The original Portal was one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. Yes, it was short (probably 4 or 5 hours) but that made it no less awesome. The idea was unique and mind boggling (and to this day, I still have friends who simply refuse to play out of sheer confusion with the concept of portals). But almost every gamer out there who played it was screaming one thing: MORE. And Valve has given it to us, albeit at a full $60 price tag, which they justify with a longer campaign and a co-op mode. So is it worth it, or are they just trying to get your money?

The answer to the latter question is no, but the answer to the first question is only sort of yes. Let me say this first – Portal 2 is phenomenal. There is nothing about it, really, that isn’t amazing. The story is great, the humor is spot on, the puzzles are clever without being frustrating, the graphics are good, and the co-op mode is nothing short of ground-breaking. So here’s the good before the bad:

Gameplay:

Awesome. It’s the original Portal with new elements such as bouncing and speeding gels, light bridges, tractor beams, etc. These are not elements merely thrown in there – every single one is used with incredible purpose that is nothing short of brilliant. Add a great story into the mix and you have a game which literally never gets old throughout its entire 10 hours or so of length. The co-op, also, is great, giving you and a partner two different sets of portals rather than one.

Sound:

Also great. The voice acting (especially Stephen Merchant as Wheatley), is stunning, and though the music is mostly minimal, it does its job.

Graphics:

I’d say this is one of the only parts of the game that didn’t impress me. They get the job done, but it simply doesn’t shine and stun like I thought it would. Some of the new environments are nice, but graphically what you’re getting here is basically a larger version of Portal 1.

Value:

This is the only part where I’d say Portal 2 stumbles over itself a bit. And that’s because, despite how incredible the single player and multiplayer is, and despite how much value Valve really tried to pack into this title, it’s still a $60 puzzle game. And like most of you probably know, a puzzle game doesn’t have a whole lot of replay value. Once you’ve figured out the puzzle, you’ve figured out the puzzle and than it will become more easier to understand the result outcomes in situs casino online. I’ve found that going through the single player again is fun but not really that exciting (it’s mostly to hear the funny parts of dialogue again) and unfortunately going through multiplayer again with a different person is just painful (it’s not so much a cooperation game the second time through as a partner-gets-stuck-and-you-tell-them-what-to-do kind of game). So if I’d knock points for anything here, it’s the fact that you’re paying for a $60 puzzle game, and once you get through the 15 hours of content or so, there is literally no incentive to go back in single player or multiplayer, which may make it more of a rental than a purchase for some.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get Portal 2, or that it isn’t good. But value is important in a game, because if you can’t replay it you just paid $60 for something to sit on your shelf. If you see Portal 2 for $40 or under, I’d say it is certainly worth a shot because it’s a fantastic experience. But if you’ve already waited this long and you’re not sure, wait a little longer.

Many of you work for companies that provide a computer connected to the Internet and your number keeps growing. Also, almost everyone these days has a personal computer connected to the Internet at home. Many people like to play their favourite games on platforms such as Pkv which has made gaming quite easy for players. 

What do you do when you get bored or need a break? A few years back, you would normally play Solitaire hoping your boss would not notice you. These days more and more people get online to play games. The offer is huge. You can play small animated games that help you get rid of boredom, or test your dexterity and intelligence, or addicting text based games. While being at home, the offer is even bigger due to games you can purchase and play not necessary online, but let’s get a bit into the deepest holes of online games.

People like those small Flash games. There’s no need for long lists of complicated rules or how-to-play tutorials, you just load it and play it using just a few keys on your keyboard or the mouse only. Sitting back on your chair in a break at work and enjoying it like this can be extremely relaxing. Many people use to play them during schedule too, but we all need a short break once in a while, don’t we?

Let’s get now into the text based games. Text based games do not have any graphics. They are text based. At first sight, they do not capture attention. But once you give the game a try and learn how to play it, things change. Many text based games are team based, so you get to interaction with people from all over the world. You get to know the people first and you easily discover the secrets of the game. Soon, you will start setting up schedules in the game. Let’s take for instance a warring game. You would like to be online when your team mates attack, so you all make a full organized wave. A few months later you will start to go to sleep a bit later than normal or wake up a bit earlier, due to the game schedule, or wake up at 4 AM to do various things. So, in just a few years, you get addicted to such a game. They have a destructive effect on people.

Have you ever heard of World Of Warcraft (WOW)? WOW is a game people play online, in clans and teams. You might have seen in the news, or at the television, various cases of such addicted people. Let me give you a few samples. One female WOW player from UK died after spending almost 5 days in front of the computer playing. Previously, her husband also abandoned her. How about the shooter Counter Strike fanatic who bought a gun and started to actually play Counter Strike on the street, in the real life?

However, good things happen too due to these addictive online games. As many people interaction inside, they get to know each other very good and some of them even build strong relationships and travel half the Earth just to get to the other one and get married. There are a few such happy cases too, but unfortunately, the sad shocking cases prevail.

Basically, online games, as long as not those simple, small Flash games, cause the destruction of a man. So stick to the simple games you play at work while your boss is not watching and that would be infinitely better than becoming one of those who lose their human side.