Portal 2 (PS3)

Time Played: 2 hours

What Happened:

Issam and I have been sitting on our borrowed copy of Portal 2 for a couple of months now, so we finally decided to break it out for New Year's Eve. We played splitscreen co-op for about 2 hours. If you haven't played the original Portal, the idea is simple - you have a gun that can create 2 portals that function as a doorway to each other. When you walk in one portal, you walk out the other. In Portal 2 co-op, you each have your own portal gun. There are a number of obstacles in your way and simple tools to work with (levers, switches, buttons) in each level. The fun of the game is in working through a plan of action with your teammate to get both of you to the exit (both players must make it).  

What I Liked:

Puzzles. I think most people love the Portal games for the same reasons - they really show what you can do with a few simple mechanics and really solid level design. Each piece is relatively small - you have to stay standing on this switch to open the door, you need to place a ball in a socket to open a door. Very cool game. :) 

Characters. <3 The two robots are pretty endearing. Most Valve games go with the silent protagonist, which is still technically true in this case - but these robots actually have some character in cut scenes, which is fun. More than anything else, GLaDOS's narration is awesome. She constantly tries to pit you against your partner, by making comments about your respective scores and abilities (I'm assuming this is pre-scripted and not a result of your in game actions?) as well as just making other small hilarious comments as you enter and exit each new level. 

What I Didn't Like:

Loading times. We were a little surprised at the level loading times for such a recent game. I think if I had been playing single player it would have been discouraging, but since we were eating New Year's Eve snacks, the loading times didn't bother us as much. :) 

How Do I Feel About Continuing?:


I want to keep playing!