Developer(s) – Valve
Publisher(s) – Valve
Director(s) – Joshua Weier
Producer(s) – Gabe Newell
PEGI – 12
Released some years after the original game to widespread critical acclaim, Portal 2 is considered one of the best titles of the seventh generation. Perfecting the formula of the original game and expanding on it in many different ways. Whilst I had a few issues to address where the game was concerned, it is still a decisive improvement over the first title and still holds up as being one of the more unique gaming experiences of the last decade or so.
Graphics – 8/10
One of the most notable improvements in the conceptual design of the game over the first. A lot of the settings were pretty much identical to one another in the original game before the end of GLaDOS’s trials. But in the second, the replication of textures and scenery is much less noticeable. It reminds me very much of the same improvements made with Skyrim over Oblivion. Where every ruin or cave no longer looked the same as one another and had a lot more individual diversity to them. The inclusion of new enemies to have to deal with only adds to the conceptual design of the overall series in addition.
Gameplay – 8/10
The core gameplay has remained the same as that of the original. The player must use the Aperture Portal device to create portals in order to solve puzzles and progress through the game. However, far more elaborate puzzles have been included that build on the premise of the original game. Which has helped to diversify and broaden the entire concept. The inclusion of a plethora of easter eggs to discover throughout the game also does exceptionally well to expand on the mythology of the series. Whilst at the same time. Further linking it to the Half-Life universe. The ending boss fight is also handled wonderfully differently from that of the original game.
Controls – 10/10
There were no issues with the control scheme of the first game. And as the second game was built using the same engine and including the same principle gameplay features, there aren’t any issues to be had in the second game either. It’s actually quite impressive to me how the developers managed to further build on the concept of the original game without having to alter anything about its control scheme. They managed to keep things as simple as possible. Whilst developing a game to be as intricate as possible.
Lifespan – 4/10
Where Portal 2 still doesn’t excel is unfortunately in its lifespan. The second portal game can be made to last a maximum of 3 hours, not counting multiplayer. This is the only factor whereby decisive improvement was not made. But was for me, the factor that needed the most improvement in order for it to stand among the very best games ever developed. Maybe one day Valve will get around to making a third game in the series. But inevitably, this game’s short lifespan has left gamers, including me, wanting so much more.
Storyline – 9/10
The game’s basic story is not too dissimilar to that of the first. The game’s main character Chell remains trapped within the Aperture Research Facility and must find a way out. This time, however, she is up against a new threat in addition to the facility’s supercomputer GLaDOS. But also a sociopathic drone robot named Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant. Wheatley appears as a friend at first. But his true intentions soon become clear and it is up to Chell to stop him. And find a way to escape Aperture once and for all. The story, as well as most of every other aspect of the game, is also made even more diverse with its further developed sense of dark humor. Although GLaDOS still contributes to that side of it greatly, so does Wheatley. And it’s hard to pick a favorite out of the two.
Originality – 9/10
As I alluded to before, the original Portal presented players with a new outside-of-the-box way of playing a puzzle game originally dreamed up by a group of programming students who were later scouted by Valve after their work on the game Narbacular Drop. But the second portal game went above and beyond what the original offered to players. By keeping the concept fresh with new mind-bending puzzles to solve and backstories to discover. There are many why these games have gone on to become cult classics. The main reason I attribute to that is because of how well they stand out from every other game that has been developed before and after.
Happii
In summation, Portal 2, whilst still far too short in my opinion, is an enjoyable time for the criminally short time it lasts. And will provide players with a far more stern and entertaining challenge than its predecessor. Before they became focused on the maintenance of Steam, Valve was renowned for giving players something new to play that they hadn’t played before. And Portal 2 certainly does not disappoint in this respect
