The Orange Box ^{(Xbox 360)}

Genre: First-Person Shooter Publisher: ? Developer: ? Players: 1-16

By Keith B (24th Jan 2008)

Gordan Freeman finally makes it to a console, and after three years, it's still a superb game.

Half Life 2 was one of the most anticipated games of all time when it hit the streets in 2004, and it didn’t disappoint.

There was a flurry of discontent with the Steam system which forced players to authenticate the game online (tough if you’ve no broadband) but other than that, it was superb. And now, three years later, console junkies get to see what all the fuss was about.

But the Orange Box isn’t just about Half Life 2, because this package is essentially the entire HL universe rolled into one, with a bonus game to boot.

What you get for your hard-earned dollars is Half Life 2, HL2: Episode One and HL2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, the new puzzle game. The plot of the main game, plus it’s two expansions, sees you back in the suit of Gordon Freeman as he battles the hordes once again, using a wonderful physics engine and some superb graphics. I’ve played the PC version a lot but was thrilled with the 360 instalment, as the entire game looks superb and is a joy to play. When I reviewed it in 2004 for the PC I couldn’t run it with all the bells and whistles, so to see it in all it’s glory is one reason for people familiar with the game to go back and get it. If I were reviewing this on PC it would be a different matter – forking out for a game I already had to get Team Fortress 2 just wouldn’t cut it.

However I’m on the 360 so the complete opposite is the case. Fans get a superb package that I think, hand on heart, is just about the best value I’ve ever seen for the price.

Episode One and Episode Two do exactly what you would expect, increasing the game time of the story by about four to five hours apiece. They’re good in themselves but the ending of the latter is abrupt and playing it feels like it’s more of a filler before the finale is launched. Some people might complain that it’s just more of the same (checkpoint, firefight, checkpoint, puzzle, checkpoint) but when it looks good and plays well, who cares?

So, the Half Life 2 story is brilliant and gives about 25 hours gameplay, which is great value in today’s world. But there’s more to this, and it’s going to get better.

Next up for a critical examination is Team Fortress 2, which has been no less than nine years in the making. Well, maybe not actually being made, but certainly in the proverbial pipeline since the original arrived with the original Half Life. The story is familiar – two teams compete in deathmatch or capture the flag across an array of industrial complexes. You get to pick from a group of character types, each with special abilities and so forth. The sneaky bastards are back too with the scout class, who can play dead while looking like a member of the other team.

What is a new twist is the look and feel that Valve has put into this element of the game. Comical character models, oversized weapons, too-cool-for-school snipers and medics reminiscent of a 40s war movie abound, and their animations and speech are excellent. Each has it’s own mannerisms and sayings and they are brilliant. Even the pyro, who brandishes his flamethrower, has a funny streak as everything he says is muffled behind his gas mask. But you can feel that he’s saying something poignant.

But the real hidden diamond in all this is Portal – which is just about the most fun I’ve had on my 360 since I’ve owned one. The premise is simple – you have a portal gun, which shoots and entry and exit portal, and when you step through one, you come out the other. That’s it. It may sound simple but it’s not. At the start, you’ll fly through the levels in no time, and then, when you think you’re a master at portal placing, you get kicked in the face with some dimension bending brain-twisters. Add in moving balls of energy, turrets and crates that need to be manipulated to progress and it really becomes as mental work out.

The game has no enemies as such and you should finish it in two to three hours, which might sound like it’s too brief, but while it is short, it’s just such good fun that the enjoyment factor is stellar. When you couple in the automated voice that’s guiding you through the mazes, with her wit and attempts at apology as you struggle to find an exit you’ve got some of the best designed voices and levels in a game, ever.

So, to conclude, there is a lot on offer here for your cold, hard cash. It certainly appeals to people to never played Half Life 2 on the PC and, with the expansion packs, will provide for hours more entertainment than your average first person shooter out this Christmas. Even if you have played it before, it’s not a bad thing to give it a go again.

Team Fortress 2 is also a fun blast but I don’t imagine it having a long life-span. It’s fun, but I still find myself gravitating towards Halo 3 when I want some online shooting action. So whether or not this will become your online game of choice is debatable.

Portal though is excellent, and it alone is worth recommending The Orange Box. A simply brilliant little side jaunt into your grey matter. Considering all the above, it’s hard not to consider this offering as one of the best value games on the 360. And it has Gordon Freeman in it too. Brilliant.