Portal 2

Game: Portal 2
Developer: Valve
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2011
Stephen's Rating: 9/10

This is it. The 100th game I've posted on my blog. I chose Portal 2 because for me it was the best game that came out of 2011. 

Basic Plot

Portal 2 occurs after the end of the original Portal and follows the character Chell after her escape from GLaDOS.

The game starts with Chell waking up after a long period of time. The Aperture Science facility has severely degraded over time, and Chell immediately meets the character Wheatley. Wheatley is a robot core and helps Chell escape her holding cell with the intention of escaping the facility. On their way out they accidentally (thanks Wheatley) re-awaken GLaDOS who has not forgiven Chell for "murdering" her all those years ago.

GLaDOS separates Wheatley and Chell and starts rebuilding the facility. After GLaDOS forces Chell through a number of new test chambers she is able to do a "core transfer" and put Wheatley in control of the Aperture Science facility leaving GLaDOS powered by a potato. The power quickly goes to Wheatley's head and he becomes deranged and evil, banishing Chell and GLaDOS into the deepest pits of the facility. GLaDOS reveals that Wheatley was designed specifically to be the "dumbest moron who ever lived" and berates her for putting him in control.

The remainder of the game involves Chell traveling through the old Aperture facilities below the current ones which are disbanded and mostly unused. She encounters a whole raft of new puzzles and challenges not seen in the original game and eventually fights her way back up to Wheatley where they face off in the final confrontation.

During her time in the old facility she is given a bit of backstory into the Aperture Science facility and where it all orginated from.

Using lasers and lenses in conjunction with portals to take out an assault bot.

Gameplay

The game is very similar to Portal in terms of gameplay. It is a first person puzzle game utilising a "portal gun" to traverse various puzzles and obstacles. Chell is able to fire a blue and orange portal which can only adhere to certain surfaces. These portals lead to each other. Using a combination of objects (lasers, cubes, lenses, assault bots) Chell is able to traverse levels and progress through the game.

There are a number of new puzzles and objects in the game especially in the underground facilities. These include blue, orange, and white gels which can be turned on and off using special pipes throughout the game. Each has a different effect. Blue gel turns a surface into a trampoline which you can use to bounce to different places. The orange gel allows you to move very quickly when standing on it, and the white gel can be used to turn any surface into a portal-viable one.

There were also light bridges and gravity tunnels as new puzzle objects which were also a lot of fun to interact with.

The game is split into two campaigns. The single player campaign follows Chell and the primary story and is the longer of the two. The multiplayer campaign allows you and one friend to play a co-operative campaign. With a culmination of four portals you are able to travserse even more complex puzzles. The campaign is shorter and has a lot less story than the single player but is still enjoyable and adds a whole new dimension to the game.

The visuals and game engine were improved from the original game but it kept the same consistent look and feel.

Blue gel.

Positives

For the most part the story was fascinating. I really enjoyed being in the abandoned facilities underground and learning about the history of Aperture Science. The characters are strong and help facilitate the story. The music is good, the puzzles are fun and satisfying. All in all, when you come out of the game you feel like you've experienced something.

A lot of people criticise this game in relation to the original because of how big-budget and "revelling in its awesomness" it is. I disagree, I found this game an improvement on the original especially in the story. My only qualm was the choice of Stephen Merchant as the voice of Wheatley (see below).

Negatives

The only flaw I see with the game is that once you've completed both the single and multiplayer campaigns there really isn't anything more to do. Although I really got a lot of the experience of playing the game, it was all over within a few weeks.

I personally didn't like the choice of Stephen Merchant as the voice of Wheatley. His voice has way too many connotations with Extras and The Office and for me it was a bit jarring, especially in the early stages of the game. It was all a bit cheesy. I didn't engage with the character of Whealey, instead I just kept thinking I was playing a game with Stephen Merchant.

Some of the old abandoned facility.

Memorable Moments

I didn't have to look up how to do any of the puzzles in the game, from memory. Maybe one? I was pretty stoked about that. I really liked the gels, and how you could combine all the puzzle components together into such interesting solutions.