Should I play Portal before Portal 2?

I've looked at several videos of Portal 2 and am interested in buying it. The problem is that I've never played the original Portal, the first game of the series.

Should I play Portal before playing Portal 2?

• Will I understand Portal 2's story more if I play the first game?
• Are there concepts explained in the first game that aren't repeated in the second one, which would make me miss some little details?

Solution 1:

I think it's definitely worthwhile playing Portal first. I just started Portal 2 and would probably have been a bit lost without having played Portal first. There is almost no introduction to how the portal-gun and other stuff works in Portal 2 and there are a lot of references to the previous game.

It makes Portal 2 an even better game if you have played Portal.

Solution 2:

Portal 2 starts out fairly simply. Thus, from a gameplay standpoint, you won't have a hard time figuring out the mechanics of the game.

However, Portal 2 continues the storyline from the first game. There are also many elements in the game that you wouldn't understand/enjoy/love not having played the first game.

Playing Portal 2 without playing Portal can be likened to hearing the punchline, but not the joke.

Furthermore, if you EVER wish to play the first one, it would be ruined by having played the second one first.