As you might be able to conclude from the title of this blog post, I will mainly talk about the game Portal, what it is, what's good about it and what's not as great.
Portals
Recently I've picked up the game Portal 2, mainly to play Co-op with a friend of mine. Portal 2 is an awesome game, but in case some of you don't really know about Portal, I will give a brief explanation:
In Portal (1 & 2) you take control of a nameless test subject in the Aperture Science headquarters. You follow instructions given by a robotic voice you only get to know as Glados. Early in the game you get your hands on a portal gun with which you can make portals, at most you can have two portals at any given time. Step through one portal and you will come out of the other, with the same relative force, speed and direction. With these portals, and your own creativity, you make your way through testing arenas with anything from acid lakes, automated drones, laser beams and more. Why don't you take a look at the trailer?
Portal 2 works in pretty much the same way as the original, with minor improvements and enhancements. Since the first game was so awesome (in my opinion), of course I would get the second one. There is so much joy to be had in this game. The insults, humor, sarcasm and teasing you get from Glados is brilliant. She will call you many things and they always put a smile on your face. The continued comments on your characters supposed weight might seem like something you wouldn't smile about, but since they are being made by a robotic voice who clearly tries to evoke a response, it just makes it funny instead.
The puzzles are the core of the game however and there is not shortage of brilliance here either, although a few does annoy you quite a bit though. The harder the puzzle is to solve, the more rewarding it is, except in those few instances when the puzzles do annoy you. The main reason why these puzzles are annoying is because its hard to find that very small spot where you can actually place your portal. Sometimes you can spend several minutes just standing and looking around for what to do, where to go and where to place your f*cking portal. Fortunately, though, there are many more puzzles that require you to think than to search, and when you finally solve a hard puzzle by creating and infinite loop with two portals and then replacing one of them to catapult yourself over an, otherwise impassable, lake of acid is very gratifying.
Co-op
It took me way to long to get it Portal 2, though, and the reason why I finally decided to buy it was because of the co-op mode. I'm a big sucker for co-op, and Portal 2 certainly did not let me down.Taking on the role of the two "fighting marshmallows", as Glados named us, me and my friend solves puzzles harder than anything we could've imagined (thanks to having 2 portals each). It gives the game a whole new dimensions. Everything great about the single player campaign is doubly as great when you play with a friend. The humor is still there, with Glados promoting "team play" by telling us how much better or worse one of us is. And since there is always the risk (read "chance") of killing each other, trust is very hard to come by... amusingly so!
Summary
Portal 2 doesn't really innovate and do something completely new when it comes to the single player campaign. It does, however, improve on most of the aspects of the original. With some new elements comes new obstacles and new ways of solving puzzles. Some puzzles should probably have been left out though, where the main problem comes from finding where to place your portal.
The game is, overall, truly awesome, but it is in co-op where it really shines. With more portals (2 per player) the puzzles become more advanced and more interesting. Also, the more the merrier!
What do you think about Portal and Portal 2? If you've played it, please leave a comment with what you think about the game.
Portals
Recently I've picked up the game Portal 2, mainly to play Co-op with a friend of mine. Portal 2 is an awesome game, but in case some of you don't really know about Portal, I will give a brief explanation:
In Portal (1 & 2) you take control of a nameless test subject in the Aperture Science headquarters. You follow instructions given by a robotic voice you only get to know as Glados. Early in the game you get your hands on a portal gun with which you can make portals, at most you can have two portals at any given time. Step through one portal and you will come out of the other, with the same relative force, speed and direction. With these portals, and your own creativity, you make your way through testing arenas with anything from acid lakes, automated drones, laser beams and more. Why don't you take a look at the trailer?
Official trailer for Portal
Portal 2 works in pretty much the same way as the original, with minor improvements and enhancements. Since the first game was so awesome (in my opinion), of course I would get the second one. There is so much joy to be had in this game. The insults, humor, sarcasm and teasing you get from Glados is brilliant. She will call you many things and they always put a smile on your face. The continued comments on your characters supposed weight might seem like something you wouldn't smile about, but since they are being made by a robotic voice who clearly tries to evoke a response, it just makes it funny instead.
The puzzles are the core of the game however and there is not shortage of brilliance here either, although a few does annoy you quite a bit though. The harder the puzzle is to solve, the more rewarding it is, except in those few instances when the puzzles do annoy you. The main reason why these puzzles are annoying is because its hard to find that very small spot where you can actually place your portal. Sometimes you can spend several minutes just standing and looking around for what to do, where to go and where to place your f*cking portal. Fortunately, though, there are many more puzzles that require you to think than to search, and when you finally solve a hard puzzle by creating and infinite loop with two portals and then replacing one of them to catapult yourself over an, otherwise impassable, lake of acid is very gratifying.
Co-op
It took me way to long to get it Portal 2, though, and the reason why I finally decided to buy it was because of the co-op mode. I'm a big sucker for co-op, and Portal 2 certainly did not let me down.Taking on the role of the two "fighting marshmallows", as Glados named us, me and my friend solves puzzles harder than anything we could've imagined (thanks to having 2 portals each). It gives the game a whole new dimensions. Everything great about the single player campaign is doubly as great when you play with a friend. The humor is still there, with Glados promoting "team play" by telling us how much better or worse one of us is. And since there is always the risk (read "chance") of killing each other, trust is very hard to come by... amusingly so!
 |
| "It's called teamwork...and sometimes it's painful." |
Summary
Portal 2 doesn't really innovate and do something completely new when it comes to the single player campaign. It does, however, improve on most of the aspects of the original. With some new elements comes new obstacles and new ways of solving puzzles. Some puzzles should probably have been left out though, where the main problem comes from finding where to place your portal.
The game is, overall, truly awesome, but it is in co-op where it really shines. With more portals (2 per player) the puzzles become more advanced and more interesting. Also, the more the merrier!
What do you think about Portal and Portal 2? If you've played it, please leave a comment with what you think about the game.
Ok... I want it.
ReplyDeleteYou should! You're a disgrace to gamers everywhere otherwise :)
ReplyDelete