When the original Portal was released, developers Valve had produced a game that most certainly filled a gaping hole in the market however Portal was originally bundled with “The Orange Box” rather than being released on its own merits, and had an overwhelming response from the gaming community.
The concept of combining puzzle solving with a first-person shooter wowed many and with that, there were great expectations for the sequel with the hope that it would replicate the previous success and cement itself as one of top 10 PC games of 2011.
Fortunately, Valve have not disappointed, and their second edition of the Portal series is actually a huge improvement over the first. From the gameplay, to the characters and the story development, Valve have seemingly taken all feedback from the first game on board and have created a game that is somehow much, much better.
Just like in the first Portal, there are two types of game modes users can select from, single player or co-operative.
In the single player mode, gamers continue to act as the character Chell. For those who are not familiar with how the game functions, a character named Wheatley will be of great assistance as he acts as an aid throughout the game whilst always providing his humorous remarks. The dialogue is so well thought out, that its worth buying the game just for this reason alone as his comedic timing will have you in stitches throughout.
The game is still set in the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre and it is up to Chell to navigate his way around, something this is achieved by solving the puzzles that Valve have embedded in the game. The gamer is challenged with something of an unstable environment, with the evil artificially-intelligent computer GLaDOS attempting to rid its residence of any impostors that are looking to scupper its malicious plans.
Chell must aim to dodge the malevolent tactics set by GLaDOS and this is mainly done through the use of the Portal gun. First seen in Portal, the gun shoots linked portals which allow the gamer and objects around to pass through. The gun is at the heart of most of the puzzles and to complete the game, you will have to master how to use it wisely and strategically. There is no doubt that the puzzles are the heart of Portal 2 and bearing this in mind, it will not be a surprise to hear that some are extremely challenging.
Gamers will sometimes feel as though they have explored every possible avenue before finding the solution, whilst sometimes the problems will appear simpler and be solved instantly. Even though the game gets more challenging as you progress through its levels, the time spent figuring out how to solve the more advanced puzzles will come down to the individuals perception and their thinking approach used.
As well as offering a superb single-player mode, Valve have invested heavily on the co-operative side and fortunately, it matches. In multiplayer mode, gamers will find themselves working with their partner to try and navigate their way around Aperture.
It has to be said that unlike many multiplayer games, gamers in Portal 2 must work efficiently together if they are to succeed passing through the levels. They must utilize and combine all of their resources to the largest possible extent if they are to prevail against GLaDOS.
Valve have included a variety of features in co-op mode, such as setting countdown clocks to indicate when an action should be executed, or to simply place a marker to aid a partner. The animations when asking your team mate to create a portal are quite funny too, whilst being slightly patronizing to the co-op partner.
In conclusion, there is absolutely no doubt that Portal 2 is even more impressive than the original. Many first-person-shooter games have to utilize the most powerful graphics systems to be successful, yet Portal 2’s gameplay means that this is simply not a requirement.
Portal 2 still benefits from extremely good visuals, yet the real selling point is the story and gameplay which are quite simply, second to none.
What’s more, despite the genre of the game, gamers will no doubt find themselves in stitches at times following some excellent humour additions from the writers. All in all, Portal 2 impresses on every level and makes it into our top 10 PC Games of 2011.
