Time for another video game review by our resident expert, Rachel Parker.
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The very long 6 year wait for the sequel to Portal came to an end recently with the release of Portal 2. If you’ve never played Portal, don’t worry, it’s fairly simple to pick up. However, it’s really no more than ten bucks for the first one, so there’s no real good excuse to not play the first then the second.
This game picking up where the last one left off. As would be expected, Portal 2 like Portal is filled with puzzles you have to solve in order to advance to the next room or area. It takes around 8 hours or so to beat each mode, be it solo or co op. The solo gameplay is different from the co op game play. My brother so patiently took the time to beat the co op version with me, however you can play online if you don’t have a brother or a local friend to join you.
It appears VALVe, the makers of Portal and Portal 2, wanted to try to make the game bigger and better. Unfortunately they didn’t quite pull it off. By all means it is bigger, the puzzles are larger and more difficult; giving us longer game play. However by the end of it all, it becomes so redundant, with the exception of a few things. Including the solid story line, and the introduction of new elements such as the slick goo, the bounce goo, white paint, and the light tunnels. At the end of the day, I feel like the game makers were just trying too hard. The first Portal was an unintentional success that spread like wild fire. Portal 2 however is like most sequels, they tried to hard in areas they shouldn’t have and it just falls short.
Portal 2 is worth checking out, not sure I would buy it though. Not much replay value as far as I’m concerned, it just takes too long to beat. Maybe stick to renting it, or borrow it from a friend.
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Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
