WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Portal 2 Impressions

There's nothing I like more than an intense puzzle game, and the first Portal was that and so much more; initially just considered a bonus minigame in The Orange Box (a 360/PS3 set containing Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2), the innovative physics-based title went on to gain a cult following, so expectations are obviously high for developer Valve to deliver with a larger, harder campaign and multi-player in upcoming sequel Portal 2. From what I have played of the next instalment in what could fast become a killer franchise, fans should have no cause for concern as to its quality or difficulty, but instead should mark April 22nd on their calendars as the day they should rush to their nearest GAME store. Having beaten the original with not too much angst, I was pleasantly surprised that my demo skipped tutorials and basically assumed my familiarity with how the game worked, as it meant that automatically the puzzles were a lot harder than the majority of the first one. Equally, another player was somewhat confused at the lack of guidance, so I taught him the basics too, but these levels definitely weren't the ones that will first present themselves to you when you get your copy, probably taking place a good half hour into the storyline. My only complaint with what I played was that some of the scenery and objects didn't look great yet, still seeming a bit too pixelly, yet we were told this was an older version of Portal 2 and that the final version is much more polished. Honestly, though, I couldn't help but think that if this is unpolished, gamers are in for one heck of a surprise next month!