In the case of Portal 2, the reason why running backwards is faster has to do with a technique called Accelerated Back Hopping (ABH). Accelerated Back Hopping involves repeatedly jumping while moving backward, which allows the player to maintain momentum and move faster. In Portal 2 your speed is capped when the speed on your jump exceeds a certain threshold. When this happens, the game will try to slow you down by applying speed opposite your viewing direction, rather than your movement direction. As such, when you are moving backwards, the game will effectively accelerate you.
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