Break Time #1

I realize that I've made two posts and both have been very serious. I think it's time for a break, some time where I can write about, and you can read about, something a bit less serious.

THE TOPIC FOR TODAY IS
Quite possibly the best game I've played in ages

You start Portal 2 as Chell, a woman who has been put into cryogenic sleep after destroying a large robot, GLaDOS, who ran the Aperture Science facility. GLaDOS can be accurately described as a crazy ass bitch who wanted to have you preform science tests with her for the rest of your life. While you escaped her clutches, Aperture is slowly falling apart without GLaDOS. You wake up from your cryogenic sleep an unknown amount of time later by the small robot name Wheatly. With Wheatly's help, you begin your escape from Aperture, but along the way you accidentally revive your old enemy GLaDOS and the testing begins once again.

The story is macabre while still being very funny at times. From the realization that you are completely under the control of an insane robot who is out for revenge, to that same robot making monotone fat jokes about you, the game goes from horror to comedy very quickly. While this would be the death of some creative works, it is actually what makes Portal fantastic. You'll find yourself venturing through a dark world with a smile on your face as you face puzzle after clever puzzle. 

The story doesn't end with Chell, though. Portal 2 separates itself from its predecessor by including a completely separate cooperative campaign. In the Co-Op campaign, you take control of one of two bipedal robots, Atlus or P-body, as you preform testing for the maniacal robot overlord GLaDOS. 

Atlas(Left) is my favorite of the two robots. Look at that Gritty Mofo. He is ready to get down and dirty...For Science.

She leads you through the testing stations all the while praising your existence as robots, while also taking stabs at your performance of each task. An interesting feature of the Co-Op is the gesture and indicator systems by which you can non-verbally tell you partner where to place portals or just show a sign of affection or anger. These gestures are also related to the story of the Co-Op, as GLaDOS begins to take notice of your growing human behavior.

I can say that the Co-Op is one of the best parts of this game and should be considered the major selling point. It is one of the most interesting types of multiplayer I've seen in quite some time and really brings a refreshing breeze to the constant Call of Duty-esk online gameplay the gaming community has been seeing over the past few years.

I will say that there is one major drawback. Portal 2 suffers, to a lesser degree, from the same problem Portal 1 suffered. They single player stories of both games are short and leave the player wanting more. The good news is that Valve, the company who makes the game, announced that they plan to release plenty of downloadable content for the game that will all be free. With that in mind, I can't help but think Portal 2 is most definitely worth the $40 it now costs here in the United States. 

Being turned into a potato battery: Also a major Drawback

Portal 2 is out now for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. I personally recommend getting it for the PS3, as doing so gets you a free copy of the PC version anyway. However, if you only have an Xbox, don't let that deter you from picking up this great game.


11 comments:

  1. Didn't know about the free PC copy thingy. Thanks :D

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  2. Wait let me look into this further

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  3. @Rumiko - Yup, if you buy a new PS3 copy, you get the PC copy. Which could be heavily abused if you have both a high end PC and a PS3 (Ala, buy the PS3 version, get the PC version, sell back the PS3 version).

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  4. I agree. Portal 2 is seriously amazing! I could spend hours playing it non-stop!

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  5. I've not bothered with it. I'll just wait for a steam sale and get it then. The last portal was cool and this one probably is as well but I'm not paying $60 for puzzles.

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  6. @Tommy - I can understand the statement, but it might interest you to know that a permanent sale already occurred 11 days after Portal 2 was released. It's now $40 on consoles and $30 on Steam. That's $20 off, permanently. Worth it now?

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  7. amazing game, love the MP in portal 2

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  8. I love the game, my favorite character is GLaDOS, I just love her humor.

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  9. Man, I am getting this game the moment I get the cash, thanks for the tip about the ps3 version.

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