Valve’s latest collection of games, “The Orange Box”, lives up to the high standard of quality that was in their previous games. Half-Life 2 was the ultimate game of 2004, and Half-Life 2: Episode 1 was a good expansion pack.
They’ve been out for a while though, and if you haven’t played them, then I can instantly recommend this collection to you. If you already own those games, then the 3 new games: Portal, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, and Team Fortress 2, are still worth playing. You can also give a friend the 2 old games so they can see why so many people called Half-Life 2 the “Perfect” game.
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is essentially a mini version of Half-Life 2, but with a few improvements. It features the standard shooting and gravity manipulation fun from Half-Life 2, along with all the dark tunnels and sudden action.
There are a few minor game play tweaks, such as having the flashlight run on its own battery, rather than the suit’s energy. It also features a new car that you get about 2 hours in, which lets you drive around the world and crush over any zombies or enemies you see. It’s easy to beat it in around 6 or seven hours, but the last hour of the game is the only place where it seems to capture all the fun and adrenaline of the Half-Life series.
Portal is a very funny, entertaining and witty game. It only lasts around 2 or 3 hours, but you can play the bonus maps and replay the game to get a total of 10 hours from it. The concept of Portal is simple: you have a gun that makes a “doorway” on walls, so that you can jump from one side of a room to another in a split second.
The puzzles are challenging, but fall somewhere between “easy” and “impossible to aim.” The best part about Portal though, is the humor. There is a computer that talks to you throughout the game, and says dry, but hilarious things to you. The jokes often contain emotionless references to your death. The last game to make me laugh so hard was Psychonauts.
Team Fortress 2 is a fast paced and addictive class-based shooter, with unlimited hours of game play, and 9 different classes to choose from. Everyone can enjoy this game, and it’s impossible not to find at least two classes that you are good at; from the fire crazed Pyro and defensive Engineer, to the walking tank that is the Heavy.
Every class is fun to play as, and the game is so perfectly balanced that you never feel that someone gave you a cheap kill. There are only six maps to play, making it so that selection is limited, but each one has been tested so much that you can get stuck for hours at a time on a single one. Team Fortress Two is the best part of The Orange Box, and the most online fun you’ll have for a long time.
Overall, this is the game to buy in 2007. It has 5 good games, with each one satisfying a different gaming need. Each game alone is great, but having all five is the perfect combination.
The Orange Box gets an A+
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