# Portal 2 is SPECTACULAR!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 17, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218 "2011-05-17T17:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/21 "2011-05-19T13:33:29Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > I have 13 hours listed on steam. I went back a lot when I finished to replay cool things so maybe it did take me 9 hours. I finished Portal 2 on the weekend I came back from vacation after it came out. I seem to remember taken a week or so to finish the first one but that was a while ago. I should probably bow to the combined testimony of people and believe that portal 1 is shorter. But I was sad when I finished 2 because it was short, I did not have the feeling that 1 was as short. You should replay it. I’m guessing that, with the level of portaling skill you’ve reached after beating Portal 2, you’ll be able to blast your way through Portal 1 in under two hours, even if you don’t remember any of the Portal 1 puzzle solutions. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/22 "2011-05-20T04:30:26Z")
By the way, what’s the deal with the Super 8 interactive trailer? I clicked on it, it told me to zoom, I zoomed, some letters or words fell and I couldn’t move so I turned it off. I have a feeling I’m missing something… ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/23 "2011-05-20T09:44:30Z")
Just finished it in 7 hours (and I think I went pretty slow and took my time checking out the artwork etc.). Really fun and absolutely hilarious game, but way way too short and easy. Haven’t tried the multiplayer mode yet… is it any good? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/24 "2011-05-20T12:16:31Z")
You folks are too freaking jaded (probably from playing games like Fallout 3, which takes 14 years to complete) My thoughts playing through was “wow, these maps are HUGE” ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/25 "2011-05-20T13:09:06Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > You folks are too freaking jaded (probably from playing games like Fallout 3, which takes 14 years to complete) > > My thoughts playing through was “wow, these maps are HUGE” It bothers me because they spent so long building an awesome game engine, yet it would have been relatively trivial (compared to building the engine and creating the artwork) to add another 30 or 40 puzzles so that it would at least take longer than half a day to beat the game. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/26 "2011-05-20T13:14:24Z")
30 or 40 _quality_ maps? I think you under-estimate the effort. I’m also hoping that releasing the development tools leads to more content in the future…and I hope it’s released for the consoles as well as the PC version. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/27 "2011-05-20T13:22:47Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > 30 or 40 _quality_ maps? I think you under-estimate the effort. Nah, not with a whole team working on it. And it’s not being jaded to expect a fair amount of gameplay out of a game. As I’ve said, what little gameplay there was was excellent. But it felt like more of a long-ish movie than a video game. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for it (waited 'til I saw a copy for $25 on Half), but I still feel a little ripped off, especially since I can’t resell it. Should have waited until it was about $10. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/28 "2011-05-20T14:00:13Z")
Well you can say yes, and I can say no all day long. Won’t solve anything. It was one of the few release-day full price games I’ll buy this year. Perhaps it’s because it’s divided between me and my 8 year old boys, but I’ve paid similar money for CRAP games. This was not a crap game. And there are indications they’re not done yet: > **[Hey, Details on Portal 2's (Free!) Downloadable Content](https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/hey-details-on-portal-2s-free-downloadable-content/1100-3108/)** > > Valve's not charging a dime for new test chambers and challenge modes. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/29 "2011-05-20T14:28:12Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Really fun and absolutely hilarious game, but way way too short and easy. Haven’t tried the multiplayer mode yet… is it any good? Yes, it’s incredibly fun. The game really enforces cooperation between players, so you have to think about how to use each other’s portals (and each other) to complete the maps. They’ve play-tested it so it is impossible to solve the puzzles on your own. I’ve been enjoying it a little more than the single player game, though some of that may just be that I’m playing with friends instead of alone. The co-op isn’t very long, but it by itself is about as good as the first Portal and probably about as long. One caveat: it’s going to be much easier if both players can verbally communicate - either by playing the split screen on the console version or with headsets. The gesture and pointing features work ok, but you really need your partner to know what you are thinking/planning and vice-versa. I haven’t played it without headsets, yet, but I can see how it could be incredibly frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/30 "2011-05-20T15:31:06Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Nah, not with a whole team working on it. And it’s not being jaded to expect a fair amount of gameplay out of a game. As I’ve said, what little gameplay there was was excellent. But it felt like more of a long-ish movie than a video game. > > I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for it (waited 'til I saw a copy for $25 on Half), but I still feel a little ripped off, especially since I can’t resell it. Should have waited until it was about $10. The gameplay in the puzzles was excellent because Valve’s team spends a bazillion hours tweaking, playtesting, and iterating them until they are perfect - not too easy, not too hard, not confusing for the sake of confusion, and focused around mental gymnastics rather than pin-point accuracy and speed. An additional 30-40 test chambers = another two years of development. Personally, I feel that 12-15 hours of brilliant gameplay is more worth my $60 than 40 hours of “eh” gameplay. Or, in the case of the Fallout games, 15 hours of moderate fun surrounded by 40 hours of mind-numbingly dull open world wandering. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/31 "2011-05-20T16:03:46Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > The gameplay in the puzzles was excellent because Valve’s team spends a bazillion hours tweaking, playtesting, and iterating them until they are perfect - not too easy, not too hard, not confusing for the sake of confusion, and focused around mental gymnastics rather than pin-point accuracy and speed. An additional 30-40 test chambers = another two years of development. I dunno about that. It was pretty freakin’ easy. I’m surprised to hear how long people are saying it took them since I don’t think of myself as being that fast at solving problems and it only took me 7 hours taking it at a leisurely pace. There were several puzzles that took me a little while to see the solution but like someone else said, because there are so few misdirects (i.e. when you see a portal-able area you pretty much know you are going to have to use it somehow) it makes the solutions a little too obvious. Anyway I don’t want to be the person taking an anti-Portal 2 stance here because I really did enjoy the game, we just disagree on how much a few hours of fun gameplay is worth to us. So yeah I guess I’m spoiled in that regard because I’m used to getting cheap games that I can play for at least 40 or 50 hours before finishing them or getting bored. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/32 "2011-05-20T17:34:53Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > By the way, what’s the deal with the Super 8 interactive trailer? > > I clicked on it, it told me to zoom, I zoomed, some letters or words fell and I couldn’t move so I turned it off. I have a feeling I’m missing something… You wander around in the train car for a while, then the train derails. After the crash, you wander through the wreckage for a while, until _something_ (cue dramatic music) busts out of a vault-locked car. /the end. Just a tie-in to an upcoming movie. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/33 "2011-05-20T17:39:56Z")
In my household, I’m not the one playing the games, usually. Portal and Portal 2 are both a hoot to watch and listen to while someone else plays the game. They’re a gift to the whole family. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/34 "2011-05-21T20:07:41Z")
If you’ve completed the game, check [this](http://rain.nxe7.com/) out. Warning: may bring throat-lumpiness and smiles. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/35 "2011-05-21T20:35:22Z")
That was awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/36 "2011-05-21T21:00:38Z")
I literally just finished this and I loved the game! The level design was great and the production design was even better. My favorites where the moment where you think you are in just another level and then the power goes out and the game changes and then of course the ending. When the vortex of air started and I realized exactly what was happening I just laughed and laughed. The best part of that is they actually set it up earlier by revealing the white gel was based on Moon rocks. As far as length, this game was clearly longer than the first one. Steam bares that out. I played the first for 7 hours (and while it has been a while, I am sure I went back in some so the actual game was shorter) and this I played for 12. I also like the fact that while with most games I need a walk through at some point, I eventually can solve these puzzles. Looking forward to Portal 3! ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/37 "2011-05-21T21:40:36Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > It bothers me because they spent so long building an awesome game engine… The Source engine is really old. HL2 came out in 2004. I know they’ve made lots of upgrades, but it’s not much compared to the original groundwork that took like 6 years. ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/38 "2011-05-21T22:31:20Z")
Literally finished this 2 hours ago. Best game i’ve played for several years. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/39 "2011-06-03T15:34:44Z")
Just finished it too. Loved the very last puzzle, because the solution was so outrageous, and yet, given what we had seen before in the game, _it just made sense._ I PORTALED TO THE FREAKING MOON!😃 Definitely one of the most satisfying “HOLY CRAP THAT JUST HAPPENED!” moments in video gaming for me. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218/40 "2011-06-03T15:48:30Z")
I was playing it again last night (while listening to the developer commentary) and as usual, your sense of urgency is artificial, a lot of games you have plenty of time to futz about and sightsee the second time around. Turns out at that climax of the last puzzle: There isn’t much else you CAN do but portal to the moon. Your movement is restricted to 10 degrees or so to either side of the moon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portal-2-is-spectacular/582218.md?page=3)