PAX Eyes-On: Portal 2
So there's this game coming out soon. I'm not sure if you've heard of it. It's actually a sequel to a game you've probably never played. I'm talking about Portal 2.
PAX attendees were able to get a glimpse at the upcoming game's multiplayer co-op mode. And yes, I know you're wondering: the co-op works, and it's going to be amazingly fun. What really struck me during the presentation was that Valve knew that the first Portal game was essentially already cooperative. You'd sit down with a friend, your girlfriend, or your dad, and play through the whole game in one sitting. What Valve wanted to do was put a controller in the hands of that second person.
Every gamer knows about Portal. But if you don't, it's pretty simple. Or, at least, the concept is simple. You have a gun (Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device) that can shoot two portals. When you shoot both of these, they create a wormhole and you -- or any other simple object -- can pass through them. The computer GlaDOS gets you to complete the puzzles that populate the interior of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, noting that you will receive cake at the end of your journeys. You soon find out that ol' GlaDOS is actually horribly evil, and wants you dead. Along the way, you have to use some crafty logic and use unique items in new ways to progress through the levels.
PAX-goers got a preview trailer followed by a live demo of the game played by a Valve employee and a "willing volunteer" from the audience. What we were able to gather from the gameplay is that the puzzles will be much more involved -- which is a good thing, since, unlike the first game, this version of Portal has to stand on its own. Each player has two portals, so you'll have a total of four to work with. That means that puzzles can be exponentially harder than in the first Portal. In the demo, we were shown new abilities like the "ping tool," which allows you to mark a spot on the wall for your partner to shoot a portal (no more "right there... no, over there!"); taking over your partner's portals; and waving at your partner. Yup, you can have your robot hug the other robot, too.
Doug Lombardi, Valve's VP of Marketing, said that the developers listened to customer feedback to figure out what to include in the game sequel. And what was really interesting was that because the team on the first game was so small, Valve employees that didn't work on the first game were able to give valuable feedback to the game as well. Essentially, employees at Valve were as big fans of the game as the rest of us were. And Doug's favorite addition to the game in Portal 2? The gels. Check out the Aperture Science video below.
Portal 2 is going to be a much bigger game than the first. Bigger environments, tougher puzzles, and teamwork mean you'll be able to play the game for even longer than the first one. I'm looking forward to it.
