Oh boy where do I start?   Since this is an initial reaction to Portal 2, I hope no one flames me for my honest opinion.  I came into this game blind, with absolutely no expectations or previous play experience from the original Portal.  This is one of those rare games I purchased only because it received such rave reviews from every media outlet that I ran across (I did the same thing with GTA 4, and hated it).  Lucky for me I decided to buy this game during a Gamestop $20 off sale, so I am not completely upset since I only paid 40 bucks instead of 60.  So here is my initial review of Portal 2, co-op only.  I will up date this review or make another one after I finish the single player campaign.

 

First of all, this game is graphically stunning.  I love games with bright brilliant colors and settings that stand out.  While most of the colors in this game are gray, blue, black, yellow and red, each color still managed to pop off the screen and catch my attention.  Brilliant graphics, well done.  I also like what this game attempts to accomplish.  Co-op games should encourage cooperative gameplay.  I like the idea of having a partner that I have to depend on to solve a puzzle and get to the next objective.  However, co-op does not equal fun.

 

If you play the co-op portion of this game, please play with someone who is interested in this style of gameplay.  Nothing ruins a game more than someone complaining about a game.  If your partner does not like puzzles, they should not play.  If you partner wants to play a shooter, they should not play.  If you partner wants something that is loud and engrossed with hundreds of AI, this is not that type of game please have them go play something else.  Shouting “I want to kill something” a thousand times will not make this game a shooter.  Go play something else!

 

Despite what anyone tells you, I highly recommend playing the FIRST Portal BEFORE you play this game.  I can not tell you how frustrating it is trying to figure out the controls and what exactly you are supposed to do.  When I purchased this game, the sales rep at Gamestop said, “I hope it works out for you”.  I asked him why he said that and he simply replied, “Because either I didn’t get it or I’m just too stupid to figure out the puzzles.”  Well, after playing co-op I understand what he was trying to tell me.  This game will make you feel completely incapable.  There are a few “ah ha” moments.  But other than that be prepared to hate yourself because you spent 45 minutes figuring out a simple puzzle that should have only taken ten.  You will lose hours of your life.  You have been warned.

 

 

 

I hope I wasn’t so negative that I steered anyone away from the game.  It is a rather interesting game and concept that I believe is worth at least a rental.  I would not recommend spending $60 on it unless you plan on playing it multiple times and are completely in love with Portal.  Finally here are a few tips that may help you on your portal adventure.

 

 

 

Rules for Portal 2:

 

  1. Expect to get stuck on some of the puzzles.
  2. If your partner is not into the game, play something else before you curse them out for dying for the 100th time.
  3. If you have never played Portal before, play the first game.  There are no tutorials in this game; you will sadly be on your own.
  4. Learn the button layout on the controller or you will be shooting portals at everything!
  5. The guide will not be as helpful as you think it will.  Save your money or use the internet.
  6. Take your time, be patient, and don’t rush.

 

 

 

Remember this is just my initial reaction of co-op only.  If you have any comments, suggestions or even reasons why you think this game deserves its 9.5 review, please leave a comment and let me know.

© 2011 – 2012, Diayll – MotherGamerWriter. All rights reserved.

Diayll – MotherGamerWriter

Names Diayll, I am a 30 year old country girl, living and enjoying life. I run a blog, mothergamerwriter.com and I am working on completing my first novel. You can find me representing the Xbox and anything else game related on Twitter at MomGamerWriter. But don’t take my word for it, check me out!



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  • http://avgjoegeek.net Jason M

    I know I’m a whee bit late on this – but happened by your site. I wanted to share that there are a ton of walkthrough’s on youtube for Portal 2. So if you get absolutely stuck (as in your not going to figure it out ever!) then I suggest going there to get your walk through.

    I absolutely loved both Portal 1 and 2. Not only for the graphics and the gameplay but for the whole story behind it to. Valve continues to put out awesome games that immerse the player into the environments they have created!

    • http://mothergamerwriter.com Diayll – MotherGamerWriter

      Thanks for the comment. For me personally, Portal was a struggle. Having never played the previous one and buying into all the hype, I bought it not thinking about what type of game it actually was. I am not the type of person to have a guide book handy (unless I am treasure hunting or something) so I didn’t want to look at the cheats for the game. Also, my co-op partner made the experience that much worse. I don’t know, I haven’t totally ruled this game out and I may even eventually pick it back up. Still there is something about this game I just don’t like.

  • http://metamorphablog.com/users/franciswalle23 Kenya Nevarrez

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

  • MotherGamerWriter

    Thank you. I’m still not sure if I like this game. Its ok not great.

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