The Orange Box (PC/PS3/360)

[merf]

know i'm a bit late to the party but portal is a bit special, tried it twice before and didn't really get it, then it clicked last night and i just love it.

almost worth the cost alone, not even tried the other stuff yet.

[Dezm0nd]

Anyone know what the new update did for this?

Apparently the pyros are beefed up slightly and it fixes the lag in TF2.

Still no sign of the freezing bug being fixed.

[dogen]

It was only made three years ago and I never really got an answer on Ep2 - does Gordon actually use his hands in that one? Because that one does not carry the 'when this game was made' excuse.

It can however carry the 'remain consistant with previous Half-Life2 releases' tag. From what I'm to believe, the episodes only update and provide what's relevant.

[rmoxon]

I deserve to suffer? And my statement was harsh?

LOL by "you deserve to suffer" I meant that becuase you seem to have cared more about somthing that has little or no relevance to the gameplay than the actual gameplay itsself you probabaly deserve to not enjoy the game. I didnt mean I hoped someone should phsyicaly torture you becuase you dont like it.

This is also why your statement was harsh, wether Gordon has hands or not really doesnt matter when you consider how varied and fantasticaly designed the levels are, how brilliant the set peices are and how well the story is implemented. It all works wonderfuly despite the source engines lack of hands.

As for the rest of the way the game plays and how you said it was "standard" well the thing is the Original Half-Life set this standard and no other game really managed to challenge it until this, its sequel, was released. Its still quite unique in several ways but whats probabaly more important is we probabaly wouldnt have games like Bioshock or even games like FEAR and Doom 3 without them. Half-Life 2 was also really the first game to implement such a high level of charactization not only into a FPS but it did it while you played it.

I'm also guessing that when you wrote your original post you hadnt got the Gravity Gun yet....

[Dogg Thang]

the Original Half-Life set this standard and no other game really managed to challenge it until this

Totally agree.

I'm also guessing that when you wrote your original post you hadnt got the Gravity Gun yet....

Yep. Anything I wrote was just very early first impressions. I could end up doing a complete about turn on everything I have written.

And glad to hear you're not calling for my torture.

[Commander Marklar]

Done E1 and E2 back-to-back. Brilliant games throughout really. I'm glad the HL-engine hasn't really changed that much so the same physics still apply, combat works as expected only new locales and things to play with, new script too make it all the more interesting and exciting. Well done Valve!

I just want some more HL now

[Nembot]

When I first heard abot the Orange Box it was TF2 all the way for me, I would`ve gladly paid full price for just that game and I couldn`t care less about HL2, Ep1, Ep2 and I really couldn`t give a shiny ****e about Portal, but, now I`m coming towards the end of my time with The Orange Box (with the exception of TF2) I can truly say that I`ve had an amazing gaming experience, one of the best for a long long time.

When the game came through my letter box it wasn`t TF2 that was first to be booted up, it was Portal, I wasn`t expecting much but I didn`t turn Portal off again until I`d finished the game. I couldn`t believe how captivated I was by it, a very charming game albeit short because I didn`t want it to end but a really unexpected positive from something I didn`t believe I`d enjoy.

After a few days of twatting TF2 and playing the advanced levels of Portal I hadn`t even bothered loading up HL2 and was thinking would I bother at all? After what was to be a quick go of HL it just took me and I was amazed yet again of just how I went from not expecting much to being rewarded with many lost hours.

I really enjoyed the story and the atmosphere of HL2, not to mention the odd mad drum and bass tip that kicks in at varying intervals while you`re shooting people in the face. It took me about 12.5 hours to complete which is quite long by todays standards with games lasting on average 8 - 10 hours, but as has been touched on before, eventhough it does seem some sections are longer than maybe they would be in any other game, it`s does give you that sense of at times being alone and the hardship you endure being the one free man in your quest to save mankind.

After finishing HL2 I left it a day and started Ep1, I enjoyed it that much I played it through again later in the day. I thought the part at the end was sublime where

->Open Spoiler<-

you escape on the train as the citadel core reaches meltdown

. Also after the trials and tribulations of HL2, it`s clear to see throughout Ep1 the developing relationship between Gordon and Alyx which is a nice touch and works well.

I`m going to start Ep2 tonight which I`m excited about but at the same time I don`t want it to be over. The Orange Box has by far exceeded my expectations and after already playing some great games this year so far, The Orange Box is currently my GOTY. HL2, Ep1, Ep2 could`ve been bundled together while Portal and TF2 could`ve been sold seperately, The Orange Box surely has to be the best value gaming experience ever, doesn`t it?

[Nembot]

Been playing TF2 this afternoon and it is defo better now the patch has been applied. Games are more stable and run as they should.

As someone mentioned earlier Pyro now deals more damage but I noticed Demoman now has 2 less nades in his primary nade launcher, 4 instead of 6.

[Ciaran]

Demoman always had 4 nades, even in the beta and the pyro deals the same damage its just more accurate now. But the demo man nades don't explode on contact after first bounce. We got the same updates on the PC,

[Btang84]

Been playing TF2 this afternoon and it is defo better now the patch has been applied. Games are more stable and run as they should.

What were the issues before the patch? I've not had too many problems before, but I'm still curious nevertheless. Generally, the game has been very stable and running much better than I expected on my laptop.

[Dogg Thang]

Just wait until you get to the vehicle sections. The way Gordon turns the steering wheel purely with his mind is impressive stuff.

You weren't kidding. This is absolutely bizarre. Putting hands in there would have been no more difficult than attaching them to a weapon. What a weird decision.

[Charlie]

Moaning about the absence of visible hands is nitpicking somewhat, is it not? Ignore the game's few shortcomings (like every game ever created, it has them) and concentrate on what it does right and you'll be rewarded with a magnificent and unique experience. Besides, I'd sooner HL2's invisible hands to Halo 3's invisible walls every time.

[Dogg Thang]

No. No, it's not nitpicking. Valve have created a very atmospheric game world. One that I'd love to be immersed in. That's bloody difficult when I'm watching handlebars swing around by themselves. If they couldn't be arsed making hands, why not just shift the camera forward? Why would they possibly want to show handlebars on their own? It's just really odd.

And I have no possible idea what that would have to do with Halo 3.

[Hodge]

Been playing this for the last week and has to be game of the year upto yet for me. Finished portal which was a blast, trying the maps on Advanced which I`m struggling on atm.

Only ever got round to playing Half Life 2 once on the PC when it first came out on a crap setup, so playing through it again without any performance issues, feels like I`m playing it for the first time. Is it me or is this still the most impressive game when it comes to lighting, it just looks so good and realistic.

As for the game itself, still one of the best games I`ve played, very atmospheric and it`s a game that really pulls you into the world. Having come of Halo 3 I was wondering how this would still hold up and am happy to say I`m half way through it and am enjoying it alot more than I did Halo 3. Only downside I can think of really to Half life 2 is the loading sections and the hovercraft section going on a little to long. Other than that, brilliant.

As for Team Fortress 2, haven`t played much, but by what i played I really like it, especially being a spy Haven`t had to many lag issues either.

[Charlie]

The Halo reference was made because invisible barriers/walls are, in my opinion, a far bigger issue than invisible hands and are a sign of poor and lazy level design, and the fact it hasn't prevented millions of people from enjoying Halo 3 indicates people should be able to look beyond HL2's invisible hands too. However, if invisible hands really are preventing you from immersing yourself into the game, I'm sorry for you, as you're missing out, in my mind, on one of gaming's finest experiences.