Portal 2

 PC
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 9230 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8,501 out of 9230
  2. Mixed: 470 out of 9230
  3. Negative: 259 out of 9230
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  1. GhettoGarden1
    Jun 24, 2011
    10
    I have a few things to say and I will say them in a fashion trolls will understand.
    1: Not 3 hours u mad?
    If you played the game, you would discover its 8-10 hours at the minimum. 2: DLC is optional u mad? Sure, there is a total, in the Robot Enrichment store, of $80 worth of DLC, but it is all optional, the only change to the gameplay experience you get, is a nice hat or a glow trail on    I have a few things to say and I will say them in a fashion trolls will understand.
    1: Not 3 hours u mad?
    If you played the game, you would discover its 8-10 hours at the minimum.
    2: DLC is optional u mad?
    Sure, there is a total, in the Robot Enrichment store, of $80 worth of DLC, but it is all optional, the only change to the gameplay experience you get, is a nice hat or a glow trail on your robot. And any DLC that actually is created to extend gameplay by VALVe, is free on steam, and about 2 dollars on consoles.
    3: Not a console port u mad?
    Firstly, a console port? Are you Fuc*ing kidding me? VALVe started making games for the PC. The only reason they started making games for consoles is because gamers shifted to consoles. If there were still the number of gamers on the PC as there were in 2002, people would know Fallouts 2 and 1 existed, that VALVe made Left 4 Dead, and that the internet is serious business.
    4: Too expensive u mad?
    first, all videogames these days start at 60 bucks. The last game I saw that released at something that wasn't $60 was Red Dead Redemption, which released at $90. So you are getting a good deal here.
    5: Bad voice acting u mad?
    Bad voice acting? Bad voice Acting?! This has the greatest voice acting I have heard in a recent videogame. Here, I will quote 4 games, then two portal quotes.
    1: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
    "Ramirez, go take down that chopper!"
    2: Call of Duty: Black Ops: Zombies!
    "Dempsey: Kickin' ass and makin' messes!"
    3: Duke Nukem: Forever
    "I'm kickin' ass and chewin' bubblegum, and I'm all outta gum."
    4: Portal 2 quote number one:
    "Well done. Here are the test results: You are a horrible person. I'm serious, that's what it says: A horrible person. We weren't even testing for that. Don't let that "horrible person" thing discourage you. It's just a data point. If it makes you feel any better, science has now validated your birth mother's decision to abandon you on a doorstep." -GLaDOS
    5: Portal 2 quote number 2:
    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!" -Cave Johnson
    I believe I have just proven my point on voice acting.
    6: Lol bad level design u mad?
    Okay, first of all, at least you have room to move around in this game. In all the other games out today, your either on a flat stretch of land with enemies shooting at you from all sides, or your in a cramped corridor, with enemies shooting at you from all sides.
    7: Trololol shi*ty graphics u mad?
    Who cares if the graphics are aged? Thats the same thing as saying you would, right out of high school, living in a studio apartment, buy the 500,000 dollar brand new, 2012 model car, when it would be practical to buy the 2006 model, 15,000 dollar car. Thats the main reason new games are so expensive and take so long to release. There is alot of work put into the engine, but no work into everything else.
    Cave Johnson were done here.    … Expand
  2. spencer102
    Apr 30, 2011
    10
    Quite possibly the best game I have ever played. Don't listen to people who say its to short, or unfinished, or etc, because it is not. This game is perfect in just about every way, and worth closer to 100 dollars then 50.
  3. Alaric
    May 11, 2011
    9
    Great quality. Not enough really complex puzzles though. The final puzzle was great, but I wish they would have added more that were equally complex.
  4. Trucu
    May 3, 2011
    9
    A brilliant game made with amazing ideas, but lacking difficulty. Was I the only person that felt as if the game lacked? I felt like a little bit was missing when I completed the game. When I analyzed how the SP played, I figured out why. 1. The game is quite linear. As you progress, you begin to notice that if there is a white spot on the wall, you will more than likely have to use it toA brilliant game made with amazing ideas, but lacking difficulty. Was I the only person that felt as if the game lacked? I felt like a little bit was missing when I completed the game. When I analyzed how the SP played, I figured out why. 1. The game is quite linear. As you progress, you begin to notice that if there is a white spot on the wall, you will more than likely have to use it to complete the puzzles. Most of them can only be done 1 way. 2. Gameplay never goes in depth. You never have to do anything nearly as difficult as the original Portal, which sometimes required quick reflexes, and double portal jumping. It seems as though the game is consolized a bit. I thought that by purchasing it on PC, I would be getting a better experience (minus graphics), but I found that to not be true because the responsiveness of a mouse and keyboard were not utilized throughout the game. You rarely have to incorporate more than 1 thing in order to solve a puzzle once you figure it out, and they begin to get easier to figure out as you progress due to the linear level design. The levels begin to lack variety and I never felt like it fully introduced me into using the gels as a way of solving levels. They felt more like they were introduced and left at that. You simply use them once a level and are done. 3. The game had too many loading screens which didn't help immerse me in the game. Sure, they were short, but very frequent, sometimes within a minute of each other. 4. Lack of Real-time destruction. The game nice scripted events that were very elaborate. Sadly, these grew tiresome to me toward the end of the game. I wanted to be able to break the glass myself (you can't). I wanted to pick up chairs and interact with broken glass shards (you can't). About the only thing you can interact with besides the main storyline things are cups.
    With the rant out of the way, I will say I was impressed with the storyline, and even the graphics in certain areas. The large scale of some of the maps were a nice change from the small rooms. The glass was the most realistic I have ever seen in a video game (sadly it is all scripted). The gels look amazing when put on high (on medium they look like floating pentagons). The vegetation looks like some of the most defined I have ever seen. The lighting and shadows were greatly improved to be close to the best I have seen (I have only played DX9 games). The ending was spectacular (although I can't remember the end-game song because I felt like it lacked a catchy tune). The coop ... well, that is interesting. It actually has some things the SP left out. When I complete a level on coop, I feel accomplished (unlike SP where I frequently said,"Is that it?"). The levels are more complex and require teamwork in order to complete them. The only problem with it is that I felt like the levels were a bit linear at times. Well, to wrap it up. I give the game a 9.3 due to the simple-minded, yet elegant SP and crisp coop. Hope you enjoyed reading and if you stayed this long I assume you agree with me.    … Expand
  5. jdog
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    I hate giving games 10/10, as I usually believe a game can always be better, but for me, Portal 2 really deserves it. To all those giving negative reviews, I think it's a little unjustified (unless you despise puzzle games, but even still, surely you can still appreciate it and see that it is a good game?) It irritates me when people complain that it's too short for a $50 game, when gamesI hate giving games 10/10, as I usually believe a game can always be better, but for me, Portal 2 really deserves it. To all those giving negative reviews, I think it's a little unjustified (unless you despise puzzle games, but even still, surely you can still appreciate it and see that it is a good game?) It irritates me when people complain that it's too short for a $50 game, when games such as Call of Duty are double the price (at least here in Australia), and half the length. And this game has coop, plus the satisfaction of knowing that Valve are the developers, aka, future free content. Secondly, to those saying that as it was 'finished' while users were unlocking it via the potato sack, Portal 2 was still being updated as event was going on. Have you seen TF2 recently? That's still being regularly updated, and is arguable not 'finished'. And the Potato sack saga was a fantastic way of drawing users into the hype, and advertising indie developers. Win Win. I'm not a rabid fan by any means, but when gamers whinge for the sake of whinging, it annoys me. I could talk about all the things I loved about it, but there are 742 other positive reviews that'll do the job just as well. Honestly, just buy it. Fantastic job here Valve, kudos to the development team.… Expand
  6. marqpas
    Jun 8, 2011
    10
    A great game, certainly one of the best games ever made up till now. The fun factor is high, lots of humor, supreme art direction, great music, movie-like storyline, great graphics and sound. Another Valvian masterpiece indeed.
  7. juxtapose519
    Apr 30, 2011
    10
    I don't know why zero ratings are even allowed on Metacritic because the only people who choose them are trolls. Ten, on the other hand, is a rating reserved for the best of the best and Portal 2 is easily among them. Between the single player and co-op modes, it took me almost 12 hours to complete and I've already started a second playthrough. I feel like I got my money's worth ten times over.
  8. Kinetic
    May 12, 2011
    8
    Portal 2 is a good game, but I feel like I should open by saying it isn't worth the full $60 for console versions, nor $50 for PC. Although it does seem to go on sale regularly for around thirty to thirty five bucks and for that price its worth it. The game easily has many things working for it. The engine has received some polish and while it won't stand up to what Crytek is crankingPortal 2 is a good game, but I feel like I should open by saying it isn't worth the full $60 for console versions, nor $50 for PC. Although it does seem to go on sale regularly for around thirty to thirty five bucks and for that price its worth it. The game easily has many things working for it. The engine has received some polish and while it won't stand up to what Crytek is cranking out, the visuals are still very nice for the most part, and the environments are certainly more interesting and alive than the first game. This can also be counter-intuitive however as there are some points in the mid section of the game that put you in areas without a sense of direction, and leave you there until you find the 6'x6' area that you can toss a portal on to advance. Thankfully though those instances were rare for me, and the majority of the game proceeded at a decent pace. My first time run through the single player campaign took just under five hours, BUT -in my opinion- the game fluffs around a bit too much while introducing you to the new mechanics of the Gels (which come in three flavors: bouncy, speedy, and white which turns everything it touches into a portal-able surface). These chambers do introduce some backstory to the whole affair while letting you bounce and zip around, and they are pretty fun at first but became stale and repetitive somewhat fast.
    Oh, and speaking of story, it's honestly tied with the puzzles themselves on being the best part of the game. GLaDOS and Wheatley are both a riot, along with a couple new voices I can't say too much about without spoiling. Whenever I wasn't solving a puzzle I was being fed deeply engrossing and often hilarious dialog that I ate up whenever I could. The puzzles themselves I feel are a bit better designed than in portal one in my opinion, and revolve more around using pure ingenuity to solve rather than quick timing of a button press. Multiplayer will certainly add a whole new level to the puzzels as well, unfortunately I haven't gotten the chance to play the multiplayer challenges yet since no one I know has a copy themselves and I shy away from random match making online. Overall I think anyone who enjoyed Portal will enjoy Portal 2, unless they're bound and determined to find something at fault with it.    … Expand
  9. jollygreen21
    Apr 25, 2011
    10
    It's got everything that I expected it to have and much, much more, such as... a loading screen between every single level! Huzzah! Oh.. wait... no. I almost forgot that I LOATH loading screens with the passion of a thousand blazing suns!! Seriously, ya think they could have come up with a more clever way of loading each level. Maybe something like, oh I dunno, using opaque windowlessâ
  10. Sid
    May 9, 2011
    10
    Makes the original look like a prototype. Valve has certainly done it again, and how.Portal 2 delivers in all the ways one can think of, and then some.Don't go on the baseless reviews with 0's,Portal 2 is definitely more challenging, more fun and much more portal-y than ever before.
  11. Sentinel
    Jul 7, 2011
    8
    Portal 2 is great fun - it really is. The issue that I have is that it's too much, and at the same time too little.
    First the good - it's clever, it's funny, it's got a great story and it's gorgeously designed. Every level is beautiful, everything aspect of the game is polished to a shine.
    But for a full-price game it just doesn't have enough content or replay value. I'm sorry, what it has    Portal 2 is great fun - it really is. The issue that I have is that it's too much, and at the same time too little.
    First the good - it's clever, it's funny, it's got a great story and it's gorgeously designed. Every level is beautiful, everything aspect of the game is polished to a shine.
    But for a full-price game it just doesn't have enough content or replay value. I'm sorry, what it has is outstanding, but 6-8 hours to play through it does not justify $50. This is not to say that the game should be longer, however, which brings me to my next quibble: as short as it was, it actually felt too long. What was great about Portal was its perfect length and pacing. It was over before you were tired of it. As much fun as Portal 2 is, there's only so much you can do with the concept, and what you can do is make about 4 hours of awesome fun.
    Overall, though, it's a great game, and if you find it for under $40 you couldn't make a better purchase for your money.    … Expand
  12. Leftyy
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    If anyone tries to tell you Portal 2 isn't a good game, stop them right there, run to your nearest game store, and buy it right away. It's absolutely fantastic. The original 2007 title was amazing, but this is just so much better, with so many new additions and a much larger scale. It's also a lot tougher than the previous game, so be prepared for a brain-twisting challenge. One of theIf anyone tries to tell you Portal 2 isn't a good game, stop them right there, run to your nearest game store, and buy it right away. It's absolutely fantastic. The original 2007 title was amazing, but this is just so much better, with so many new additions and a much larger scale. It's also a lot tougher than the previous game, so be prepared for a brain-twisting challenge. One of the best games of 2011 thus far... It's official, Valve officially knows how to make a good game. The proved it with Half-Life, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and now with a sequel to Portal, so it's safe to say we can all trust them to being a great developer.… Expand
  13. PalladiumGM
    Apr 26, 2011
    10
    The game is not flawless, but it is perfect. If you don't want to buy at $49.99 that's understandable, but make sure you do buy it eventually. It is a must play game.
  14. Tahdeus88
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    Just finished the game and... wow, just.. wow ! It's funny, it"s engaging, sometimes makes you think real hard, but then, when you are getting frustrated it almost instantly cheers you up with a hilarious joke. Both the old and new mechanics work really great and even for new players who missed (If you did, it's a crime you should be in jail.. or at least testing with GLaDOS.). TheJust finished the game and... wow, just.. wow ! It's funny, it"s engaging, sometimes makes you think real hard, but then, when you are getting frustrated it almost instantly cheers you up with a hilarious joke. Both the old and new mechanics work really great and even for new players who missed (If you did, it's a crime you should be in jail.. or at least testing with GLaDOS.). The graphics and music are great, and the voice acting is awesome, Ellen McLain and Stephen Merchant did a great job. 10/10 without question!… Expand
  15. ravelli
    May 4, 2011
    9
    Brilliant game, Valve once again have shown why they are such a game-making powerhouse. The game is based on an already tested idea in half-life series and first portal, with only necessary tweaks done to vary the gameplay. So, basically we have the more the same but better. The strongest point of Portal two is definitely its narration and story presented. GLADOS and Whetley banter,Brilliant game, Valve once again have shown why they are such a game-making powerhouse. The game is based on an already tested idea in half-life series and first portal, with only necessary tweaks done to vary the gameplay. So, basically we have the more the same but better. The strongest point of Portal two is definitely its narration and story presented. GLADOS and Whetley banter, hilarious black-humorous Announcer, an addition of retro Cave Jonhson character...here lies the true power of Valve, because playing is well...as said before, Portal with tweaks. In reality, the only low points of the game and the reason why some of hot headed reviewers gave game bad reviews, are not-so-long playing time. Nothing of big concern, the story is quite long, wraps itself nice and you feel only a little regret that it is over, but not, for example, an anger that you played while eating dinner and it was suddenly over. The second lowdown are simple ,as for part two of already developed idea, puzzles. On a commentary track authors actually admitted that it was intentional not make game too hard. With the first game, it wouldn't be a problem, but with a second release, there must be expectations to have some more sophisticated challenges. Saying as saying, those two arenâ… Expand
  16. Faxmashine
    Aug 25, 2011
    10
    Best game I've played yet. If someone asked me what was my favourite movie I'd almost say Portal 2, just because it's a movie-like experience with many details everywhere. The game is short but extremely detailed in it's lenght.
  17. Nautilus
    May 15, 2011
    10
    Graphics are OK. The game can be easily maxed out with a mid-range GPU. Dialogues are excellent, guaranteed to crack you up. Sound effects are very crisp and fits well within the environment. Never saw any game breaker bugs or whatsoever. A game that requires me to use my brain? Oh yes, it deserves nothing less than a 10/10.
  18. Frenk-the-Vile
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    Great fun, great humor and great graphic quality, even with the old engine. The ''fluids'' are something that I've never seen before, and the havock works perfectly. I think this is a masterpiece, something different from standard gameplay, but still intuitive and easy to understand. Go on with this kind of innovative games, valve!

    Sorry for my bad English .
  19. Gungah
    May 30, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Instead of explaining why it's a 7, I'll explain why it's not a 10: 1) This was not a very puzzley puzzle game. It was very apparent most of the game how the player was supposed to complete the puzzle. In other words, it was very simple. Not a lot of thinking behind it, which would be fine if it wasn't meant to be that kind of game. So, in that aspect it failed. 2) The humor was clever (barely) at first, it soon got repetitive because all it was the whole time was sarcasm from the robots and Cave Johnson getting to the point, for lack of better words. It got old really fast. Cave Johnson did have a great voice actor though. 3) A combination of non re-playability and short campaign losses its 3rd point. Most of the story line was getting multiple test chambers further to get another tidbit of story. Now to the pros! :D Gels were a good addition, laser refraction was a good addition. The storyline, when there was one, was well done and original. Voice acting was great. Valve once again, had amazing art. Their textures are always amazing. It is a fun game while playing it the first time through, and considering it is a sequel, this game doesn't get any innovation points because anything innovative was done in the 1st game. Last thing and not about Portal 2 specifically: I love it when game companies make references to other games that they have made. In Portal/Portal 2 it was referring to Black Mesa being an inferior science conglomerate. It's always enjoyable for fans to have that deeper connection.… Expand
  20. Fortyseven
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    Easily one of Valves best efforts yet; Portal 2 does the impossible by vaulting over the insanely high bar set by the original game.

    The puzzles and humor remain strong as ever, if not stronger -- but this time adding unnecessary, yet surprisingly well-executed character depth to GLaDOS and fleshing out a little more about Aperture Labs, itself. Complaints about the length of the single    Easily one of Valves best efforts yet; Portal 2 does the impossible by vaulting over the insanely high bar set by the original game.

    The puzzles and humor remain strong as ever, if not stronger -- but this time adding unnecessary, yet surprisingly well-executed character depth to GLaDOS and fleshing out a little more about Aperture Labs, itself. Complaints about the length of the single player campaign can be easily dismissed, clocking in at seven to nine hours, assuming you possess the skillset to conquer the "science" being done in both the proper test chambers, and elsewhere throughout the facility. While initially I winced upon seeing the Portal sequel copy the "Team Fortress 2" model of in-game purchasable cosmetic $DLC for co-op play, the store is completely optional, and in no way affects the gameplay and story of the title. (In fact, it's trivial to simply dismiss the store entirely: you would miss absolutely nothing, except perhaps leaving you wondering why your random co-op robot partner is wearing a large pair of glasses.) If anything, the presence of the store suggests strongly that Valve probably has plans for Portal 2 far beyond the initial batch of co-op maps. If Team Fortress 2 and the L4D series are anything to go by, we may be willing test subjects for a long, long time.    … Expand
  21. Capzoots
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    Probably the greatest game, but then again maybe not. It is definitely a well crafted and finished product, unlike most of the other crap that comes out nowadays.
  22. Sammich
    Apr 20, 2011
    7
    Coming from a person who has a unbiased perception of Portal, I though Portal 1 didn't deserve all the praise since it was relatively easy. Don't worry though, Portal 2 is better than 1. Except it only had about 2 hard stages in Singleplayer, and another 2 hard stages in co-op. The rest of the game is purely simple. I may even call it "casual". And despite what some 10 ratings will haveComing from a person who has a unbiased perception of Portal, I though Portal 1 didn't deserve all the praise since it was relatively easy. Don't worry though, Portal 2 is better than 1. Except it only had about 2 hard stages in Singleplayer, and another 2 hard stages in co-op. The rest of the game is purely simple. I may even call it "casual". And despite what some 10 ratings will have you believe, I thought it was still short since it doesn't really have re-playability. Enough of that, the writing in Portal 2 is masterful. One of the games with the best writing in it. It was hilarious clever and Cave Johnson is THE man! If there was a writing award for gaming, which I think there is, Portal 2 will win hands down, no contest.… Expand
  23. tempotempo
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nice Game .. .... ... ... ... ... .. .. . . ... .. .. ... . ..... .... ........ ... .... . ... .. ..... ........ ....... ... ... ... .... .. .... .. ... ... ............ ........ ....... ....... .. .. ..... ... ... .... ... .... .... .. .... ....... .. ..... ...... . .... .... ....... . ........ ..... .... .... .... ... ... ........ .. ........10/10… Expand
  24. EmmittSmithx22x
    Apr 23, 2011
    8
    Amazing game. Portal 2 brings so many ways to have fun. Offline Co-op, Online Co-op, and single player game modes. I have to say, the co-op part of the game makes the game amazing and fun. It is very gratifying to complete a level you worked on with a friend for an extended period of time. Being new to the portal scene, I am completely impressed by what Valve has to offer. At no point hasAmazing game. Portal 2 brings so many ways to have fun. Offline Co-op, Online Co-op, and single player game modes. I have to say, the co-op part of the game makes the game amazing and fun. It is very gratifying to complete a level you worked on with a friend for an extended period of time. Being new to the portal scene, I am completely impressed by what Valve has to offer. At no point has a challenege become frustraitingly hard and they are very enjoyable. The game also has a good sense of humor with the jokes it tells you from start to finish. Overall the game is refreshing, and a venture into a game I normally would not buy. I was plesantly surprised by the amount of fun that can be had from this game. But no game is perfect and now it is time to move into the cons section.

    Cons:
    -Graphically, I feel like valve could have done a better job. I know it is a sci-fi futurisitc game, but there were times I caught myself looking at the game thinking how this game could look better in many places. -The game is short. Almost as short as my previous sentence. For a 60$ game, you get about 5-10 hours of play. With the total hours of gameplay for all games going up. I feel like Valve could have included more puzzles. HOWEVER. This can be fixed by valve with a patch, or DLC. in which case would help the game and would get rid of this con all-together. Final Opinion:
    Valve dilivers a very strong entry to the puzzle solving first-person shooter scene. Graphics take away from the game a tiny amount. But never enough to be a deal breaker. The game is fun, and regardless of the graphics when you are having fun who cares? The length of the game is what really hurts it the most, but the saving grace of this game is it's multiplayer content. Multiplayer gives this game just enough replay value to make it somewhat worth the 60$ price tag. With hope being held out for DLC or a patch with new puzzles to solve, this can be a herdle that Valve can overcome. If this does come true, I will raise the score to 9/10. But until then, the game gets rated.....

    Final Score:
    8/10    … Expand
  25. TheWindMage
    Apr 21, 2011
    9
    I've been playing video games for a long time. They used to have this amazing spark for me, something that went off inside. First game that ever did this for me: The Legend of Zelda. But, nowadays, not only do I know how games work, being an Indie Game Developer and all, but people so often cannot capture that same feeling I used to get from the Zelda franchise (which also might explainI've been playing video games for a long time. They used to have this amazing spark for me, something that went off inside. First game that ever did this for me: The Legend of Zelda. But, nowadays, not only do I know how games work, being an Indie Game Developer and all, but people so often cannot capture that same feeling I used to get from the Zelda franchise (which also might explain why I love Puzzle games so much). But, I just played Portal 2, and I felt that same spark I did so many years ago. It was almost nostalgic for me, but at the same time so new as well. It was absolutely like no game I have ever played, save for the original Portal, of course. But it was also so much better than the original as well. Actually, as soon as I had beaten Portal, I knew that if they ever released a sequel, that I would buy it, without a doubt. I would do the same if they ever released a Portal 3 as well. To start off, I'll tell you about the Multiplayer. It's mostly a really good experience, but only if you play it with a friend, and not a stranger. You play as two robots, Atlas, a shorter bot who's body looks like that of one of GLaDOS' cores, and P-body who's favors one of the turrets. Each player has their own set of Portals. Red and Orange, Blue (or purple, to me) and Light-blue. I only have a couple of gripes about it. One is that sometimes, I really don't want to do a gesture (gestures can be performed at anytime throughout co-op and some involve both players), and it can get vaguely annoying when my team-mate continuously performs them and I get forced into high-fives and such. But, that usually isn't too much of a problem. Throughout Co-operative play GLaDOS guides you once more, constantly noting on how horrible (and fat) humans are, among other well written and flavorful bits of dialogue. The puzzles themselves are quite nice, and get progressively more difficult, but never too difficult. Something that is even better in Co-op than in Single Player is the "AH-ha!" moment. (This is the moment of sudden realization when you've been working on a puzzle for a while) The reason this moment is heightened in multiplayer is that you get to experience it with a friend, and that's when the gestures are really the most fun to perform, in the excitement of having solved a puzzle. Also, my only other thing I didn't like about Co-op is that it was so terribly short. Only about 2-4 hours of game-play. I understand Valve's reasoning behind this, just testing the waters to see how Co-op would go over with the fans. I, personally say that, if Valve makes a Portal 3, Co-op campaign should definitely be just as long as Single Player. I'd like to point out at this time, if it wasn't apparent already, that Multiplayer Campaign and Single Player Campaign are totally separate in their story. Now, I'll carry on with the review of the Single Player.

    Ah, Single Player. Truly the most amazing thing I've ever seen developed by Valve (And they've put out some pretty amazing games) and possibly one of the most amazing games I've ever seen. One the most amazing puzzle games I've ever played. First, you start off in your "suspension" room and are awakened for your "exercise" which consists of you looking up and down. Then, in an unspecified amount of time in the future, what seems to be many, many years later, you're awakened by the bot created to attend the humans in suspension, Wheatley. You're in a decrepit old Aperture that's obviously been out of commission for a long time. You make your way through the first few old test chambers from the original Portal. Your friendly - yet slightly moronic - companion leads you on up to GLaDOS' lair, in which a very terrible mishap transpires. As you traverse through the game, all of the characters are well written and unique, the puzzles intriguing, innovative, and fresh. The characters all have their own quirks that keep the game comedic to the perfect amount. The game doesn't drag things out or leave them too shortly. It builds upon ideas it puts in your head earlier on in the game to build on the puzzle solving aspects, and the story always keeps you wanting more. There are several jaw-dropping plot twists as well. All in all, one of the best games I have EVER played, and I suggest it to anybody who enjoys video games and good, well written comedy.

    As a final note, I'd like to say that, even though the game was longer than the original, and I'm thankful for that, I still wish it had been just a little bit longer. And, that I think there should be a Portal 3, without a doubt. The only reason I put a 9 and not a 10 is because of the length of the game.    … Expand
  26. MrSalamandra
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    A fantastic game. While neither are particularly long, the co-op campaign is about 5 hours long and the single-player campaign is longer than that. The puzzles are nicely varied and suitably difficult, and the story is surprisingly rich and twisting.
  27. wiak
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    exellent game, worth its price at 37,99 euro, its alot longer than portal 1, it has more story , including a funny multiplayer coop mode! that extens the single player story, with the past game updates by valve, portal 2 might well get more levels, and more fun later down the road!

    with SteamPlay you also get the PC & MAC Version, if you buy it for PS3 you also get SteamPlay valve also    exellent game, worth its price at 37,99 euro, its alot longer than portal 1, it has more story , including a funny multiplayer coop mode! that extens the single player story, with the past game updates by valve, portal 2 might well get more levels, and more fun later down the road!

    with SteamPlay you also get the PC & MAC Version, if you buy it for PS3 you also get SteamPlay

    valve also allows you to backup the game, something not every developer allows for :)    … Expand
  28. FartsMcGee
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    Between its impeccable polish, incredible voice acting and ability to entertain throughout there is very little to like. I mean honestly, if outstanding production values, clever puzzles, and innovative puzzles are all a game can offer, why bother. Seriously, everything about this game screams failure to launch. Yeah, you guessed it, I hate quality products, in fact the only thing IBetween its impeccable polish, incredible voice acting and ability to entertain throughout there is very little to like. I mean honestly, if outstanding production values, clever puzzles, and innovative puzzles are all a game can offer, why bother. Seriously, everything about this game screams failure to launch. Yeah, you guessed it, I hate quality products, in fact the only thing I hate more is when a company lives up to the hype that they create around a video game that is second to none. So in conclusion I hate this game, and if the aforementioned things are things that you actually like, then go a head by all means buy it, otherwise avoid it like the plague.

    As an aside, i bought the potato pack, played the ARG and loved every friggin second of it. Don't believe anyone who says all the die hard guys are mad, cause I couldn't be more pleased with valve and their ode to gamers.    … Expand
  29. JackMort
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    I would use one word to describe this game: professional. It is hard to come by a complete "package" these days when you look at the games out there. Valve has made a game that is not only fun, it is fun in the sense that the whole game actually feels finished and complete. By that I mean there were no bugs I noticed, the graphics settings I did not need to adjust (even though I looked atI would use one word to describe this game: professional. It is hard to come by a complete "package" these days when you look at the games out there. Valve has made a game that is not only fun, it is fun in the sense that the whole game actually feels finished and complete. By that I mean there were no bugs I noticed, the graphics settings I did not need to adjust (even though I looked at the options since I have been trained to do this by other games), the whole game just felt finished and polished and it was really a complete game. On top of that there is the great story, great characters, the amazing graphics and entertaining puzzles. The industry really needs to take a look at Valve's example and put out games that are actually complete and as well thought out as Portal 2.

    I don't even feel like the DLC hats detract from the game. Since I don't think that those types of micro-transactions are going to go away, Valve does a good job with them by making them unimportant cosmetic additions instead of taking actual chunks of gameplay out like some other companies. When I reflect on Portal 2, I can't help but think that the industry would be so much better off if it followed Valve's philosophy in game development. I suggest you go out and play it, see for yourself what all the buzz is really about.    … Expand
  30. Thingishness
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    I can't believe people are rating this game down because of the dlc. It adds no content to the game except for person aesthetics in multiplayer. Portal 2 was a phenomenal game. It made the first one, which was also phenomenal, average by comparison. If you are unhappy with the dlc, don't buy it. Your game won't change one bit.
  31. BigMike
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    I was originally mad at all these 0 reviews, before I got deeply into Portal 2. Now I'm just furious. Because the more the game progresses the better it is in my eyes. It's a masterpiece. Anyone who says it's not better than the first is wrong, anyone who says it's a bad game is wrong. Anyone who says it's too short, clearly needs to take it easy and actually listen to dialogue.
  32. jl0329
    Apr 22, 2011
    7
    I had a lot of fun playing the tutorials in this game. The little flying robot cracks me up with its British accent. The level design is brilliant and I am sure everyone can have some fun at some point.
    Although this is a FPS, it's more of a puzzle game. Once you get that concept, you won't complain that you are not obliterating lively things. * Does not worth the full retail price to me    I had a lot of fun playing the tutorials in this game. The little flying robot cracks me up with its British accent. The level design is brilliant and I am sure everyone can have some fun at some point.
    Although this is a FPS, it's more of a puzzle game. Once you get that concept, you won't complain that you are not obliterating lively things. * Does not worth the full retail price to me thou, this game has no replay value at all and it's short. Once you beat it, you wouldn't want to play again because you already knew all the solutions *    … Expand
  33. selcouth
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    Compare to the original Portal, Portal 2 is everything a fan could ask for. More of the witty charm that made the first so enjoyable, much more content, and multiplayer co-op mode! Single player campaign averages between 6 and 8 hours to complete. Co-op averages about 5 hours. This game was very enjoyable and I highly recommend it.
  34. ftl
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    I loved Portal 1, and Portal 2 was quite a good game and a worthy sequel. The puzzles were great - as good as the ones in Portal 1, and possibly better. The environments The humor was good, with GLaDOS and Wheatley and Cave Johnson. That said, I personally didn't end up loving the game like I loved Portal 1; it may be impossible to recapture the "new mechanic, new game" magic with aI loved Portal 1, and Portal 2 was quite a good game and a worthy sequel. The puzzles were great - as good as the ones in Portal 1, and possibly better. The environments The humor was good, with GLaDOS and Wheatley and Cave Johnson. That said, I personally didn't end up loving the game like I loved Portal 1; it may be impossible to recapture the "new mechanic, new game" magic with a sequel, and the plot especially felt very sequel-ish. I'd still recommend this game to everyone though.… Expand
  35. jdshald
    Apr 23, 2011
    10
    For all the people saying this is the best game ever made, it may be a bit early to make that assumption. But I have to say Portal 2 is one of the best games I have ever played. For those of you stating that Portal 2 is it better than Mass Effect 2, Half Life games, Team Fortress, Bioshock, Oblivion (Whatever the hell you find is your favorite game) you are not understanding that everyoneFor all the people saying this is the best game ever made, it may be a bit early to make that assumption. But I have to say Portal 2 is one of the best games I have ever played. For those of you stating that Portal 2 is it better than Mass Effect 2, Half Life games, Team Fortress, Bioshock, Oblivion (Whatever the hell you find is your favorite game) you are not understanding that everyone is going to have a different opinion and favorite game style but once again I have to say Portal 2 is worth your respect even if you do not like puzzle games like this; the story and design of the game are so well done it is not worth the negative reviews it is receiving by some people trying to make a point. For me its in my Top 10 favorite games of all time and it deserves a high score.… Expand
  36. Spireal
    Apr 23, 2011
    9
    Valve just can't fail. Awesome gameplay, atmosphere, humor... It makes the first one boring. I bet the arrival of excellents mods. Coop not tested yet, but the concept promises a lot of fun. I don't understand the negative reviews, even if i'm a fanboy of Valve work. They even promoted the independant games in a marketing operation for Portal 2 release (The Potato Sack) and that must beValve just can't fail. Awesome gameplay, atmosphere, humor... It makes the first one boring. I bet the arrival of excellents mods. Coop not tested yet, but the concept promises a lot of fun. I don't understand the negative reviews, even if i'm a fanboy of Valve work. They even promoted the independant games in a marketing operation for Portal 2 release (The Potato Sack) and that must be applauded. Future DLCs ? Free. Valve never made a PC gamer pay for content (other than decoration). Too bad for consoles.

    This game is a delicious and moist cake, but it's certainly not a lie.    … Expand
  37. MeneerR
    Apr 23, 2011
    10
    It seems people that played Portal 1, were better at the puzzles. So well, that they finish the single player part in about 8 hours. I wasn't that good at it though; i needed about 14 hours.

    They are upset, that it's too short; but the single player part really is three times longer than portal 1. And the polish; the writing. It's such a richer game than it's predecessor. That's the    It seems people that played Portal 1, were better at the puzzles. So well, that they finish the single player part in about 8 hours. I wasn't that good at it though; i needed about 14 hours.

    They are upset, that it's too short; but the single player part really is three times longer than portal 1. And the polish; the writing. It's such a richer game than it's predecessor.

    That's the thing. The reason a lot of people give such a high score, is because it's all quality. It never turns into grinding. They've made and iterated the puzzles so many times; they could have easily created a 60+ hour game, full of crappy maps and crappy dialog. They think it's too expensive. Well, games, in certain areas are. Boycotting isn't a dumb way to do something about it. But why don't we start with the console games and the vendors that use Securom and pretty much destroy your windows installation.

    Valve is a weird target to suddenly start boycotting games based on the average price point. Within months they'll be having a strong discount. So, yes, it's cheaper before release, it's cheapers months after release. I honestly think the way Steam (and by extension Valve) plays with price points; is exactly the right way. As to people basing their extremely low score on the ARG. That's the not the game you are rating here. Tha'ts not a game you payed for. And honestly, it's quite misleading and a bit pathetic to then suddenly give out a 1. I honestly hope Valve gives these games their money back. They can't ever buy a Valve game then though. Heh. Some of these complainers are still online playing portal co-op right now.    … Expand
  38. nadavga
    Apr 23, 2011
    10
    I loved this game. The price you pay is worth the single player alone. And the coop is amazing! You even get free store content for completing the game! I also love how valve have made DLC that is not required to enjoy the game to its fullest. Unlike most shooters or RPGS or basically any other game that's come out recently with DLC, where you need to pay to access allI loved this game. The price you pay is worth the single player alone. And the coop is amazing! You even get free store content for completing the game! I also love how valve have made DLC that is not required to enjoy the game to its fullest. Unlike most shooters or RPGS or basically any other game that's come out recently with DLC, where you need to pay to access all character/weapons/levels this game allows you to get all of the best of this game which is the mechanics and dialogue, and you can also customize your experience if you are into that sorta thing. It's terrible the 0 review scores people are giving this game just because they have to pay for customization. For. Shame.… Expand
  39. Stagaz90
    Apr 23, 2011
    10
    By far the best game of this year, and a definite contender for GOTY. The gameplay is brilliant, the writing is genius and the graphics are top notch. This is probably valves greatest game to date and a worthy GOTY contender. Ignore negative reviews for the game, they're mainly trolls who are annoyed about the ARG (google "valve arg" if you don't know what it is). Also its single playerBy far the best game of this year, and a definite contender for GOTY. The gameplay is brilliant, the writing is genius and the graphics are top notch. This is probably valves greatest game to date and a worthy GOTY contender. Ignore negative reviews for the game, they're mainly trolls who are annoyed about the ARG (google "valve arg" if you don't know what it is). Also its single player alone is at-least 7 hours if you explore the world, which I suggest you do, and then you have the co-op which is just as long. Buy the game if you don't already have it, you won't be sorry.… Expand
  40. Scarly
    Apr 23, 2011
    9
    The level design of Portal 2 is what should be Portal 1.
    Source iv very well exploited and the story just is epic, we take pleasure to solve the tests and we're very happy to end one when we were ten minutes on.
    Portal is today a great name of the world of videogame.
  41. Wonderful-Wino
    Apr 23, 2011
    9
    Le genre de jeu qu'on a du mal a quitter une fois terminé..
    Quelle ambiance envoutante,seul jusqu'à présent les Bioshock m'avaient laissé cette impression.
    Une vraie réussite,et tout ça sans un alien,zombie,ou autres ennemies a tuer.Bravo
  42. Deotliop
    Apr 24, 2011
    10
    I haven't even played this game and it is amazing. I've been watching my brother play it and from an outside perspective it is still crazy fun. The puzzles are challenging, it's got the funniest writing and voice acting and it's just plain fun.
  43. DassJennir
    Apr 25, 2011
    10
    It's pathetic to see this bunch of trolling here, from people who clearly didn't play the game or are complaining about the wrong things. Portal 2 was simply the best FPS experiences I've had this year. Valve did a brilliant work in the game. It was impossible not to fall in love with the sound, the outstanding Aperture facility visual, and the awesome voice work in this game. Both theIt's pathetic to see this bunch of trolling here, from people who clearly didn't play the game or are complaining about the wrong things. Portal 2 was simply the best FPS experiences I've had this year. Valve did a brilliant work in the game. It was impossible not to fall in love with the sound, the outstanding Aperture facility visual, and the awesome voice work in this game. Both the single player and the co op are so much fun, and if you take four hours to finish the game you'll lose almost half of it's content. Just forget about the store, you're not compelled to buy anything.… Expand
  44. combonio
    Apr 25, 2011
    7
    I haven't played Portal 1 and I have only played the single player mode of Portal 2, let's get that out of the way. Overall, the gameplay was enjoyable. The puzzles were predominantly easy to navigate, however there were a few that I found quite challenging. For those, I had to stop playing for the day, so I could return with a fresh mind. I would say all puzzles were perfectly crafted,I haven't played Portal 1 and I have only played the single player mode of Portal 2, let's get that out of the way. Overall, the gameplay was enjoyable. The puzzles were predominantly easy to navigate, however there were a few that I found quite challenging. For those, I had to stop playing for the day, so I could return with a fresh mind. I would say all puzzles were perfectly crafted, nonethless. It took me 6 hours to complete the game. The pace of the game and the actual premise of the story itself were good. I enjoyed exlopring the world of Aperture. The graphics and level design were immersive, and Valve is to be commended for that. The story took a while to engage me. The characters had strong voice acting performances, but I did not find them anywhere near as funny as most other reviews seem to suggest. The humour was forced, and certainly not on my wavelength. In the last hour I kept hoping that the doors marked 'exit' would let me leave, and alleviate me of my boredom. Overall, it was a positive experience, and in hindsight, I would probably have made the US$49 purchase again. I do not believe this game deserves a 9 or 10 as others have done. As a single player compaign, it was far less engaging to me than the campaigns of Starcraft II or GTA IV, which I would consider solid 9s, or even Black Ops, which I would consider a good 8. Verdict: 7/10, about as fun as Plants vs Zombies.… Expand
  45. kylekez
    Apr 30, 2011
    10
    From the moment that i awoke in my relaxation room, i knew that Portal 2 was going to exceed all expectations that i had. Upon jumping out of the room, i had to stop playing just to show everyone in my household the hilarious writing that i had already seen. Did i mention i wasn't even 5 minutes into the game yet? I took a break for the day though after the intro, probably because i hadFrom the moment that i awoke in my relaxation room, i knew that Portal 2 was going to exceed all expectations that i had. Upon jumping out of the room, i had to stop playing just to show everyone in my household the hilarious writing that i had already seen. Did i mention i wasn't even 5 minutes into the game yet? I took a break for the day though after the intro, probably because i had already gotten more out of this game than i usually do out of other games i play. When i went back to playing it, i was hooked, and the game got better and better. As the game went on the puzzles got more creative, the characters were developed more fully than in almost any other game, DESPITE THE FACT that the characters were robots. Overall, i would say Portal 2 is a game that will hook you with it's plot twists and humorous characters, and is a game that nobody should miss.… Expand
  46. Swixel
    May 3, 2011
    9
    Portal 2, the sequel to the wonderful Portal, has everything that Portal has, except that feeling of mock gravitas. While the game is interesting in its own right, it largely fails to go back to its roots of Portal, and feels like it tries a bit too hard to add depth where depth was never needed. However, the depth is appreciated, albeit attached like an odd appendage, and so doesn'tPortal 2, the sequel to the wonderful Portal, has everything that Portal has, except that feeling of mock gravitas. While the game is interesting in its own right, it largely fails to go back to its roots of Portal, and feels like it tries a bit too hard to add depth where depth was never needed. However, the depth is appreciated, albeit attached like an odd appendage, and so doesn't detract from the game's storyline.

    The game play is wonderful, and the addition of other environmental elements (not listed for spoiler reasons), including the 'original' (predating those used in Portal, but now available) test elements, enhances the game play so much that it is almost possible to overlook the failed attempt at gravitas.    … Expand
  47. Manraynor
    May 4, 2011
    9
    I played this game over at my friends place , since i was skeptical of the 40â
  48. Fishdinner
    May 4, 2011
    10
    Its amazing how a game actually manages to have the best gameplay, as well as the best acting and writing I've encountered thus far this year. If you enjoyed Portal 1, you'll enjoy this.
  49. Getchasome
    May 9, 2011
    8
    Portal 2 is no 10... But its a solid game for sure. The puzzles are very smarty designed and the dialog is really humorous. Every time I'm on the verge of getting bored, there is a twist in the next puzzle. The co-op mode takes it that extra step further!
  50. Jokr
    May 10, 2011
    8
    I played the prequel and found it hilariously fun, coming in the orange box as an insane deal it was totally worth it. The game offers more of what made Portal fun: Puzzles, ridiculous robot humour and... well, making portals. It even adds a coop mode which improves the experience even further. While this game surely is a lot of fun it is also really short. For a price of 50â
  51. badATchaos
    May 10, 2011
    9
    This game... wow. Pretty darn good. It's hard to formulate an actual description why it's so good. The only thing I can really do point out the few tiny flaws about Portal 2.

    My biggest problem is the amount of loading screens, especially in the first half of the game. In Portal 1 you would play through 2 to 3 puzzles before the game would have to load up the next level. Portal 2 is more    This game... wow. Pretty darn good. It's hard to formulate an actual description why it's so good. The only thing I can really do point out the few tiny flaws about Portal 2.

    My biggest problem is the amount of loading screens, especially in the first half of the game. In Portal 1 you would play through 2 to 3 puzzles before the game would have to load up the next level. Portal 2 is more detailed than the first but the environments still look small enough that them could have fit them together into one level instead of splitting them up with loading screens. All the loading screens kind of hinder rush you might get by completing in rapid secession and kind of break the emission. I can understand this in CO-OP because you want to be able to select a particular puzzle you want to go back and play with your partner, but with single player there's no real need for the amount of loading screens that were present.

    The second problem I found was, not to say I didn't get stuck anywhere but, over all looking back at the game I found it to be fairly easy compared to the first game. In Portal 1 there would be a complete wall of where you were able to place portals where in Portal 2 there seemed to be less wall space you are able to shoot a portal onto. This kind of give the player less options of to where to put a portal. Limiting this allowed the player to place portals in the correct places almost for you, thus solving each puzzle faster.

    Another thing that made the game easier is that there aren't any puzzles that require the player to preform quick "twitchy" movements or actions. This means that the puzzles are more about figuring them out then actually preforming the actions to solve them. This isn't a bad thing but some players, including myself, miss the "twitch" gameplay element in this title.

    Also I found the game to be a tiny bit short for a full 50-60 dollar game. It took me about seven hours to complete single player and about six to beat CO-OP. As a shooter this is a bit longer then your average Call of Duty or Battlefield but as a puzzle/adventure game it seems kind of short. This is really true with CO-OP since there's really no re-playability what so ever. This is shockingly short if you compare this to other Valves other first-person shooter games like Half-Life 2 which took some players 20 hours to beat! With that said Valve is planning on releasing more content for the game in the near future, FOR FREE, including the "challenge chambers."

    The covers the bad things. To some people would be annoyed with these problems, but they can be overlooked with the sheer quality of the game and fantastic writing and voice acting. The one thing that really got me was the single players ending. OH, MY, GOD. AMAZING! If this was another game they wouldn't have been able to get away with this, but because this is Portal it totally works and ****, is ever so amazing! It has to be the best ending to a game I've ever seen, ever.    … Expand
  52. Journeyman
    May 12, 2011
    10
    There's no magic inside, just the stuff I would expect from any serious studio. Paradoxically, its still an exception. Considering the garbage thrown at us from all sides, Portal 2 is creating contrast and deserves 10+.
  53. Snoop101
    May 13, 2011
    9
    I wish I could rate this a number between 8 and 9 like 8.5/

    I first want to say that this is a game I thoroughly enjoyed, the first in quite a long time. Portal 2 is definitely one of the highest quality Valve productions I have experienced in a while, and it shows. The environments are rich, and lively. I found myself staring in awe at many maps trying to contemplate how many hours of    I wish I could rate this a number between 8 and 9 like 8.5/

    I first want to say that this is a game I thoroughly enjoyed, the first in quite a long time. Portal 2 is definitely one of the highest quality Valve productions I have experienced in a while, and it shows. The environments are rich, and lively. I found myself staring in awe at many maps trying to contemplate how many hours of work must have went into it. The scripted physics events were incredible, and I was impressed at how life like they were whether it be metal walkways being crushed or walls crumbling apart. This game rocks in terms of visuals! Which is quite a statement coming from me, someone who thinks the source engine is past due to be replaced.

    Although still solid, I wasn't entirely pleased with the pacing of the game. The great thing about portal is that it seamlessly combined the storyline with puzzle elements of the game into one fluid experience. While portal 2 has some of this, it's also very different. The game is clearly broken up into "story segments" and "puzzle segments." I didn't really like this, and felt It somewhat detracts from the puzzle experience. In this format puzzles almost started to feel tedious. I'd finish a clearly identifiable story segment (which is marked by almost no puzzles) then enter a puzzle segment in the mindset of "okay... Time to grind more puzzles until I can get to the next exciting story part!" Despite my issues with the pacing, the characters, story, and environments did make up for it.

    One issue people have been complaining about is gameplay length. I just can't relate, perhaps I'm just a slow problem solver. The singleplayer campaign took me 6.9 hours, and the coop campaign around 5. Which comes out to roughly 12 hours total. This doesn't include replaying the game in commentary mode, gunning for achievements, or searching for hidden easter eggs which has tacked on an additional 7 hours or so for me personally. In general I was satisfied with my purchase of portal 2, and I look forward to my children having the opportunity to play HL2 episode 3 since it will never be released in my lifetime.    … Expand
  54. nsane
    May 15, 2011
    8
    Portal 2 is your classic Valve title. It has great actors, humor, and an excellent story. The gameplay is very similar to the original with many innovations. The thing that Valve got the most right was their casting. Every character seemed natural and very developed. o-op was a blast! Playing the game with friends and sometimes sabotaging their efforts was very enjoyable. The two thingsPortal 2 is your classic Valve title. It has great actors, humor, and an excellent story. The gameplay is very similar to the original with many innovations. The thing that Valve got the most right was their casting. Every character seemed natural and very developed. o-op was a blast! Playing the game with friends and sometimes sabotaging their efforts was very enjoyable. The two things that kept me from giving this game a 10 were the brevity of the campaign and the lack of inspiration the last few test chambers portrayed. All-in-all a very fun game that I enjoyed quite a bit.… Expand
  55. Hemiovoid
    May 14, 2011
    9
    I'm not going to judge Portal 2 based on the Potato Sack, I'm not going to judge it based on how it compares to Half-Life 2, I'm not going to judge it on its optional day 1 DLC, I'm going to judge it solely as a video game. And as a video game, it's virtually perfect. It's a great puzzle game, with a steady difficulty curve, wonderfully developed characters, some sparkling moments ofI'm not going to judge Portal 2 based on the Potato Sack, I'm not going to judge it based on how it compares to Half-Life 2, I'm not going to judge it on its optional day 1 DLC, I'm going to judge it solely as a video game. And as a video game, it's virtually perfect. It's a great puzzle game, with a steady difficulty curve, wonderfully developed characters, some sparkling moments of humor, and (perhaps most importantly for the internet) features several obviously memetic elements.
    The single player takes between six and ten hours, depending on how well-versed you are in the mechanics of Portal. It's divided into three separate acts, each with new game mechanics that make for new experiences and puzzle methods throughout. Portal was a stellar game, that consisted almost solely of solving mind-bending puzzles while a disembodied voice spouts humorous, quotable saying in your ear. This is also the central mechanic of Portal 2, but with less mind-numbing and more humorous, quotable sayings. The game's three acts can be easily identified by which voice is talking to you: Act 1 brings the return of Portal 1's joyously mad AI GLaDOS, Act 2 brings J.K. Simmons as more cconventionally mad CEO Cave Johnson, and Act 3 has Stephen Merchant (that guy from The Office) as Wheatley, the power-mad, cheeky personality core. The ending is amazing, and the story retains Half-Life's vague, almost mean sense of withholding something.
    The co-op campaign is more true to the original Portal, with only sparse comments from GLaDOS in the way of lines, and the puzzles being brain-breakingly difficult even for 2 people. The ending is also nicely noncommital in the way of story, as I have come to expect from Valve.
    Overall, one of the main negatives with the game has appeared to be the loading screens. I agree-what happened to Half-Life's simple, non-intrusive "LOADING" bubble? I don't want big Aperture Science logos plastered onto the screen; I'm saving those for the inevitable dearth of Portal 2 t-shirts.    … Expand
  56. Junkiemaxxx
    May 15, 2011
    9
    Best game of 2011! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best! Best!
  57. ProMil
    May 19, 2011
    10
    Portal 2 is 14 hours of gameplay. I think I spent good time with this valve's game :) I'm waiting for a dlc :) Valve is doing the best games of the world!
  58. 3v4nGray
    May 17, 2011
    10
    Portal 2 sets the bar miles above anything else Valve has done. Its writing, voice acting, pacing, game mechanics, art direction, and level design are pure genius.
    I've played literally hundreds of video games over my life; good and bad, across many different genres. Portal 2 exceeds ALL of them in nearly every way. Put simply, Portal 2 is the best game I have ever played, and probably one    Portal 2 sets the bar miles above anything else Valve has done. Its writing, voice acting, pacing, game mechanics, art direction, and level design are pure genius.
    I've played literally hundreds of video games over my life; good and bad, across many different genres. Portal 2 exceeds ALL of them in nearly every way. Put simply, Portal 2 is the best game I have ever played, and probably one of the best ever made.    … Expand
  59. rincewind22
    May 25, 2011
    8
    I enjoyed this game very much. Still I won't be singing praises about it. My problem with the game was it's just a bit too easy. I finished it in 5 days playing few hours a day and did the quests one after another. I had troubles only with three of them or so and I do not think that the reason of that is I'm very clever or something. You just learn the way to solving them and then it'sI enjoyed this game very much. Still I won't be singing praises about it. My problem with the game was it's just a bit too easy. I finished it in 5 days playing few hours a day and did the quests one after another. I had troubles only with three of them or so and I do not think that the reason of that is I'm very clever or something. You just learn the way to solving them and then it's kind of repetitive. As a result I have a feeling that something is missing here. Still I can surely recommend it to everyone.… Expand
  60. SJ_pl
    May 22, 2011
    10
    The best game this year! It's miles away in quality from other puzzle games on the PC (exept for Braid I suppouse). What's great: story, dialogs, CHARACTER DESIGN, LEVEL DESIGN, co-op mode, music score, tutorials
    What's wrong: may be slightly too unrealistic physics for a game that bases on it so heavily...
  61. sin151
    May 20, 2011
    8
    Excellent perfectly crafted take on the foundation the first game laid, everything from the voice-acting to the sound of the machines interacting is beyond perfection. The gameplay is top-notch, but also imo to easy as it give you far to many hints to complete puzzles. It actually feels incredibly short, although it is a ten hour game, but maybe that is the fact it immerses you in theExcellent perfectly crafted take on the foundation the first game laid, everything from the voice-acting to the sound of the machines interacting is beyond perfection. The gameplay is top-notch, but also imo to easy as it give you far to many hints to complete puzzles. It actually feels incredibly short, although it is a ten hour game, but maybe that is the fact it immerses you in the world so well that time flies by. So take the good with the bad and you end up with a solid experience that will please fans of all genres.… Expand
  62. Choum
    May 21, 2011
    7
    This game have a great solo campaign, but on time only, once finish they'is no interest to replay it (exept if you like achievement) same thing for the coop. (average time 7h for solo and 5-6h for coop
    The game is funny especially in coop.
    Good point valve will create some content in dlc for free, a good point for the only negative part of the game. (but same problem, dlc will be play    This game have a great solo campaign, but on time only, once finish they'is no interest to replay it (exept if you like achievement) same thing for the coop. (average time 7h for solo and 5-6h for coop
    The game is funny especially in coop.
    Good point valve will create some content in dlc for free, a good point for the only negative part of the game. (but same problem, dlc will be play one time only)    … Expand
  63. Ridzu
    May 21, 2011
    8
    I love this game. This is typical logical game, but is too short and easy for me. Graphic in this game is good, but not very good. Dynamic Shadow is really ugly, and have low resolution.
  64. Nathanielvk
    May 22, 2011
    8
    Another great game from valve they never seem to disappoint, got amazing voice acting and great comedy plus Wheatley got to be one of the funniest chars in gaming along with the turrets xD
  65. rundownmonkey
    Jun 25, 2011
    10
    Best game of the decade by far. brilliantly built and presented perfectly. Perfect mix so story humour and puzzles to keep gamers amused for years and years to come. Another 10/10 from valve.
  66. DanJRWalsh
    Jun 26, 2011
    10
    Portal 2 was once again a job well done by Valve. The game contained everything from comedy to unique entertainment. It is a very unique game overall and had many new mechanisms compared to the first Portal. I believe they did an excellent job creating the sequel to an awesome game.
  67. daturastorm
    Jun 29, 2011
    10
    This game is nothing short of excellent. It is interesting, clever, funny and completely addictive. The duel player co op is fantastic too. Playing portal 1 first is not essential but it would be beneficial to the storyline, its also a fantastic game to start with. I hope there will be a portal 3!
  68. OmnipotentGamer
    Aug 5, 2013
    7
    A vast improvement upon the original, but still insanely over-hyped, fun for a while, but can't see myself playing through multiple times. A solid puzzle game.
  69. impure
    Jul 18, 2013
    7
    Portal 2. How do I put this? Portal 2 is an improvement over Portal 1 in every way imaginable. But that isn't saying much. If you've played the original you know what to expect. Running through 20ish test chambers. Go through the facility like in the last test chamber, but it's way bigger this time. Rinse and repeat. And if you didn't play the original here's a one word summary: boring.Portal 2. How do I put this? Portal 2 is an improvement over Portal 1 in every way imaginable. But that isn't saying much. If you've played the original you know what to expect. Running through 20ish test chambers. Go through the facility like in the last test chamber, but it's way bigger this time. Rinse and repeat. And if you didn't play the original here's a one word summary: boring.

    Portal 2 side steps most of the pitfalls of the original though. There are more tools, a fact made painfully obvious when I tried to design a map with only stuff from Portal 1. There's actually a story this time. And there are some puzzles that will actually stump you.

    And the map editor is pretty cool, even though playing your own puzzles is never fun. And I have to force close the game when quitting, weird.    … Expand
  70. Ghoster
    Jan 5, 2014
    10
    This is probably best puzzle game ever!! Each puzzle is really well designed which give game unique experience. As Valve started to release really bad titles like L4D didn't expect much from them anymore. I'm glad I was wrong. Portal 2 is pure awesomeness in bot singleplayer and coop modes!
  71. iseeall
    Jul 29, 2013
    5
    It's basically Portal 1, but dumbed down and with no-so-good humor and a general hollywood-style feeling. Yes, the levels are now more detailed, there is much more stuff lying around and there is a dumb assistant, but overall I got a feeling that they just wanted to make the game more accessible and appealing to idiots. Unfortunately, this also made the game less appealing to guys likeIt's basically Portal 1, but dumbed down and with no-so-good humor and a general hollywood-style feeling. Yes, the levels are now more detailed, there is much more stuff lying around and there is a dumb assistant, but overall I got a feeling that they just wanted to make the game more accessible and appealing to idiots. Unfortunately, this also made the game less appealing to guys like myself. Portal 1's setting was cool, why do you need to add this mass-culture wrapping to it?… Expand
  72. peashooter
    May 12, 2011
    5
    Yes, they are right.. Nice graphics. Original ideas. Nice sound. Nice everything, just like how everyone are talking about it. It will make a great single player title. Yes, you've got it, a great single player title. But what about the multiplayer part, you may ask?
    Sorry, but the fact remains that the mutiplayer has 0 replay value. After I've gone through the multiplayer once with a    Yes, they are right.. Nice graphics. Original ideas. Nice sound. Nice everything, just like how everyone are talking about it. It will make a great single player title. Yes, you've got it, a great single player title. But what about the multiplayer part, you may ask?
    Sorry, but the fact remains that the mutiplayer has 0 replay value. After I've gone through the multiplayer once with a friend, I've become somewhat a tour guide, guiding people through the multiplayer levels.
    And that's about it, there's really no point in playing the multiplayer again. Same levels, walking around doing the same stuff. Even if its with an other person, it will ge boring when the game is highly environmental based.
    Worse still, there are absolutely no storyline for the multiplayer. Its really just going through levels (and having the AI bombarding you with the same dialogue each time). Come to think of it, the single player mode has a lot more replay value than the multiplayer.

    So, yea, the multiplayer is a failure because of the absence of replay value. Since the multiplayer is half of what the game is about, that will be a 0/5 for it. As for the single player, a 5/5 for valve standard, as always.    … Expand
  73. KnowingUnknown
    May 11, 2011
    6
    Portal 2 suffers greatly from the console ports. Places where you would normally be able to explore are closed off by invisible walls, something that is rarely seen in the PC gaming market. More and more developers are succumbing to the console gaming market with limited releases. The level design, atmosphere, and gameplay are excellent. The loading screens look like 640x480 renderingsPortal 2 suffers greatly from the console ports. Places where you would normally be able to explore are closed off by invisible walls, something that is rarely seen in the PC gaming market. More and more developers are succumbing to the console gaming market with limited releases. The level design, atmosphere, and gameplay are excellent. The loading screens look like 640x480 renderings from 1990's PC games, a resolution that seems to be the limit for older consoles like the PS3 and the XBox360. We, as PC gamers, understand that 5 year olds can operate a joystick attached to a console, but that PC games suffer from this conversion. It seems independent gaming is the last bastion of true PC games that usually goes untouched by console degeneration.… Expand
  74. Pomornik
    Sep 24, 2011
    6
    Best things about this game are the atmospheric locations and monologues of the characters, but sadly not the puzzles itself. Its also too short, and lacks replayability factor. Its a game you will beat in few days, and never return to it.
  75. Stormblazer
    May 16, 2011
    6
    The game is well done for what it is - if you enjoyed Portal, you'll enjoy Portal 2. I have no qualms about the game quality itself.

    The problem is that there is nowhere near $50 worth of content. For $50, I expect 20 hours of content MINIMUM, and that's really pushing it. Portal 2 is barely half that if you're being generous. I'd be more forgiving if this was an indie studio, but this is    The game is well done for what it is - if you enjoyed Portal, you'll enjoy Portal 2. I have no qualms about the game quality itself.

    The problem is that there is nowhere near $50 worth of content. For $50, I expect 20 hours of content MINIMUM, and that's really pushing it. Portal 2 is barely half that if you're being generous. I'd be more forgiving if this was an indie studio, but this is Valve - they'll make plenty of money on it regardless, and charging this much for comparatively little content is sleazy.    … Expand
  76. Jordan117
    Apr 25, 2011
    10
    Easily one of the of the finest games I've played in a long time. Funny, inventive, challenging, memorable, great voice acting, and striking level design. Game of the year for sure.
  77. Seba
    Apr 28, 2011
    10
    This game is nothing short of fantastic, I stood up all night waiting for it to come out, and when it released... everyone on steam went mad. All my friends quickly started up the game and played for hours straight, and I did the same. I finished the game in 10 hours and the puzzles in Portal 2 are much harder than the first Portal, and I just love it. The ending is nothing short ofThis game is nothing short of fantastic, I stood up all night waiting for it to come out, and when it released... everyone on steam went mad. All my friends quickly started up the game and played for hours straight, and I did the same. I finished the game in 10 hours and the puzzles in Portal 2 are much harder than the first Portal, and I just love it. The ending is nothing short of Jaw-dropping, since it is completely un-expected, but i wont spoil it :D. The multiplayer is very funny also if you have a great friend if you want to play with, since you are always having to deal with the urge to kill your partner :D. There is so much about this game that I love, VALVE is showing the world that PC gaming is not dead!… Expand
  78. TheMitherer
    Apr 30, 2011
    8
    Excellent game which will keep you interested right until the end. The new resources available to you add to the already innovative first game as do the new characters (Steven Merchant is superb) - If you don't laugh your head off at some of the comments Crippen wasn't guilty.
    I have two complaints. Some of the puzzles could have been made more difficult (only two gave me any trouble at    Excellent game which will keep you interested right until the end. The new resources available to you add to the already innovative first game as do the new characters (Steven Merchant is superb) - If you don't laugh your head off at some of the comments Crippen wasn't guilty.
    I have two complaints. Some of the puzzles could have been made more difficult (only two gave me any trouble at all) and the game is short. OK it's not that short by today's standards but add to this that the game has almost no replayabilty value and you have a few hours entertainment for £30. Valve could have easily got an extra mark from me by putting in the challenges from the first game (least portals, steps etc) - why they didn't is a mystery (DLC maybe). This would have extended the playtime significantly.

    If you like puzzles, a decent story and some excellent humour all rolled into one this is a must play. Just depends how much you want to pay for it.    … Expand
  79. Hank84
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    I loved every second of this game, from start till end it was just an amazing experience, including the most epic ending ive ever seen in my very long gaming life. Portal 2 is simply a masterpiece, game that will most likely be a good candidate for this years Game of the Year.
  80. iamthewizard2
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    amazing game! what was a small time puzzle game is now an awesome single player campaign/adventure. in a world where countless developers are bringing us console port trash at least we have valve to look up to still.
  81. bedsidetrash
    Apr 20, 2011
    8
    Maybe I just liked the first portal's story and characters so much that I was bound to be disappointed, but I thought all characters were really poor in portal 2... There are way too many menial tasks instead of puzzles in this game too. A couple of really cool aspects however if though nothing blows you away like in the first game.
  82. cornagandarub
    Oct 16, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this is a review for portal 2. it is a video game where things happen and some things that do not happen. it was okay. i would say that it was a video game.… Expand
  83. Lorribot
    Apr 21, 2011
    8
    This is a great game, it makes a nice change not to killing everything in sight. However the single player game only took me 7 hours to complete and some of that was spent trying to get around a bug in chapter 6 that saw the cut scene work but then I couldn't move. Most of the puzzles are fairly straight forward but one or two require some thought. Once it hits the 10GBP mark it will be aThis is a great game, it makes a nice change not to killing everything in sight. However the single player game only took me 7 hours to complete and some of that was spent trying to get around a bug in chapter 6 that saw the cut scene work but then I couldn't move. Most of the puzzles are fairly straight forward but one or two require some thought. Once it hits the 10GBP mark it will be a worth it, but at the fll price sorry not enough there for the price when you compare to games such as oblivion that eat in to the 100 hours of game play for similar money it just doesn't represent good value. Unless all the DLC is going to be free which is more unlikely Stoke winning the FA cup.… Expand
  84. pyroman747
    Apr 21, 2011
    10
    After seeing all the negative reviews from whiny PC gamers, I felt obligated to give my perfect 10 to such a deserving game. Beautiful environments, clever level design, hilarious writing, and amazing gameplay mechanics make Portal 2 an obvious nominee for game of the year. I couldn't have enjoyed this game more and I'm upset to hear others rag on it for such terrible reasons. No oneAfter seeing all the negative reviews from whiny PC gamers, I felt obligated to give my perfect 10 to such a deserving game. Beautiful environments, clever level design, hilarious writing, and amazing gameplay mechanics make Portal 2 an obvious nominee for game of the year. I couldn't have enjoyed this game more and I'm upset to hear others rag on it for such terrible reasons. No one forced you to buy the Potato Sack, there's easily over 10 hours of gameplay, and the "evidence" that this game was ported from consoles is rubbish. Buy this game and you'll never regret it.… Expand
  85. GrimmEvil
    Apr 23, 2011
    10
    Reading the negative reviews on here, people complain about stupid things, because they are snobs? who knows where their ego is...As being a fan of the first game, I held high expectations for this one, and I must say they were blown away...I was sucked in and couldn't stop till I finished, I completed the Single Player Campaign in less than a day of the game being released. Although theReading the negative reviews on here, people complain about stupid things, because they are snobs? who knows where their ego is...As being a fan of the first game, I held high expectations for this one, and I must say they were blown away...I was sucked in and couldn't stop till I finished, I completed the Single Player Campaign in less than a day of the game being released. Although the concept is nothing new, instead of being a straight up puzzle, it makes it more of an adventure game as you move through the massive aperture science facility. Visually, the game itself looked beautiful, the construction, the layout, the entire insane level designs were impressive for a dated engine, this game looks better rendered than some other top competing games out there, I hope Valve is working on a newer improved engine, I can't even imagine how much better looking this game would have been if there was a new Source engine. As for gameplay? It is a very linear path, of course, you solve puzzles, move on to next area so on an so forth.The game is linear as it gets, but the solving the spatial puzzles to move on is what is incredibly genuine, even more so than the first game, the puzzles seem to make you think a little more creatively than the first, with the "gels", the hardlight bridges, and the gravity beams... it gets real interesting in what you can do as far as solving each room to get by. Solid visuals and gameplay throughout, while doing so, pay attention to EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING, from the scenery to the humorous signs throughout the game and dialogue is killer! right from the start you can't help but laugh at the quips that happen between GLADos and Wheatley, It was very enjoyable and entertaining, as you progress through the game you pass old old old test chambers in which "Cave Johnson" (voiced by JK Simmons) speaks to you about becoming a volunteer for "tests" and through each of those levels it becomes more entertaining listening to Cave talk about the facility. All the way to the end of the game, was just non-stop awe for me, Although I was able to complete the game in about 7-8 hours, It was well worth the purchase just for that, I enjoyed every moment of the single player campaign from start to finish, and to me, has extremely high replay value, especially trying to complete some of the "puzzles" as quickly as possible, To me, none of the puzzles were extremely difficult, but they definitely make you think! As far as a satisfying ending, the climax scene was just WOW! you will know what I'm talking about when you see it. Co-Op mode is definitely worth it too, you'll probably spend more time with this one than the single player campaign, teamwork is utterly essential...in co-op the puzzles are actually more challenging and you have to work as a team and have precise timing in a good portion of the puzzles, I hope they have DLC to expand co-op or allow Developer Package to create and design your own portal puzzles...As far as the DLC content and purchasing them? who the hell cares? if you don't like it, then don't buy the S$%!, it is no different than how TF2 works, obviously people have fun in customizing their characters....AND GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT, PORTAL 2 WAS PORTED TO CONSOLE, BLACK OPS WAS A CONSOLE PORT ABORTION.… Expand
  86. TheSlakey
    Apr 23, 2011
    7
    Good: Excellent production value. Classic Portal gameplay with new stuff.

    Meh: The casting choice for Wheatly is kind of strange. He's not badly acted, but he sticks out like a sore thumb against all the other robot voices. The cost/gameplay hour is somewhere in the $4~10 range, but if that's what they need to do their job well, so be it. Bad: As a sequel it's creatively bankrupt    Good: Excellent production value. Classic Portal gameplay with new stuff.

    Meh: The casting choice for Wheatly is kind of strange. He's not badly acted, but he sticks out like a sore thumb against all the other robot voices. The cost/gameplay hour is somewhere in the $4~10 range, but if that's what they need to do their job well, so be it.

    Bad: As a sequel it's creatively bankrupt and totally unnecessary. This is pretty much straight fan service/cash grabbing on Valve's part.    … Expand
  87. Kolja
    Apr 26, 2011
    7
    On the positive side, Portal 2 is well written, technically flawless and manages to deliver a superb gaming experience. On the negative side, Portal 2 is too easy and too short. When you are a Portal veteran, the game takes only 3-4 hours to finish. Portal 2 is rather expensive for its length.
  88. Zolwik
    May 28, 2011
    7
    Game is charming, but annoyingly easy! Portal 1 seemed more complex and required some agility, so I expected with focus and time they will produce something challenging. Nevertheless Portal 2 is worth playing.
  89. Mustard_Jelly
    Jun 10, 2011
    7
    Portal 2 is a good game, but just like Portal 1 it's just not great, for me that is. The puzzles are great and well made. The acting is good en well written, the graphics are fine (for a 7 year old engine) but i just get bored after playing for a while. There is no replay value whatsoever after you finished it, except for the coop mode, but I dont care about Coop. I really dont get whyPortal 2 is a good game, but just like Portal 1 it's just not great, for me that is. The puzzles are great and well made. The acting is good en well written, the graphics are fine (for a 7 year old engine) but i just get bored after playing for a while. There is no replay value whatsoever after you finished it, except for the coop mode, but I dont care about Coop. I really dont get why this game is getting these high ratings by the critics, yes it is a unique game and not some run of the mill shooter like all those other shooters out there but that doesnt make it that good. I played the game for about 7 hours and finished it, but after solving all the puzzles replaying would be stupid en boring.
    In my honest opinion valve gets to much credit, this game should not be in the top 10 on metacritic, right up there with Baldur's Gate 2, the best game ever made (and which is over 200 hours of gameplay for the same money) Sorry for my ranting but i just think this game is overrated.....dont shoot me!    … Expand
  90. Daikaze
    Apr 22, 2011
    6
    It's one of the most mediocre games I've played. The humor was fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect, but it's not what makes the game. The puzzles were fairly dull. They through in some new gimmicks this time around, but they replaced a lot of the old ones. Puzzles involving old fashioned portal physics are minimal at best. Now, you just spread some goo around. Sure, it's a puzzleIt's one of the most mediocre games I've played. The humor was fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect, but it's not what makes the game. The puzzles were fairly dull. They through in some new gimmicks this time around, but they replaced a lot of the old ones. Puzzles involving old fashioned portal physics are minimal at best. Now, you just spread some goo around. Sure, it's a puzzle game and there were puzzles... but Portal 2 isn't a physics puzzle game. A big part of a physics based puzzle game is breaking it... You know, finding ways to complete the level or bypass content that was never intended. The game was built with so many invisible walls that it was impossible. I feel they improved upon the Portal mechanics themselves though. When you pass through a portal the transition feels much smoother (mostly referring to camera transitions). Still, my biggest complaint about Portal 2 is load times. When I die, don't waste my time at a load screen. What portal 2 truly needed was a sense of anxiety. Some sort of actual threat would have gone a long way to making things interesting... and how did they decide to release this without a map editor for the users? I'm appalled at how many people can give a game a perfect 0 or 10. The reviews doing so are rarely worth reading or even remotely helpful. A perfect score for any game is nonsense.… Expand
  91. polyhedral
    Apr 23, 2011
    5
    imho, Portal 1 had a much better skill gameplay, and was a complete better value than Portal 2 has been. If a game is going to have HL2 era graphics, then it should be cheap. This isn't the case, and let's not even get into the cash shop bs.
  92. CollegeGamer
    May 4, 2011
    5
    eh...okay game. Not worth asking price though. I liked Portal, it was fresh. Popping holes in walls is like playing a complicated flash game...i.e. bloons or something. Enjoyable for the mechanic and physics of it all. Portal 2 has better graphics, but was far too easy, and the "hillarious" voice-overs the critics raved about became tiresome and annoying after a few levels. Maybe Ieh...okay game. Not worth asking price though. I liked Portal, it was fresh. Popping holes in walls is like playing a complicated flash game...i.e. bloons or something. Enjoyable for the mechanic and physics of it all. Portal 2 has better graphics, but was far too easy, and the "hillarious" voice-overs the critics raved about became tiresome and annoying after a few levels. Maybe I have seen too many Ricky Gervais shows, but the expected sarcastic voice work at the start and end of a level never raised a laugh. I WANTED to laugh, I WANTED to love this game, but, in the end, eh...okay game. One of the more overrated games in a long time. I would suggest waiting for the price to drop by at least half before purchasing. Great mechanics, but then again, I get the same sense of joy out of free flash games with good physics.… Expand
  93. Scritty
    Apr 23, 2011
    6
    Downloaded Portal 2 48 hours ago. Played it through (not rushing - stopping now and then to look around) but did the lot in 3 hours 20 minutes.
    The puzzles have moved on a bit since Portal 1, and I know there are multiplayer options (I dislike multiplayer games) So for me (and I know this is my fault becasue of my aversion for multiplayer) £35 for less than three and a half    Downloaded Portal 2 48 hours ago. Played it through (not rushing - stopping now and then to look around) but did the lot in 3 hours 20 minutes.
    The puzzles have moved on a bit since Portal 1, and I know there are multiplayer options (I dislike multiplayer games) So for me (and I know this is my fault becasue of my aversion for multiplayer) £35 for less than three and a half hours play time is probably the worst value I've ever got out of a game. Sure it's fun. the game plays well, it's beautifully scripted, and I'm not going to give it a "h8orz" score, but over £10 per hour is worse value than Max Payne 2 was 8 years ago.
    If you think you will enjoy the multiplayer (why do I always end up with some sweary nasty little 16 year old whenever I try my hand at MP games) then this game might "just" be worth the slightly over the average price tag.
    It took me longer to complete Defense Grid than this (and that cost me £2.99 and I think I ienjoyed it more) I would have given this 8 or 9 had it cost £10 - but for £35 ($55) for a single player game most will complete well inside an afternoon, I can only give it 6    … Expand
  94. Mogul
    Feb 29, 2012
    5
    I must say I'm a bit surprised by how high the Portal games are generally rated. Portal 2 was more fun than the original, but it still only took me about 8 hours to play through the entire game, and that's with me exploring around a bit and not really hurrying. Despite 8 hours being very short for a game, it felt like a very long 8 hours (and not in a good way). Much like the originalI must say I'm a bit surprised by how high the Portal games are generally rated. Portal 2 was more fun than the original, but it still only took me about 8 hours to play through the entire game, and that's with me exploring around a bit and not really hurrying. Despite 8 hours being very short for a game, it felt like a very long 8 hours (and not in a good way). Much like the original Portal, things simply get very repetitive, very quickly. Despite some fun dialogue and interesting levels, for the most part, there just isn't a whole lot of depth to the Portal series. It's just a bunch of fairly simple logic puzzles, running around to complete those puzzles, and witty dialogue. That's ok for what it is, but it's not something that I fell in love with.… Expand
  95. JeffS
    Apr 20, 2011
    5
    The first Portal was indeed a great value, and well worth the $10 or so it goes for now. I was a devotee of the original game. Portal 2 is not as great a value.

    The first Portal was a single player game and could be finished in an evening, 4-5 hours, overall about $2 per hour by current prices. Portal 2 barely manages to double that time for its single player portion, 9-10 hours at a    The first Portal was indeed a great value, and well worth the $10 or so it goes for now. I was a devotee of the original game. Portal 2 is not as great a value.

    The first Portal was a single player game and could be finished in an evening, 4-5 hours, overall about $2 per hour by current prices. Portal 2 barely manages to double that time for its single player portion, 9-10 hours at a whopping $50. Even with the added coop content you're looking at about $4 per hour.

    I'm convinced that the game reviewers were bought on this one. No honest person could say that Portal 2's content was more remarkable than Orange Box, Half Life 2, or even the original Half Life.

    I was really surprised it ended so quickly. I do feel cheated. The game is well done. It has charm. The developers should be commended. But the team should be ashamed for shipping half a game.

    I don't regret buying the game. However, Valve has taken a direct hit in my mind regarding brand loyalty. Especially since the game oozes of marketing influence.

    All quantifiable dissatisfaction aside, the story was actually pretty inferior to the previous game. Portal had a clear vision, elegant progression, and very memorable characters. Portal 2's story was much less elegant, putting me in a strange mood where I feel forced to carry out orders from characters I don't trust and not at all surprised when the tables turn on me. There is no clear plot flow in this game, and various stories are introduced and discarded. The new characters are cute, but much less memorable. I would have gladly traded 50% of the cinematic theatrics, animations, and dialogue for more actual gameplay. The gameplay which is included is markedly better. The new fluid mechanics are very well done and intuitive to manipulate. The new and old elements work well together too, and the puzzles are good head scratching fun. The boss fight was on par with the first game but forgettable.

    I give it a 5 simply because the my expectations for single player game time were woefully unfulfilled. Portal 2 is a $25 game.    … Expand
  96. Xetor
    Apr 21, 2011
    7
    This game is just perfect. One of the best games I've played in my life. Humour, Action, and hard stuff, everything you expect from the sequel of one of the most original platform games of this decade. Don't need to wait for a demo or anything, this game is so awesome. It's a buy!
  97. SkyMason
    Jul 3, 2011
    6
    Anyone disappointed with this game is just dead and hallow inside, there is so much character and entertainment in this game it is hard to not love it. The ending is one of the most satisfying things (next to portal 1) that I've seen in recent years and figuring out the multitude of puzzles in this game is incredibly rewarding.
  98. ModeSix
    Jun 21, 2011
    6
    Shallow game play. Uninteresting plot. Sure it's got portals, and a slew of new physics features in it, but you never quite seem them all come together. You go through several chambers exploring a new and interesting technology only to never see them again for the rest of the game.

    The puzzles are simple and short in comparison to the first game. Well done, but certainly not the    Shallow game play. Uninteresting plot. Sure it's got portals, and a slew of new physics features in it, but you never quite seem them all come together. You go through several chambers exploring a new and interesting technology only to never see them again for the rest of the game.

    The puzzles are simple and short in comparison to the first game. Well done, but certainly not the innovative game that was expected.    … Expand
  99. wiijobo
    Aug 20, 2011
    7
    Quite a bit of fun especially in co-op mode, it is a very amusing game with a whimsical performance from Steven Merchant but for a puzzle solving game it wasn't very challenging, which was a little disappointing.
  100. frankzeyoshi
    Sep 3, 2011
    6
    Great game but again a bit too short. Although the level design and all was very different from the first, it still had the same feel for it. Overall I'd say it's still a great game, but disapointing. The story was good, but again too short and I'm not a very achievement person, therefore I dislike replaying a game only for the achievements. It took me just under 12 hours to beatGreat game but again a bit too short. Although the level design and all was very different from the first, it still had the same feel for it. Overall I'd say it's still a great game, but disapointing. The story was good, but again too short and I'm not a very achievement person, therefore I dislike replaying a game only for the achievements. It took me just under 12 hours to beat everything twice (singleplayer and coop).… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2011
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
95

Universal acclaim - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 20, 2011
    90
    Almost as good as the first one. Main reasons are lack of cake, unfunny Wheatley and slightly boring one-solution middle-levels. Otherwise Portal 2 is as clever as it is well written. And now Half-Life 2: Ep 3, please. [May 2011]
  2. Thunderbolt
    Oct 6, 2011
    90
    The graphics may not be of the same caliber of other AAA titles, and the story may falter from time to time, but those are paltry excuses not to experience one of the best current generation games around.
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  3. PC Format
    Jun 13, 2011
    92
    A hilarious slice of gaming glory. [July 2011, p.92]
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