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

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 441 reviews

story16 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the development of Portal 2, including insights into Valve's company culture and the creative process.
Contains a wealth of interesting information and interactive elements that enhance the reading experience for fans of the Portal franchise.
Highly recommended for die-hard fans of Portal and those interested in game development, especially given its low price.

Many interactive elements and links are broken or outdated, making the experience frustrating for users expecting a fully functional product.
The presentation and navigation can be cumbersome, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the content.
Some users feel it should be free or included with the base game, as it lacks substantial new information compared to existing online resources.

story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The story aspect of the game is primarily focused on the behind-the-scenes development of Portal 2, offering an insightful and detailed look into 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 narrative 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.”
- “A great story about the developer steps it took to create a wonderful game, and detailed behind-the-scenes information, with ideas and story parts cut from the final game.”
- “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%
57%
21%
The music aspect of the game is highlighted by its modified original tracks from Portal 2, which are designed to fit the cyberchase theme, alongside various work-in-progress versions available for listening. However, many interactive elements, including music samples and polls, are reported to be broken or non-functional, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the e-book format offers a rich array of multimedia content related to the game's music and development.
- “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.”
- “There are various work-in-progress versions of the song that you can play from within the book.”
- “This book has music stages of the game and how that process came about.”
- “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, 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%
38%
38%
The gameplay aspect of the game 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 traditional gameplay elements, such as achievements and engaging mechanics, leading to a perception of it being unfinished and overly brief. Overall, the gameplay experience is deemed unsatisfactory and lacking in depth.
- “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
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The graphics of the game are praised for their timeless quality and effective integration of various media, including concept artwork and interactive elements. However, some users noted that certain graphics appear pixelated when viewed in fullscreen mode on higher resolution displays.
- “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 digital book is appreciated for its lighthearted and amusing insights into the behind-the-scenes of Portal 2, featuring funny elements and interactive tools that engage fans of the franchise. Users find it a delightful addition for those who are passionate about the Portal series and the Valve universe.
- “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
300%
Users criticize the monetization strategy for being intrusive, with frequent and persistent ads that are difficult to dismiss, negatively impacting the overall experience.
- “Barely readable; ads keep popping up and there's no way to close them.”
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constant interruptions.”
- “I feel pressured to spend money just to progress, which ruins the overall experience.”
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 a lack of polish and functionality.
- “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 scores an 8/10 for its engaging narrative, but it lacks replayability, making it more of a one-time experience than a title to revisit.
- “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.”