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Published by: Electronic Arts
Developed by: Valve
Genre: Action Compilation
Rated: M (Mature)
Players: 1-4
Release Date:: October 9, 2007
Screenshots: Link
Amazon: Buy Now!
Written By: Christian H.

It�s hard to deny the value of the Orange Box. Established classics Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One are accompanied by the next chapter in the franchise, Half-Life 2: Episode Two. From DigiPen graduates and the newest edition to the team at Valve Software comes newcomer first-person puzzle game Portal. And rounding out the package as its multiplayer component is the sequel to one of the most beloved multiplayer games of all time, Team Fortress 2. All of this (plus Peggle Extreme) for $50 and the ability to give away copies of HL2 and HL2: Episode One for those who already own them.

To put it bluntly: not only is The Orange Box one of the greatest gaming compilations ever put together, but it�s also the best deal you�ll ever find as far as games are concerned. Sure, the box art may be cheap and ugly, but no one can deny the stellar deal of getting three brand-new AAA titles, as well as one of the best games ever made and its follow-up, all for the price of one full-price game. And while all five games can be purchased independently over Steam, The Orange Box is a steal even for those who already own Half-Life 2 and Episode One. Here are the reviews of the three new games packed in the compilation: Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.

Almost ten years ago, the world was first introduced to Gordon Freeman in the original Half-Life. Freeman, a researcher at the Black Mesa Research Facility, found himself as mankind�s only hope when an experiment in teleportation goes just about as wrong as an experiment in teleportation can go, and opens up a portal to a mysterious dimension called Xen. Gordon battled aliens and the U.S. military on his way to Xen where he put an end to the alien mastermind and sealed the portal once and for all, only to be abducted by the mysterious �G-Man� and placed into a form of stasis. In Half-Life 2, Gordon was awakened from his stasis, and found himself dropped back onto an Earth conquered by an invading alien force known as the Combine. Thrust into the role of revolutionary figure-head, Gordon led the enslaved human race in a fierce resistance against their oppressors, only to find himself facing imminent death at the moment of victory.

Full Review

To say that Team Fortress 2 has had an interesting history would be an unders-tatement. Originally planned as a free mod for Quake, and the sequel to the original Team Fortress, also a quake mod, the development of Team Fortress 2 was scrapped and restarted after its original development team was snatched up by Valve Software. Now being built on the Half-Life engine, Team Fortress 2 was re-conceived as a stand-alone, retail product. Originally a modern tactical military shooter -- more along the lines of the Battlefield franchise -- TF2 saw some significant changes in the next decade. After multiple delays, all news of TF2 evaporated as Valve made internal changes, most notably shifting the game�s development to their new Half-Life 2 engine, known as Source. During the six years of silence following it�s 200 delay announcement, may fans gave up hope on ever seeing the long-awaited sequel to one of the most popular PC game mods ever made. Their hopes, however, were reborn when in 2003 the leaked Half-Life 2 and Source engine code revealed references and player models for the still in-development game. Finally, in 2004, fans received confirmation from Valve that TF2 was still very-much in development. Following this revelation, Valve once again resumed their silence concerning any specifics about the game, and merely maintained their confirmation that it was forthcoming. Finally, in 2006, Valve unveiled Team Fortress 2, much to the joy of legions of beleaguered fans. Finally, with the release of the Orange Box in 2007, Team Fortress 2 is here. The big question now is: after 9 long years, was it worth the wait?

Full Review

Narbacular Drop was released as a free download in 2005 and was the senior project of a graduating class at the DigiPen school of art and game design. In Narba-cular Drop, the player navigates the world and solves numerous puzzles with the use of two interconnected portals that can be placed onto flat, non-metallic, surfaces such as walls, ceilings, and floors. If this sounds at all familiar, then you are most likely aware of Valve�s much-anticipated first-person puzzle game, Portal. Quickly adopted by Valve Software, Portal is the first commercial game made by the former Nuclear Monkey Software, graduates of DigiPen, makers of Narbacular Drop, and the new dream team over at Valve Software.

Full Review

10/10

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