Portal 2

To me the game industry is getting overly generic and repetitive; every big game compromises of shooting waves after waves of enemies for no apparent reason. Now I like shooting things as much as the next guy, but when something truly original comes out - like Portal 2 - it really shows how fun a game can be.
The problem with shooting games is not actually the shooting - that part is great. The problem is the week plot that keeps the whole thing together. They concentrate too much on big, cinematic story lines, rather than on simple, good stories with character development. I would rather shoot one person who I want to kill, instead of having to mow through hundreds of people I don't care about. I understand this reflects the nature of war, but not every game has to focus on it.
So it's in this state of mind that I go and buy Portal 2 from one of the few remaining HMVs in London, not really knowing what to expect, not having played the first game. I come home, put the game into my PS3 and I am pleasantly surprised at the excellence of this game.
The story is simple; you are trying to get out of a test centre with the help of your portal gun. What makes it great is your character interaction; you get betrayed, you have to work with enemies, you get lied to... and all of these happen because of tangible, understandable reasons - something rare in games. And finally what truly sets this game apart is the fantastic voice acting - particularly by Stephen Merchant; with great humour and content I would spend quite some time just listening to what was said, not wanting to miss anything by moving to the next level.
Only two other games have made me feel this connected with the characters before - one was Metal Gear Solid 4 and the other Uncharted 2. Both made use of human characters, this game does without them. Perhaps these 'story' based games are a dying breed - its much safer and more income effective to make mindless shooter games - but for the sake of gamers I hope not. Gamers are seen as dull, counter-productive creatures, and if games were to all dumb down then this assumption would be true enough.

On a lighter note: yeah, portal 2 is a great game - go buy it now :)

UPDATE: It's only now, after finishing the game, that I understand how great a game this is. When you think about it, it's a story about how power corrupts and forgiveness. Really one of the most touching games I have played - really really fantastic.

PS: Portal 2 also has a coop campaign which looks great, although I haven't tried it out yet - the only disadvantage of being an only child