The Orange Box

"Just Buy It!"

While I hardly believe Half-Life needs any introduction, I will take the time to say one thing. This isn't the first time Half-Life 2 has come to consoles. The first was back on the first Xbox, where it was an ugly and jagged, buggy unplayable mess. Fortunately, Valve saw fit to try again on a console that actually had the necessary hardware to run Half-Life. So, thank you Valve, for giving those of use too poor to buy a good computer a chance to play your wonderful game!

HALF-LIFE 2
For a game that originally came out well over three years ago, this has held up surprisingly well. Although the graphics are looking a tiny bit dated (which goes to show you just how advanced it was when it first came out), they still hold up quite nicely, but they just aren't up to par with the rest of the FPS market. For one thing, textures all feel a little bland and the lighting just isn't that impressive. It seems as if Valve could have gone through and polished everything a little (and if they have, I've sure been fooled). However, the character models are still top notch.

The story, while technically a sci-fi cliche, manages to overcome the stereotypes and deliver an engrossing, if underdeveloped tale. You play as Gordon Freeman, the man who, in the original Half-Life, made it out of a giant science facility that had been overrun by aliens who came to Earth through a space-time rift created during an experiment. At the end of the game, Freeman was frozen by the mysterious G-Man until he was needed. Thus, Half-Life 2 opens with Gordon on his way to City 17, a strange city run by seemingly alien oppressors. It soon becomes clear that somehow, aliens continued to come through the rift at Black Mesa and eventually took over the world and enslaved the human population. Unfortunately the plot never develops much further than that, other than the given, “Let's save humanity” goal of the game. Despite this, it always seems as though a major revelation is on the horizon because of continual obtuse references scattered throughout the game that will have you guessing about what's really going on.

The gameplay is a unique experience in the world of first-person shooters. Its continual mix of crazed firefights, clever physics based puzzles and the feeling that you are playing through a big budget Hollywood action film draw you through the game until its abrupt ending.

The weapons created for this game help to give it a distinct personality. Here's just a small taste of your arsenal; a guided rocket launcher, a small icky ball that summons Antlions to do your bidding and, Valve's crowning achievement, the Gravity Gun (which is a miracle of modern programming). The Gravity Gun is so unique it requires its own explanation. Basically you can pick up and throw almost anything. While not exciting on its own, once you start finding explosive barrels, or when enemies start throwing grenades at you, its potential becomes fully realized.

Although there isn't anything special about the enemies you'll be facing (most of them are just nondescript soldiers, with almost none of the crazy alien enemies from the first game) the way Valve has set up each encounter sets it apart from every other one. The environments you'll be fighting in are varied and fun. My personal favorite, which comes immediately after receiving the Gravity Gun) is an entire level filled with giant saw blades and explosive canisters and stupid zombies. Another is a vehicle based segment that involves helicopters dropping bombs while you attempt to navigate the debris strewn land. During nearly all of these levels, Valve's taste for the cinematic is apparent. In the aforementioned vehicle level, helicopters don't just swoop around, they pop up from behind things and start shooting missiles. While it's hard to explain just how cool some of these sequences are, it will suffice to say that the majority of the game is just one long string of “Holy Crap!” moments one right after the other.

My one complaint with the game is that so often you'll just feel like you're being drug from one area to another for no good reason. The best example I can give you is that, early on Gordon is told he is going to be teleported to his destination. Without a second's hesitation I knew that the teleporter would break, leaving me to hoof it on foot. And of course that's exactly what happened. Things like that happen numerous times throughout the rest of the game. It really bothers me that many of the levels only exist because Valve thought of some stupid reason for not being able to do it the easy way, which almost always caused me to feel that they were just trying to artificially extend the game to its eleven hour length.

EPISODE ONE
Without giving anything away about the ending of Half-Life 2, most of this game revolves around trying to undo what you just did to give yourself time to get the hell out of the city. Overall, this is the weak link in the chain, but that by no means it's a bad game. However, there isn't anything new to see here, but the cool sequences and great gameplay I've come to expect from a Half-Life game are still here, and that's really all I need. On the negative side, the game clocked in at just under three hours, so it's pretty short.

EPISODE TWO
For this episode, Valve has gone off in a different (but still familiar and excellent) direction. Having escaped City 17, Freeman now has to reach a group of rebels on the far side of the forest. After playing through it, I think this is probably the best in the series, simply because Valve has stuffed so much awesomeness into a measly five hours.

But bad things first. In terms of weapons and enemies, little has been added. You'll get one (amazingly irritating) new enemy, and at the tail end of the game a new weapon (which you'll use for all of ten minutes). I do have to say, I was a little disappointed that there weren't a few new enemies or weapons. In terms of story continuity, it makes sense that there aren't a ton of new enemies or weapons, but after playing for so long, I was just wishing for something new to mess around with.

Now back to the good stuff. The trademark action sequences are still here, but more intense than ever. In one particular sequence which will remain engraved in my mind forever, you'll have to hold an Antlion assault off. The only problem is that they are coming down about five tunnels and you've only got two turrets and two guys fighting with you. As the skirmish revs up, you'll quickly feel like you're in the movie Starship Troopers, a feeling that isn't alleviated any when each tunnel starts spewing out dozens of creatures.

Unfortunately, the final battle is a disappointment of Epic proportions (you remember General RAAM, don't you?). For those of you who got that reference (if you didn't, for sweet mercy's sake go play Gears of War!) you'll know it's not an easy fight, but an immensely irritating and migraine inducing one. It basically involves being assaulted from all directions and having only one effective (but really annoying) weapon.

PORTAL
This is probably one of the strangest yet compelling games I've ever played. You are given a weapon that can shoot out portals (gee, wonder where they got the title?). Then you'll basically become a rat in a maze as you use it to complete puzzles. The whole time you be accompanied by the disembodied voice of a computer who continually makes snarky comments, veiled threats and references to the cake you'll be receiving when you finish the test. Upon completion (a little over two hours in) you'll be rewarded with a hilarious ending song, sung by the threatening computer.

TEAM FORTRESS 2
I don't have Xbox Live, so although I won't actually be able to give you a review of it, I can give you a little info. The graphics are sort of cartoonish (in a Pixar sort of way). There are a number of maps and game types, but each map already has a game type locked to it. So one map may be capture the flag and another might be deathmatch, with no way to change them. However, (and this is pure speculation) this might actually benefit the game, since each map would have been designed with the particular gametype in mind, therefore being more balanced to one thing and not having to be useful for all gametypes.

THE VERDICT
There really isn't much to say about five great games for the price of one. Well, other than, BUY IT! So, it is without a bit of hesitation that I award this game with a perfect 10.

HIGHS
- It's five freaking games in one package!
- Lots of awesome sequences
- Cool weapons

LOWS
- Waiting for Episode Three

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/15/08, Updated 10/06/08

Game Release: The Orange Box (US, 10/10/07)