Portal 2

Chell as seen in Portal 2

The sequel to Valve's single player 2007 hit, Portal, is now here. Portal 2 is here and it lives up to the hype around its release. The game takes place 10 years after the original. You still play Chell, the main character, and this time you are challenged with harder more mind boggling levels. The game tends to focus on the backstory of Aperture Science, while revealing some other startling information. I won't go farther then that, as I don't want to spoil anything for you guys.

The game mechanics are the same for the most part. The newest addition to the game would be the new "Gels". Gels give you either enhanced speed or enhanced jumping height. There is one more gel, but I will let that one go as it may be a potential spoiler.

The great thing about the game is that the facility almost seems alive as you play through the game. Walls are moving and being fixed constantly. In addition, junk is being disposed of constantly. One thing I found to be a nice addition was how music seemed to correspond with your actions in the game. The faster Chell moved, the faster the music got, and the more intense it became. As for Co-op, I can't speak about it yet as I haven't gotten to play that part of the game. Hopefully I will be able to play co-op mode. From what I have played though, this game is definitely worth the buy.

~Dave