| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 9.30 |
| Overall | 9.30 |
|
The funniest game I have ever played, that is one way I can describe Portal 2. It is not often I start a review by talking about the story and dialogue but I must with this game cause the writing is so clever and smart it feels like something you get from TV or movies, not a game. Glados is as insulting as ever but it is the new star Wheatley that steals the show, the whole dynamic between these characters is what allows the story to shine. But enough about that, lets talk game, well its more Portal. They add many new elements to make a whole new set of mind-bending puzzles. I love all the new addition, it makes all the puzzles feel new and fresh. I disliked the decision to structure the game like the original with most of the game broken into different test rooms. Once again the game feels like mini tests rather than this large adventure. Eventually the game will reach a point where it breaks free from that structure only to go back too it soon after. I still await a game where the portal mechanic gets put into a true adventure, not bound to small test rooms. At least the game is larger and far more varied than the original. Co-op was a big selling point for Portal 2, they called it a second campaign which is accurate but don't expect it to be that large, 5 hours at most. Here the Portal puzzles get expanded to include 4 portals, 2 for each characters, that way the puzzles become that much more complex. Only they don't really, honestly I didn't find solving puzzles in co-op mode any harder than the single player. Maybe having two minds thinking of solutions makes it easier, I don't know. There is a major issue with the concept of co-op for a puzzle game like this as it is almost impossible to team up with a random who will allow you to play this as intended. See in a puzzle game if any one player has already played the game they know the solutions, making the experience pointless for the player who has not played it. The only way this mode works is if you play with another player that has not played it and you two have to play the entire game together. Trying to match schedules and play time is such a hassle, a game like this is not meant for co-op. Once you finish it once there is no reason at all to play it again, which is the complete opposite of what online play is all about. One of my favorite modes of the original is missing entirely, the hard modes and all the trials. This was probably the best part of the original as you had to play the same puzzles but approach them in totally new ways. Trying to figure out how to solve a puzzle with the least amount of portals or step was the ultimate challenge and added so much replay value. There is none of that here, basically once you finish the game you have done all there is to do. Portal 2 is better than the original and yet it misses the mode that could have catapulted this title into masterpiece status. Maybe the focus on co-op prevented the other modes from being added, I don't know. That said this is still a brilliant game that deserves to be played by all. |
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Posted by Dvader Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:19:45
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