC in the context they are putting it in. This game is a masterpiece with excellent, witty dialogue and puzzles that are easy enough to not get you frustrated, but still hard enough to catch you off guard if you are not prepared.

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

I want you to understand something. My 10/10 isn't a fanboy score.

For a game as hyped as this, my expectations were met and / or exceeded. No, really. I was alternating between puzzled frown and grinning from ear to f*cking ear. And the ending was fabulous. As for the conclusion? No spoilers - well, I don't think anyone expected the ending to match the sheer glee of first hearing "Still alive" - we're all seeing it coming now and Valve have wisely decided not to try and out-do it. If you attempt to out-do something perfect, you become straight-up cheesy or completely failing.
I was still cackling and giggling all through the conclusion, including a few genuine "No way!?" moments.

The story is brilliant, fills out the narrative well, the acting is superb, the writing is pure quality, the pacing is absolutely perfect. And the rules of the universe are bent around and tied up in a neat little bow towards the end. Part way through you may feel betrayed by the game but it's all a ploy :) My only real gripe ( And I didn't reduce my score for it because it was still fun) is that I didn't feel the same sense of dread of the unknown during the final sequence that I did at when I faced GlaDOS for the first time in Portal 1. Such is the folly of the sequel, although I felt like my hand was held slightly too much. Or maybe I'm just clever :)

Most of the complaints I see are the DLC and the length. I think this is just smart people who are more interested in the puzzles than the narrative and atmosphere. These people complaining about the length are the same sorts of people who go on to post speed runs to prove how clever they are. I'll bet they missed half the interesting stuff - these people should have played the ARG if they want seriously tricky stuff. Not because it was tricky, but because then they'd have played some of the games in the potato sack, and they have some fiendish logic in them. But they're also not mainstream games - Valve have done an amazing job of making the game accessible to all while still making players feel clever for solving some of the puzzles. It's tricky to get this balance right. Anyone who finished it in 4 hours, I'm guaranteeing you, did not see all the campaign had to offer. Or sit there listening to some of the fabulous dialogue. I could have done it in 4 hours if I didn't give a sh*t about the surroundings. And there is some wonderful hidden dialogue too if you're enjoying yourself enough to go looking for it.

The DLC is optional. Yeah, Valve are missing the point of why cosmetic enhancements are good in the first place i.e. adding interest to something that's been out for a while, but most of the "clever people" who are **** about Valve making a grab for cash - it's cosmetic, doesn't change the game in any way. And you can earn some of them for achievements. These people are saying "We're too clever to buy optional DLC for that much", but I feel what they're really saying is "I wish I was able to make that much money out of the people stupid enough to pay for it". You feel insulted that these gamers are spending money doing something that you see as stupid. That's fine. You're clever, go make a game even a quarter as good as this and I'll start listening to you.

Port clues? Maybe. But does it control badly with kb and mouse? Hell no, the response is tight and enjoyable. They took the time to polish the controls and interface on the PC, and the graphics at high-res are fabulous. Advanced graphics options are there too - Console Ports don't have to be bad if they get the attention they deserve. Anyway. 10/10. Seriously. I'll be playing it again and again like I did with the first. And you know what? If they bring out some story DLC, I'll pay for it.… Expand

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

Portal 2 is easily the equal of Portal 1, and a fantastic followup that adds much to the already established perfection. Not only is the humor easily as good as last time, the puzzle solving goes from okay, to Portal 1's equal, to amazing and beyond anything Portal ever did over the course of the 7 to 10 hour campaign. Addressing some concerns that other reviews have said (don't listen to them, they are mad about an ARG and DLC that have nothing to do with the actual game), no, the game is not 3 hours long. No, there is no game-enhancing DLC to get upset about, the DLC, which is PC only in the first place, is purely aesthetic and no one who isn't interested has any reason to buy it. Finally, the ARG that took place before this game was release not only resulted in a midnight release on Steam (as opposed to the planned 7am release), it also got everyone who got all of the "potatoes" in the ARG Valve's *entire library of games for free*. There is no reason to dislike this game, and many of the reviews are simply venting frustrations not at all related to the game's quality. It's better in every way than one than the original Portal, save one, originality. And let's face it, that magic has passed, we can't get that moment in time back, so we should enjoy an amazing game for what it is, the best possible sequel to Portal, and the best game of the year so far.… Expand

The lack of money required to post a score on metacritic causes great disappointment in reviews. Portal is a great game, cosmetic dlc microtransactions are the norm, deal with it.

Portal 2 completely lives up to what we have come to expect from a Valve game; great story, immersive gameplay and extremely creative mechanics. Rather than being dumped in at the deep end, players are slowly immersed and taught the gameplay mechanics as they go along.

There were a couple of places in the game where I was stuck with no idea what to do for a few minutes. The game starts out in a fairly linear fashion with well designed test chambers, but as the game progresses and the player starts to explore the deep underground sections things become a lot more open ended and less obvious.

The story is brilliant and introduces several new characters into the canon. As the game progresses, the player learns about the history of Aperature Science through a variety of ingame objects and dialogue. Visiting areas which were created during different periods of Aperature Science's development, the player is introduced to various gadgets.… Expand

I made an account on Metacritic just so I could give this game a 10. A more than worthy successor to one of the most phenomenal games ever made. I can't recommend it enough to anyone on the fence about it, and that's just off my experience of the single player. By all accounts the Co-op is even more amazing, so I've still got a lot to look forward to.

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

First of all I would like to clarify the "$80 DLC" comment a number of other reviewers have written about. As of today, when you spend "$80" on Portal 2 you are buying Potato Sack + Portal 2 which has 14 games (1 of them being Portal 2), 1 DLC hat for TF2, and 1 DLC skin for Portal 2. In more detail; on Steam there are currently two "versions" of Portal 2 available for purchase. The 1st is Portal 2 for $49.99 http://store.steampowered.com/app/620 . The 2nd is Potato Sack + Portal 2 for $83.71 http://store.steampowered.com/sub/7880/ . Potato Sack + Portal 2 is 13 Indie games from various developers, a potato hat for TF2, a character skin for Portal 2 Co-op, and Portal 2. You can also purchase Potato Sack by itself for 38.72 http://store.steampowered.com/sub/7586/ . I have to assume that the majority of reviewers that commented negatively about the "$80" DLC mis-read or didn't read Potato Sack + Portal 2's package info, and were very disappointed when they realized that the only DLC Potato Sack contains for Portal 2 is a co-op skin. My only complaint regarding Portal 2 is that it did not ship with the editing tools. If it had I would have rated the game a 9/10. If you liked Portal 1, tackled the levels multiple times to clear them with better times you will enjoy Portal 2.… Expand

The game took me about 8 hours to beat, (I'd heard it would take 8-10) and I have to say I cant imagine it being any longer. It would have become too repetitive. I like my puzzle games to be medium to short in time so this was great, as well as the short Portal. I thing this game deserves a 9.5 but since that isn't an option I'm going with 10. I haven't even played the co-op yet but I'm really looking forward to it once some of my other friends finish the game. I even spotted on of the co-op players dancing around on a far away ledge at one point in the game. Anyway, the game was great and the graphics were good. The soundtrack fit perfectly and it was great how it would change whenever you started doing something like using the propulsion gel or pointing a laser into its hole. People that let advertisers get their hopes up are fools. Just enjoy the game for what it is, a good sequel to a good puzzle game.… Expand

One of the best games I have played in a very long time, despite the many negative reviews that this game doesn't deserve.

Although the negative reviews say otherwise, this game is certainly over 4 hours long. Portal 2 has provided me with about 10 hours (give or take, it really depends on your ability to solve puzzles) of spectacular gameplay, and I plan to replay the game for the developer commentary which was included in the game. Portal 2 also comes with developer tools, meaning that new puzzles will be created by users for all to enjoy, providing more replay value. The game has excellent graphics, which are complimented by the interactive environment provided by the Aperture Science Laboratories. The plot was deep and captivating, expanding on the mysteries left by the first game, and contains plot developments that will keep the player hooked until the very end. The game is quite humorous, and has had me laughing at several points in the game. Aside from the excellent mind-boggling puzzles that any puzzle game should provide, Portal 2 also presents dramatic and fast-paced action sequences and plot developments, which keep players on their toes while still refraining from overwhelming the player.… Expand

game is brilliant no matter what the trolls say. People complaining its short seem to forget they stated months ago that it would be around 7 hours. This game has met all of my expectations and more.

Well, since I wasn't one of the people that bought the potato sack (which has some very decent indie games in it, also you supported the indie community, thanks for that!) I'm not automatically going to give this a 0. The game isn't short compared to today's standards, I've played a good 10 hours so far, which is the same as any other big release game on the market now, so stop whining. I'd rather pay $40 for a well polished, fun Valve game that I know is going to be great instead of wasting $80 on a disappointing game that I thought would have been good.

The only downside of the game I can see so far is that Co Op won't be as repayable as I'd like it. Also, who cares about DLC, don't buy it but don't come onto metacritic and whine about it.

It's a Valve game, you can expect only quality, buy the game and make your own mind up! Don't come to sites like these that have Youtube style voting systems where anyone can give anything an unjustified 0 or 10 to make up your mind.

Pros

- An awesome addition to the Portal franchise, an outstanding game for what it is... A PUZZLE GAME.
- A FULL game, 8 - 12 hours.
- Co-op is fun and ORIGINAL.
- Hilarious dialogue. A good story.
- Great music, it suits the scene of the game.
- The graphics are amazing, especially with the crumbling environments.
- It links in with Half-Life.
- It's a quality, polished Valve game.
-Worth more playthroughs; achievements, secrets or just for fun.

Cons
- Co-op Reply Value is fairly low. - ...um hmm.. There's nothing else I can think of that's wrong with the game at the moment.… Expand

Wow.. I'm really dissapointed in the community. Portal 2 is an amazing, innovated and polished game that does not deserve the backlash it's been getting.
#1. People that say the game takes 4 hours have clearly not finished it. I'm currently 4 hours into the campaign and 2 hours into the co-op play. #2. The gameplay is amazing. There's nothing wrong with it, and people game Portal 2 so many 0s and 1s and didnt even take this into account.
#3. Who the f**k cares about the DLC? It doesn't impact the gameplay at all. If you dont want it, dont buy it. I can understand why people would give Portal to a 7 or 8 because the DLC bothers them... but the game itself is WAY to good.

Again.. I'm really disappointed. I thought people were above rating a game that is beautiful, funny, innovated a 0 because they donâ… Expand

If Portal 2 doesn't make every single end-of-year Top 5/Top 10, we will have had the best year for games, ever. Or, to put it another way, I highly doubt there will be 5 games better than this all year long. I've been playing games for 25 years--this is one of the most complete, thoughtful, and humorous games ever released. People on here seem to be whining about the DLC--what in the world does that have to do with the game itself? You're really going to trash a game because you don't want to spend 2 dollars on an animation? Dude--don't buy the DLC, then. It's not hard. You're picking, literally, the smallest thing about the game and letting it cloud your judgment. If you like games, you will LOVE Portal 2. It's that simple. If you like sitting alone in a basement and nitpicking tiny things on the Internet to make yourself feel better, then you'll hate it.… Expand

Great development of story, amazing finale. Awesome soundtrack! Some of the best voice acting I've ever heard in a game. Ridiculously good animations, it's a huge success!

Very, VERY good game. I played Portal 1 twice this past weekend in anticipation of Portal 2 and I feel that it absolutely delivered. Takes a bit of time at the beginning to train new players and refresh those who played Portal 1, the game then introduces new mechanics and consistently delivers them in interesting ways throughout the game.

Single-player took me a total of six and a half hours to complete, and I have not finished co-op yet. The controversial "launch DLC" is nothing more than skins and such for the robots you play in co-op - purchase if you desire, but if you do not purchase you are missing out on nothing.

Great game, would give it a 10/10 but I feel single-player is a bit on the short side. If Valve releases additional single-player content for free (ie. advanced test chambers like Portal 1), this game will then be a 10/10 to me.… Expand

I had never played the first portal so I didn't quite know what to expect, but the game is a lot of fun and most of all a lot more inventive than the usual fare from the first person shooter genre. Highly recommended.

Ignore the haters. They will always look at the glass is 1/10 empty. This game is solid and more than a cosmetic face lift take it from a game developer. The amount of work put into this is phenomenal, pure polish, had me laughing all the way, could not believe the attention to detail, there are some minor issues, but nothing to get in a spin about. I wish I had their resources, but in Australia thatâ… Expand

I played the original Portal about a year after it came out, after hearing some good reviews. It was, in my opinion, one of the best games I had ever played.

Fast forward 3 years. Portal 2 is announced, and I can't wait. The day draws closer, and I can't wait. I followed the ARG, and was refreshing the Glados@Home page constantly hoping for an early release. When it released, I played for about an hour or so before heading off to bed, as it released around midnight here. Played it throughout the day.

Going into playing it, I had extremely high expectations. My biggest worry was that Portal 2 would be unable to meet them. Far from it. Portal 2 has incredible attention to detail, different types of puzzle, and immense amount of story crammed into a 6-8 hour game. While it is short, it is 2-3 times longer than the original. There has been so many new quirks introduced that the game never got repetitive. There are a ton of puzzles in here that will keep you occupied for hours. Once you are finished with single player, there is a cooperative mode for you and a friend/random online person. This allows for much more detailed puzzles, as there are 4 portals to work with and an extra weight. It is a great addition to Portal, making it much more replayable. Put simply, if you like physics puzzles, get this game. If you liked Portal 1, get this game. If you want to say you've played one of the best games released, get this game.… Expand

I seriously doubt that any of the people panning the game even played it. This certainly tops Valve's first effort with Portal. The game is significantly longer, has much more of a storyline, and is quite a bit more complex than it's predecessor. One of the best games I've played in years. Would recommend.

I'm not going to go into the whole DLC stuff because I don't care. However, to all of these people that say the game is only 4 hours long. Shut up. I just finished playing though just the single player and it took me about 7 hours. Add in the fact that there is a whole co-op campaign that is different from the main story, you've got way more game here than 4 hours. Again, to all the 4 hour people, shut up you stupid sheep.… Expand

Great game, you can see the quality in all the little details. I'm not buying any hats and i don't plan to but i'm also not butt-hurt because valve is selling them.

Best Valve game ever, if you like the original portal, this second part is your game. Good graphic , Good history and the perfect cooperative mode. Thank you Valve.

Most of the complaints being submitted are completely unfounded. Please see this article which addresses some of the nonsense being spouted on this rating site:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/04/19/lets-address-some-portal-2-nonsense/

Portal 2 probably is NOT a "10", but it certainly isn't a "0" or "1". Thus, to counterbalance this nonsense, I am giving the game a "10".

Wow. Just wow. This is easily THE BEST game i have ever played. The storyline was absolutely phenomenal and was the most original story I have ever seen. You just cannot predict this stuff. The puzzles were on the perfect borderline of difficulty by not being too easy and boring while at the same time not being frustratingly hard. The different environments and testing obstacles keep the fun coming. Portal was really more of an experiment then a game (a very successful one at that), but Portal 2 is the real deal.… Expand

This game was absolutely amazing, the story telling, complex(-ish) puzzles, the color theme, everything, not to mention it has a lot of replayability values. Valve truly has made a masterpiece here. There really isn't more to be said, oh and to the people who complain about the length, this is a free-roam game, you're not being bound to someone leading you everywhere and telling you what to like, like in CoD or some other generic shooter for the mindless masses. Valve, keep doing what you're doing ;)… Expand

Valve did an awesome job carrying on from where Portal 1 left off, the twists and turns in the story were as entertaining as they were unseen. I've yet to beat the single player campaign, but finished the whole co-op campaign in 6hrs. Honestly, I have no idea where people are pulling "It's just a 3hr game" from, because unless you're just rushing through everything without even caring about the storyline/graphic design/changes to the spaces there is just no freaking way you can beat the whole game (single player and campaign) in just 3hrs. And if you're seriously just buying this game to rush to the end, then you need to stop playing video games, because they are meant to be enjoyed.

Yes there is a DLC store, but the items it provides are not at all needed to complete the game or even have fun with it, they are nothing more than hats and other crap to customize your character in co-op. NOTHING MORE.

This game is well worth the price tag if you enjoyed the first game, even more so if you're a fan of co-op games (which the portal 2 co-op experience went way over what I was expecting it to be!).… Expand

Not only is this Valve's best game this may be one of the best games ever made. Whatever you do, do NOT listen to the gaming "hipsters" that will say things like "the first one was better" "valve's marketing is terrible" etc. They are wrong. Portal 2 is, in every way an improvement on Portal. The puzzles, while sometimes easier, are more varied and have a greater complexity to them. Almost like Angry Birds: its a 30 second solution that takes 3 minutes to figure out. The writing is some of the best ever done in a video game and the voice acting is top notch. If you, even for a SECOND, enjoyed Portal, you owe it to yourself to play this one.
Now, there's always another side to the coin. For all its greatness, and it is mostly greatness, there are some faults. Even with the upgrades to the Source Engine, the game looks dated. cool lighting effects and great level design work around this, but the cracks in the skin are starting to really show. The second complaint is the biggest. The store. Its unnecessary, its annoying, its really stupid. Thankfully, unlike the TF2 store, everything is cosmetic only, but still. As for complaints like "The PC version is a console port" and "the potato sack did nothing" both are wrong. The PC version plays incredibly smoothly, and the graphics are even better then the consoles. Don't believe me? Check out Rockpapershotgun and PCgamer for their reviews, they'll say the exact same thing. as for the Potato Sack complaint? While the sack may not have really sped up the release by more then a few hours, people don't seem to realize what a sale like that does for the indie community. Most of those games were made by small teams, maybe even one person. The fact that Valve was willing to package it's biggest game with these indie games means that Valve really cares for its community and indie developers. So what if it didn't push forward the release of Portal 2? I guarantee that anyone who bought the Potato Sack isn't complaining.
In conclusion: Portal 2 is one of the best games ever made. If you want to listen to hipsters tell you otherwise, that's your prerogative. But if you can find joy in an awesome game, with awesome puzzles and awesome writing, then Portal 2 is just the game for you. Clocking in at 6-8 hours (single player) this is the perfect game for your weekend.… Expand

Lets put this out there:

1) Portal 1 came packed with 3 other games when I got it back in 2006 in the Orange Box and remains to this day one of the top PC game of all time in my book. It lacked in any proper multiplayer, it also lacked visuals, but it was still one of those games that I'd pick up and play over and over, going well over the the $10 or less I had payed for it bundled. I'd easily pay $30-$45 on this on a heartbeat.

2) EA and Activision can come out with a $60 FPS, not last as long, have medicore storytelling, and improper handling of user generated content and people bought that stuff up and the DLC for $5 to $15 a pop. They complain yet they still bite the bullet in the deal.

Anyway the game in the end is probably one of the most memorable thing I've done in a very long time. It came to the point that I exclaimed that I was (or the main girl) is the goddamn Freeman, which is not an understatement. The dialogue and the pacing is 100% perfect, I never felt like I was in the same place twice at any given moment.

The puzzles were great, though I passed through most with no problems, I found myself stumped on the one or two that seemed really obvious the first thought through.

I now await for Portal2 guys to add to this game like the TF2 guys have with their game. Hats and whatever other bull is the norm with TF2 and completely and utterly ignorable. The bad reviews you hear about price to hours played are just rants by people who actually believed that the sequel to a 6hr game would equal something of a magical longer game. Sort of like how Crysis 2 showed off a wonderful game and ended up being a 6hr jog.… 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

Simply put the best experience I ever had in a game.
The humor ist so tremendous I hardly laugh while playing but with Portal 2 I REALLY could not stop laugh out loud. The story is fantastic, lightning up every heart that cares about the aperture universe.
And I don't really want to even talk about the game-play.... it makes a cover-based shooter with quick-time-event look like a tricycle trying to keep up with a rocket heading to a new planet.… Expand

I haven't finished either, but a solid 2 hours in and I see quite a bit more game coming at me, with more innovation in levels as well as co-op. To the guy that said you beat in in 45 minutes, that's completely **** I beat the first one in about 45 minutes the second time I played on steam about a week ago, and this has a significantly larger amount of chambers already, with innovative new designs. To people who say it's too short or doesn't fit the 60$ price tag, that's also stupid. I paid 35$ for this game and will get a 20$ gift card to amazon because of it. Anyone who pays full price without getting preorder benefits that will inevitably stack towards the next game you buy is dumb. With so much competition between retailers, going to the only one (Gamestop) that doesn't offer things at launch is idiotic. To people who say that the 60$ pricetag doesn't include the 80$ of day one DLC, it's all visual. Nobody gives a damn what emoticon your character can express, and again, nobody in their right mind would buy all of it. To claim it adds to the price tag is bull, it doesn't do anything, let the game be the test of the game, not the pricetag.

Nevertheless, even at a 60$ pricetag, with kotaku and others reporting >10 hours of gameplay, it beats going to the movies.

Oh and BTW this is the second valve game I've ever owned. Not a "fanboy" looking to praise anyone. I had the free copy of Portal one, and I suppose I've played Left for Dead, but never bothered buying them.

The only downside I can see so far is that so far the levels haven't been anything about the timing, all about thinking. I liked the few about timing in the first. Added reflexes and such.

Definitely a fun game, and I haven't even started co-op! Also never buy into the hype. Make your own hype, don't go with everyone or it will be a hype inflation :P In which case this game would still be a good game, never a negative review due to solely that.… Expand

If you're thinking about getting this, stop thinking and just get it. Cause in short, it's an absolutely amazing game, it's of decent length, the characters are interesting, and the puzzles are just perfect. If you're noticing the barrage of bad review scores from users, ignore them, they're just trolls. Their primary concerns are that the game is too short, there's day 1 DLC, and that it's a console port, all of which is in short - bullsh*t. Here's my response to their complaints: It took me 8.3 hours to finish the campaign, and I haven't even touched co-op. There is an Online store where you can buy stuff, but it's only skins and hats and aesthetic stuff like that. There's no sign that it's a console port, and if it is, like Rock, Paper, Shotgun said, it's an amazing port which means there's no point to even complain. So just go to the nearest store and buy Portal 2, or better yet, buy it on Steam, you're not going to regret it.… Expand

Simply the best Valve game YET.
It started off a little rocky and worrying for me, but it wasn't long before things got back into full swing, you have both sides of the portal gun, and you're solving puzzles and listening to the pitch black humor Glados so loves.
The puzzles are extremely fun, and become much more challenging than the original, and many different elements to the mix besides.
If you're familiar with the Half Life series, there's a bunch of little nods and pieces of backstory that add to the mythos that are a joy to find and ponder on, and the art direction is truly inspired, and backed up by what must be a bit of Cryengine steroids injected into Source. I had my doubts about the game going into it, but this is Valve's product, and it has all the loving polish and attention to detail I've come to expect from everyone of their games. Play it. I'm sure you'll find it a classic :)… Expand

This game doesn't get a 10 for its gameplay. The new tricks alone merit about an 8. The game earns a 10 for me because its writing is just as good as the original's, perhaps better. The story's fun, the characters are hilarious, and Portal 2 is the best time I've had gaming in years.

ok, THIS GAME IS GOLD, GOTY for sure man.

I'm almost crying of the excitement, i mean, i' ve never enjoyed a game this much.

P.D: The game is worth his price, and even more.

All of the 0's are just trolls readers. Here's what's what: I've been playing the game for about 6 hours now, indulging in every single detail (because I'm a Valve and Portal fan), and have only reached halfway through. If you just keep on going and skip all the minor details, i expect this game to last at least 8 hours for you. However, this game is great, hands down. The story isn't the best, but out of what's coming in the recent industry with modern shooters, this is second to none. I thought I'd be seeing the same things from Portal 1. And for the first few hours, it did; then it brought out the big guns. Bottom line: I've been having a blast with this game.

ALSO ABOUT DLC: There is none. If you're familiar with Team Fortress 2, they have a Mann Co. Store where you buy skins and little things for your co op robots. **DLC will be announced later on and will most likely include levels for the co-op campaign and new items for the robots. If they follow their fashion with Team Fortress 2, THESE UPDATES WILL BE FREE (on PC).**… Expand

Didn't think they'd be able to do it again, but once again Valve has created an actually GREAT game. Which is saying something since there are so few great's within the last 10 years. Just like Portal, Portal 2 has nigh infinite replay-ability, and I'm sure by the end of the month there will be tons of video's showing the tricks to each chamber and hardcore professional's showing off speed runs. It is a challenge and requires you to think (of course, it IS a puzzler!). If i could i'd give it a 20/10, but alas, 10/10 is as high as the slider goes, so it will do. It is awesome, amazing, and completely worth the price. Very glad I got the pre-order, as I'm sure the price will rocket up. I'd say more, but what follows is my response to the children downrating the game. Read if you're curious as to why these children are saying what they are saying.

Now, gotta give my $.50 to these kids/idiots/trolls down rating this obviously great game. You should not read further if you think garbage like Halo, Guitar hero, CoD, TF2, etc. are 'great', as you're too young to understand what even a good game is. Turn off the computer, go back to you're homework. If you are not young and still insist those are great, you are NOT a gamer. Now, the one's claiming "4 hours gameplay...$80 dlc..too easy.." etc., are obvious trolls and have NOT played this great game. Do yourself a favor and do NOT listen to them. Took me about 12 hours total to beat both single player and co op, with less than 15 or so deaths (and I'm accident prone). DLC? I dont know what the %&@$ these guys are smoking, but I want some. The "DLC" is NOT "DLC". It is ALL purely cosmetic additions for your co-op bot. That it. No extra levels, no special short cuts, no special bonuses, absolutely nothing that will give you anything except a slightly altered character model design for your 1 (ONE!) partner at a time that will see it when you play co-op. It is obvious that it was put in purely as a service for the generation of 'lookz i haz hatz lawlz', which are almost entirely very young gamers (or not even actual gamers at all). Also, some of them can be earned thru achievements. As for being too easy, again, I want whatever it is these guys are smoking. If you could do a 10-15 minute speed run of portal 1, without cheats/hacks/altering of code, so ya know, legitimately do the impossible, then yes it MIGHT be easy. Not bragging but to give an example, my personal best for a speed run of portal 1 was 22 minutes, and I did not find portal 2 to be 'easy' by any means. It was challenging and required thinking as well as fast reflexes, more than I can say for most shooters or puzzlers released in the last 10 if not 15 years. As for it being short, again, either they are either a- smoking something really, really potent b- idiots or c- trolls/people who never played either Portal. Many can average 20-40 minutes on a sped run of portal 1, with a first run taking a couple hours or more. Valve lived up to and beyond their advertisement of 4x more game time, and that's from my personal experience of time spent so far. While I am not nearly as good as some at it, the average gamer will easily spend hour's upon hour's on either play mode, and that is just the first play thru's before one gets faster and/or learns tricks. Console port? Far far from it. It is obviously made for the PC, with the PC gamer in mind. The reason they say 'its a port' is cause of the half second that text will occasionally flash when you actively save that says "do not turn off the console". Know what that is? Easier coding on their part, and any gamer will know what they mean regardless. Upset about the ARG? Well, as they saying goes, that's what happens when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. NEVER did Valve say, directly in a press release, that "Playing all these games will release it days early!". Nor did they put a gun to your head and tell you to buy the sack, as well as play it. It was a fun event meant to build up excitement for it, as well as promote a dozen indie games. BTW, Valve lost or didn't gain as much money on the sack, fyi. Majority of the money for that went directly to the indie company that created each game. If you did buy it, good for you! You helped at least 1 or several smaller game companies make a bit more money and promote their games, which guess what, are at least good if not great too for a small price. If you jumped into it, spending the money on the sack and spending the hours upon hours playing expecting days earlier instead of the already great 12 hours, it is YOUR fault.… Expand

The game so far has been great, I'm almost done with single player and it's met my expectations. People complaining about day 1 DLC, it's hats and skins for co-op and has no effect on game-play. If you don't like it don't buy it, it's not there for everyone. I'm looking forward to getting started on co-op.

Hands-down the best Valve game to-date. The experience is hilarious, suspenseful, perfectly paced and crafted. The graphics look and run superbly, and the world is gorgeous and intriguing. The story and its twists are incredible, and the characters are all flawless. Single-Player is less than 10 hours, which many will gripe about, but it was well worth the money.

Ok this game it's all I've waiting for, and I'm sure truly fans will agree with me, and the co-op mode it's a nice and great bonus. Graphics are good, gameplay is as awesome as Portal was and I'm in love with the wonderful soundtrack, the VALVe team did a magnificent work there. Worth the buy nuff said.

trolls will be trolls. the microtransactions are OPTIONAL. The game thus far is the **** and if I choose to pay to customize my character, I don't mind that. IMO valve deserves my money, especially considering that in 1998 i bought a single game that brought me years of enjoyement (due to their mod community support). Without them there would not be a Counterstrike, or Team fortress, or Portal/Portal2.… Expand

My opinion for this game is it is a very great sequel, being a predecessor to its original game, (Portal). They have added many new types of mechanics and nifty things such as Repulsion Gel, Thermal Discouragement Beams, and many more. The story in my opinion is nothing short of just amazing. The difficulty is not to hard, but at the same time not to easy. my only complaint is it is about 8 hours long, but I assure you it will be the greatest 8 hours of your life. The also added a new multilayer option that you can play local or online. I have tried it out with a friend and it is fun, and also a bit more challenging the the single player. Overall a great game and if you have the money I suggest buying it… Expand

I think this game is awesome. It's better than the first. The people hating on this game have no clue at all.

1.) The game took me about 7 - 10 hours to beat. I honestly was expecting just 4 hours and even if it was just 4 hours long, I would have been perfectly happy with that! I GOT MY $59.99 MONEY'S WORTH. The game does something that not many games can do. It kept me entertained though and through. Not once did I feel like the game was needless padding itself out, nor did I feel the "Come on. GET ON WITH IT." I felt with other games. (Like I did with games from the Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty series)

2.) Those who are complaining about the DLC. First of all, it's COSMETIC. You do not have to buy it in order to enjoy the game. I didn't spend a single dime on it, and you know what... I STILL GOT MY $59.99 MONEYS WORTH FROM THIS GAME!

3.) Those who are complaining about the graphics being dated. Get a better computer! Seriously! If the textures and graphics look bad then you are playing the game on the lowest settings, because your computer cannot handle this game. Get a job, and build a better computer, or go play it on the consoles and STFU!

Valve. I applaud you guys for making this game and I really hope you make another portal game.... after you finish Half Life 3! XD

The developers did an excellent job and I give this game a 10/10.… Expand

Awesome game, very well written, very well built. nice challenges, awesome graphics (especially that it's an old engine) , those bad reviews are just troll, not sure why they take on this game, it deserves its price. Valve > *

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't know why there are so many sub five reviews for this game. Maybe just a lot of over-reactions from people. Anyway, I'll write this to help balance it out.

Portal 2 is not a 10/10. It's close. But it doesn't quite make it.
The single-player storyline was great. The characters all fill their roles well and we were given a much larger background on the Aperture science facility. Valve also manages to get some pretty epic moments in there as well as adding some great new mechanics like the gel and what not.

However, after the story-line there are no advanced chambers to keep challenging yourself and your friends with time trials, least portal challenges etc, etc. But with the addition of a pretty awesome Co-op play where you have to work together to complete various test chambers (As well as crushing bros with the panel thingys) it's not so bad. But still, it would have been nice (As well as a possible DLC area. Which brings me to my next point)

**** day one DLC. Seriously. I don't have a problem with DLC in general. Expanding on your game later is awesome for keeping the game fresh and interesting. But shipping the game with content that you have to buy to unlock is just bad.… Expand

This is a travesty. Not the game, these reviews. First of all, it's clear that nobody complaining about the "console ports" understands how the Source engine works. IT WAS WRITTEN FOR PC. The port was from the PC to the CONSOLES. Not the other way around. It's stupidity bordering on malice to claim that. Stupidity being 'not understanding the Source engine, and not thinking to look it up' and malice being astroturfers, or people trying to sink the game. Valve probably overlooked some of the menu text, hidden in a little translatable text file somewhere.

Second, who does this in 4 hours? I'm a competent FPS gamer, and I did it in 6. This is what they said it would take. But I rushed a little. If I did it again, I'd spend more time looking around and listening to dialogue, but that's because I'm looking to have fun. I missed whole hidden areas in the first game that I found later. And I'll be able to play the *other half of the game* (another 6 hours) with my friends over the next few days. Then I'll replay the one-player now that I can focus on the world and story - much like I did with Portal 1.

The gameplay is entirely different. The gels, funnels, and bridges almost entirely change the way you think about modifying the game world, in the same way the portals did in the original game. Again, to claim otherwise suggests that somebody either didn't play the game or is trying to sink it.

Do I think the store is stupid? Sure, that's why I won't buy anything from it. If it really bothered me, I wouldn't play with anybody who did - but I'm not a braying jackass, so I'll just not sweat it. You're welcome to, though, and the store is limited to stickers and hats and that sort of thing - so what's the big deal?

Come on everyone. You should be ashamed of yourselves.… Expand

If this is the game of the year, then it definitely is a bad year for games. i could see how this game could be challenging and funny to 10 year olds, but for adult gamers its just too easy and childish in its execution, don't believe the hype, its an ok game but nothing to get excited about. the singleplayer part is worth around 4-5 hours of gaming , after solving the puzzles there's no point in playing through them again, so the replayability is lacking.
i haven't tried the multiplayer coop yet but hope this offers some redeeming qualities.

i'm giving this a 1 only to bring the unrealistic score caused by valve fanboys down to earth,
my actual rating would be around a 6

Pros:
- some new gameplay elements
- occasional funny lines - ok graphics
- slightly longer than portal 1 - new different areas/settings

cons:
- The game was dumbed down, much easier than part 1 despite the new gameplay elements, which is a shame - the game tries to hard to be funny, trying to turn every line in a joke, often without being humorous
(a little subtlety would have been better)
- stephen merchant gets annoying in his role of robot orb.
- story is lacking really, one dimensional, predictable without much depth.
- Music sounds amateurish
- too many loading screens.
- occasional crashes… Expand

I found the first half of the game even better than the original, but the second half just blew my mind. Quite possibly the best game I have ever played. Took me about 8.5 hours for the single player game with only a few pauses when stumped, so don't put much stock in reviews that say 3-4 hours. There is obviously some kind of coordinated effort to discredit the game, but you're seriously missing out if you don't play it for yourself.… Expand

This game is amazing, another valve classic. It is better than the first one, don't know why people say it is not, more puzzles and longer game with more story = better in my book. The dialogs in the game are really funny and make the adventure really enjoyable along with the awesome BGM.

Don't pay attention to the moronic reviews from a bunch of haters who only came to spam, this game is great and no amount of hate is gonna change that.

There's some debate going about some hat store or something, but I really don't a crap about hats and if they are in there well cool for those who do like them, I'm busy having fun playing the game instead of giving a hoot about an in-game store.

So go buy it, what are you waiting for?!… Expand

Best game of the year. The ending was beautiful and the game ran perfectly on my laptop when tf2 doesn't even run that well. The DLC is fine lets you do what you want to your character without affecting game play but maybe this will show how little people will care about the DLC but what ever.

Very fun, yet over-hyped. Co-op is a blast. The game met my expectations and was worth the dosh. I don't plan on buying any of the superfluous shop items. The single player mode was a great way to introduce the new features, but so far I've spent most of my time playing co-op with friends. The co-op really is where this game shines.

Haters gonna hate.

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.

absolutely awesome everyone must buy! best game out on ps3 this year! 'nuf said.. to begin with the story is all u'd expect from valve with quirky humour and great writing, the puzzles are hard and the multiplayer is awesome. what is not to like? this game is a MUST BUY, it is absolutely awesome!!!! :)

It's pretty awesome. My only complaint is that the price is high for how short it is, but.. it surpassed Portal 1 and became my new favorite game. I would have paid more.

The greatest game I have ever played. It is worth my money, it is not 4 hours long (unless you are ultra smart)
this is my all around favorite game. I am just reviewing singleplayer but, playing singleplayer was the most satisfying gaming experience I have ever played.

Now, this game is a piece of art, I can't understand why people are disagreeing on the marketing and lowering the score just for this, the thing is: Portal 2 is a very, VERY, good game, it will probably get the GOTY easily, if another contender won't appear. And honestly, the soundtrack is good, the outro is good too, why are people hating?

This is, by far, the most polished game I have ever played. I can't even imagine how much prime content was cut out of the prerelease copies to leave the pristine diamond-sharp game of Portal 2.

The writing, the audio, the dynamic sound effects - they are all absolutely perfect! I finished the single player campaign in about 12 hours over the last two days. I've only spent about 20 minutes in multiplayer but I can't wait to spend more! A perfect 10.… Expand

Just finished this game, and it is honestly one of the most atmospheric and rewarding games that I have ever played. I understand that the humor may not find an audience for some people, even though it is quite lighthearted despite being somewhat "dark." The writing is very clever and Valve melds in multiple seemingly standard tropes into an quirky, unique product. The game really shines in terms of overall polish; glancing at the environment just supports this overall perspective that this game is complete and that all the puzzles were thoroughly mapped and designed in a way that can sometimes be challenging, but not impossible, and extremely rewarding. Valve took a lot of the same puzzle mechanics from the first game and expanded on them. The graphics themselves are sort of dated, but Valve more than makes up for this by having an art style that is distinct and engaging.

Honestly, if you're looking for a game that is evidently polished and, although short, redeems itself by being just plain satisfying: Portal 2 is a breath of fresh air.… Expand

Very enjoyable. The game looks extremely nice and runs smoothly. Extremely funny characters and brilliant voice acting. Love this game. The price is perfect. Co-op is extremely fun with friends or random people. I found many lovely random people that were nice and had good humor. The Campaign and Co-op are over 10 hours and with hopefully some mods a lot more time. The story line made me laugh and throughly enjoyed it.… Expand

Portal 2 is amazing plain and simple. The arguments of those who rated the game 1 and 0 make no sense In the actual context of the game. Short gameplay seems to be the main problem, but if you blitz through the puzzles, you will be missing half the game such as the excellent voiceacting and beautiful scenery. The point is to take the game slow and let yourself be immersed in it, not just run through the puzzles. The graphics are brilliant for a 7 year old engine and though the dlc and the potato thing was disappointing, the actual game itself is close to flawless.… Expand

I gave Portal 2 for the PC a perfect score because I really cannot find anything wrong with it, and I sincerely feel that it is just THAT good. Portal 2 maintains the elements of game-play that made the original Portal such a great game; but at the same time it adds a new "feel" to the game that definitely out does its predecessor. The addition of other elements being incorporated into the puzzles (ex. the different goos) definitely gives the game a new flair that expands the style its puzzles. The single player campaign took me about 6-7 hours to complete, and the entire time I never wanted to stop. The game really expands though when you get into the co-op modes. I believe that there are about 86? puzzles that you can do with a partner, and I would highly suggest playing with a friend, or someone you know.… Expand

This game far surpasses the first portal and is the most fun I have had from a video game in a long time. While everyone else is churning out repetitive realistic war shooters Valve is innovating and bringing genuine fun back to PC gaming. The DLC complaints are unwarranted. The DLC is in no way a necessary part of the game(just cosmetic addons and gestures for multiplayer) and so far is 100% unlockable.… Expand

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

this is my first review on metacritic.
since there is a lot of troll screwing with this user score im gonna post 10. but honestly this game is a solid 9.
is one of the best game i have played this year. is a strong rival for goty. the source engine an engine from a game for 2004 is still one of the best looking engine. the game has so many great moments. the humor is so great. valve always succeed doing funny lines on their games. sorry the bad english. the game took me about 8 hour to finish and i did not get stuck at any puzzle more then 10 minutes.

the coop is fantastic. one of the best coop experience since i can remember. feels like real cooperation.

overall. great game. you can not miss.
sorry my bad english. :^P… Expand

Portal 2 is an awesome game. Everything it did good in the first one it does even better here.
some people complain that its short ( 5 hrs ), and rate it down for that. But a game that is so fking good that you wish it was longer. thats something good?;) And after that 5 hrs you even have another 5 hrs of co-op ! A Perfect Game. 10/10

Portal 2 is one of those rare games that makes its predecessor completely obsolete. There are more puzzles, more characters, better graphics and sound, more variables in the puzzles, and a surprising story that went above and beyond my expectations. Unfortunately, once youâ

I give this game a 10/10 for two reasons:

a) To offset the idiots who are giving it a 0/10 because it has a bunch of completely optional DLC that isn't necessary at all and will not benefit your gaming experience unless you feel you need new skins and expressions. Also to offset the ones who have clearly not played the game. If you say it lasts 3 hours you're simply wrong, among my friends, many of whom are experienced gamers, not one has completed the campaign, nor has one logged less than 4 hours. Talking to other people who have played, I am 3.5 hours in and a bit over half way done. Maybe if you power through every puzzle and never stop to enjoy the game you could finish in 5-6 hours, but 3 is absurd. 9 seems to be the most reasonable estimate.

b) Because it's a fantastic game. The level design is simply put brilliant, and as with the original the writing is razor sharp. They took the already fantastic concepts seen in Portal and expanded them in every way possible. All the tiny tweaks they've made here and there serve to make one of the finest games we've seen in years. And something I didn't expect at all: a good backstory! As opposed to Portal, which posed a bunch of questions but gave literally no answers whatsoever, Portal 2 seeks to reveal the past of Aperture Science and go much deeper into the psyche of everyone involved. There are more characters, more ways to beat a level, more variety (particularly regarding environments)... I could keep going on and on, but simply put, this game is fantastic. A masterpiece side with the critics on this one, not the users, the majority of them have not even played it or have insignificant gripes with it.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Portal 2 is a great game that i enjoyed all the way through. I thought the length was decent, all though i would have liked it too have been longer simply because i enjoyed it so much. The story line was good as well. My main problem with the game is that there isn't any replay value. There are no extra test rooms for finishing the game. there are no levels of hardness for the test rooms. Once you have finished, that is it. As good as the game was the lack of replay value is disappointing and i would have given it a larger score if their had been some extra game play choices (and not just DLC).… Expand

This game was nothing short of amazing. Worth every penny and every hour of waiting. Not only has Valve outdone themselves with amazingly smooth animation and amazing map design, they have also put in both challenging and simple maps to appeal to both types of players. After completion of the amazingly written single player campaign, I was nothing short of stunned. Luckily I wasn't stunned enough to miss the request from a good buddy to play some of the Co-op levels! The Co-op is also amazing, Valve really did an excellent job of breathing life into the two slabs of metal (Atlas and P-body) and helping them portray proper emotions. All in all I give this game a 10/10, though if possible I would give it a 100/10. (P.S: to xbox players crying about how PS3 users got a free PC copy and you didn't, that's because Microsoft didn't want the steam platform on their device, while sony accepted it with open arms.) (P.P.S: Seriously? You guys are letting an in game store and item system affect your rating? You'll only be playing with your friends. No "Trading servers" or anything. You also are not forced to buy ANYTHING at all.)… Expand

Anyone giving this game anything less than an 8 is a troll, or was extremely confused about the early release project. The mentioning of minigames have nothing to do with the actual game play of Portal 2. I have had nothing but extreme satisfaction with my play through so far, and look forward to moving on to co-op.

This is a great sequel for Portal. Nice graphics, good story, and awesome gameplay. The new test chambers are challenging and fun at the same time. Its definitely worth it's price.

The singleplayer in Portal 2 was like its predecessor, a very well written story, hilarious moments, and tricky test chambers. The environment has changed a bit, and new features has been added to the chambers, for example lasers. If you're decent at solving the puzzles, you'll complete the game in a matter of hours. What I personally have not tried is the co-op mode, but from what I take it enriches the game even more. I only detected a few minor glitches, mostly graphical, but that was a rarity. I believe Portal 2 is one of the most polished games I've tried this year. I recommend buying it, especially if you have played Portal 1. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10 for the story, gameplay, graphics, music and sound.… Expand

I'm one of those people that absolutely zombie out in front of the television and computer, almost emotionless despite what I'm watching or playing. The funniest sitcoms and stand up shows, the most intense sequences and I may have changed my expression once. I jumped into Portal two and I was laughing out loud in the first 5 minutes. I have never had a better time playing a game, I laughed, was (legitimately) afraid, and cried on the elevator ride to the surface. (absolutely the most intense thing Valve has ever done)


Those who want to argue that it was too short, or the DLC is a scam: What ever happened to quality of entertainment? I was more entertained in the first hour of this game than the many hours I put into playing Mass Effect (2) (even though thats comparing potatos to lemons.) No replay value? There's plenty of hidden content throughout the game that will most likely have gone undiscovered during the first playthrough, achievements and developer commentary had me scrambling back into it only an hour after I beat it the first time. Unless you're a hardcore puzzle-solver genius the game will take you at least 6 hours the first time, with developer commentary and hidden areas it will probably take a bit longer than that your second time. (even if you already know how to solve the puzzles) THEN there's the co-op mode which I have yet to play but people claim its at least another 5 hours. As for the DLC, its completely cosmetic. If you don't want to pay for silly hats or gestures then don't. If you disagree with this then hold it against VALVE not the game itself.… Expand

I havn't completed the game yet as i only had chance to have a quick play last night (about 2 hours worth) and i have to say it's already brilliant. Stephen Merchant and GlaDos make amazing comedy and obviously the portal gameplay is as good and better than the first. Am still yet to try multiplayer but from what I've played so far it's definitly a 10/10 game.

Loved it.
They kept the humor and style of Portal but created a more plot centric game that doesn't fail to give you a great experience. It's a 6-7 hour game that is thoroughly enjoyable.
The loading screens break the flow a little but that is my only complaint. Well worth $50 (especially in Australia)

I can confidently say that this is the best portal game to date... seriously.
Having just finished the single-player (~6 hours, found hardly any hidden easter eggs), I can say there is the right mix of just about everything in this game. Humour, story, visuals, puzzles, difficulty, length... all just right. I can't wait to start the co-op.
And for those whingeing few: the "day 1 DLC" consists of a bunch of useless skins and whatnot for your co-op character. This game ships complete. Any "DLC" is completely unnecessary and thus you must rely on your self-restraint to not buy anything. Just like the potato sack. No one forced you to buy it. Personally, I had already bought the potato sack, before the portal 2 ARG started. They are a bunch of awesome indie games and I was more happy to shell out the $38 (which is only $2.90 per game for chrissake!). If you are unhappy with the results of the ARG, you have no-one to blame but yourself. In other words, suck it up.… 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.