I enjoy playing video games, ranging from different genres. Although I enjoy different types of games like RPGs, Action/Adventure, First Person Shooters, I generally like a game that sets itself apart in the market. I previously wrote about my love for creative games, games that are innovative and different. A game that fits that particular category of games that I really love is Portal 2. I’ve played the first Portal game, and I absolutely adored it, although I felt it ended way too quickly. Earlier this year, I purchased Portal 2 and I played through the solo campaign and the co-operative campaign with my friend. I loved the game so much I had to play it again and again. Portal 2 has become my favorite video game of 2011.
One reason that I love Portal 2 is the story. In Portal 1, you play through the game and you feel like you’re playing and playing, for no particular reason. Of course, the game is addictive so you keep playing, but the story didn’t feel quite fleshed out; what I got from Portal 1 is you are Chell, and you’ve been testing and testing in Aperture Science by an administrator known as GlaDOS. From there, it’s just portals. Portal 2 takes it a step further by giving a more interesting story, where you learn different things about the Aperture Science Laboratories and the relationship between Chell and GlaDOS. It also features a few twists like the cooperation between Chell and GlaDOS. My favorite part of the story was learning about the history of Aperture Science and who founded it.
Another particular reason I enjoyed Portal 2 was the new elements of the gameplay. When I first saw the gels (different substances that help you jump higher, move faster, or place portals) I wasn’t too excited. I didn’t like the idea of deviating from the original Portal, but as I played the game with the gels, I realized that they didn’t detract from the game-play, it added to it. It created new and interesting challenges and forced me to think further outside the box, which was a point that I liked about the original.
Ultimately, this game, Portal 2, turned out to be better than the original, and my favorite game of 2011. It outshone other games with it’s story and interesting plot twists. The game play was stellar as well. I loved this game and I can’t wait for an addition to the series.