Portal 2 was released on Steam on the 18th of April, a few hours earlier than planned. I have completed both the single player and co-operative campaigns, and thoroughly enjoyed them. This was a sequel that exceeded my expectations set by the first Portal, and in many ways made up for its shortcomings.
Humble Beginnings
The first Portal, as described by developers on in-game commentary was "trial software", bundled with a collection of games called The Orange Box. Valve were sure gamers would like their new game play mechanic, but didn't want to invest lots of resources into the game in case it failed.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, and for the second game Valve committed more resources and intended to release it as a standalone product.
Gameplay
Anyone who enjoyed the first game will enjoy the second — Portal 2 expands on the concept of Portals, introducing new game mechanics that feel like a natural evolution to the gameplay.
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The game starts with derelict variations of the beginning levels of the first Portal, but throughout the game switches through various environments and increasingly complex puzzles. I found myself stumped at a few places throughout the game, but never long enough for it to become frustrating.
Story
The story of a game is as important to me as the gameplay. Even if a game is really fun, if it doesn't have a great storyline behind it I can't enjoy it; it seems empty. Portal 2 exceeds in this department too, offering a far more in-depth look at the world of Aperture Science than the first game did. There's also a link to the (spoiler) Half-Life universe.
The game took me about 6 hours to complete, which is a reasonable length. If you take into account the 5 hour co-operative play, Portal 2 has loads of content.
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Portal 2 also introduced new characters, and parts of Aperture Science that previously hadn't been seen before. One character introduced right at the start of the game, Wheatley, is voiced by Steven Merchant. This works brilliantly - and I'm not sure why. Wheatley is portrayed as a bumbling, dumb character, and the English accent seems to enhance that.
Cave Johnson, the founder of Aperture Science also makes an appearance in Portal 2, voiced by J. K. Simmons. This casting is perfect as his voice fits the personality of Aperture Science like a glove.
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Co-Op
A feature lacking from the first game, online play, is a major part of the second. The co-operative campaign lasts about 5 hours, which is just under the length of the single player campaign, and it's seriously fun.
It's a very different experience from any other online game I've played, both because there are a finite amount of levels, and because if you don't work in a tight team, you can't complete the levels. Valve made communication easy though; there are a plethora of tools to allow players co-ordinate actions.
The obvious drawback with this feature is the number of levels, but I suspect Valve will address this with download content for the game. As Portal 2 isn't like Left 4 Dead with the AI Director, the levels are exactly the same each time you play them. To extend the lifespan of the game, DLC would be a logical move, along with the planned SDK for community-made content.
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All in all, Portal 2 is a good game, and a brilliant sequel. The online play is fun, but ultimately suffers the problem of being of finite length.