The Orange Box

So, you may think.. why would I possibly need all these games? The simple answer is, they are excellent. I have never seen a better deal in video gaming in my life, how can you possibly look past 3 games and 2 add-ons?

Half Life 2: a science fiction first-person shooter game that is the sequel to Half-Life. Originally released in 2004 for Windows it is a fairly old and outdated game for the fast paced gaming market of 2007, and what looks to be a good year for 2008 as well. Half Life 2 has won over 35 Game of the Year awards, so it is still competing with many of the great shooters that have followed it. 8.5/10

Half Life 2 – Episode 1: Continuing on from the events of Half Life 2, this game further capitalizes on that success. It takes you through the war torn ‘City 17′, under the supervision of Alyx Vance, your companion for most of Half Life 2. It was originally released in 2006 for Windows. The game has been criticized by reviewers for its short length and lack of new features.

Half Life 2 – Episode 2:Never before seen on any platform, episode 2 is a completely new game. Only currently available in Orange Box, some gamers were disappointed, as they would have to buy the original game and episode 1 again. The characters escape the ruins of ‘City 17′ and are located in the surrounding wilderness. The game was praised by reviewers by having a substantial play time and new environments.

Portal: All about puzzles. You are Chell, a woman that is challenged to preform ‘experiments’ using the portal gun. It takes time, and patience, but overall its a good game to play in between others. I found it rather weird, as you have no prologue to go from, you just suddenly wake up in a cell. Part of the mystery of the game I suppose. I still do not see how so many people can praise this game, it could possibly be that i am stuck on a level? but i somehow doubt it. Although the game has a good concept, I still don’t see why they had to make the levels so complex. Also, what the narrator or ‘GLaDOS’ says in the game is really useless, talking about cake somehow doesn’t excite me at all.

Team Fortress 2: Better than portal, most fun team based game I’ve played in ages. If you have a 128kb connection, stay away from this game.. please. I get so much lag when I’m playing with more than 8 people, and so do other users. My connection is 256kb and I can play most games like Halo 3 and Gears of War without lag, so it isn’t my fault. But ignoring that, It’s hard to have an emotion for this game, moments you’ll love it then others you’ll wish you’d never started to play. Good for the younger kids that may be frightened of Half Life 2 or not quick enough for Portal. I would like to have seen a single player function where you play against the cpu or even a local split screen option. With 9 classes to choose from and 4+ game styles to play you will never get tired of this game.

Overall I think Orange Box gives value for money, and that’s what people are searching for these days. The gaming industry is booming and I believe more offers like this, would definitely increase overall happiness in consumers, leading them to purchase further games by that studio. On another topic, I think steam is rubbish, why would you want to download all this anyway it would take ages unless you are on super fast speeds. You should go and buy the retail version if you are buying for PC, I’ve previously used steam and i don’t like it. The game is now available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The PS3 version was delayed as Valve didn’t develop a port for the console, so the port was created by EA Games.

My Overall Rating is: 9.3/10

More About Gaming

Well since I’ve had my xbox  I barely play games on my pc or even use it that often. So I’ve decided to dedicate this blog to games, whether it be reviews, or just telling you about the pros and cons of different games It’ll be here. So watch this space!

Xbox Live

Christmas was almost a month ago, and that day when I got a Xbox 360.

I set it up, happy to know I was getting games and other accessories from my relatives.

Ok, now that was just a load of crap really to get you interested.

Real information:

Gamertag – heatseeker424

Add me if you want!

Games I have:

Guitar Hero II and III, Burnout Revenge, Oblivion, Gears of War,  Juiced 2, Viva Pinata, Forza 2, Blazing Angels, Orange Box, Bioshock.

Games I’m going to buy:

Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Mass Effect.