Portal 2
Portal Still Alive stunned gamers in 2007 with its interesting puzzles and intriguing concept. Now Portal is back, but everything has changed. No longer is the protagonist (Chell) confined to the sterile white environments of the test chambers in the first game. Now Chell finds herself in a larger adventure with a new enemy. This said the question remains⦠is the game as good.
Gameplay
In Portal 2 you still (mostly) have the same goals as in the first game, find a way to open the door and exit the room. That isnât saying the game doesnât bring anything new to Portal, on the contrary in fact. Although you do still spend the majority of time in test chambers doing things mentioned above, you will also spend a lot of time just searching for a wall you can Portal to so you can reach areas you otherwise wouldnât be able to explore. In the game there are also a few âescapeâ sequences where you are running away from certain traps set by the current antagonist of the game. I canât go into more detail than that without spoiling the entire game, but know that the parts are fun, short, and amazing. The main amazing ideas of Portal Still Alive stay the same in its successor, but now more to that original formula. More puzzle elements are introduced to Portal 2 like gels. There are three types of gels in the game blue, orange, and white. Each gel has its own effect on the character or on Portals. For example a blue gel will make Chell jump much higher than she could before letting her reach high platforms. The orange gel makes her run faster, this is used in many ways, but one way is to gain momentum for a Portal (similar to falling in first game.) White gel makes walls you couldnât put Portals on Portal-able. Other elements like bridges that can go through Portals, tractor beams, and floor pieces that fling you into the air are also there but not as prominent. Overall Portal 2 gameplay is fantastic. It was able to retain its appeal from the first game while adding to it.
Portal 2 also added a co-op mode. I have played very little, but itâs about three hours, can be played local or online, and has a story. Presentation
Portal 2 goes for a much more complex and interesting look than Portal. The a sizable amount of Portal takes place in sterile white environments called test chambers; but now they have a more complex look with over grown weeds and decay. During the course of the game you will end up going into laboratories from around the 60âs, 70âs, and 80âs. These labs have also a worn-down. Portal 2 has a few cut scenes, but theyâre made with the same engine as the rest of the game so they donât look any better. The problem with the graphics is that they donât look great for a technical standpoint. Theyâre okay, but some textures and lighting is sub-par. Overall Portal 2âs graphics a vastly improved over the original.
Portal: Still Alive had some great voice acting, maybe a little scarce, but good still good. Portal 2 still has that great voice acting. The game even has J.K Simmons, and Stephen Merchant as voice actors, and theyâre great at it. Glados is still here too and youâll hear her mean (yet funny) remarks. Just like Portal, Portal 2 has great voice acting and thankfully theirs more of it.
Story
I donât want to spoil too much of the amazing story in this game, so Iâll keep it short. Chell is awakened by a robot. She finds herself in the aperture science laboratories of the first game. She and the little robot that woke her up, Wheatly (voiced by Stephen merchant) team up to get out of aperture. On the way out they accidently wake Glados up again. Then it gets complicated. The problem with the story is that itâs pretty thin. You wonât play the game for story. There is also a co-op story, but it isnât as smart or funny. The co-op story also is very thin. Playing through the single player story will take you about six hours and co-op about three. Overall the single player story is good and pretty well written for a game. Overall
Portal 2 is a fun game. Not perfect by any means. It is the most fun puzzle game Iâve ever played. All the ideas are fresh and fun, areas look interesting, has a good story, and a relatively good replay value. You will have hours of fun with this game.…Expand
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