Portal 2 Review

Rob Williams · 04-20-2011, 09:20 PM

After the major success that the original Portal experienced, Valve was no doubt under intense pressure to deliver a sequel that could live up to the hype it's been receiving, if not surpass it. Fortunately, for those who've been patiently awaiting its release, Portal 2 delivers on almost all fronts - and yes, it's easily GOTY material.

Read through our quick look at Portal 2 and then discuss it here (if you are not already playing)!

Greg King · 04-21-2011, 10:41 AM

I agree with everything that you had to say. The game is superb both in multi-player as well as single. Vavle consistently hits home runs and as frustrated as I am with the time it's taken to get Episode 3 out the door, I know that they will release it when it's ready so I can't be upset with them knowing all that is at stake.

TheCrimsonStar · 04-25-2011, 11:35 AM

BEST. GAME. EVER. MADE.

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take back the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What the hell are 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!"

BAHAHAHA I love the quotes from this!

"This next test chamber involves turrets. You remember those. Pale spherical things filled with bullets. Oh wait, that's you in five seconds. Good luck!"

Greg King · 04-25-2011, 12:10 PM

The game mechanics are what we have come to expect from Valve though the dialog is what makes the game an instant classic. If one were to play the game without audio, it would still earn a 10 but with sound, it's in very rare company as one of the best games ever, right up there with the original Portal.

Kougar · 04-26-2011, 11:21 AM

I gotta agree. Valve does seem to always ace one thing with their games, and that's sounds & character commentary.

The audio simply defines Portal, although in games like TF2 the character quips, taunts, and wisecracks are still a source of great amusement (and new ones are STILL getting added into the mix). There are so many and individually they play so rarely that most just haven't gotten old. Great sound adds to the game immersion/ experience and I think Valve figured that out long ago.

Rob Williams · 04-26-2011, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kougar

I gotta agree. Valve does seem to always ace one thing with their games, and that's sounds & character commentary.

That's for sure. Even though I beat Portal 2, I feel like going right back in for a second playthrough, and the hilarious dialog is the main reason why.

TheCrimsonStar · 04-26-2011, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Williams

That's for sure. Even though I beat Portal 2, I feel like going right back in for a second playthrough, and the hilarious dialog is the main reason why.

hahaha I'm currently doing just that :P

04-20-2011, 09:20 PM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,246	Portal 2 Review After the major success that the original Portal experienced, Valve was no doubt under intense pressure to deliver a sequel that could live up to the hype it's been receiving, if not surpass it. Fortunately, for those who've been patiently awaiting its release, Portal 2 delivers on almost all fronts - and yes, it's easily GOTY material. Read through our quick look at Portal 2 and then discuss it here (if you are not already playing)! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

04-21-2011, 10:41 AM	#2
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	I agree with everything that you had to say. The game is superb both in multi-player as well as single. Vavle consistently hits home runs and as frustrated as I am with the time it's taken to get Episode 3 out the door, I know that they will release it when it's ready so I can't be upset with them knowing all that is at stake. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

04-25-2011, 11:35 AM	#3
TheCrimsonStar Tech Monkey Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Strawberry Plains, TN Posts: 816	BEST. GAME. EVER. MADE. "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take back the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What the hell are 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!" BAHAHAHA I love the quotes from this! "This next test chamber involves turrets. You remember those. Pale spherical things filled with bullets. Oh wait, that's you in five seconds. Good luck!" __________________ Intel Core i5-2500k @ 3.3GHz ASUS Sabertooth P67 Corsair XMS 1600 8GB (2 x 4GB) XFX Radeon HD 6970 Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W Corsair H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler Windows 7 Professional (x64)

04-25-2011, 12:10 PM	#4
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	The game mechanics are what we have come to expect from Valve though the dialog is what makes the game an instant classic. If one were to play the game without audio, it would still earn a 10 but with sound, it's in very rare company as one of the best games ever, right up there with the original Portal. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

04-26-2011, 11:21 AM	#5
Kougar Techgage Staff Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 2,643	I gotta agree. Valve does seem to always ace one thing with their games, and that's sounds & character commentary. The audio simply defines Portal, although in games like TF2 the character quips, taunts, and wisecracks are still a source of great amusement (and new ones are STILL getting added into the mix). There are so many and individually they play so rarely that most just haven't gotten old. Great sound adds to the game immersion/ experience and I think Valve figured that out long ago. __________________ Core i7 4770k Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H Crucial Ballistix Sport LP 1600MHz 32GB EVGA GTX 480 HydroCopper FTW ASUS Xonar DX Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB \| Windows 7 64-bit Apogee XT + MCP655 & Thermochill Triple 140mm Radiator Corsair AX1200 PSU \| Cooler Master HAF-X

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Portal 2 for $7!	Rob Williams	Tech Deals	1	05-08-2012 04:32 PM
Q.U.B.E. Review - It's No Portal	Rob Williams	Reviews and Articles	1	01-24-2012 10:08 PM
Portal 2 DLC #1 announced!	Rob Williams	Gaming	7	05-02-2011 02:33 PM
Something's Up with Valve's Portal...	Rob Williams	Gaming	4	03-05-2010 04:41 PM
Steam Portal	Merlin	Gaming	2	12-09-2007 01:12 AM