Portal 2

OK, so, first, if you haven't played the original Portal, which I blogged about earlier, stop right now... play that game first (which is available on even more computer systems than it was back then, thanks to the growth of Steam onto other platforms). You'll get a good idea of the mechanics of the game and the sense of humor involved, and, should it appeal to you, will also be good background for some of the fun to be had in Portal 2... and for under $10 on Steam (and possibly cheaper elsewhere), it's the safer bet to start with.

Now, as far as Portal 2 goes... I wondered, when blogging about the original game, whether a longer game would be any better than the original. In this case, the answer is absolutely, unequivocally yes. The single-player game comes in at about twice as long as the original (in my case, something over 11 hours front-to-back). Much of the added length is due to additional puzzle mechanics based on various substances and technologies researched at Aperture Science, so, while it's still a Portal game, it's not just a rehash of the game play from the first game.

The rest of the added length has to do with the story of the game. While the original story (such as it was) was about you matching wits with the testing facility's governing AI, it was pretty minimal, just providing an outlet for the game's off-beat humor. In Portal 2, something more closely resembling a complete story gets told, thanks to additional characters, along with "time travel" of a sort... I'm not going to go into great detail on that, since it's such great fun to experience as you work your way through the game.

Add in some well-done graphics (especially considering the sheer scale of some of the environments, as compared to the original game) and sound work, and I have to say that Portal 2 is one of the best-made games I've seen in a long while. Yes, it's still short, compared to many titles out there, and doesn't have any real replay potential, but in terms of sheer fun-per-minute played, it's pretty well unmatched. Since I only paid about $35 for my copy, after discounts and deals, I think I got my money's worth out of this game... if I had paid $60, I might not be as well pleased, I suppose.

So, final verdict... if you've played and enjoyed Portal, watch for a deal on this game and get it. If you haven't played the original Portal, spend $10 there first... this game will still be waiting for you once you finish there.