REVIEW - Portal 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

In 2007 Valve Entertainment released one of the best deals in video game history with their release of The Orange Box.  Said package was sold at the price of a single game and contained Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2 Episode 1, Half-Life 2 Episode 2, and a small puzzle/platform game named Portal.  Portal received little media attention in the build up to the release of Orange Box, with most assuming that it was little more than an expanded tech demo thrown in as a little extra; and to an extent that was true.

Portal could be completed within about 4 or 5 hours, and was essentially a set of separate rooms, each involving a puzzle as to how to get from the entrance to the exit by using a "portal gun" that could project two separate portals onto walls, that then allowed the player to move between the two.  Initially this merely involved using the portal to move from one platform to another by aiming the portals at separate walls, but later would involve puzzles involving gravity (whereby portals would need to be set up to fling the player across the rooms) and also using them to move various objects around in order to solve the increasingly complicated puzzles.  It doesn't sound much on paper (hence why it didn't receive a great deal of attention before release), but with fiendishly addictive puzzles, and some hilarious dark humor courtesy of the increasingly evil robot in charge of the experiments - the infamous GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System) - who taunted the player throughout the game, as well as an incredible ending, it quickly became the sleeper hit of 2007, and developed its own cult following complete with plushy toys and fan made apparatus.  A sequel was inevitable.

Hello Again...

Portal 2 (Valve) has been released as a game in its own right, and is therefore a significantly longer, vaster piece of work than its short, simple predecessor.  Yet at the same time, as it is trying to justify a $60 price tag on its own, and also has significantly higher expectations than Portal.  While Portal was judged as a glorified tech demo bundled into an already healthy package of games, Portal 2 is a proper game that must be treated as one.

The puzzles are back, and they're a lot more complex!

Within minutes of starting the game, the player will discover that Valve have taken this responsibility seriously and have raised the bar considerably.  Instead of beginning simply in test chamber 1 as in the original game, Portal 2 begins with a dramatic introduction where, after discovering that the player's character (known as Chell) has been left in hibernation mode in the Aperture Science Facility for a long, long time, a dramatic escape from the area ensues accompanied by robot companion "Wheatley" (voiced by British comedian Stephen Merchant).  Although (like Portal) Portal 2 is slow paced through most of the game, frantic moments will occasionally pierce the slightly relaxing bubble of the game to great effect, pushing the plot forward and making one feel like one is playing a game, as opposed to just a set of puzzles.

Of course, Portal's puzzles have never been "just a set of puzzles" and that remains the case in the latest release.  Portal 2 brings in plenty of new mechanics, and often gels them together to create some very complex puzzles, and yet it does it in a way that isn't overwhelming.  Every mechanic starts with the basics, and then slowly grows puzzle after puzzle; so that eventually the player will find themselves faced with switches, catapults, paints, light bridges, boxes and moving platforms, but will not feel overwhelmed.  Starting off with such a large puzzle, and slowly working one's way through it over the course of twenty minutes is one of the most satisfying experiences that any game currently available can offer.

It is therefore correct to say that there is a lot more variety in this game, just as there needed to be.  Not only is there variety in the puzzles that one faces, but also in the environments in which these puzzles take place.  There are three different areas in which the testing takes place, but the story will also have the players trying to solve various puzzles outside of the testing chambers as Chell tries to escape from captivity and find her freedom in the real world.  Even within the chambers, the game is plot driven and there is a sense of constantly trying to look for ways out and how to outfox the omnipresent computer presences that are keeping Chell captive.

If anyone asks...and no-one's gonna ask...

Portal 2 is set in the future, with Aperture Science in disrepair

It is these computer characters that bring life to Portal 2.  In additional to the sinister GLaDOS (whose role twists and turns throughout the game) there is the grumpy voice recording of Aperture Industries CEO Cave Johnson, and then there is Wheatley -- the dim spherical robot who acts as a companion for Chell on the journey through the test chambers -- who might just be the greatest NPC of all time.  Not only does Wheatley act as a key character in the plot, his bumblings and japes provide yet more humor to an already very funny game as the player tackles the various tricky puzzles that the game contains.

Strangely, considering the fact that he is a machine, Wheatley provides a greatly needed human aspect to the game.  Between the silent Chell and the mechanical GLaDOS, the wide-eyed little robot bumbling around and screaming in terror at mundane things like falling on the floor, offers a new perspective to the world of Aperture Industries.  The contrast provided between fighting for your life one moment, and then in the next having Wheatley casually refer to "smelly humans", realize his faux pas and then spend the next few minutes assuring you of his love for humans ("Humans?  Love 'em!") is a valuable one that injects energy into a game that can sometimes drag.

The Gospel according to Wheatley

Wheatley may also please Catholic gamers with one or two lines indicating that the little robot might in fact be a Christian; notably when he turns on an enormous series of lights and declares, "Let there by light!" and then clarifies, "That's God...I was quoting God there..." - so even in the dreary apocalyptic future that Portal 2 paints, we can know that there is at least one Christian who takes a relatively literal interpretation of Genesis; even if it is a robot!

Apart from that, Portal 2 provides a vision of a world without humans and without God, and it isn't pleasant. Whilst the game is fun, one would certainly not want to be alive in the world of Portal!  As one delves deeper into the history of Aperture Science, the player discovers the destructive origins of the company that sought to create Utopia by treating subjects like lab rats.  Similar to the Bioshock series, Portal 2 shows the destructive havoc that is caused when certain people try to play God, create utopias, and strip the humanity away from their fellow citizens.  In this, Portal 2 offers a sound (if implicit) pro-human and pro-Christian message, showing that a respect for the dignity of each human being must provide a line not to be crossed by scientific developments.

This is Wheatley - you will love him!

Additionally Portal 2 is mostly free of objectionable content for any age, although young children may find the complex puzzles a bit too taxing.  The only difficulties parents might find are two or three crass terms, and also two moments where the computer system mocks Chell for being adopted.  Although the insults come from the game's main villain (and therefore cannot said to be a view endorsed by the game), the computer's declaration that Chell was abandoned by her mother and that that this was because Chell was an unloveable failure of a human being, may make the game unsuitable for young children who are themselves adopted.  The game explicitly rejects such a view of adoption, with loveable Wheatley later re-using the cliche of "Actually...some of my best friends are orphans..." after being caught making an insensitive statement, but it still may provide upsetting moments for some.

Portal 2 or Portal 1.5?

There is no doubt that Portal 2 is a superbly designed, well written, fun game - but does it provide value for money?  While the range of puzzles to be found in Portal 2 (both in the testing chambers and beyond) are vast and varied, one does sometimes feel that this is a game that is being stretched out in order to justify its full retail price. The single player campaign will stretch to 14 hours at the most, with veteran Portal players clearing the game in under eight hours, and a great deal of that is spent staring at walls wondering where to fire the next portal.  The co-operative campaign adds a few more hours to that if you have a friend willing to join you on a series of chambers, but apart from that there are no extra challenges or multiplayer modes on offer.

If I'm being polite I would say this game is "slim", if not I would say that this game is really not a full game at all, and has just been padded out in order to justify itself as a stand alone title.  While 2 is significantly better than the original game, it is nowhere near as tight as the first game, leaving the player navigating long stretches of industrial wreckage to get to the next set of chambers, or using a certain puzzle mechanic a few too many times so that it becomes dull.  While Portal may have used a style of puzzle four or five times, and then changed to a different style to keep the player fresh, Portal 2 will use that style nine or ten times; meaning that by the time the player has reached the 8th and 9th puzzles, one is beginning to feel the hand of repetition on one's shoulder.

The Co-op adds a few fun hours to what is a very short game.

An example of this is the gel mechanic introduced about half way through the game, which involves the player using various colored gels in order to achieve certain effects such as speed and bounce.  When I started the chambers, I thought it was an amazing idea and was looking forward to exploring it.  By the time I reached the end of that set of chambers, I was very bored and everytime a new paint chamber appeared, I could hear myself sigh with frustration.

This isn't necessary a terrible thing, as most games have elements of grind or repetition, but then most of those games can't be completed in a weekend.  If a game is going to be as short as Portal 2, then it needs to be fresh and original all the way through; yet if it wants to be allowed to have a bit of repetition and grind in it, then it should be a lot longer.  For instance, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Splinter Cell: Conviction are both about as long as Portal 2, but make up for it by having almost no repetition, constantly changing environments and almost zero boredom.  On the other hand, games like Red Dead Redemption and Final Fantasy XIII do have large chunks of grind, but then are easily twice as long as Portal 2.  It was on this combination of both shortness and grind that I felt was the big let down for Portal 2.


This is not to say Portal 2 is a bad game; not at all.  In fact it is an excellent game while it lasts, even with those areas that are a little dreary and repetitive.  For the most part, the puzzles are lots of fun and highly original, the characters are even more loveable than in the first game, and it once again ends superbly in a way that will leave you with a smile on your face.  Had this game been tightened up and edited by a few hours, and bundled with another Orange Box, it would be the perfect game.  As it stands, it is still a wonderful game, but one that cash-strapped fans might want to think carefully about before spending good money on purchasing.  A game that can be completed in a long weekend, has little else other than a single-player campaign and a co-op mode, and (due to its puzzle solving nature) is not particularly replayable, is one that has the potential to leave some gamers feeling a bit disappointed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Valve have almost succeeded in transferring the perfect tech demo of Portal to a perfect full game of Portal 2.  The puzzles are taxing and varied while avoiding frustration (for the most part), the characters are superb, and while the plot is typically slow, it is spiced up with a scattering of set pieces and stunning backdrops and environments.  This is no mere set of puzzles - it is a story of a woman's attempt to escape from captivity with puzzles weaved into the narrative, and in that sense Portal 2 is an excellent video game.  Unfortunately it is let down by dragging some aspects of the game out to the point of tedium, and then still falling short of value for money with a short campaign, a small co-op mode and almost zero replayability. Portal 2 is an excellent game, but one that struggles to justify a $60 price tag

From a Catholic perspective, Portal 2 provides the gamer with a vision of a future that has no respect for God or humanity, and it makes it clear that this new world is no Utopia.  The game's puzzle-based difficulty, a few crass terms, and some insensitive talk about adoption makes Portal 2 unsuitable for very young children.

The technical rating for this title is 8/10

The Catholic rating for this title is A-II -- adults and adolescents.