Review by PeacefulPatriot - Portal 2

Just prior to Portal 2's release, Valve teased that Portal 2 would be their best single player experience yet. Coming from the studio that brought us arguably the best single player game of all time, this is quite a bold statement. Well, Valve was right. I’m sure many people will hate me for saying this, but not only has Portal 2 managed to best it’s predecessor, but has managed to exceed the entire Half-Life series in quality. Although the campaign is somewhat short (not unbearably so; about the length of COD4), Portal 2 makes the best use of it’s time. Not a single minute passed in Portal 2 that something memorable didn’t happen. When you’re not busting your brains over some amazingly created puzzles, you’re laughing your arse off from some of the best written game dialogue in well, ever. Portal 1 was praised for its subtle story cues and characterization, and Portal 2 expands on that tenfold. GLaDOS’ story expands through out the game to the point where at the end of the game. You actually like GLaDOS. Not like GLaDOS as an antagonist to hate, but actually like GLaDOS as a morally conflicted human being (albeit an intellectually motivated mechanical human being, but I digress). Humor is top notch, not that I needed to explain that, and Portal 2 features an unforgettable finale with a truly massive scope. Note that there is no hyperbole or figurative language in that last part of the sentence. You’ll see what I mean. One last points is the music. Portal earned meme status thanks in no small part to Jonathan Coultans Still Alive. Make no mistake, Jon Coultan created another great song for Portal 2, but it’s no longer the greatest part of Portal 2’s soundtrack. Portal 2 features an amazingly catchy techno soundtrack that has a dynamic role in the game that goes beyond providing some ambiance. As you sprint on gels and soar through the air, you will start to lose yourself in the music that cues with the action in the game. There's Co-op, too.