Developer Valve Software has released Portal 2, a sequel to a game originally bundled with The Orange Box in 2007. Portal 2 differs not only in being a separate retail product, but also a full-length title rather than a small side-project. Windows, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are launching simultaneously. The Mac and Windows versions are bundled together, whether on Steam or at retail.
Buyers of the PS3 game get free access to the Steam version; it is also the only the only console edition to support Steam itself, including features like updates, DLC and community functions. The game’s two-player cooperative campaign supports matching between Windows, Mac and PS3 players, and single-player saved games can be carried from machine to machine via the Steam Cloud. Achievements are likewise universal on Steam.
In the single-player mode gamers once again resume the role of Chell, a woman trapped in the Aperture Science labs and menaced by GLaDOS, the facility’s AI. Players solve a variety of first-person puzzles using the game’s titular portal gun. A number of new obstacles and aids are present though, such as excursion funnels, light bridges, and propulsion and repulsion gels.
The Windows/Mac edition is currently $50 on Steam, but $45 at Amazon and GameStop. The PS3 and Xbox 360 games are normally $60, but once more can be found for less at Amazon and GameStop.
