Portal 2 is the sequel of the 2007 game of the same name. Released first on PC then on PS3 and Xbox 360 as part the 'Orange Box' compilation, it was a massive success and quickly gained a large following. The game was praised by critics and gamers for its unique puzzle-based gameplay which involved using a portal gun to solve tasks and it is considered, by many, to be Valve's best game. The sequel sees you playing as Chell who must, once again, escape from a mysterious testing facility.
For the most part, Portal 2 plays pretty much like the original but there are lots of new features. One of the big additions to the game is the coloured gels; repulsion gel, propulsion gel and conversion gel. I won't spoil what they do but they play a big part in solving the puzzles. As well as this, there are reflective cubes, tractor beams, aerial faith plates and much more. All these new features add to the gameplay and keep it fresh and interesting. It also makes the game more challenging because you have a lot more to work with.
I thought that the difficulty was just right in this game. It's not so easy that you can just breeze through it but at the same time, it's not so difficult that it becomes frustrating. The puzzles can require a lot of thought and many of them will have you scratching your head, trying to work out the solution. The satisfaction of solving a puzzle after staring at it for 30+ minutes is worth it though.
The game has a very good story which I find much stronger than the original's overall. There are a lot of new characters such as the various personality cores, Wheatley and Cave Johnson, which makes the game much more immersive than the first one.
Also present is multiplayer co-op. I haven't tried this yet but it can be played both offline and online, and features a different set of puzzles to the main game; many relying on team work.
Like all games, it's not without its flaws. One of the biggest problems I had with the game was the fact that you can't pick a specific test chamber. On the first game, there was a level select screen that let you replay any of the puzzles. In this one, you can only choose the chapters. This means you might have to go through three or four rooms to get to the puzzle you want. I also feel that some of the characters could've gotten more screen time. There were a lot of great characters - personality cores, turrets etc. - that had very minor roles.
Despite these niggles, Portal 2 is an excellent game and well worth buying. It takes what worked in the first game and adds to it. It's rare that a sequel improves on the original but that's exactly what Portal 2 does.
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