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Five games in one. Valve and EA’s The Orange Box is an extremely strong candidate for “best value of the year.” For the cost of one typical game, you’ll receive the well-received Half-Life 2 and Episode One, but also three new games: Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. The end result is that The Orange Box will give provide a lot of gameplay for you, and deliver quite the bang for your buck.
The Orange Box presents you with a menu where you can pick any of the game’s five games. Half-Life 2, originally released in 2004, is widely regarded as one of the best games all of time thanks to its great scripting, superb story and (then) groundbreaking graphics. Its pseudo-sequel, Episode One, was released two years later to great acclaim, as well. We won’t be covering these games since we assume most people have played them or heard about them extensively, so let’s move on to the new games.
Half-Life 2 Episode Two: The game begins right after Episode One. Gordon is getting out of a train crash from City 17, which is looking especially barren this time around. Gordon isn’t always with Alyx this time around, which gives the game a different feel than previous games. Episode Two also includes many new vehicle sequences that were missing from Episode One and tends to include larger levels, especially the last one. The game lasts about five hours.
Portal: Portal is the surprise gem of The Orange Box. It would be a difficult sell by itself but fits in perfectly with this bundle. The game’s basic premise is that you have a portal gun that lets you create portals, which you can use to teleport somewhere else. The story is that you’re a woman that’s basically part of an experience by Aperture Science and you’re guided (and sometimes misguided) by a comical computer. Portal is definitely the most puzzle oriented game of the bunch, requiring you to think strategically to get the portals you need for the task.
Team Fortress 2: Team Fortress 2 is the Pixar-style sequel to the beloved Team Fortress. Despite the radical change in visuals, Team Fortress 2 is still a class-based shooter where a red team takes on a blue team. The game includes a myriad of character classes including soldiers (carries rocket launcher), scout (faster but weaker), engineer (can build turrets, etc), pyro (has flamethrower), demo (packs stronger weapons), sniper (self-explatory), spy (can turn invisbiel and disguise themselves as members of the other team), and of course the medic (who can heal other enemies). The game includes six maps, which is a bit on the low side (especially since only one can be used for capture the flag) but will probably be played for quite some time.
The game’s graphics differ wildly depending on the game you’re playing. The Half-Life 2 games go for a more realistic art style, complete with postapocalyptic cities and worried human characters. The game benefits from improved lighting although some of the architecture and textures that looked amazing in 2004 don’t hold up quite as well this time around. Portal goes for a simpler, cleaner look that works quite well for the game, which also boasts impressive portal effects. Team Fortress 2’s Pixar-inspired look separates it from other class-based shooters and looks quite impressive.
The audio in the game is also great. There is a lot of music across the five games and plenty of voice acting, most of which is quite good. The Half-Life 2 games are the most splendid in their audio, thanks to epic soundtracks and especially good voice acting, although it’s good all around.
In the end, The Orange Box is worth more than your $60. The Half-Life 2 games alone could comfortably sell at that price, but the addition of the surprisingly fun Portal and the incredibly deep Team Fortress 2 make this a must-have game. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 28, 2007
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