Portal 2: The Land of the UnLost
Beware that this review will contain spoilers. If you do not wish to have the experienced spoiled, then turn back now. ☺
When I think of replay value, I don't just think about trophies or special items. What keeps me coming back for more is the story. Portal 2 delivered just that. I know without a doubt that Portal 2 will never get old. (I'm already on my second play through.)
From the get-go I was immediately consumed by this FPS puzzle game. I honestly didn't want to put it down. Upon purchasing Portal 2, I told myself that I wasn't to play until I was on spring break. Yeah, that didn't happen. Within a 24-hour span I completed the single player campaign!
The controls were insanely simple. Almost anyone would be able to pick up this game and play it with little to no learning curve. If you've played the first installment, then you'll find that the controls haven't changed at all. (And that's a good thing.) There is nothing I despise more about games in a series, than having to re-learn new controls. How hard is it to keep them the same?
The soundtrack for Portal 2 helps the player immerse into such a pleasurable game. You won't be disappointed. It features an amazing song by The National, an indie band from Cincinnati, Ohio, called "Fake Empire", and many other great tracks. I can't wait to purchase the soundtrack (if one is made available).
I was glad to see that the voice of GLaDOS was still the same. In Portal 2, we have been introduced to a few more great voices as well. Most of you know who J. K. Simmons is, right? If not, you should be ashamed. He's the face of the Farmer's Insurance commercials, the dad from the hit film Juno, or as Assistant Chief Will Pope from the T.V. series, The Closer. J. K. Simmons lends his voice as the dry humored Cave Johnson, the founder and CEO of Aperture Laboratories. After playing this game, you'll find yourself quoting him quite often. Cave Johnson is just one of the three great voices you'll find in Portal 2.
Co-Op. We all love it. Portal 2 introduces a completely original form of cooperative play. You and one other player start out as Atlas and P-Body. Each of you is armed with a portal gun, and each gun is has two different colors. P-Body is armed with a yellow and red gun, while Atlas has blue and purple. You and your pal must navigate through each level while coordinating your portals in numerous ways. The gameplay presents hours of fun and hilarious circumstances. The two of you will find yourselves playing until all hours of the night.
I rate Portal 2 a 10/10. If you haven't considered this game, yet, you really should. You won't regret it.
-V.
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