LogFAQs > #932420954

<b>#4: Portal 2
Released on 4/18/2011
Steam</b>
(written in 2013)

The only disappointing thing about this game was that its ARG-event didn't manage to get the game released sooner. As soon as it came out, I played this twice in a row before playing the co-op mode...then I played the single-player mode a third time.

Thinking with portals is already fun just to screw around, but Valve fine-tuned the concept to create some innovative puzzles. It took what the original Portal started and added lasers, light-bridges, hover-beams, gels, and co-op. It sometimes became a issue of "Where's Waldo?" where you had to find a very specific place for your portals, but that also allowed you to perform awesome stunts like flying across Aperture Science.

Speaking of which, the atmosphere was so much more alive here. It was impressive to see the building had near-limitless capabilities around its damaged areas. It was shown at its very best and very worst, in areas test-subjects both should and shouldn't see (Ratman comes to mind). The small cast trapped in its walls were wonderfully lively compared to the sense of isolation you often felt. Wheatley was stellar through-out each twist and turn of the story, Cave Johnson provided a fun history of his company, and GLaDOS again proves why she's one of the best new characters this generation. Even the defective turrets were filled with one-liners. There were multiple times in the game where I'd set the controller aside just to listen to the dialogue.

For a game that doesn't incorporate much music on the surface, it also has a tremendous (and free!) soundtrack with several hours of carefully-placed music. Really, the <i>placement</i> of the music is among the game's finest details. My favorite example is <spoiler>the fully-functioning test-room where you had to redirect three lasers through one portal; each correctly placed laser would cue another sound of the music to break the silence</spoiler>. You could also find other details like a song that would only play on one of the hidden radios in the game. Audio was so important to this game.

Portal 2 was nothing short of an admirable sequel, still throwing you new curveballs and items to solve puzzles at every chance. It also opened up some great potential for its eventual sequel: <spoiler>going outside, visiting the moon, time-travel...!</spoiler> I don't know that it is a better game pound-for-pound compared to the original, but there is so much extra content with plenty of attention paid to its details that it's still worthy of being the best game I've played in the past two years.

NOW IN 2020: Portal 1 is a tighter package than Portal 2, but this an an outstanding example of a sequel and they deserve equal footing despite their differences in size and puzzle philosophies. Give us Portal 3 -- there are just so many exciting opportunities to pursue!

Portal 2: best AAA title of the decade.

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