By Zack Gill
Staff Writer
Puzzle video game “Portal” deserved all the critical acclaim and internet memes in 2007. Through clever writing and atmospheric design, it managed to forward video gaming as a storytelling medium and as an art form, all in a three-hour, affordable package.
Its sequel, “Portal 2,” is one of the most hotly anticipated games in recent memory. Promising more than four times the amount of gameplay than its predecessor, “Portal 2” is also being released to staggeringly lofty expectations. Luckily, the game delivers on all fronts, containing more than 12 hours of moody exploration, hilarious writing and mind-bending puzzles.
“Portal 2” takes place decades after the original game when protagonist Chell is awakened from a cryogenic sleep by spherical robot Wheatley (Stephen Merchant). After accidentally reawakening the diabolical computer GLaDOS (Ellen McLain), Chell is forced to navigate the ruined, labyrinthine facilities of the unethical research corporation Aperture Science.
Chell does this by utilizing the portal gun, a device that allows her to create inter-dimensional portals to solve various puzzles. She must throw herself across chasms, activate switches with weights and lasers and avoid military turrets.
Much of why “Portal” is so highly esteemed is because of its writing. Evil supercomputer GLaDOS has some of the funniest one-liners in all of video-gaming, many of which are still logged throughout the annals of the internet. “Portal 2” adheres to the trend of making video game scripts complex by providing two additional characters to augment gut-busting quips throughout one’s navigation of the game. For example, GLaDOS constantly pokes fun at Chell’s weight and fashion-sense.
Voice acting is one of the strongest elements of “Portal 2.” Ellen McLain voices GLaDOS once again to continue her tenure of some of the best work in video game history. Stephen Merchant voices the robot Wheatley and stars in “Extras.” He portrays the character with a manic energy that greatly contrasts with the cold, scientific atmosphere of “Portal 2.”
Acclaimed actor J.K. Simmons voices the founder of Aperture Science, Cave Johnson. His performance is gruff and earsplitting, bellowing many of his one-liners in a manner similar to his performances in “Juno” and the “Spider-Man” films.
The new single-player campaign provides more than eight hours of gameplay and expands upon the story of the original “Portal.” While many levels consist of “Test Chambers” similar to the original game, expansion to a full length allows “Portal 2” to also insert lengthy sections where players explore Aperture Science behind the scenes.
There are also new gameplay elements, like floating gels that alter surfaces, launch pads that propel players and bridges made of light that can be sent through portals. While none of these additions drastically alter the “Portal” formula, they add a complex layer to the game’s ingenious puzzles.
A multiplayer mode is the key addition that makes “Portal 2” a fantastic new product. It enlists two players to cooperatively traverse the laboratories of Aperture Science as robots P-Body and Atlas. Its puzzles are the easily the most difficult of either of the “Portal” games and require both intense concentration and smooth cooperation. With the additional five hours of gameplay, the co-op campaign alone is longer than the entirity of the original “Portal.”
“Portal 2” provides hours of clever and mind-boggling challenges. It also cleverly tells a wonderful story and lives up fully to the heavy expectations set upon it. “Portal 2” is rated E10 and is available on the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3 and the PC.
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