The Orange Box (PC/PS3/360)

[Jebus]

Team Fortress...my word, just played it.

This may be a Halo 3 AND CoD4 beater. SUPERB fun!

There are clues to how far through Portal you are, and if I'm right then it's VERY short, but with replayability and it's oh so sweet.

[hudson]

Is it true that CTF is only played on one of the maps in TF2? Also, how big are the maps?

[blazing-star]

Just fired up HL2 on my pc to compare screens, it looks like they've added HDR lighting & some motion blur, makes it look nicer. Does anyone know if those effects will be added to the pc version if I buy the Orange Box?

[Mr Ono]

Does anyone know if those effects will be added to the pc version if I buy the Orange Box?

They haven't patched the PC version as far as I can see as I just did a comparison on another forum.

[Wools]

nahhh thats the 360 version. Arrived this morning. Looks lovely and very smooth.

That confirms KN's post, Valve need new Coders...



Anyway my hopes have now gone out the roof and into the atmosphere, god it looks wonderfull.

[fahrenheit]

I've played the PC version of H-L2 hooked up to my HDTV, so I'm able to make a direct comparison with the 360 version which I've been playing over the last couple of days.

The first thing that jarred me was the framerate. Its a smooth 30fps, but it is a noteable difference compared to when my PC was hitting 60.
The next thing is the aliasing. Telephone wires in the main square at the beginning, leaves on trees etc, these really standout in comparison to the PC version. The textures close up also come under scrutiny.

But, I have to say, I'm loving it (again). Once you get out of the city and get into the action, then you start putting such issues aside. It still plays the same as it always did and thats whats important.

I haven't even touched Ep1 and 2 yet, but I'm savouring whats to come.

[Freddo]

you will see more aliasing on transparency textures (like chain link fences, leaves on trees and grass sprites) on the 360, since it doesn't do TAA like most new graphics cards for pc's do.

[Kotatsu Neko]

That confirms KN's post, Valve need new Coders...

So one person is easily impressed and that makes my impressions invalid? Okay.

Play Orange Box on a half decent PC and you'll see the difference. Double the frame rate (at least), anti-aliasing, no slow down, higher res textures, much longer load times etc. The 360 port is by no means terrible, but it's a long way from utilizing the hardware fully. Even PORTAL runs at 30fps...! That game's visuals consist of little more than a few box rooms and should be running at 60fps on an Xbox 1, let alone a 360.

[Swallow]

Christ on a bike, relax will you!? A "half-decent PC" would cost many times what a 360 does. The game looks smashing to me, and if you care more about the technicalities of the game rather than, you know, playing and enjoying it, or you're just trying to prove you're "better", I feel sorry for you.

[John Beaulieu]

for me I always think about how I want to play a game - sat in comfort on my sofa in front of a 42" screen, or cramped over my desk in front of a 21" monitor .... sofa wins each and every time

[anephric]

Much as I can understand the arguments on both sides, it still disappoints me that Valve haven't got this up to the technical level I would expect of a port of a 3-year-old PC game with a bit of HDR added. Same goes for F.E.A.R. Why is that only 30fps? Cos it's got a bit of HDR slapped on?

You have to admit it's a little underwhelming.

[B1gBeard]

Its all about the story and rich characters with HL2 though so the visuals don't matter so much as they may on Gears for example.

Running it on the same monitor on 360 and PC then yes, the PC one does look a fair bit nicer but its also nice to relax and play it on a big screen without the hassles of a PC.

This playthrough again though has shown that with the exception of technical advances, there's still no story driven FPS that touchs it imo. Stalker waves at it from a bit of a distance as does Bioshock.

[jimmbob]

for me I always think about how I want to play a game - sat in comfort on my sofa in front of a 42" screen, or cramped over my desk in front of a 21" monitor .... sofa wins each and every time

Quite agree, I was so tempted to go for the PC version, but playing the game with surround sound on a MAHOOSIVE TV is worth the wait for me personally. It also helps that I have no care for frame rates or the slightest graphical difference. There's only a few times I want to be hunched over my desk, squinting at the small monitor, in a darkened room. When the house is empty...
*ahem*

[cavalcade]

How many physical DVDs does it come on? Are all the games on one disk?

[Bleeders]

Yes, all on one disc.