The Orange Box
The Orange Box, by Valve, is a compilation of 5 games in one box. The game are the original Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. Out of the 5 games, 3 are brand new, but on this is he first time any of them have been on an Xbox 360, with exception of the Half-Life 2 port for the original Xbox (which sucked. alot.).
Half-life 2 and its runty children are part of the Half-Life saga which pits Gordan Freeman, the silent protagonist, against the evil might of the Combine. The games are up to the Valve level of quality, featuring intense cinematic fights and clever physics based puzzles. Speaking of physics, there is A LOT OF IT. Even though the Source engine, is starting to show its shortcomings in graphical areas, the physics is flatout amazing. Just throwing things around with the Gravity Gun is magnificent fun. Things seem to have real weight and gravity can be a real bitch. There is nothing more satisfying than launching a washing machine at a Combine soldier at point blank and having them fly across the room. But what really makes the Half-Life saga worth it is the story. The characters seem real and it is extremely convincing when they talk to you. They display real emotions and give the story and even the gameplay real depth.
Another game in this great package is Portal. Portal is simply amazing. It's a portal based puzzle shooter. The story is fascinating. Valve does a really good job with tone in this game. You get the feel that you are being watched, even though there isn't a single human in this game. Just an AI. GLaDOS, the AI, has a creepy resemblance to HAL9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Needless to say, some of the puzzles are god-damn amazing. Portal is a definitely a one game whose sequel I can't wait for.
Team Fortress 2 is the multiplayer component to an already spectacular package. It is a class-based team shooter. The look and feel of TF2 is like a cartoon... until you start shooting. This is one the goriest games I have ever played. It has more limb severing than a meat-shop. That being said, it has a cute cartoony tone with some hilarious characters. The shooting is fun too. You feel like you are actually part of the team.
All and all, The Orange Box, by Valve, is an amazing package that anyone who even slightly enjoys shooters MUST get.
