It is a wonderful gift when such a present is given without expectation and from a source that is completely unlikely. Make no mistake The Orange Box from the boys and girls at and is a gift from relative hell, such is the distain held for EA in certain gaming communities. It is a publisher shamelessly releasing annual updates of tired games while swallowing up smaller companies and talent with malevolent tenacity, so typical of global conglomerates. For those that don't know (I'm sure very few) The Orange Box is a veritable portfolio of glorious games. While some of it is a tad tired, the rest is a refreshing breeze of invention and exploration. The Orange Box isn't one game - it's five, on one disc.

The obvious thing would be to review each one in turn, analyzing the merits of each along the way, but it wouldn't do the whole package justice. The pitfalls of one game may deter the purchase of the whole unit, that would be sacrilege. Let's get the negativity out the way then - 2, while an amazing game upon it's initial release a few years ago, hasn't aged with amazing grace. Few would readily criticize such a momentous game, especially given the reputation of the inspirational and widely regarded Half-Life, and I hasten to add I'm no such maverick, but it doesn't play as well as today's games. The atmosphere still sits upon the upper echelons of greatness, but I found it a chore to get through. Of course this can swept under the carpet as it's merely there to ensure that you can enjoy Episode 1 and 2 (episodic sequels to HL2) - it's kind thought on Valve/EA's behalf that they've stuck this in there in case you haven't benefited from Half-Life 2 the first time round. Given this, feel free to disregard my half hearted dig (see, no maverick here).

The Half-Life saga (once played through to the end of Episode 2) is an experience to behold. Lasting something around 30 hours, you're pulled through a storyline of amazing complexity. The set pieces are sublime taking you from City 17 through coastlines and rivers (all offering a unique sense of loneliness - something I'd never experienced in a game before), forests and mines. The abrupt ending of Episode 1 (a major criticism of the standalone version) can be ignored as, naturally, you can jump straight into Episode 2 - itself bearing a conclusion that leaves you wanting more (understandable, but unfortunate given that Episode 3 is ages away).

Still, your 30hrs of Half-Life is more than enough and Portal's temptations will pull your attentions with haste. Portal is slice of genius and beauty. It's a straight up puzzle game drawing influence from Vincenzo Natali's sci-fi Cube. While Cube focused on gratuitous splatter-gore, Portal is much more friendly - even humourous at times. Each puzzle is a room and you must find your way from the entrance to the exit using a gun that creates a portal (would you believe it?) that you can enter that allows you to travel to a pre-determined exit. Not much by the sound of it but it can be, at times, incredibly difficult without being frustrating. the desire to continue is a nifty futuristic narrative that is surprisingly engrossing given the genre. While Portal is short at 3-4 hours, its innovation is something to marvel at and for other developers to aspire to.

And so to Team Fortress 2, Valve's Pixar-esque smash arrives after a ten year hiatus since its first incarnation: Team Fortress. Various updates of weapons and classes are included as would be expected, but the balancing and tactical attributes are what ultimately win out. Choosing a class that best suits your style of play has always been an illusion that games of this ilk claim to offer - what you're usually left with is that certain classes work better with different maps. Team Fortress 2 demands that you master each class to become truly great and reinforces the now sweeping consensus that behind the cutesy graphics is a as deep as any ocean.

Despite the issue of load times and the general slack pace of this port (and that the and versions have been received with remarkably more favour), the fact remains that The Orange Box, regardless of what platform you play it on, has too much to offer to not be enjoyed. It's a revolutionary title offering five times more than any other developer would dare. There are potentially infinite playing hours available here, providing you get hooked on Team Fortress 2's zany experience (and there's plenty of players mainlining daily). If it was all even half has good as it is, it would still be worth shelling out the RRP of 40 GBP for (and I'm sure you can get it for less).

92%

By Gary Flavell

Comments

You can use BBCode

No comments here yet. Be the first and use the form on the left!