The Orange Box (PC/PS3/360)

[crocky-chocky]

Finished Episode 2 now. What an awesome treat it's been to play all those games consecutively. I can forgive the odd frustrating section because 95% of the time Half-Life just blows the mind.

The last fight in EP2 is the most amazingly intense segment of game I've ever played. Sure it was hard, but the setup for the battle was utterly inspired.

Rad times.

And the ending? Jeezis, it broke my heart!

On to Portal, then.

[Astra]

saw this today for ?29.99 new on games deal of the day/week or whatever so picked it up. went straight for portal as id heard good things about it and so far im loving it just hope the rest of the games keep me as entertained as this has so far.

[Charlie]

Good though Portal is, Half life 2 and it's two extra episodes put it firmly in the shade in my opinion.

[ChrisF]

I did exactly the same thing last week. Got it cheap off Amazon and headed straight for Portal. Then I tried Team Fortress. But I have to say I'm firmly hooked on HL2 now.

I played Half Life way way back in the day, but never HL2, or EP1/EP2, so they're all new to me and I'm loving them.

->Open Spoiler<-

Could do without the things that suck you up into the ceiling,

but they're just minor quibbles

[huxley]

Borrowed the PS3 version from a mate, what was all the fuss about it not running on the PS3? Played the 360 version from star to finnish and cant see any major problems with this one apart from the loading times being a little longer. One gold star point for me is TF as it seems to run lag free on the PS3.

[erhgiez]

Just ploughed through HL2. ep 1 + 2 and portal and one of the best gaming experiences Ive had all year. Although Portal does seem a little over rated, yeah its good fun and a nice idea but I rarely had to think about any of the puzzles. It just seems like a demo to me, very nice as an addition, but it felt like the game only started on chamber 18, and well thats pretty much the end of the game lol. But still very very impressed

[hudson]

Borrowed the PS3 version from a mate, what was all the fuss about it not running on the PS3? Played the 360 version from star to finnish and cant see any major problems with this one apart from the loading times being a little longer. One gold star point for me is TF as it seems to run lag free on the PS3.

I found the framerate drops quite a bit in certain parts during HL2. This has only happened a few times. Seemed to occur when fancy lighting was occuring i.e. beams of light seaping through holes in a wooden roof.

From what I've read, HL2 runs pretty well on PS3, but struggles through Episode 2. Not sure about Ep1. I'm currently just up to Ravenholm on my playthrough.

Portal and TF2 seem fine.

[iloveannie]

This is great as I never managed to play HL2 as I don't have a PC. So three games for the price of one is a real treat. Not any real interest in Portal and I don't play Live so TF is also a no-go.

So back to HL. The atmosphere is really there and I often feel like just running away as I get the impression I'll be killed otherwise. Not got too far into it but am thoroughly impressed so far. Just got the grav gun. The swamp areas brought back feelings of desolation that were great in Shadowman also.

Looking forward to playing the whole series in one go which isn't something that happens much in gaming. In fact I can't remember it ever happening

[Malc]

Indeed, the amosphere in HL2 is brilliant stuff. It really builds up the sensation of being completely alone and the whole world is being controlled by the combine.

The game just keeps it's excellence all the way through in my opinion, so the latter parts are just as sublime as the begining.

[k0pp0]

I think this will be a purchase after COD4 for me, I downloaded the demo the otehr day and it was quite nice indeed. I'm dying to play portal too.

[anephric]

I've just played through HL2 again (first time since PC) and things that annoyed me then annoy me much more now, since Valve haven't fixed them: sure, I can vaguely understand getting stuck on things since everything's physics-enabled and stackable, etc, but it really gets annoying in places. The squad AI is still just as useless as it was three years ago, too - do they absolutely HAVE to act like lemmings and follow you willy-nilly, including getting you stuck in corners or knocking you off beams. "Sorry Gordon." FFS.

The crudity of the gravity gun annoys me somewhat, too. Can't manipulate or rotate anything in its field, and for a device conceived for handling hazardous materials it certainly likes to drop things with no warning if vaguely imperilled by an object coming within all of two feet of it. There were mods for this on PC - I dunno why Valve didn't include them for Orange Box. It becomes extremely annoying dropping, moving, picking up, dropping, moving etc.

Never played Ep 1 or 2 before (gave up on PC gaming at about that time), so it's on to them now. I have to say, I loved Portal to bits - never once got annoyed by it like I did HL2. I breezed through the advanced maps (well, except the last one where you have to get rid of the turrets v. quickly) and I've golded most except in fewest steps - these really do drive me crazy. I can handle fewest portals and time, but counting your paces really irritates me.

I've got a bit obsessed with it. Certainly, I've looked forward to going back to Portal and improving my times and stuff than playing through HL2 again.

[k0pp0]

Yeah, I buckled and brought COD4 and The Orange Box today.. yay!


LOVE IT

[Malc]

Good for you! You're in for a real treat with them two.

[davidcotton]

I've just played through HL2 again (first time since PC) and things that annoyed me then annoy me much more now, since Valve haven't fixed them: sure, I can vaguely understand getting stuck on things since everything's physics-enabled and stackable, etc, but it really gets annoying in places. The squad AI is still just as useless as it was three years ago, too - do they absolutely HAVE to act like lemmings and follow you willy-nilly, including getting you stuck in corners or knocking you off beams. "Sorry Gordon." FFS.

I've started to dread any part with the squad members tbh. Want to dodge quickly because your under fire? Forget about it. The only semi useful one is the medic and he tends to be one of the first to get wiped out anyway. Oh and the cheers as they shoot a sodding headcrab "yes! I got one!!1" really start to irritate after a while. Still enjoying it, though I think I'm nearing the end of halflife 2.

[Supergoal]

I got this package just the other day via steam. It's the first time for me to play any of these games.

In Half Life 2, how come nearly always as soon as you sneak round a corner, the enemy always seem to spot you instantly? Surely there should be some level of sneaking ability.

Won't play episode 1 and 2 until I have finished HL2 obviously, though I hope those games improve on the point I make.

Also, I get horrible motion sickness playing it, anyone been able to combat that somehow?