Portal 2 Critic Reviews

While it's worth replaying to catch the dialogue you missed the first time round - a spectacular rarity in any game - and to hunt out the hidden Rat Man rooms, there isn't enough variety in the way you solve puzzles to sustain repeat runthroughs. We're going to need DLC, and plenty of it, to keep our co-op partnership going.

Valve has created a masterpiece in Portal 2. The depth of content, the mind-bending mechanics and fantastic experience are almost certain to satisfy ardent fans of the first game; and to all newcomers to the series, it's as simple as this: prepare to have your mind blown. Over and over again.

Despite being so much bigger than the original, I actually felt a little melancholy once Portal 2 was over, simply because it's so rare to find a game this smart, this funny, and this rich with detail. It elevates Portal from an odd, memorable experiment to one of the most significant series in Valve's stable with a unique voice and an incredible level of quality that all developers should aspire to.

Portal 2 is a masterpiece. Valve did everything possible to evolve the original concept, creating an almost perfect experience only disturbed by a couple of minor issues. With both an intense single-player mode and a perfect co-op multiplayer Portal 2 is a true must-buy.

A mere ten minutes here will yield more memorable moments than you're likely to squeeze out of the entirety of most other games this year. In all aspects of its design, Portal 2 is genius.

It's a work of masterful craft, mechanically constructed with military precision, artistically wrapped in a tremendous story and environment. Most impressively, its achievements feel effortless.

Never before has a review embargo had us screaming inside so badly that our mind eventually goes hoarse. We've wanted to shout from the rooftops about how Portal 2 not only betters the original Portal, but completely annihilates it...If you thought the original Portal was a masterpiece, prepare to have your mind blown.

Bigger, tougher, and funnier, Portal 2 manages to expand on its perfectly succinct predecessor in just about every way. Boasting two excellent campaigns, each rife with satisfying puzzles and even more satisfying "Eureka!" moments, Valve's latest is an absolute must-own, plain and simple.

While it's unclear if we'll ever see GLaDOS or Chell again, this much is certain: Portal 2 is one of the best games of this generation.

Portal 2 is a masterful execution of one of the key components of gaming, fun. Valve has really outdone themselves this time, and managed to make me say, "What's episode 3?"

Genius is an often overused word but Valve's work on Portal 2 is genius in the truest sense. The studio has exhibited exceptional creativity in the game, even compared to some of its other masterpieces. If we could give it 11/10, we would.

Portal 2 couldn't be Portal, but it's the next best thing. It's a longer, funnier, more emotional plummet through Aperture's perplexing laboratory, and its meticulous detail, perfect pacing, and kinetic, mind-expanding puzzles make it a blazingly memorable experience. It's so damn memorable, already feel nostalgic about it.

Sporting some of the best writing and voice work in years (as well as some deviously designed puzzles), Portal 2's single-player campaign is superior to its predecessor in every way. It's the co-op mode, however, that makes this 2011's first must-play game -- even for those gamers that don't like first-person or puzzle games.

Impatience aside, Portal 2 is an exceptionally well-crafted, intelligent, entertaining, humorous game. You will laugh. You will feel like a freaking genius. You will want more. And yes, you will probably be hearing quotes from Portal 2 for the next three years.

If there was ever any doubt that Portal could be expanded into a big, narrative experience with all the bells and whistles of a mainstream gaming hit, have no fear. Valve solved that puzzle with Portal 2.

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. Play Portal 2 as soon as you can.

There is no such thing as perfection, no matter how much we strive for it, therefore a couple of minor niggles do not distract from a top score. Portal 2 is the Game of the Year so far, it will take something special for it not to take that accolade. Sometimes the anticipation of a games release can leave the final thing feeling a little flat. That is not the case here as Portal 2 lives up to all expectations and then some.

Portal 2 is really a worthy successor to Portal, and is a great example of a very well-designed, well-implemented game. I recommend it highly.

A truly spectacular sequel that reaches previously unthinkable heights. Portal 2 is an experience to be cherished and already a strong contender for the best game of 2011.

Portal 2 is a triumph in every sense of the word, a wonderful experience from start to finish and one that you won't soon forget.