The bite-size chapters break up the game like a page-turning novel. Each level is also perfectly designed in terms of not being too hard or too easy, too short or too long. Other more-is-more action games (I can name quite a few in that territory) only achieve a certain numbness after a while. The empty rooms and small audiovisual cues are like well-directed moments in a movie: they make you sit up and pay attention. Like a skilled director, the pace of Portal 2 knows not to scream at you. While Portal 2 pulls few surprises in terms of its structure, the concept of FPS-as-puzzle game is so well executed and so well paced that it serves as an example to other game developers of how a game can succeed with less versus more. It's one of the first games of 2011 I've actually cared about playing. It's not enough to say it's one of the best games of 2011-that's not really the point. I've been sitting and trying to rack my brain about what it is I like so much about Portal 2. Think you can fire a portal behind that crack in the wall? Go for it.Īpril might be a bit too early to crown a game the best of 2011, but there's no doubt Portal 2 will be in contention come December.įor more on Portal 2 including a demo of one of the early levels, please check out this week's episode of preGame.

Think you can sneak behind that plate? Try it. Just because the game is waiting for you to do something doesn't mean you should.

If we can give players one piece of advice, we'll pass along what Erik Wolpaw told us: Take your time explore and listen. This is a title for any age, the perfect software to show a friend or relative whose preconceived idea of video games is nothing but guns, blood, and guts. Portal 2's presentation oozes with top-notch production value, from the expertly crafted sound effects, music composition and layering, to the hysterical informational videos that litter each elevator room.īut perhaps what we like about Portal 2 best of all is the game's accessibility. It's this marriage of compelling gameplay and entertaining story that other games can only dream of achieving, but which Portal 2 is so convincingly able to pull off. To Wolpaw's credit, Portal 2 is just as funny as it is challenging, something that just isn't found in a lot of video games.

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