Welcome everyone to week 3 of the Kotaku Game Clubâs look back at Portal 2. In our third meeting weâll be talking about the gameâs story and characters.
Gameplay aside, the world of Portal 2 plays such a large role in making Portal 2 a rich experience, and Iâm sure you all have something to say about the gameâs memorable story moments.
As with our past two meetings, the discussion today isnât chronological. There will be spoilers from the entire game, including the ending. Since todayâs discussion focuses on the plot, todayâs meeting will be especially jam-packed with spoilers.
If youâre joining us for the first time, Our goal at Kotaku Game Club is to play games as a community so that we can share our thoughts as weâre experiencing the game. We meet each week in the Game Clubâs comments section to discuss our experiences with our game of the month.
Our meetings generally start at 4pm Eastern every Thursday, and last an hour or so after the post is published. The Game Club is here to get everybody talking with each other, so donât be afraid to speak your mind and to start a dialogue with other posters.
As for our question of the week: Is there such a thing as too much GLaDOS?
In the original Portal GLaDOS accounted for 100% of your character interaction. (No, I donât count the turrets.) She was your guide and your nemesis for a few sentences between each puzzle. In Portal 2, her presence has grown, but her role has not. In fact, itâs shrunkâGLaDOS never plays that double-role the same way. Shrunk into her personal story, GLaDOS, once an instrument of narrative utility, is now a superfluous flourish to the playerâs experience. So hereâs the larger question: Can a story thatâs compelling but tangential to your experience be as compelling as one that effects you directly?
Donât miss our last meeting about Portal 2 next Thursday! Weâll be looking at the co-op levels and what makes them special. Thatâs Thursday, February 2nd, at 4pm Eastern.
