Difference between revisions of "Portal 2"

Revision as of 20:32, 20 July 2014 (edit) Sandvich18 (talk | contribs) m (→‎Post-release) ← Older edit		Revision as of 20:33, 20 July 2014 (edit) (undo) Sandvich18 (talk | contribs) m (→‎References) Newer edit →
Line 197:		Line 197:
	==References==		==References==
	{{Imagecat|Portal 2 images}}		{{Imagecat|Portal 2 images}}
−	{{Reflist}}	+	{{Reflist|2}}
	==External links==		==External links==

---

Revision as of 20:33, 20 July 2014

Template:Portal

For other uses, see Portal (disambiguation).

Template:Spoiler

	Warning! This article has yet to be cleaned up to a higher standard of quality, per our Cleanup Project. It may contain factual errors and nonsense, as well as spelling, grammar and structure issues, or simply structure problems. Reader's discretion is advised until fixing is done.
	You can help clean up this page by correcting spelling and grammar, removing factual errors and rewriting sections to ensure they are clear and concise, and moving some elements when appropriate. Please notify the administrators before removing this template.

	This article would greatly benefit from the addition of one or more new images.
	Please upload one or several relevant images (from canonical / official sources) and place it here. Once finished, this notice may be removed.

Portal 2 is the sequel to Portal. First hinted in the update made to Portal in March 2010 as part of the Portal ARG, it was announced on March 5, 2010 to be released in fall 2010,^[4] but was later announced on June 9, 2010 as delayed until an unspecified date in 2011,^[5] until it was said to be released on February 9, 2011.^[6] This date was again delayed to April 19.^[7]

Portal 2 was previewed in the twelve-page cover story of the April 2010 issue of Game Informer, revealing some plot details and new gameplay features.^[8] It was also confirmed that GLaDOS was indeed still alive, and would return as the main antagonist.^[9] In addition, Game Informer and other sources confirmed a co-op mode for up to two players with its own separate campaign.^[9] The co-op campaign was said to have its separate credits, and would take place after the single player story.^[10][11] Valve was also scheduled to unveil the Portal 2 World Premiere on June 14, at their E3 2010 press conference,^[12] but later canceled the showing of Portal 2 on the 14th through a humorous e-mail, to be replaced with a "surprise". The game was shown in the form of a demo at Valve's own booth instead,^[13] and on June 15, the first Portal 2 trailer was shown during the Sony press conference, with the "surprise" apparently being its release on the PlayStation 3 console, which was originally not the case.

Characters

Arranged by roles.

• Chell^[3]
• ATLAS and P-body^[3]
• GLaDOS^[3]
• Wheatley (Intelligence Dampening Core)^[3]
• Aperture Science Sentry Turret
• Cave Johnson^[14] (voice only)
• Caroline (voice only)
• Doug Rattmann (scribblings only)
• Space Core
• Adventure Core ("Rick")
• Factual Core

Storyline

Gameplay

The gameplay of Portal 2 is based on its predecessor Portal: the player solves puzzles through the use of portals. New gameplay elements such as Mobility Gels, the Aerial Faith Plate and the Thermal Discouragement Beam were implemented as means for the player to master in order to solve puzzles.

Chell no longer wears the Advanced Knee Replacement, but instead suited in the new Aperture Science Long Fall Boots; this has no impact on gameplay, however. Combat plays a slightly larger role than in the last game as Chell meets frequent enemies throughout the game.

Co-op campaign

Cooperative play is a new game mode introduced to Portal 2. The campaign features two characters, ATLAS and P-body. The two players must work together to pass tests and areas outside the test chambers. The developers implemented robotic characters in order to ease explanation of a respawning system, giving the story explanation that humans could not be trusted.

The gameplay is very similar to single-player mode, with the addition of object-specific buttons and tools to aid in cooperative play, as well as 8 gestures.

The Co-op campaign also contains whiteboards with writings found in images from The Potato Sack, That are found in final test chambers, that are out of the testing track.

Development

As mentioned in The Final Hours of Portal 2, Portal 2 stemmed from F-STOP, which originally was a prequel to the first game set during Cave Johnson's era. F-STOP was not to feature portals; what remains of it in the final game is the Enrichment Shafts.

In 2007, Kim Swift stated that future Portal developments would depend on the community's reactions, saying, "We're still playing it by ear at this point, figuring out if we want to do multi-player next, or Portal 2, or release map packs."^[15][16] On January 31, 2008, Lombardi confirmed that "more Portal" would be forthcoming, and promised that the additional content would not just be "more puzzles";^[17] an interview with Kim Swift on February 21, 2008 revealed that a full sequel, Portal 2, would be coming.^[18] Swift also stated that the team creating the Portal sequel were deciding upon the design they should implement and that a multiplayer Portal "from a technology standpoint is possible",^[19] though Swift had previously stated they tried a Portal multiplayer deathmatch variant, but admitted that "it's less fun than you'd think."^[20]

On June 10, 2008, Kotaku reported that Valve was seeking voice actors for the character role of Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson and suggested that the second game may be a prequel to the Portal events.^[21] However, it was later suggested on Kombo.com it could be a sequel, with Johnson as another AI.^[22]

On April 8, 2011, lead writer Chet Faliszek gave an interview to Beefyjack where he discusses a variety of topics, including allusions to how Portal 2's story will fit into the overall Half Life universe and the secret to Valve's success when it comes to producing games being lots of playtesting.^[23]

On April 13, 2011, Doug Lombardi, Valve's VP of Marketing, posted details of Portal 2's PS3 Steam integration on the official US Playstation Blog. He noted that it will "offer cross-platform matchmaking, gameplay, friends, chat, and achievements" and will also allow players to save their progress, in both the co-op and single-player mode, to the Steam Cloud, which means gamers can continue any saved game on the PS3. Achievements will sync up as well. All in all, these features will, according to Lombardi, make the PS3 version of Portal 2 "the best console version of the game."^[24]

Achievements and trophies

Portal 2 has 51 PC achievements^[25], 50 Xbox 360 achievements^[26] with a total of 1000 Gamerscore points, and 51 trophies^[27]; 42 bronze trophies, 5 silver trophies, 3 gold trophies and 1 platinum trophy.

Reception

Pre-release

Portal 2 was a strong favorite of gaming journalists during closed-door previews at the E3 2010 convention. The Game Critics Awards, selected by journalists and critics, awarded Portal 2 the title of Best PC Game and Best Action/Adventure Game,^[28] and nominated the game for Best of Show and Best Console Game.^[29] IGN named Portal 2 as its Best of E3 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 systems and Best Puzzle Game, and nominated it for Best Overall Game.^[30] Gamespy named Portal 2 the Best Overall Game and Best Puzzle Game of E3.^[31] Portal 2 won the 2010 Spike Video Game Award for "Most Anticipated Game for 2011".^[32]

Post-release

Portal 2 received universal acclaim from reviewers on its release, and received an average score of 95 out of 100 according to review aggregator Metacritic,^[33] and between the different platform versions was ranked as the third- to fifth-highest rated game by the aggregator throughout 2011.^[34] Several reviewers identified Portal 2 as an early contender for "Game of the Year",^{[35][36][37][38]} while others called it one of the best games of all time.^{[39][40][41][42][43]} Upon release, the game was widely considered to be as good as or better than the original. Eurogamer's Oli Welsh said that the game avoids the normal pitfalls that developers introduce in sequels, stating that "Portal is perfect. Portal 2 is not. It's something better than that."^[36] Gus Mastrapa of the A.V. Club wrote that with Portal 2, Valve had alleviated any doubts that "Portal could be expanded into a big, narrative experience with all the bells and whistles of a mainstream gaming hit".^[44] IGN's Charles Onyett wrote that the sequel "makes the original look like the prototype it was" by expanding the game in gameplay and story.^[45]

Most reviewers praised the writing and voice acting in the game.^{[35][46][47][48]} Entertainment Weekly`s Dan Stapleton of PC Gamer was able to predict many of the plot twists within Portal 2`s story but "still looked forward to witnessing exactly how the characters would react"; he praised the development of the characters, as "their charm makes what would otherwise be an empty and lifeless world feel boisterous and alive".^[49] The characters were well received.^{[50][40][38][51]} Oynett wrote that Merchant's "obvious enthusiasm for the role benefits the game" and that the "consistently clever writing perfectly complements the onscreen action".^[45] Game Informer's Adam Biessener considered Johnson to be an even better character than GLaDOS, and praised the game's "pitch-perfect delivery" and "brilliant comedic timing".^[52] In contrast, Peter Bright of Ars Technica wrote that compared to the loneliness and despair he felt while playing the first game, the characters, Wheatley and GLaDOS, lost some of this feeling and "the inane babble served only to disrupt the mood".^[53]

Portal 2`s additional gameplay elements, like Hard Light Bridges, Thermal Discouragement Beams, and the Mobility Gels, were praised as appropriate additions to the game. Reviewers were pleased with the difficulty of the puzzles throughout the game, which appeared visually complicated at first but had uncomplicated solutions.^{[39][54][55][56][38][42][57]} Time's Evan Narcisse said that he feared the addition of new gameplay elements would "dilute the purity of the experience, but everything's still executed with Valve's high level of charm and panache."^[48] Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph praised the manner with which these elements were introduced through a "brilliant learning curve of direction, rather than instruction", and considered it a "design ethos that is supremely generous, but dealt with marvellous economy".^[39] Chris Kohler of Wired wrote that the game's puzzles "never require excessively complicated solutions", and that much of the puzzle solving is "filled with moments that will have you slapping your forehead and thinking, 'Oh my God, I’m such an idiot - why didn’t I see that before?'".^[58] Stapleton was not as pleased with the gel additions as with the other new mechanics, calling it "difficult to control". He felt that they have "only a couple of uses at most".^[49] Bright felt that Portal 2 was easier than its predecessor, in part that he felt much of the game was effectively tutorials for the new gameplay additions, requiring "careful use of the tools provided", leaving him with the impression that "the game was on rails".^[53]

The cooperative puzzle solving aspect was highlighted as a valuable addition to the game.^[50][52][40] Welsh called the cooperative mode "one of the most satisfying and genuinely collaborative gaming experiences you can have with a friend".^[36] Onyett wrote, "Valve knows how a good co-operative mode requires a game design that doesn't simply encourage but requires you to work together. In Portal 2, communication is vital to success".^[45] Several reviewers praised the non-verbal cues that players could initiate to work with their partners.^{[45][55][52][37]} Portal 2 was praised for the amount of detail in its design, sound, and music.^[49] Nelson credited the "sheer amount of detail" put into the game's world, and wrote, "it all feels very real and natural with brief moments where you're simply sucked into this world".^[35] Onyett was impressed with the amount of visual details and capabilities Valve achieved from their Source game engine and that the added details and animations of the levels "consistently serv[ed] not only to entertain the eye but to expand our understanding of the game's characters".^[45] Hoggins wrote that the game's world reacted to Chell's presence "in a startlingly organic way", and praised Valve's design as "an achievement of world-building that compares favourably with BioShockTemplate:'s underwater city of Rapture".^[39]

Some reviewers said that the second act of the game, taking place in the less-structured portion of the old Aperture facilities, may be confusing to some players. Young wrote that in the second act, the game "cranks up the difficulty level at a speed that may dishearten casual gamers", and said that particularly when traveling between chambers, he had "absolutely no idea where I was supposed to head next".^[51] Kohler wrote that while the player can explore the abandoned areas of Aperture, "none of it ever does anything - it’s just a lot of sterile, duplicated, non-interactive environments".^[58] Watters wrote that the loading time between the game's levels, in contrast to earlier Valve games, are "long enough to make you take notice and wish they were shorter".^[55] Watters also said it was unfortunate that the game lacks "stand-alone test chambers and leaderboards ... but even so, Portal 2 is not light on content" without these.^[55] Welsh said that the attempt to recapture the spirit of the song Still Alive at the end credits of Portal 2 "was a mistake".^[36] Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw wrote in his Extra Punctuation column that, while Portal 2 was a "very good game," it unnecessarily retconned portions of the origin game's story, and did not really further the game's concept. However, this criticism was directed solely at the campaign, and he stated that he found the game's co-op to be "much more appealing and much more within the spirit of the original."^[59]

On April 20, 2011, it was reported that customers had launched a protest against perceived shortcomings of Portal 2.^[60][61] Users complained that the game was too short - some said it is only four hours long, about the existence of paid, downloadable content for some versions at launch, and that the Windows and Mac OS X versions were ports of the console version. Other journalists countered that the quality of the graphics on the Windows and Mac versions did not suggest a simple console port. Stephen Totilo of Kokatu.com wrote that the game lasted nine hours and that the downloadable content consisted purely of cosmetic add-ons.^[62] Some journalists said that the minimal impact of The Potato Sack alternative reality game on the early release of Portal 2 may be influencing the user scores.^[63][64]

Awards

Portal 2 won the title of "Ultimate Game of the Year" at the 2011 Golden Joystick Awards,^[65] and ranked second place on Time's "Top 10 Video Games of 2011".^[66] Gamasutra, IGN, Eurogamer, Kotaku, the Associated Press, and The Mirror listed Portal 2 as their top video game of 2011.^{[67][68][69][70][71][72]} The game received twelve nominations including "Game of the Year" for the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, where it was the most-nominated title,^[73] and won for "Best PC Game", "Best Male Performance" for Stephen Merchant, "Best Female Performance" for Ellen McLain, "Best Downloadable Content", and "Best Multiplayer Game".^[74] The title was nominated for five Game Developers Choice Awards for 2011, including "Game of the Year",^[75] and won in the "Best Narrative", "Best Audio" and "Best Game Design" categories.^[76] It was nominated for ten Interactive Achievement Awards, including "Game of the Year", from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, and won the awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition", and "Outstanding Character Performance" for Wheatley.^[77][78] Portal 2 was nominated for six BAFTA video game award categories,^[79] and won in the "Best Game", "Best Story" and "Best Design" categories.^[80] The Game Audio Network Guild awarded the game for "Best Dialog", "Best Interactive Score", and "Best Original Vocal – Pop" (for Want You Gone).^[81] In the inaugural New York Videogame Critics Circle Awards, Portal 2 was given the top honors for best writing and best acting.^[82] The Perpetual Testing Initiative was awarded the 2012 Golden Joystick for "Best Use of DLC".^[83]

Sales

Based on sales data from Amazon.com, Portal 2 was the best-selling game in the United States in the first week of its release,^[84] but was overtaken by Mortal Kombat in its second week.^[85] According to NPD Group, Portal 2 was the second-best selling game in the U.S. in April 2011,^[86] at 637,000 copies,^[87] and the fourth-best selling in May.^[88] However, NPD does not include sales on Valve's Steam platform.^[87] Portal 2 was the best selling game in the U.K. in the first week of its release, the first number-one for a Valve game.^[89] It retained the top spot during its second week.^[90]

Portal 2 was released a few days before the PlayStation Network outage. Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews said that, based on NPD Group data, the outage "did not seriously affect retail sales of software",^[91] but some developers did report drops in sales.^[92] ShopToNews analyst Joe Anderson expected that the effect of the outage on UK sales of Portal 2 would be mild.^[93] On June 22, Gabe Newell announced that Portal 2 had sold 3 million copies.^[94] As of July 2011, Electronic Arts stated that more than 2 million copies of Portal 2 have been sold by retailers worldwide.^[95] In an August 2011 interview, Newell stated that "Portal 2 did better on the PC than it did on the consoles".^[96] Upon release of the Perpetual Testing Initiative in May 2012, Newell stated that Portal 2 had shipped more than 4 million units, with the personal computer versions outselling the console versions. Overall, Portal and Portal 2 had together shipped more than 8 million units.^[97]

Downloadable content

Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC

The Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC is a level pack that was made available for those who purchased the Razer Hydra motion controller. It consists of six normal Test Chambers and seven advanced Chambers. With the DLC installed, the ASHPD gains several new abilities. The new features work in both the extra levels and the main campaign, but are disabled in the co-op campaign.

Peer Review

Peer Review is a free DLC released on October 4th, 2011, expanding upon the co-op side of the game.

Perpetual Testing Initiative

The Perpetual Testing Initiative is a free DLC for PC and Mac, released on May 8th, 2012, adding in a level editor and a single player story arc using player-made maps.

Gallery

Menu background videos

• 

  GLaDOS.

• 

  Turret Manufacturing.

• 

  Tartaros.

• 

  Frankenturret.

• 

  Space.

Loading screens

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

References

External links

• Official Portal 2 website
• Portal 2 on Steam
• Portal 2 on IMDb
• Portal 2 on Metacritic
• Game Informer's Portal 2 March 2010 Hub
• Portal 2 section of the Steam forums
• Teach With Portals

Games, software, and related subjects
Half-Life game series	Half-Life (multiplayer) · Half-Life: Opposing Force (multiplayer · Capture The Flag) · Half-Life: Blue Shift · Half-Life: Decay Half-Life 2 · Half-Life 2: Episode One · Half-Life 2: Episode Two · Future of the Half-Life series Half-Life: Alyx
Portal game series	Portal · Portal 2 · Peer Review · Perpetual Testing Initiative
Demos	Half-Life: Day One · Half-Life: Uplink · Portal: First Slice
Ports	Half-Life ports (Dreamcast · PlayStation 2 · Half-Life: Source · Half-Life Deathmatch: Source) · Portal: Still Alive
Technology demos	Aperture Desk Job · Directed Design Experiments · Get Your Free TVs! · Half-Life Alpha · Half-Life demonstrations · Half-Life 2 demonstrations · Half-Life 2: Lost Coast · Half-Life 2 RTX · Polyrobo · Portal with RTX · Probe Droid · Source Particle Benchmark
VR technology demos	Aperture Hand Lab · The Lab (Postcards · Slingshot · Longbow · Xortex 26XX · Secret Shop · Robot Repair · Solar System · Human Body Scan · Shooter) · Moondust
Cancelled games	Borealis · Half-Life: Hostile Takeover · Junction Point's Half-Life 2 Episode · Prospero · Ravenholm · Shooter · Unannounced Half-Life project
Other official games	Bridge Constructor Portal · Deathmatch Classic · Half-Life 2: Deathmatch · Half-Life 2: Survivor (Battle Mode · Mission Mode · Story Mode) · Lego Dimensions · Portal Pinball · Portal 2 Sixense MotionPack DLC · Portal: The Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game
Compilations	Half-Life: Further Data · Half-Life: Generation · Half-Life: Initial Encounter · The Orange Box · Portal: Companion Collection
ARGs	Half-Life 2 ARG · Portal ARG · PotatoFoolsDay ARG
Third-party games	Black Mesa (Achievements · Soundtrack) · Codename: Gordon · Garry's Mod · Lamarr Goes to the Zoo · Mods · Narbacular Drop · Portal: The Flash Version · Sven Co-op · Tag: The Power of Paint
Leaks	Half-Life 2 leak · WC map pack · Repository leaks
Game engines	GoldSrc · Source · Source 2
Modding software	Half-Life SDK · Perpetual Testing Initiative · Source SDK · Valve Hammer Editor
Achievements	Half-Life: Alyx · The Orange Box · Portal: Still Alive · Portal 2
Miscellaneous	Alien Mode · Censored versions of Half-Life · Developer commentary · Development of Half-Life 2 · Easter eggs · High Definition Pack · In-game messages · Multiplayer · Music · Pop culture references · Preliminary Findings · Super 8 Interactive Teaser

Multiplayer
Games	Half-Life and Portal game series: Half-Life and expansions (multiplayer) · Half-Life: Decay · Half-Life Deathmatch: Source · Half-Life 2: Deathmatch · Portal 2 · Sixense MotionPack · Peer Review · Perpetual Testing Initiative
	Other: Deathmatch Classic · Half-Life 2: Survivor (Battle Mode · Mission Mode)
	Cancelled: Half-Life (Dreamcast port) · Prospero · ThreeWave CTF
Multiplayer maps	Half-Life: Boot Camp · Bounce · Contamination · Crossfire · Datacore · Disposal · DoubleCross · Frenzy · Gasworks · Lambda Bunker · Pool Party · Rapidcore · Rocket Frenzy · Rust Mill · Snark Pit · Stalkyard · Subtransit · Team9 · The Hill · Undertow · Xen DM
	Half-Life (PlayStation 2 port): Basement · Debris · Office · Signal · Skirmish · Water Canal · Waypoint
	Opposing Force All-Star Deathmatch: Blue Meanie · Kandy Base · Kandy One · Lost Outpost · Paradox Park · Repent · Rubble · Untimely Demise · Waste Disposal · Xen Dance
	Opposing Force CTF: Black Mesa Biodomes · Chasm · Crash Site · Gun Yard · Hydro-Electric Dam · HairBall · Mortar · Paradox Park - The Command Point Issue · Power Struggle · Repentagram x2 · The Wonderland · Xen Dance
	Half-Life 2: Deathmatch: Halls3 · Lockdown · Overwatch · Powerhouse · Resistance · Run Off · Steam Lab · Underpass
	Half-Life 2: Survivor: Lockdown
Weapons and items	Opposing Force CTF: Penguin · Power-Ups
	Half-Life 2: Deathmatch: Half-Life 2: Deathmatch weapons · S.L.A.M · Stun Baton
	Half-Life 2: Survivor: Battle Mode weapons and items · Charge Bow · Decoy Bomb · Drinks (Jump Drink · Mind Drink · Power Drink) · Dual RPG · Gatling Gun · Grenades (Capture Grenade · Fire Grenade · Poison Grenade · Smoke Grenade · Timer Grenade · Whiteout Grenade) · Injections (Energy Injection · Recovery Injection) · Melee (Pulse Knife · Stungun) · Paint Gun · Pistols (Dual Enhanced Pistols · Silenced Enhanced Pistol) · Poison Crossbow · Shields (Hand Shield · ‎Provisional Shield) · Sniper rifles (Laser Rifle · Marking Sniper Rifle · Sniper Rifle · Stun Sniper Rifle) · Spark Generator · Supplies (Energy Battery · Health Charge Disk · Special Magazine · Surprise Box) · Traps (Powershake · Shake Trap · S.L.A.M · Tornado Trap) · Wave Canceller
	Other: Deathmatch Classic weapons and items
	Half-Life 2: Survivor (cut): Gravity Gloves · Invisible Suit
Characters	Half-Life 2: Survivor: Ranger · Soldier · Sniper · Engineer · Medic
Other	Half-Life 2: Survivor status effects · Battle Points · Cut missions from Half-Life: Decay · Cooperative Testing Courses · Robot Enrichment · Survivor Gold