Portal did have challenge maps which I for one found legitimate challenging.
In agreement: One of the things I like about sequels, especially for things like Portal, is that they are much more able to just jump into the action. Portal 1 is in some sense the tutorial level.
For a movie example, while the first Harry Potter was enjoyable, it spends almost the entire movie just setting up. The later ones I enjoyed much more because they were done setting up.
Sequelitis is bad, but I think it's an error to mistake that for sequels being bad in general, though I freely concede I understand where the temptation to simplify that concept comes from.
In agreement: One of the things I like about sequels, especially for things like Portal, is that they are much more able to just jump into the action. Portal 1 is in some sense the tutorial level.
For a movie example, while the first Harry Potter was enjoyable, it spends almost the entire movie just setting up. The later ones I enjoyed much more because they were done setting up.
Sequelitis is bad, but I think it's an error to mistake that for sequels being bad in general, though I freely concede I understand where the temptation to simplify that concept comes from.