Portal 2

So do we need Portal 2? Do I need it? Maybe not, but I'm sure as hell glad it exists. The portal aspect has probably reached its zenith in Portal 2, and given the way the game ends I don't think there's much room for a Portal 3.

Portal 2 exceeds every expectation. It has a smart story, hilarious dialogs and the most refined multi-dimensional puzzles ever created. [June 2011, p.78]

Like its predecessor, Portal 2 is not an adventure game in the traditional sense, but genre fans will find plenty to appreciate in this story-driven obstacle course, because puzzle games don't get any better than this.

Pile on the "Oh, yes!" moments of solving some really great puzzles, and there's every reason to start thinking about Game of the Year accolades. It's that good.

Impatience aside, Portal 2 is an exceptionally well-crafted, intelligent, entertaining, humorous game. You will laugh. You will feel like a freaking genius. You will want more. And yes, you will probably be hearing quotes from Portal 2 for the next three years.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.

In conclusion, Portal 2 is a textbook example of how to make a great game, but nothing more.

Portal 2 couldn't be Portal, but it's the next best thing. It's a longer, funnier, more emotional plummet through Aperture's perplexing laboratory, and its meticulous detail, perfect pacing, and kinetic, mind-expanding puzzles make it a blazingly memorable experience. It's so damn memorable, already feel nostalgic about it.

Without a doubt, one of the best games ever made. It's a game that not only seamlessly blends puzzle and adventure elements together, but makes a name for itself as a true "comedy" game, where witty dialog and laugh-out-loud concepts have been given an equal billing with the gameplay itself. It's funny, it's challenging, it's inventive, and it boasts memorable moments that will stick in your mind and make your hair stand on end every time you think about them.

With this sequel, Valve has ramped up the brain-cramping puzzle elements and expanded the cast with immensely lovable characters, and they did it just enough to make sure the whole thing feels fresh and interesting for the longer campaign.

Never before has a review embargo had us screaming inside so badly that our mind eventually goes hoarse. We've wanted to shout from the rooftops about how Portal 2 not only betters the original Portal, but completely annihilates it...If you thought the original Portal was a masterpiece, prepare to have your mind blown.

Portal is perfect. Portal 2 is not. It's something better than that. It's human: hot-blooded, silly, poignant, irreverent, base, ingenious and loving. It's never less than a pure video game, but it's often more, and it will no doubt stand as one of the best entertainments in any medium at the end of this year. It's a masterpiece.

A mere ten minutes here will yield more memorable moments than you're likely to squeeze out of the entirety of most other games this year. In all aspects of its design, Portal 2 is genius.

Despite being so much bigger than the original, I actually felt a little melancholy once Portal 2 was over, simply because it's so rare to find a game this smart, this funny, and this rich with detail. It elevates Portal from an odd, memorable experiment to one of the most significant series in Valve's stable with a unique voice and an incredible level of quality that all developers should aspire to.

Portal 2 may be the best game of 2011. It may be the best game of all-time. It is certainly the best game you can play right now. I loved every moment I spent with Portal 2. I'm even enjoying looking at the game sitting on my shelf knowing how much fun I will have again someday when I revisit Aperture Science, alone or hopefully with a friend who may not have played the game. Portal 2 proves that you don't have to kill things to make a great game and more importantly…science is fun!

Portal 2 is better in every possible way when compared to its predecessor. The writing is brilliant and the voice actors have managed once again to bring the robots to life perfectly. Valve proves to be an amazing developer and brings us what could be the best game this generation has ever known.

It's hard to sum up a game like Portal 2. It doesn't have enough shooting to be a shooter, but it's not abstract enough to be a puzzle game. It's unique and challenging enough to attract the hardcore, but its offbeat humor and intuitive design will make it a hit with casual players.

It starts slowly and at first might seem like an expansion, but it has many epic moments waiting for you. It is not the perfect game, but comes dangerously close.

Portal 2 has an enormous warmth that makes it easy to adore, even when you're up against its many frustrating brainteasers. An amazing gameplay experience merged with a very unique, engrossing concept. Truly an exceptional experience that almost any gamer should give at least one go.

A truly fantastic game, a worthy sequel in almost every way and a joy to play. It may not pack the surprise-factor of the original game – a fact which deprives GlaDOS especially of much of her early power – but it's still just as fun, fast, funny and fantastic as we'd expect a second Portal game to be.

Portal 2? Simply awesome. Period.

Portal 2 is fantastic. Its single-player provides ample amounts of genuinely funny and compelling narrative and some great puzzles, while the co-op takes the game's mechanics and pushes them to their absolute, playable limit. You're only getting around 10-12 hours after delving into both halves of the game, but it's a concentrated thrill, where its weakest moments are still standards that most developers can barely reach in the first place.

Fantastic writing, excellent gameplay, and a level of polish and playtesting so high that you know it's got to be a Valve title, Portal 2 is simply a game that can not be missed.

The writing is without peer and its execution brilliant, with the voice-over performances and details in visuals/animations rivaling anything Pixar has done on film. On top of all that, it's hilarious!

GLaDOS sang it best back in 2007: "I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction". Huge success indeed.

Portal 2 is the best game I had the opportunity to play this year. It interests the player from the beginning and stays like that to its final minutes. It entertains with great, humorous dialogue, intrigues with compelling puzzles - as a result you keep staring at the screen and forget about the world around you. Valve's newest game is also a well-written product with great attention to detail.

Portal 2 manages to exceed expectations without compromising any of the core gameplay that made the original so popular, and should easily be considered one of the best titles available so far this year.

Portal 2 is the great game that fans hoped. GLaDOS is back to make our life difficult. It doesn't allow us out of this hell that is the Aperture laboratory. Vegetation, more puzzles and many new challenges for one or two players.

The very short duration and lack of multiplayer were the most important shortcomings signaled by the community regarding its predecessor, so Portal 2 came to directly solve these problems, while at the same time further evolving the gameplay that was so beloved by millions of fans. If Portal was an experiment, a child who didn't know if he'll reach adulthood, Portal 2 can be seen as the teen years of the series. And if the evolution will continue in the same manner, I can't wait to see what it will look like when he'll be all grown up.

Mindbending puzzles, a ton of humor topped with a good story and an outstanding coop mode, Portal 2 is the game you have to play. You will laugh, you will think till your brain hurts and you will cheer considering the love and cleverness that Valve put into this diamond of a game. From sound to innovation to comedy to gameplay the game is simply perfect. Play and enjoy.

Portal 2 is a masterpiece and more than a worthy successor to one of the most innovative games in years.

The game's quality stays consistently outstanding throughout; there isn't a minute of filler content to be found anywhere in single-player or co-op.

Makes the original look like the prototype it was. It's filled with a larger cast of characters vividly brought to life through brilliant writing and some of the best voice acting in video games...From the beginning of the single-player story to the end of the co-op mode, Portal 2 is a novel, unforgettable experience.

It's gameplay, over all the other details, that makes Portal 2 unique as a videogaming experience. Even if you don't love puzzles, you should feel the urge to discover and explore bestowed by the over the top level design. It's not perfect, probably it should last longer or cost less, but it's still a masterpiece and an enriching experience.

Portal 2 includes groundbreaking gameplay, a collection of deep and nuanced characters, a completely insane story, and some incredible gaming moments you'll probably never forget.

A challenging, hilarious, and mind-expanding puzzle experience for one or two-treasure your first time through.

Portal 2 is, in short, a terrific game, throwing you headfirst into a realm of intense and brain-teasing puzzles and great humor. The story is richer story this time around too.

A hilarious slice of gaming glory. [July 2011, p.92]

Portal 2 is a finely polished experience that you should not miss. It is also fairly short but ultimately that isn't the biggest issue - the chronic lack of challenge for those of us that already know how to "think with portals" is. A lot is saved by the excellent co-op mode but I weep for the missed opportunities.

A must-have for every games looking for a clever, funny and original challenge. Portal 2 offers lots of surprises and twists and has been tuned just right to be challenging, but not frustrating. The level design is fair and keeps the motivation high until the end.

Almost as good as the first one. Main reasons are lack of cake, unfunny Wheatley and slightly boring one-solution middle-levels. Otherwise Portal 2 is as clever as it is well written. And now Half-Life 2: Ep 3, please. [May 2011]

The graphics may not be of the same caliber of other AAA titles, and the story may falter from time to time, but those are paltry excuses not to experience one of the best current generation games around.

Portal 2 is an excellent game. Maybe not as powerful as the first one, as it's a different one, but it's intelligent, witty and scathing. You should not miss one of the best scripts you'll see this year.

Portal 2 is more of the same, but only in the best of ways. Valve didn't mess with a winning formula, and the end result is that Portal 2 is a better game than its excellent predecessor.

The sense of novelty is diminished, but the thrill of exploration and puzzle-solving is still intoxicating, and it's amazing how Portal 2 manages to tell a better story with disembodied voices and spherical robots than most games can with full-on humans. Your return to Aperture Science is a joyful one in this immensely appealing, laugh-out-loud funny, and thoroughly satisfying sequel.

By no means as revolutionary as the first game, but still lots and lots of fun. For some the overall playthrough time might be too short though, but Aperture is a place to visit again and again.

Portal 2 delivers, and it does it in style, creating one of the most meticulously designed, thrilling and delightful playgrounds we've ever seen. It's a game with a magical take on momentum, where single bounds over tall buildings are business as usual, where every surface is a potential launchpad, and the entire experience is a belly laugh.

Portal 2 expands on everything the first game did so well and makes it even better. Perfectly paced and adorably funny from start to finish, Portal 2 will keep on surprising you and challenge your wit right to the finish. In brief, everyone should play Portal 2, alone or with a friend.

Ultimately, the biggest problem with Portal 2 is Portal 1, which was a lean mean meme machine driven by one of videogaming's most unforgettable characters. So when the sequel has a minor negative space problem, and closes with a credit sequence that I can't hum for the life of me, is Portal 2 ever so slightly disappointing, or was Portal 1 just flat-out ingenious? I suspect a little of both. But with this much awesome Stephen Merchant, and with my status as a frickin' genius puzzle solver reaffirmed, and with a unique co-op experience, it's like complaining that I was promised the moon and the stars, but I only got the moon.

What Portal 2 gains in cinematic narrative presentation, it loses in puzzle-solving ponderousness. It will delight you and entertain you, but it will not fill you. [July 2011, p.66]