Portal 2

Many readers may remember when I indulged myself last May with Valve's Orange Box. It was great value for money with some of the best games I've played in recent memory, and if you haven't played it I suggest going to get it RIGHT NOW. Almost a year has passed since then, and we find ourselves presented with Portal 2, a follow up to the short, but awesome puzzle fps that promised us cake, and gave us neurotoxin. How did lengthening a 2 hour story into a full length game work out? Does it recapture the same lightning that was the original Portal?

STORY
For those who didn't play the original, Spoiler warnings follow. At the end of Portal, the protagonist, Chell, had escaped Aperture Science and the demented tests of GLaDOS, the rogue AI. But as Chell lay semi-conscious in the A.S Parking lot, she was dragged back in by an unseen force.
As the game begins, we find Chell attempting to re break out of the labs with the help of an AI by the name of Wheately. In the course of this escape, Chell encounters GLaDOS again, and thus the tests begin anew.

Its worth noting that the game is roughly 3 times longer than the original, and the story surprisingly holds up for the entire play time. It is split into 3 acts, the first of which is your re introduction to GLaDOS, as well as the introduction of Wheately. It's here that basic portal skills are implemented to re-teach old players and ease new players in.
The second act focuses mainly on Aperture Sciences background and it serves to tell us how the facility got to the point it's at now. It's extremely enjoyable to hear the many recordings detailing Aperture Science's history and eventual downfall.

The third act is the climactic lead-up to the final battle, and (assuming you don't look at the trophies/achievements) you won't see the twist coming until it actually happens in an earlier act. This changes everything, and I wonder why the trophy/achievement wasn't made secret.

As a whole, the story is enjoyable and serves to give the game a sense of place in the world. We learn about GLaDOS as well as the failing Science labs, and it's really enjoyable. As with the last game, there is a lot of humour injected into the plot, and it works perfectly.

PRESENTATION
Theres been a massive graphical overhaul since Portal, and theres an added layer of polish in Portal 2 that makes the experience that much better. Don't get me wrong, the game looked and played fine before, but theres so much more character and depth to the world than what was found in Portal. On top of this, theres a lot more colour and variety to the settings. Some of the test areas are recyclyed from Portal, but are unrecognizable due to the overgrown vegetation.

The voice acting talent of Ellen McLain is again put to good use as GLaDOS, and Stephen Merchant plays Whetaely perfectly. Almost every line he says is funny or endearing in some way. J.K. Simmons (who some may remember as J. Jonah Jameson from the Spiderman movies)was born with a voice perfect for spouting insanity, and was cast perfectly as Cave Johnson (Aperture Science's CEO).

The music is some of the best I've heard in any game, with some very cool electronic tunes during the test chambers, and some dynamic flourishes while doing certain things, like soaring through the air. And Jonathon Coulton works his magic again during the credits. Its a nice little reward for playing a fantastic game.


GAMEPLAY
The base of Portal 2's gameplay remains the same as the original: get from point A to point B using Portals. The game increases it's puzzle repertoire, however, with the addition of gameplay mechanics like Light Bridges, Excursion Funnels and Propulsion and Repulsion Gel.

While a lot of the puzzles aren't as difficult as in the original, they're still challenging. In addition, nothing gets you bogged down enough to get frustrating. The game flows nicely, and it's unlikely that you'll get stuck for extended periods of time. The challenges do get gradually more difficult, but thats par for the course. Theres no point in continuing if the challenge will always stay the same.

There is also a co-op campaign with a story and challenges seperate from the single player. Using 2 sets of portal guns, players have to communicate with each other to pretty much get from point A to B. Teamwork and communication is paramount here, and the addition of the "Ping" feature, means playing online without a headset won't be too frustrating.
As with all Co-Op games, theres a lot of potential for betrayal here, and lets face it... Who doesn't love screwing over their mates??

While there really isn't alot to the gameplay here, it's presented in enough ways as to never get uninteresting. While the last game ended quickly as to not outstay its welcome, Portal 2 introduces enough new elements regularly so that it maintains interest.

REPLAYABILITY
O.K, so there isn't a whole lot to the gameplay here. After single player and co-op completion, all you really have is trophy/acheivements to get, and some user created content if you're connected to steam (though PS3 counterparts may not have this function. Not sure).
Personally, I've played through the single player 3 times; if only for the humour and creativity on display here.

OVERVIEW
I had fun here. I honestly did. The game looks great, plays smoothly, the controls are well thought out and the story is both interesting and funny. The voice acting is pretty awesome here, and the story comes through strong, despite their being only 3 major voiced characters. But theres still no cake, so I'm conflicted.

Only kidding. Pick this game up if you can go without killing someone for a few hours. Portal 2 is just more of the same, and this isn't a bad thing for once. Oh, and the ending is out of this world. Just saying.


Hope everyone had a Happy Easter, and to all the Aussie and Kiwi readers, Happy ANZAC day! Lest We Forget.
Suggestions for next week would be appreciated, also feedback. Should I keep doing this?
See you next time!!