Portal 2 (2011)

Portal 2 is a first person puzzle game where you get a portal gun instead of guns that go bang bang or pew pew. The portal gun does pretty much exactly what the name implies: it allows you to shoot portals onto certain surfaces. These blue and orange portals are connected, so you basically move around the rooms by shooting portals onto walls and then hopping through them. Something new to the Portal-verse is the addition of these weird gels. There are white, blue, and red gels, each with their own unique property. (Splashing a non-portable walls with white gel gives you a surface to create a portal on, red gels give you a surface that eases friction and allows you to slide very quickly on them, and blue gels let you bounce high.) There are also the light bridges which will carry you when you jump into them.

All of these additional elements adds a whole new dynamic to an already dynamic game. It means you have to think a little bit more outside the box to solve puzzles (or "do science" as GLaDOS says). The puzzles themselves range in difficulty, which is always good. At first, it might sound like a puzzle game doesn't have too much replay value, but you'd be wrong about Portal 2. Sure, the more difficult puzzles are a little easier if you can remember anything about them, but you'd be surprised at how quickly it takes for you to lose your memory about them!

There's also more of a story in the sequel. Granted, this game is really fun and addictive regardless, but the story - albeit nothing amazing - is definitely just as entertaining. You get a little more insight into Aperture Labs, and in the course of the game, you are forced to work with your mortal enemy from the previous one: the maniacally self-aware robot GLaDOS. The dark, sarcastic, and quirky humor is every bit returned. The addition of JK Simmons is definitely welcome, and of course, the inclusion of the absolutely hilarious Stephen Merchant definitely is a big plus.

What makes both Portal games special - apart from just how fun and funny they are - is that they really do have a little something for everyone. Sometimes I think about what games I might recommend for someone who doesn't play video games. Portal 2 might take some getting used to for those not particularly familiar with first person game controls, but all of the other mechanics are relatively simple. Some puzzles require some fast movement, but overall, it's not a reactionary game the way that many shooters are. You can take puzzles at your own pace. It's a great introductory game for new players, and yet it's just as fun for seasoned gamers.

Solving puzzles a second time isn't necessarily as fun as the first time, but it still is a lot of fun, and certainly, replaying the game is easy to do with the story and humor of Portal 2. Certainly, it is every bit as fun the second time and remains one of my favorite games ever. I highly recommend playing it, or trying it even if you don't like video games. And if Portal 2 was your introduction, I'd also recommend going back and playing the first Portal as well.

Here's a little sampling of the kind of humor you're in for: