Few games this year, or hell, this generation, have figured out to make a game full of epic set pieces, personable characters, and captivating plot, but Valve has somehow managed to not only mesh those together seamlessly, but do so within the first fifteen minutes of the game. The best way to describe Portal 2′s plot would be “Pixaresque”, right down to the signature Pixar humor, plot development, and perfect balance between light-hearted moments and intense, dark emotional sequences. It would be the equivalent of spoiling the funniest moment in a classic comedy for someone who’d never seen it before, except in the case of Portal 2, nearly every funny line is the funniest line in the game.
GLaDOS is back and displays a magnificently cruel sense of humor, and Aperture CEO Cave Johnson utters some absolute gems later on, but Wheatley just completely steals the show. This is right about where I’d list examples, but to do so would deprive you folks of being able to hear the dialogue firsthand. Voiced by British comedy superstar Stephen Merchant, there’s not one line that comes out of Wheatley’s mouth that isn’t perfectly executed and hilariously charming. Wheatley, one of the new characters, is perhaps the first iconic character of this decade. The dialogue between characters is just so witty, funny, and fresh, you can’t help but be depressed, knowing you will never be able to write anything that good EVER.
The writing is just hopelessly brilliant it’s the kind of creative achievement that most people strive their entire careers to complete. Most of that is due to the impossibly clever writing and narrative Valve has managed to cull out of their staff. Portal 2 is one of those games that should be experienced with as little knowledge of the game as possible to even give a couple minor, specific examples within the game would be a disservice to Valve and the masterpiece they’ve crafted. That’s really all you need to know, but if you want non-spoiler-filled specifics, read on.įirst off, this review is going to be as brief as I can possibly make it, so as to avoid any spoilers. From the wildly charming beginning to the speechlessly epic end, it’s filled to the brim with clever gameplay, even more clever writing, and a narrative that’s compelling, to say the least. The fact of the matter is this: Portal 2 is the gaming benchmark of this generation. Or I could somehow make a contrived observation of the deeper meaning behind it all, and try to argue the old “games aren’t art” case so eloquently it’d convince even Roger Ebert.īut f*ck it. Perhaps I could wax poetic about the franchise’s relatively modest start as a budget pack-in title in a compilation already stuffed with Valve’s heavyweights. So I could start this review off with a well-spoken diatribe qualifying Portal 2 and its brilliance.
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