The Orange Box

"Hey you! Yeah you! Do you enjoy the video games?"

Well, then I've got one hell of a deal for you! For a measly $60, you can get The Orange Box, a collection of 5 excellent games. You get Half-Life 2, widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all-time, and you also get its equally as awesome “sequels”: episodes one and two. You also get the fantastic and highly original Portal, a first person puzzle game which have you using, what else, portals to solve various puzzles. Finally, you get Team Fortress 2, a very fun class-based online shooter with a very distinct visual style. Needless to say, you should read on to find out why I consider The Orange Box to be one of my favorite next-gen games so far!

THE STORY IS A LIE!

Half-Life 2 + Episodes One and Two

Once again, players step into the HEV suit of Dr. Gordon Freeman. Just your average, everyday silent protagonist who a few years back inadvertently open a rift in time and space at the Black Mesa laboratories, and allowed various nasty beasties from the alternate world of Xen to come in and wreak havoc. HL2 assumes that at the end of the first game, Gordon took the mysterious G-man's offer to work for him, and at the start of HL2 Gordon is awoken from a sort of stasis period by the G-man. He finds himself on a train going into City 17, a very European-looking city that is one of the last sanctuaries for humanity. You see, Gordon has awakened some years later after the events at Black Mesa, and the earth is now in complete control of the Combine, a suppressive and brutal alien army. Humans are slowly dying out, and the earth's resources are dwindling. Still, there is a resistance group in City 17, led mostly by Dr. Freeman's Black Mesa colleagues, who are fighting against the Combine to save humanity and take back the Earth. Of course, they immediately recruit Gordon and the fight is on! One resistance member, Alyx Vance, gets really attached to Gordon and you'll find yourself fighting along side her as they get into all sorts of trouble. HL1 set a standard for storytelling in video games, and HL2 continues that tradition. The sci-fi action story is full of great characters, many twists and turns, and some awesome events, scripted or otherwise. Even though Gordon himself has no lines whatsoever, the story is told completely through his eyes, as the game never leaves his perspective. Truly a captivating adventure you'll see through to the end.

Episode one starts where HL2 left off, and sees Gordon joined by Alyx Vance as they attempt to escape City 17 before the Citadel explodes and takes the city with it. Along the way, they must fight off the remaining Combine forces and save as many resistance members and citizens as possible. Out of the three HL2 games, Episode One is probably the weakest story wise, as escaping the city is pretty much all there is too it. Still, it does help develop the relationship between Gordon and Alyx even further than HL2 did.

Episode Two of course starts right after the end of Episode One. Gordon and Alyx have finally escaped City 17 and find themselves in the surrounding forest area. Their ultimate goal is to get to White Forest, an abandoned missile silo deep in the forest where the resistance is currently holed up. Of course, it's not that easy, as Combine remnants are still hunting our heroes and various situations arise. Episode Two is probably on par with HL2 in its story telling, as many action packed and emotional events await Gordon and Alyx. Let's just say that by the end of Episode Two, you'll want Episode Three sooner than later.

Portal

Congratulations! You have been chosen by the Aperture Science Laboratories as a test subject in an experiment that will greatly benefit science! By using the portal gun and by following the instructions from the GLaDOS AI system, you will be able to complete an abundance of dangerous tasks in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. If you don't make it through the testing, good-bye. If you happen to make it through, then there will be cake. It is not a lie…

Seriously though, Portal features some very dark humour and some very sharp and witty dialogue from the GLaDOS AI system. Definitely one of the funniest games I have ever played.

Team Fortress 2

Ummm…cartoon characters of different classes decide to kill each other over briefcases and land. Seriously, that's really all there is too it.

THE GAMEPLAY IS A LIE!

Half-Life 2 + Episodes One and Two

Controls for HL2 and its episodes are your typical FPS controls, but the games also allow you to customize your control schemes. Praise Jeebus!! As a matter of fact, all 5 games in The Orange Box allow control customization. Once again, praise Jeebus!! No one should have any problems going through the adventures.

This was my first time playing HL2, since I'm not a PC gamer, but let me tell you the 3-year wait was worth it. Just like HL1, HL2 takes you through a mostly linear path through the various environments in City 17. No backtracking unless you feel like doing so. While that may seem boring to you, it is far from it, as HL2's excellent pacing and events are a joy to play. Whether it's blasting zombies in the Survival Horror-inspired Ravenholm, fighting combine troops in the Nova Prospekt prison with an army of Antlions at your side, or taking out the War Of the Worlds-like enemy Striders with resistance members late in the game, there is never a dull moment in HL2 for FPS and adventure fans. Gordon's arsenal includes such favorites as the trusty crowbar, the handgun, the shotgun, and the submachine gun. Gordon can also pick up some unique weaponry including the awesome pulse rifle and a sniper crossbow which fires searing hot metal rods at enemies and can pin them to walls. You'll even get to do a few exciting vehicle segments that include jet skiing down a river towards a resistance base and riding a modified dune buggy through Highway 17. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite parts in the game was riding the dune buggy down Highway 17 and exploring all the deserted houses and such along the way. Call me old fashioned, but I love stuff like that (although I wonder why I didn't get into Oblivion….)

It isn't all blasting enemies and exploring, though. HL2 runs on a fantastic engine that allows almost complete interactivity with the environment. Pretty much any object in the game can be picked up, thrown, or destroyed, and you'll have to utilize this to solve a lot of the games environmental puzzles. These puzzles range from stacking crates and such to reach a destination, to balancing water ramps upwards by placing floating barrels underneath them. To help with environmental interactivity, the game gives you a very neat toy: the gravity gun. Using the gravity gun, you can use the primary fire button to punt moveable objects and sent them flying out of your way, or use the alternate fire button to grab objects, aim them, then send them flying with the fire button. For example, don't want to waste ammo on combine soldiers? Well, grab a nearby explosive barrel and fling it at them instead (I know I've harped on explosive barrels in video games before, but in HL2 they just seem to…belong, I guess). Don't want to waste a shotgun shell on that zombie? Then use the gravity gun to grab a saw blade and chop them in half! I also find it very satisfying to use the gravity gun to throw enemy grenades back at them. The interactivity is a big part in what makes HL2 special, and it's extremely fun to toy around with the environment.

Enemy AI also is pretty good, but definitely not the best I have ever seen. While most of the time they take cover and generally give you a run for your money, sometimes they will just stand out in the open waiting to be shot. Can't say the AI is bad for the zombies, head crabs, and antlions, since what else can they do but come straight for you. In packs though, these enemies can be quite dangerous as well. Rounding out your enemies are the enemy gunships and the impressive looking Striders, both of which can kill you real good if your not too careful. At times in the game, Gordon will also be able to control a squad of resistance members who will fight the Combine alongside him. Although the only command you are really able to give them is to move to a certain spot, they do sport competent AI and can be pretty helpful. Of course, when Ms. Alyx Vance joins Gordon in certain points in the game, she also takes care of herself pretty well. All in all, HL2 is a phenomenal game, plain as that.

Gameplay-wise, Episode One retains pretty much everything from HL2. The biggest difference however is that Alyx Vance accompanies Gordon for pretty much the entire game. Once again, Alyx sports impressive AI, as she helps Gordon take out enemies, provide him cover support with a high-powered sniper rifle, and the like. If you didn't think you'd become attached to an AI companion in a video game, Ms. Vance will probably change your mind. My favorite part in Episode One was when Gordon and Alyx are traveling through a pitch-dark tunnel infested with zombies, only having to rely on Gordon's flashlight to spot the zombies and take them out. Creepy and exciting. Still, Episode One is probably the weakest of the HL2 games, since it's pretty much made up of fighting against the Combine in familiar areas. Still doesn't mean it's action-packed and fantastic, though.

In Episode Two, things really start to get good. The gameplay and storytelling will really intensify here, maybe even surpassing HL2. The all-new wilderness that Gordon and Alyx will travel across to reach White Forest is bigger and much more non-linear than anything in the previous games. Various new events and challenges await, including a trip through an abandoned mine, a journey through antlion tunnels, and an action-packed final battle sequence that will leave you breathless. A new enemy is also introduced: the Hunters. Basically smaller and faster versions of the Striders, they are mean, vicious, and want Gordon and Alyx dead. Speaking of Alyx, she will still accompany Gordon for most of the adventure (keyword: most). She still has great AI, and will even ride shotgun and blast enemies with Gordon in the all-new high-powered vehicle you get to drive around. You lucky dog you! But besides Alyx, Gordon will also be joined for a little while by a Vortigan, an alien race fighting the Combine alongside the humans. Yes, he kicks all kinds of ass as well! With it's new environments and awesome gameplay moments, Episode Two may be the best out of all the HL2 games and probably the one most people will keep replaying.

If I had any complaints about these three games, it would be that load times can be longish. It's probably not much of a bother while moving normally through the game, but it can get annoying when you keep dying at certain parts and have to wait a while for the game to reload. The PS3 version of The Orange Box features a quicksave function that is done by holding the start button, which can help minimize replaying challenging sequences that may end in Gordon's death.

Portal

A first-person puzzle game, Portal is probably one of the most original titles to come along in years. The premise is simple: go through 19 test chambers in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center solving puzzles with the help of the ingenious Portal gun. The mechanics of the portals is also very simple: one fire button fires a blue portal, while the other fire button fires a orange portal. Whatever object (or yourself) goes into one portal comes out the other. So let's say you fire a blue portal on the ground while you fire a orange portal at the ceiling. Once you drop down through the blue portal, you'll find yourself falling through the orange one you put on the ceiling. You could also fire a portal at the ground from a high ledge, then fire the other one at the top of a side-wall. You can then jump from the ledge through the portal on the ground and keep your momentum going through the other portal, which will cause you to fly across the room. As GLaDOS put it: “speedy go in, speedy come out”.

The puzzles you'll be solving mostly consist of using the portals to get to a certain areas, guide balls of concentrated power to switches that need to be activated, and getting your new best friend the weighted companion cube to floor switches to open doors. The first few test chambers are a breeze to solve, but later ones will start to get your brain working with the multiple ways they can be solved. In some test chambers, you'll find hidden sub-rooms with cryptic messages written on the walls from a previous test subject. Hmmm…

There's not much more you can say about Portal, other then it's a highly original and entertaining concept that puzzle fans should go nuts over. Even if your not a puzzle fan, you'll find a lot to like here. If I had a complaint, it would be the same one for the HL2 games: the load times are longish. It can be annoying when your trying to solve a hazardous test chamber and you keep dying, just to wait 20-30 seconds for you last save to load up. The quicksave should come in quite handy here.

Team Fortress 2

The only online game in The Orange Box, TF2 offers red Vs. blue team based gamplay over two modes and six maps. You can either play a game of capture the flag (or briefcase in this matter) or control point, which is your basic “capture different spots around the map and hold them all to win” mode. While this may seem pretty shallow to some people, what makes TF2 unique is it's nine different gameplay classes a player can choose from. We aren't talking just different weapons, but also different talents and traits that each class possesses.

For example, a Scout can move faster than any other class, capture control points in double the time, and can preform a double jump. The Heavy Weapons Guy has a monstrous chain gun and can take more damage than any other class, but moves slower than a turtle high on acid. The Engineer may not do much in combat, but his ability to build contraptions such as turret guns and item dispensers make him an invaluable asset. Then we have everyone's favorite, the Spy, whose talents include turning himself invisible and disguising himself as a member on the opposing team. All the other classes also have various special talents and are all fun to use (I've grown quite fond of The Sniper), and this is probably the main reason why players will stick around to have at it in TF2. Supports up to 16 players with leaderboards, friends, and voice chat.

Games for the most part ran pretty lag free, although it did occur slightly when new players joined the game. Also, the Soldier and Demoman classes had a slight lag when firing their explosive weapons, but if the people I've played online are any indication, then eventually you can compensate for that lag. Load times on start up and when joining a game aren't as long as the other four games in The Orange Box, usually taking 10-15 seconds. The main complaint with TF2 though is that even with the classes, some people may find the limited modes, maps, and lack of any customization to be shallow. These people may end up going back to other, deeper online games. Still, I found TF2 to be quite chaotic and fun, although it probably won't replace Call Of Duty 4 anytime soon.

THE GRAPHICS ARE A LIE!

Half-Life 2 + Episodes One and Two + Portal

For a 3-year-old game, HL2 still looks pretty good. The environments are well detailed with some good textures and lighting effects, from the very European-inspired City 17 to the creepy zombie-infested Ravenholm. Character models are well made and have excellent animations, especially facial ones. Enemy designs are all very good, my favorite being zombies, who just look absolutely terrifying. I also must say, HL2 has some of the best water and water effects I have ever seen in a game. Episodes One and Two build upon the game engine and feature even better looking environments, lighting, and animations. Finally, Portal retains the same look of the HL2 games, but the number of environments you'll come across are limited. Still, they are very well designed and look pretty good. The portal gun also has a nice shine to it. Not the best looking next-gen game I've seen, but it's still impressive.

Now on to the number one “complaint” about the PS3 version of The Orange Box: the framerate. Well, I'm happy to report that contrary to what you may have read on other sites, the retail version of the game runs very well. Sure, there are slight frame hiccups here and there, mostly after a loading screen, but they usually last about 1-2 seconds before becoming locked again. There are definitely NO unplayable parts in this game due to framerate, and that goes for all games in The Orange Box. There are games out there with far worse framerate problems, trust me.

Team Fortress 2

Graphically the best game in The Orange Box by far, TF2 features a unique, Pixar-inspired cartoony art style to contrast the games brutal violence. Each character class has a specific character model attached to it and they're all designed great and fit the class perfectly. Maps are also designed to match the game mode they are attached to, and for the most part they're excellent. There are many places for engineers to build their contraptions, places for snipers to snipe people at, etc. Each character class even has their own specific taunts that are well animated and often very funny. Really, I don't have much to complain about here.

THE SOUND IS A LIE!

All the games in The Orange Box have excellent sound. The HL2 games feature phenomenal voice acting, cool techno-like music, and great sound effects. Moaning zombies and roaring Striders send shivers down my spine everytime. Portal's GLaDOS AI is superbly voiced with very funny dialogue, as it orders you around and teases you constantly. I also can't forget about Portal's now legendary closing credits theme song.Team Fortress 2 also features humorous voice acting from each class that definitely fit the characters well. Sound effects and the James Bond-like music also gets the job done.

My main complaint about sound is, that as of this writing, Dolby Digital surround sound will not play through optical cables. If you use an HDMI cable for your surround sound needs, then everything works fine, but for those of us that use an optical connection the best we get is Pro Logic 2 support. I've read that they plan to patch this up sometime down the line, so hopefully everything works out in the future.

IT”S NO LIE…YOU MUST OWN THIS GAME!

Half-Life 2 is one long game for a FPS, clocking in at around 15-20 hours the first time through. Episode One is a lot shorter, clocking in at around 5-8 hours. Finally, Episode Two rests in the middle, lasting about 8-10 hours. So with only 3 of the 5 games, you already have up to 40 hours of gaming goodness at your disposal! All three games also have multiple difficulties as well, with Episodes One and Two also featuring a developers commentary mode. Basically, there will be talk balloon icons scattered around the game, and going up to one and activating it will treat you to, well, developers commentary on the specific part of the game you are at. A very neat feature. Still, you wouldn't need all this good stuff to replay the HL2 games, which are so good you would just replay them anyway.

Portal doesn't really last all that long, taking about 5-8 hours the fist time through (maybe even shorter if your a puzzle game professional). Still, it offers plenty of incentives to play it again. After you beat the game, you'll unlock newly re-designed puzzles for some of the test chambers for you to take on. You'll also unlock a challenge mode, which includes time trials, solving a puzzle with a set amount of portals, and other good stuff. Also, like Episodes One and Two, Portal also has a developers commentary mode. So, great replay value all around. I don't even have to explain the infinite hours of fun that Team Fortress 2 may provide you.

Anyone who is a fan of first-person shooters, adventure games, and puzzle games needs to add The Orange Box to their collections NOW! I will accept no excuses. Seriously, I must believe that you hate video games if you don't own this one on any system. Why…why would you do this to yourself. You don't want to do this to yourself, really. Just buy the game ASAP.

There will be cake if you do…

KEWL

Half-Life 2 + Episodes One and Two
+All three games are phenomenal FPS/adventure titles
+Fully customizable controls! (goes for all OB games)
+Phenomenal story and characters
+Excellent atmosphere and environments
+Phenomenal voice acting and sound
+Fantastic physics engine will almost full interactivity with environments
+Fun vehicle segments
+Good enemy and ally AI
+High replay value

Portal
+One of the most original titles to come along in years
+Extremely funny story with phenomenal voice acting
+Excellent gameplay mechanics
+Puzzles are extremely well designed and can induce head scratching
+High replay value

Team Fortress 2
+Very fun team-based gameplay
+Different character classes with different traits keep the game fresh
+Unique, cartoony graphics are phenomenal
+Good sound
+Infinite replay value

+Just one phenomenal package of games!

LAME

Half-Life 2 + Episodes One and Two + Portal
-Longish load times
-Very slight framerate hiccups
-Dolby 5.1 sound currently not supported through optical cables

Team Fortress 2
-Occasional lag here and there
-Some may find the limited gameplay options shallow
-Same Dolby 5.1 problem

-Not owning The Orange Box will make your life miserable :(

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/08

Game Release: The Orange Box (US, 12/11/07)