The Orange Box (PC/PS3/360)

[TommyG]

Does anyone experience motion sickness with any of these games.

I played HL2 on the PC and had none but I couldn't play it on the xbox because it made me feel sick....?

[reektan]

I'm curious if its the motion blur making some people feel ill as it didnt have it in the PC version originally but the 360 HL2 definitely uses it.

[dvdx2]

Excellent compliation; would love to have seen the first half life included with a graphics update for the 360.

I found the the first level of Ep1 to be extremely dull, but really enjoyed it once you get out of the citadel.

Ep2 is starting to pick up (the forest) after a dull start too

Both are nice side stories but HL2 is still best for me

[MattyD]

Just wondering, has anyone read the book Half Life 2: Raising the Bar, which came out when HL2 first launched? Does it contain anything interesting concerning the back story or is it mostly concept art etc?

[Wools]

I'm gonna replay HL2 before playing Episode 1 and 2 for the first time, but I'm truly not looking forward to those sections again.

The Coastal road is not only one of my favourite sections of Half Life 2 but one of the most atmospheric locations in any game.

I loved the idea you were traversing this long abandoned coastal road and stopping off at certain checkpoints to fight the Combine outpost or to explore an abandoned building. Also the road lead to The Bridge which was an Ico type, Jaw to the floor moment for me.

Anywho I completed Half life 2 and Episode 1 over the weekend and absloutly loved re-visiting HL2 with it's PC perfect graphics, and exploring for the first time Ep 1. I loved the atmosphere of the opening, all swathyed in darkness...

I'm probally going to complete Portal through these weekdays after work and get stuck into Episode 2 over this comming weekend. I'm so glad Valve decided to release them all and not have to pay downaload all the episodes.

With Tomb Raider Anniversary, Okami, New Super Mario Bros, Halo 3 and Project Gotham Racing 4 this really is the Game of the Year so far. Absloutly brilliant.

[Wools]

Just wondering, has anyone read the book Half Life 2: Raising the Bar, which came out when HL2 first launched? Does it contain anything interesting concerning the back story or is it mostly concept art etc?

It is all about the Art of Valve, not just Half Life 2 so it's very intresting. Also all the pictures have descriptions, some lengthy, about the ideas and design behind them and sometimes feel's more of a making of.

It's a brilliant book so buy it!

[Yoshimax]

I'm with wools I really enjoyed those bits too - driving along, coming to an outcrop, battling away with others shooting down the copters & stuff then getting back in me jeep to go to the next one.

Compare it to the similar bit in Resistance and you'll realise it was a great piece of design.

[cavalcade]

It is all about the Art of Valve, not just Half Life 2 so it's very intresting. Also all the pictures have descriptions, some lengthy, about the ideas and design behind them and sometimes feel's more of a making of.

It's a brilliant book so buy it!

Difficult to find these days though. I had a couple of copies and sold one here a while back. GAME were selling them off, and it was buried on the Bradygames stand, so might be worth a look for anyone interested. It is indeed a lovely thing.

[Wools]

Difficult to find these days though. I had a couple of copies and sold one here a while back. GAME were selling them off, and it was buried on the Bradygames stand, so might be worth a look for anyone interested. It is indeed a lovely thing.

I was going to say tosh, have a look online!

Although Amazon.co.uk have 9 people selling, they are priced at ?49!

I guess it is hard to find at a decent price... If you can get your hands on one though, you should.

[mackemansj1]

Hmm i loved hl2 beat it three times now, however ep1 is a bit meh tbh what in the hell is up with the holding hands mission. How many bloody times do you have to backtrack to get more citizens bad level design tbh feels like padding to make it last longer than it needed to be.

[Cranky]

The Coastal road is not only one of my favourite sections of Half Life 2 but one of the most atmospheric locations in any game.

I loved the idea you were traversing this long abandoned coastal road and stopping off at certain checkpoints to fight the Combine outpost or to explore an abandoned building. Also the road lead to The Bridge which was an Ico type, Jaw to the floor moment for me.

Agreed. It was a strangely surreal piece of gaming driving along that road all by yourself. Made for an incredibly believable world that has yet to be topped.

I doubt anyone could have resisted pulling over and exploring any of the abandoned houses/buildings. Wonderfully designed and perfectly paced gaming.

[Dazzyman]

Does anyone experience motion sickness with any of these games.

I played HL2 on the PC and had none but I couldn't play it on the xbox because it made me feel sick....?

Yes I do m8 I phyiscally throw up with certain games due to illness as I get it so bad. 360 is the very first console that I can play FPS fine (Ive always been hit and miss with PC stuff until last 2yrs as frame rate settles down).

I suffered with HL2 with motion sickness pretty bad in small bouts on PC but Im happy to say that on the 360 so far Ive been fine with it on 360 apart from one tiny area puzzle due to turning around walls which quickly went away. I think for me its due to the camera moving slower for panning with joypad than uber frame rate fest of ninja pc lol

I would suggest if you play it though from my experience to either have lights on or off and pitch black room or lit up (it depends on the person) I like a room dark personally and I try to make the sensativity of the controller lower and if any FPS have bob to disable it.

I also take anti sea sickness tablets (shove em under your gums) to help hehe

[HaHaUK]

I just beat the sixth advanced map on Portal and I didn't get the achievement for it. What gives?

[dvdx2]

I would have loved to see the introduction of a few new/alternative weapons in ep 1/2. I'm sure the combine/resistance could use more than one type of machine gun!

[Eight Rooks]

I was going to say tosh, have a look online!

Although Amazon.co.uk have 9 people selling, they are priced at £49!

I guess it is hard to find at a decent price... If you can get your hands on one though, you should.

I know, internet internet ololo etc., but £49? The hell?

Does the Valve store ship to the UK?

It is an excellent book, by the way. The bits on where they got the faces from and what the voice actors actually look like were some of my favourite parts.