Saying that The Orange Box is a good value is an understatement. It's a GREAT value. For the price of one game, you get one of the greatest FPS's of all time, its two mini-sequels, a mind-bending puzzle game, and the sequel to the granddaddy of class-based multiplayer games, all of which could have been sold separately for $60 and would have still sold very well.
First I'll start with the Half Life portion of The Orange Box. Half Life 2 itself is hands down one of the best, if not the best, first person shooters of all time thanks to its wide variety of gameplay mechanics and deep story line. Episode 1 focuses more on the survival horror aspects of the series whereas Episode 2 focuses more on outdoor action.
Next is Portal. Portal is by far one of the most innovative and fresh games that has come out in recent years. Using a gun that can shoot blue and orange portals that you can go in and out of, you navigate different obstacle courses. The game has a great sense of humor too. When you're done with the story mode, you can try some of the advanced levels, or redo any level with challenges that have you race the clock in an attempt to finish the level, or to beat the level by using as little portals as possible.
Finally comes Team Fortress 2. TF2 can be described in one very simple word: FUN. You can choose from nine classes: Engineer, Medic, Heavy, Scout, Soldier, Sniper, Demoman, Spy, and the Pyro. Each class plays very differently, and each class has a distinct look thanks to Team Fortress 2's new cartoonish art style.
The year is 2007. Console owners tap their fingers in barely contained impatience. For years they have been starved of Valve's delicious, full-bodied courses, forced to watch from the bleachers as Valve mixes a unique blend of kinetic first-person with extraordinary tech. Besides a brief dalliance with the original Xbox and the PlayStation 2 - which produce pale imitations of its best work - Valve has remained faithful to the PC.
And then, in a flash, five of them arrive at once; neatly packaged morsels for a new generation reared on Microsoft's & later Sony's consoles. Five games, all in one orange box. Valve serves the PC too, for it is October 18 - a day of celebration - and everyone should feast.
Valve didn't really "release" 5 of its greatest games in a single day, Half-Life 2 came out 3 years before The Orange Box. In no other context do we talk about a port being the "release" of a game.
The orange box was an excellent release. I don't think Valve will do much beyond online only games now.
Robin Walker discusses the impact of Portal, Team Fortress 2 and more.
Little cheeky to talk about it when you know we're still waiting for Half Life 3...the Orange Box included Episode 2 and is still left unfinished story wise to this day.
At this rate we better get a second Orange Box. Half Life 3, Half Life Remake (Black Mesa Mod), TF3 or L4D3 and the HL spin offs like Blue Shift.
Don't know what valve are going to do with Half Life after Mike Laidlaw posted the short version of Episode 3 in August and changed the names and genders.
On October 10 2007, Valve didn’t just release a video game, they released three. All came in the one package, and it was called The Orange Box.
wow, pretty high score,9.9. W/e these games were awesome... i was planning to get it for the ps3, but since it's so crap, i just play it on my friends 360. Good review.