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. Portal 2 is, without a doubt, one of the best games ever made. It’s rare to find one great actor in a videogame, let alone two, but the double act of McClain and Merchant is unrivaled by any other piece of entertainment software.Įxcept maybe by J.K. Stephen Merchant, a long-underrated actor, almost threatens to upstage McClain and effortlessly turns Wheatley into an affable, hilarious character who you can’t help but like. Ellen McClain returns as GLaDOS and outdoes herself as a constant provider of dry, deadpan sarcasm. It would be wrong to not mention the outstanding vocal performances put forth. They never last too long and they’re easily ignored, but their frequency helps to break some of the immersion of the game, which is a shame. It’s also worth noting that there are quite a few loading screens in the game. Not only is it cute to watch the little robots interact, the unimpressed commentary from GLaDOS makes it doubly rewarding. In addition, the two robots can perform various adorable gestures, such as waving, hugging, and dancing. There’s an in-game countdown timer, allowing Atlas and P-Body to synchronize their actions, and a pointer so players can clearly mark where in a level they’d like their friend to place a portal. Valve has done a great job of making sure players can always communicate their feelings in the game. That moment when the answer hits you or your partner and you excitedly work together to make theory into practice leads to some of the most awesome moments in gaming. There’s something infinitely more rewarding about solving a Portal puzzle when you’ve done it with somebody else. The best experience is found with two players who have not yet played any of the puzzles, as co-op’s biggest strength lies in the mutual discovery of a solution. Many of the challenges don’t feel quite so unique this time around - thanks in part to the fact that the central gimmick is no longer new - but this is made up for by the various ways in which puzzles take place outside of test chambers and during the aforementioned chase scenes, which certainly makes them more lively, if not quite so innovative.Ĭo-op comes with some provisos - you’re going to want to find a player with a headset, preferably an actual friend as opposed to a random stranger. Yet again, the central focus is on solving puzzles using a gun that shoots two linked portals. When it comes to gameplay, Portal 2 isn’t so far removed from the original game, but it does add a lot more features. Everything’s bigger, there’s so much more going on, and by the time you reach its majestic conclusion (and Portal 2 does end majestically), you’d have to be a sociopath to not feel completely satisfied. In many ways, Portal 2 is to Portal what Half-Life 2 was to Half-Life. It’s littered with truly epic moments and thrilling chase sequences, enhanced by a deft use of incidental music that evokes some of Half-Life 2‘s most exciting moments. Whereas Portal was much more of a straight puzzle game, the structure of Portal 2 makes it feel more like an adventure game wearing the clothes of a puzzler.
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