Portal 2: A Lizzy Sledge Review

I've considered purchasing a pet potato. Seriously... Of course it'd go bad eventually, but if I stuck in some metal bits I can do a pretty good impression of GLaDOS.

Oops. Was that a spoiler?

I played through it twice so far, within two days. The game is thataddicting, once you start to play it is very difficult for a person to stop. The backstory and other features of the game are flawless, even adding a few more human elements to the plot and providing an unlikely alliance is executed flawlessly and in such a way that leaves the player wanting more. Also the introduction of several new puzzle elements (including the moon... no I'm not joking), but in such a way that makes sense.

Then there's the multiplayer aspect of gaming, featuring two little robots with portal guns, and an radial menu for expression like waving, and high fiving to promote teamwork, while GLaDOS tries to get the two of you to work against one another.

And it still features the dark humor we've come to know and love, and the return of our favorite demented and adorable murder machines: the Aperture gun turrets... Along with their goofy cousin's the Defect turrets (I could listen to them for hours.)

Not to mention your adorable buddy Wheatly, our favorite moron. If the writing and cinematics for this game are any indication, Half Life Ep 3 is going to looking much cleaner and feel slightly less stale than before.

And the puzzles are brain teasing enough to make you feel intelligent when you solve them, but not so hard that you feel dumb when you can't.

If you want a game that is as challenging as it is fun, I'd suggest that you pick this up... Actually, you don't need a reason. Just get it. Really. Go out right now and get it.

Honestly, when I bought the game I though that I might have more negative things to say about it. I'm shocked that I don't. The first Portal was so short that it didn't abuse the concept or it's welcome, and this one is far longer. The longer Valve sticks around, the better their writing and plot execution gets, and I get more and more impressed with every game that I pick up.

Happy gaming!

I love Portal, and if Valve had to put off Half Life Ep 3 for anything, I'd understand if it was Left 4 Dead 2, or Portal 2.

But seriously Valve. Stop making us grovel for our fix of Gordon Freeman. I know you're already working on Left 4 Dead 3 (the original fab four of Zoey, Bill, Louis, and Francis may be showing up as a prologue for The Sacrifice), but you are still working on Half Life, right?

I'm a tad excited for the next HL installment. I just hope they put Barney back in, because I miss him.