Portal 2

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Portal 2
Developer(s)	Valve
Release date(s)	Steam: April 19, 2011 (WW, Steam) Retail: April 19 (NA), April 21, 2011 (EU), April 21, 2011 (AUS)
Genre(s)	First-person shooter, puzzle video game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer co-op
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone 10+ CERO: A (All Ages) PEGI: 12
Distribution	Electronic Arts, Steam
System req	PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Input	Keyboard and mouse, Xbox 360 Controller, DualShock 3, Sixense TrueMotion
Engine	Source
Series	Portal
Writer(s)	Erik Wolpaw Chet Faliszek Jay Pinkerton
Composer(s)	Mike Morasky Jonathan Coulton ("Want You Gone") The National ("Exile Vilify")
Previous game	Portal
Next game	N/A

 

 

"Portal was a test bed. Portal 2 is a game."

—Doug Lombardi

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, but was later announced on June 9, 2010 as delayed until an unspecified date in 2011, until it was said to be released on February 9, 2011. This date was again delayed to April 19.

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. It was also confirmed that GLaDOS was indeed still alive, and would return as the main antagonist. In addition, Game Informer and other sources confirmed a co-op mode for up to two players with its own separate campaign. The co-op campaign was said to have its separate credits, and would take place after the single player story. Valve was also scheduled to unveil the Portal 2 World Premiere on June 14, at their E3 2010 press conference, 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, 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
• ATLAS and P-body
• GLaDOS
• Wheatley (Intelligence Dampening Core)
• Aperture Science Sentry Turret
• Cave Johnson (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 is 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

Game logo.

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." On January 31, 2008, Lombardi confirmed that "more Portal" would be forthcoming, and promised that the additional content would not just be "more puzzles"; an interview with Kim Swift on February 21, 2008 revealed that a full sequel, Portal 2, would be coming. 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", though Swift had previously stated they tried a Portal multiplayer deathmatch variant, but admitted that "it's less fun than you'd think."

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. However, it was later suggested on Kombo.com it could be a sequel, with Johnson as another AI.

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.

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."

Achievements and trophies

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

Reception

Portal 2 has received universally positive reviews upon release. The game currently holds a 95/100 on Metacritic, and a 95.16% on Game Rankings. Critics praised nearly every aspect of it, particularly its use of humor. Critics also praised the games difficulty as being challenging, but not frustrating.

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

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  GLaDOS.

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  Turret Manufacturing.

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  Tartaros.

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  Frankenturret.

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  Space.

Loading screens

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References

Combine OverWiki has more images related to Portal 2.

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