Review
Release Date: 10.09.2007
Platform:
Xbox 360Developer:
123-D Software, Inc.Publisher:
EA GAMESReviewed by
Mikey Dowling on 12.15.2007
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.86/10 |
Justin Fassino: So
The Orange Box might just be the greatest deal in gaming history: the
Half-Life 2 complete series,
Team Fortress 2, and
Portal. It's like
Valve decided to break down all the elements of a video game (single-player, multiplayer, and quirky unique ideas) and generate a fully-fleshed out title for each aspect separately. I didn't expect all five games to fit on one disc, that's for sure.
Mikey Dowling: I agree. Valve has certainly delivered a fine package of gaming.
The Orange Box is one of, if not the best, deals in gaming history, and rather fun to play to boot.
To start things off, we should just jump right into the bulk of the package with
Half-Life 2 and its two corresponding "episode" expansions. For those who played
Half-Life 2 when it first came out three years ago, you won't find much change here... if any. Graphically, it's still what it was at its release. Back in 2004 this was amazing; now in 2007 we've seen some things that can make us say differently (
BioShock says, "Hello"), but it still stands up rather well.
JF: I agree, and i think a lot of that has to do with the art style that Valve used when developing the game. Because of the aesthetics, the game doesn't seem to have aged all that much, and when talking about
Episode 2, it stands right up there with other modern games.
Speaking of
Episode 2, I found that particular iteration to be the best of the three. From my end,
The Orange Box was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to play the games through from beginning to end. While I did enjoy them, they do not live up to the hype they've gathered since the first
Half-Life 2 came out in 2004; my main gripes come from frequent physics glitches that make things like jumping tediously frustrating, and some poor level design (specifically, the highway and waterway levels in the first game). The story is great, though, and the character performances are certainly very memorable.
MD: The
Half-Life series has never been very favorable when it comes to platforming segments (the end-game of the first
Half-Life shows this off), and I do agree that the waterway and highway segments of
Half-Life 2 really drag things down. But, as you said, the character moments are memorable as well as some key points throughout the game.
I also agree that
Episode 2 is the best of the three games.
Half-Life 2 has moments that drag, and
Episode 1 is over quite fast (though it has some great moments), but nothing compares to the insanity that happens in
Episode 2. Waiting for
Episode 3 is like waiting for
Assassin's Creed 2. You want it, you just have no idea when it's going to happen.
All in all, the
Half-Life segment of the disc, even with the over hype the series usually gets, is a good chunk of the disc, and a fun handful of games to play through.
JF: The
Half-Life 2 content is a definite 8/10 from me, but what really elevates
The Orange Box are the other two additions. Let's start with
Team Fortress 2, which serves as the game's multiplayer content. On its own,
TF2 would be well-worth the full price, but the fact that it's merely another piece of the puzzle here is icing on the cake. Essentially,
TF2 is a class-based FPS wherein each map is a particular game type: you've got capture the flag, territorial control, and attack and defend maps. Each of the nine classes in the game has a very specific role to play on a team, and this is what makes the game so fun: a well-oiled, diverse team is like some sort of harmonious melding with the essence of video games. Add in a unique style that injects humor and art from the first half of the 20th Century, and you've got a game that is deeper than the ocean and a real winner when it comes to multiplayer FPS titles.
MD: "...Icing on the cake" The cake is a lie! But that's getting ahead of ourselves. I've only spent a very limited time with
Team Fortress 2 and the team-based multiplayer modes have yet to catch on with me. I'm sure one day it may happen, but although I like the art style of
TF2 a lot, the game just didn't grab me.
That isn't to say I don't think
The Orange Box is deserving of a 10/10 because of my inability to get into the multiplayer aspect of the game.
The Orange Box could have had only the last game on the package, and it still would have been one of the best games ever. The last game is of course
Portal, and I can honestly say that I have not experienced such a great narrative in such a short amount of play time with only one weapon/item at my disposal.
JF: What's great about
Portal is everything. The writing is one of the best scripts in video game history, filled with humor both light and dark, and the amazing gameplay experience is one that will make your brain wrap around itself as you try and figure out how your character can walk through holes in the wall and appear behind herself. It just builds and builds until the very satisfying conclusion that caps off everything with one of the greatest credits presentations ever. And
Portal is the perfect length, too.
MD: Perfect length says it right. Any longer would have probably been too much, and any less you might have felt ripped off. Granted, you can run through the game once you get things down in under an hour (even faster as some have done), but that doesn't change that the appeal of the game is still there every time. It's amazing to gush over such a short game, but
Portal truly is that: amazing.
JF: It is the most original game of the year, hands down, and one of the best. Every moment is just thought out so incredibly well, and while it's not a hard game the first time through, it does show off some great potential for sequels or expansions, to say nothing of the face-crushingly difficult advanced challenges.
As an entire package,
The Orange Box delivers almost an endless amount of polished, cinematic gaming goodness, and the sheer volume of quality in the package is quite unheralded. An instant buy, I trust you would agree?
MD: Oh, most certainly. Don't let the awful box art fool you, this game is worth your money, time, and adoration. It is a mighty fine example of bringing together a great deal of high quality games in one package. A must own most in every sense of the words.
