We don’t need to know why the Enrichment Center is that it is trying to kill us is enough. I would have preferred Valve to play it slightly straighter and give a look into what catastrophic events led to the current sorry state of Chell’s world, but that’s the sci-fi nerd in me talking. The touch of gravitas here and there is just enough to ground the writing and serve as a contrast to Portal 2’s goofy world. GLaDOS’ blithe disregard for human suffering is again a recurring comedic theme. Descriptions of violent, painful death are played for a laugh more often than not. On the contrary, the sequel goes in a dramatically opposite direction than the Half-Life tie-in that many predicted. This isn’t to say that Portal 2 takes itself too seriously. The dialogue’s pitch-perfect delivery is half of Portal 2’s genius, and it would be a shame to ruin the brilliant comedic timing or any of the other many nuances Valve so painstakingly crafted in this review. Gruesome depictions of abandoned experiments take on a new horror when you’re desperately avoiding a similar fate yourself. Weathering the taunts of a sadistic AI as you’re trying to survive its deadly challenges is unlike passively watching HAL-9000 try to kill off meddling astronauts. Not because the plot relies on contrived twists – the major beats are telegraphed in advance – but because Valve has leveraged the interactive experience perfectly. Any spoilers would seriously detract from the game. Like the original, so much of what makes Portal 2 special is in the execution and the originality of standing in Chell’s shoes and experiencing her destiny. Without turning the page, the team has painted a much richer picture that seizes your attention in a steel grip even if it’s telling a similar story. How do you follow up on a four-hour pack-in title that blew up into a phenomenon that defined a year-plus of gaming culture? Valve decided to flesh out the concepts pioneered in Portal, coloring in some existing wireframes, adding details to older sketches, and doodling new expansions to previous ideas in the margins.
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