10 10 12 Personal Reflection: Portal 2

i've fallen in love with a horrible woman, if you can call her that. Her name is GLaDOS

i recently picked up Portal 2 for my PS3. for those who don't know, Portal and Portal 2 are first person puzzle games. the main protagonist is a nameless woman who is trapped in a testing facility where the traps are deadly, and the only real resource she has is a gun that generates two distinct portals. she has to navigate through the traps and chambers in an attempt to escape.

 now the first Portal was a small add-on for the Orange Box, a collection of games from valve which included half life 2. Portal was the small dog that bit everybody. it became widely popular and spawned a full sequel, Portal 2

 now, i had never finished the first one, just because i was stuck. i went back to play it, and actually got unstuck and was able to finish portal before playing the sequel. the second feels so much deeper, as is should, and really leads you around the secret history of Aperture Science, the name of the test facility. through this one game, you learn about the history of the place, how GLaDOS came to be, and the inner workings of the facility.

 additionally there are some great moments of humor that make the game fun and lighthearted, even though you're really fighting to stay alive at times. the game incorporates some things from the first game also ties them together perfectly.

there is still no cake though :(

 what's great about this game is that there is a co-op mission mode with robots that my daughter loves. there is nothing really objectionable about this title, and it forces you to reason and problem solve. i love the fact that sometimes my daughter is able to solve the problem before i do. that makes me proud as a dad for sure.

this is a game that i may not play over and over again, but i know it's going to stay in my library of games for a very very long time. it's not the very best game i've played, but it's within the top ten for certain.

You Monster...
MK