Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (includes Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal) - 9851

older graphics, and semi-interesting gameplay. there is alot to do tho, so if you get into the game, you are looking at probally 30+ hours of play. its a good mixture of games, and for the price, you cant go wrong. but if you are looking for an interesting shotting game, go out and buy fallout 3 or resident evil 5
 
Was this review helpful?    

Now, keep in mind HL2 was originally released for the PC in 2004. It set new technical standards, achieved countless critical acclaim among all aspects that can be judged and i believe still holds it's own even to this day. Comparing it to modern games like CoD4, Resistance FoM is humorous but apt. It is a fairly linear game, has it's pros and cons but the same can be said for Resistance FoM, KZ2 & CoD4, all of which i've played and own. (CoD4 being my favorite of the bunch). I'd say it compares most favorably with Resistance FoM. I've put in hours and still have not completed HL2. The game varies dramatically in play and environment. boat, buggy, desolate town populated by crab-headed zombies etc. Nothing else i've played even comes close to offering such diversity, aside from CoD4 in it's own way. I havent even started Ep1 and Ep2 yet. Portal is very unique and intriguing and team fortress is just better on a PC in my opinion. ;) but for $20, there's just no going wrong with this purchase. HL & HL2 reinvented the FPS adventure/story genre that all others have followed since. That being said, keep in mind that it is a 4-5 year old game. Dont buy it expecting KZ2 quality graphics but do expect to spend far too much time playing this thing. ... and for the guy that built sky scrapers with crates .. there's a visual walkthrough out there that helps alot. ;)
 
Was this review helpful?    

The Orange Box offers up five complete games: Half-Life 2 + Episode 1 & 2, the unique puzzle game Portal and the online shooter Team Fortress 2 at an amazingly low price. The PS3 version on its own merits is phenomenal despite the current inability to download updates or additional content over PSN (not Valve's fault, by the way). HL2 drops you once again into the shoes of Gordon Freeman as he's zapped into the future to deal with the consequences of the first game's ending. No experience with the original is needed, however, feel free to hunt down the excellent PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life if you like. HL2's well-scripted story keeps you guessing and the blend of shooting, driving, squad combat and physics puzzles are all masterfully rendered in truly realistic settings thanks to Valve's Source engine. Portal is a hilarious brain-teaser with black humor galore (and cake!) as a test subject tries to escape certain doom using an experimental teleport gun. It's a "just play it" masterpiece with a killer finale. Finally, Team Fortress 2 reinvents the original game with super-cool stylized characters, excellently designed levels and generally fast online play. If you've never played a Valve game before but are a fan of top-shelf FPS action, this one has your name all over it.
 
Was this review helpful?    

I bought this due to my preference for 1st person shooters and the high reviews it has received, primarily from Game Informer. There are 5 games in one package, but after spending a few hours struggling with the first one I have no desire to either continue it further or try the remaining. The graphics are nowhere near those of other shooters such as Resistance FOM, Call of Duty 4, or Rainbow 6: Vegas. The game play is essentially navigating a maze and occasionally shooting something or piling up boxes to get somewhere. If your idea of a fun time is trying to stumble your way through a maze, maybe this is the game for you. But even the "pile stuff up to get past an obstacle" is broken... At one point in the game I piled up boxes higher than a chain link fence but was unable to walk or jump over it due to it being the invisible edge of the maze. The developers just must have never considered that anyone would pile up stuff there. I quickly grew frustrated with the 100% linear game... You must find the one and only one way to get to the next checkpoint of the game. The enemy AI is nonexistent - you must shoot the first enemies you run into 4 times to kill them. They just stand there and take the first 3 bullets and then take cover before coming right back out to the same position again to be finished off. Attacking multiple enemies means moving just far enough around a corner of a maze so that one is in view, shoot him, move slightly farther out, shoot the next, repeat, repeat. Enemies do not receive reinforcements, so you kill the 3 or 4 bad guys in an area then hunt for the next opening in the maze. You have the ability to zoom in using the R3 button, but you can't shoot while zoomed in, so a lot of good that does you. All the spinning and narrow corridors (as well as bobbing in water) made me feel nauseous. I haven't felt that way since playing the original DOOM (which in my opinion was a much better game). In summary, some people will love it and if you're one of them you're lucky because there's a lot of game here to love. Personally, I'd rather spend my time shooting stuff than wandering a linear maze.
 
Was this review helpful?    

Half life is the name in games. Portal was a wonderful suprise. I would totally recomend Orange Box.
 
Was this review helpful?