Portal 2 - The Final Hours | Game Brain

About

"Portal 2 - The Final Hours" is a digital book that provides an in-depth look at the creation of the game Portal 2. It includes a 15,000 word multimedia experience with exclusive photos, videos, and interviews, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Valve's creative process. The book reveals the original concept for Portal 2 as a prequel without portals or GLaDOS, and the development of Directed Design Experiments after Half-Life 2: Episode Two. A free bonus chapter covers the making of the 'Peer Review' DLC and future plans for Portal 2.

Genres & Tags

Casual

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 497 reviews

story16 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The book provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the development of Portal 2, offering insights into the creative process and the people involved.
Despite its technical issues, the interactive elements and multimedia content make for an engaging reading experience for fans of the Portal series.
At a low price, it serves as a valuable resource for those interested in game development and the history of Valve.

Many interactive features and links are broken or outdated, significantly diminishing the overall experience.
The book's reliance on Adobe Air and other outdated technologies raises concerns about its long-term accessibility and functionality.
Some readers found the content to be repetitive or lacking depth, with a significant amount of filler material that detracts from the main insights.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
37%
10%
The story aspect of the game is primarily focused on the behind-the-scenes development of Portal and Portal 2, offering an insightful and detailed narrative about the creative process and challenges faced by the developers at Valve. While some users appreciate the depth and interesting anecdotes, others criticize the presentation and interactivity, suggesting it feels more like an e-book than a traditional game. Overall, it is recommended for dedicated fans of the series who are interested in the development history rather than casual players.
- “While it is titled 'The Final Hours', it actually covers the whole development in good detail, even including some 'backstory' on the first game's development.”
- “The story of how Portal 2 came to be is actually more interesting than the story of the game itself.”
- “This story offers a rare glimpse at the talent, the culture, and the decisions behind a multi-award winning product.”
- “It's only a reading story... no game!”
- “Just a virtual book with some backstory of Portal 2. I recommend this to the super fan but not the average user.”
- “I paid money for the story behind Portal 2?”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The music aspect of the game is highlighted by modified tracks from Portal 2 that evoke a cyberchase atmosphere, alongside various work-in-progress versions of the soundtrack available for listening. While the e-book format offers interactive elements like music clips and videos, many of these features are reportedly broken or non-functional, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the writing and coverage of the game's music development are praised, providing insight into the creative process behind the soundtrack.
- “There is also music that you can listen to, like the songs that inspired the soundtrack of Portal 2, and lots of pictures.”
- “The writing is great, the interactivity is great, there are interviews, videos, music, polls and pretty much everything that you could hope for in an e-book about Portal 2.”
- “It covers all aspects of the game, from how the story was developed, the artwork, animation, music and even marketing.”
- “There is so much text with information spread only thinly within, endless amounts of stupid details like music people listened to or some gesture that they make.”
- “Lots of stuff is broken; the polls have errors, the songs don't play, it's low resolution, and Adobe Air doesn't install properly.”
- “A very well done ebook, however many of the interactive elements, such as the music and polls, have stopped working, as I'm guessing the URLs have changed.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The gameplay aspect has been widely criticized for lacking meaningful interaction and gameplay loops, with many users describing it as more of a reading experience than an actual game. Players noted the absence of achievements and found the overall experience to be short and underdeveloped, leading to a perception of it being a half-baked concept rather than a fully realized game.
- “Chell, Pendleton (a purple-eyed Portal 1-style core with a single mechanical arm and the ability to float around like the robot in Baby in Yellow) and the cybersquad must dodge hazards such as laser turrets that speak, as well as cyberstatic energy pellets, all in a pocket dimension similar to what TickTockia is in the original show. The original music from Portal 2 has slight and heavy modifications to sound more like a Cyberchase episode, and GLaDOS may have some sort of family connection with Motherboard.”
- “It was interesting to read some of the design ideas and game mechanics during the early stages of Portal 2 (it didn't even have portals!).”
- “There are no gameplay loops in this software, no 'gameplay', no meaningful game-like interaction.”
- “There's no gameplay... it's just a damn PDF...”
- “Lacks achievements, completed it in 10 minutes, too short and gameplay feels half-baked.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The graphics in the digital book are praised for their timeless quality and effective representation of the game's artwork, animation, and overall design. Users appreciate the combination of various media elements, although some note that certain graphics appear pixelated when viewed in fullscreen on higher resolution screens. Overall, the visual presentation is considered solid and engaging.
- “I love this fantastic e-book; the graphic design and pictures seem never aged, looking pretty timeless, like the game itself.”
- “The combination of photography, video, interactive panoramas, and graphic elements makes this a solid digital magazine.”
- “This book will show you concept artwork along with the production of the game.”
- “Some of the graphics are a bit pixelated when in fullscreen mode on my 1080p screen.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this interactive experience is appreciated for its lightheartedness and comedic elements, particularly in the context of the Portal universe. Users find it entertaining and informative, showcasing behind-the-scenes content with amusing interactive features that appeal to fans of the franchise.
- “It's a good interactive way to show behind the scenes of Portal 2, as you explore panoramic lobbies and see hilarious things!”
- “If you are a fan of the Portal franchise and the Valve universe, you can buy this little instructive digital book to learn more about its conception, with funny interactive tools.”
- “Don't know why I bought this, but it's funny, I guess.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization strategy for being intrusive, with frequent and persistent ads that disrupt gameplay and lack an option to close them, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “Barely readable, ads keep popping up and there's no way to close them.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting significant lag, issues with widescreen support, and numerous broken features, including polls and interactive elements. Overall, the experience is marred by technical shortcomings.
- “There is a lot of lag for no discernible reason; it is not optimized for widescreen, polls are broken, interactives are broken, everything's broken.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been rated 8/10, with users noting a lack of replayability; however, it is still considered an enjoyable experience.
- “8/10, there's no replayability but it's a good read.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, contributing significantly to its engaging story and overall experience, making it a standout sequel.
- “An awesome sequel with one heck of a story and atmosphere.”

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