Could be out tomorrow. If the rumors are true.

But if it's really the 19th, I just can't contain my excitement for this game any longer. So who's going to pulling an all-nighter with me the day of its release?

Anyway, I just feel there needs to be some discussion on this, even before it comes out!

Well, here's the deal on Portal 2 coming early:

It's dependent on us playing a list of indie games . The more everyone plays these games, the earlier we get Portal 2. It's kind of a cool idea... A bunch of indies get a little support and attention, and if not, well we get Portal 2 on the day we were expecting it. It's sort of a nice thing for Valve to do.

Doesn't help me much, though. I reserved Portal 2 for the PS3. Anyone who buys the PS3 version will get the PC version for free. I plan on playing it on the PC, but why not get the PS3 version along with it at no additional cost? I'll probably see how well the PS Move wands work for it, once I'm done with the PC version. But I think the PS3 version is coming out on a fixed day, regardless of how much we play those indie games.

I'm looking forward to the game quite a bit.

Yeah, by the looks of it, Valve's yearly ARG led to that indie pack facilitating an early release of Portal 2. I'm a little confused as to how the system works - my guess is that more popular games owned by a lot of people will cause playtime to be factored in at a lower percentage. It's why Super Meat Boy is making such a slow progression right now.

And yes, brilliant marketing strategy; I am happy to see these indie games get more exposure.

It's too bad that the console release can't be adjusted, but unfortunately working that out with retail would be a huge mess.

Yeah sort of annoyed, the retail's coming out 2 days after the steam version for me. I bought the retail because my download rate was shitty and would mean I'd get the gamea day after everyone else, so that was entirely pointless, especially with the preloady thing I forgot about. I just wish they could've TOLD me before I bought it.

And on top of that kick in the knackers, they're working to release it even earlier for Steam. Ugh.

lol@it's only releasing 7 hours early.

therealtj
lol@it's only releasing 7 hours early.

Is that retail then? Because PC got it about twelve hours early. Not that it's really an "early release" by any means.

I've played the first 2 levels already. I like all the references to the song.

Gyahhh... I bought it on the way to work today. Once I got in, I opened the PS3 case to get the code that would activate my Steam version of it, so I could play it on PC. But it says I have to play it on PS3 first so that I can have it on PC! Nuts! This means I have to wait until I get home to try it.

Well, I've definitely put in enough time to be able to break down how I feel about this game, so here it is:

Single Player

Overall the single player has a little more than double the content that the first one had. It probably took me about seven hours total from start to finish. And you know what? I enjoyed every single minute of it, with very minor complaints.

The dialogue is witty and nothing like you'll ever find in another game. I couldn't help but be excited after finishing a puzzle to receive my "reward" of witty banter given to me by the robot/person in control.

The new concepts implemented into the puzzle-solving were amazing. Often times I sat back wondering how I could possibly use this goo they gave me or how I could reach an exit fifty feet away from the starting location. I also enjoyed how they incorporated a little more than just the test chambers, but when you play it, you'll see what I mean by that comment.

Unfortunately I also found the puzzles to be between the range of easy and medium difficulty. All but maybe one or two never had me scratching my head trying to play out my plans like in the first one. I actually missed some of the timing based momentum puzzles that were quite prevalent in the first Portal. Maybe too many people complained about that? Who knows.

Also, there were times I felt the exposition dragged on a little too much. I enjoy getting to know the Aperture lab a little better, but sometimes the transitions seemed a little too long, especially around the middle of the game. Sometimes I felt I wasn't using my portal gun as many times as I'd like to.

Lastly - and this isn't really a valid complaint - but the half-life tie-ins were also somewhat disappointing. After playing Half-Life 2: Episode Two I expected a little more than what they did.

Co-op

Funny enough, co op was actually what I had been expecting of the single player, but minus any story. It's more or less a string of puzzles to solve with a friend, but now you need to utilize four portals and teamwork to get things done. In terms of difficulty, this was a slight step up from the single player, I felt. Though it does help that you have a friend to think along with you.

I enjoy the interactivity of it as well; you can point to areas of the wall you want portals to be placed and you can even view your partner's screen in a little picture-in-picture screen at the bottom if you need to. A lot of tools to make communicating with your partner easier, because sometimes even talking isn't enough.

The co op section takes about five hours start to finish, but it definitely felt quite a bit longer. Honestly, it's just a really, really fun experience. If you don't know anyone that owns the game, I'd recommend just combing the internet for a partner just to have the experience. Hell, I'd even play with you, but it might not be as rewarding considering I've done them all already.

So overall? This is a game you need to try if you have a PC that can run it. Honestly, you probably already have this game as it is, and this entire review was pointless to read. ;)