The Orange box is a ripoff - where's the black box

The orange box is a ripoff. There I said it. I said what people are afraid to say!

I own HL2 and Episode 1, so why, why should I pay for them again! It should be a $19-29 dollar black box. Fair is Fair.

If we accept this type of packaging, we will all be stuck paying $50 for 6 hour games in the future. Let us not set a bad trend here.

It's not about the game or quality, its about greedy business practices....

Well, it wasn't for me cus when I got my HD2900xt, I got the black box for free, and yes, I had HL2 and EP1.

I don't consider EP2+portal+TF2 to be a ripoff for 50 bucks anyway. portal was great although short, but the challenges add greatly to the experience (i guess not if you are dumb and give up).

TF2 should be great for any multiplayer fan, although im not one, so I stick to the other games.

finally EP2, although short as well, is so good that if it was anylonger, it could have been a 50 dollar stand alone game because it is so awesome.

there you go!

If Episode 2 is all your after you can buy it stand-alone for 30 bucks I think.

I owned HL2 before hand, but even if I had played Episode 1 too; Portal, TF2, and Episode 2 is well worth 50 bucks.

By rights, there's no way Orange Box is a ripoff.

But if HL2 Ep 2 is the only thing the OP could care less about for example, I can understand where he's coming from. Not everyone wants a MP game (TF2) or puzzle (Portal) or repeat games (HL2 & Ep 1).

Episode 2 by itself would be the way to go, but that's not a "bargain" (Episode 1 was $19).

The orange box is a ripoff. There I said it. I said what people are afraid to say!

I own HL2 and Episode 1, so why, why should I pay for them again! It should be a $19-29 dollar black box. Fair is Fair.

cardjr

Half-Life 2 is $29, Episode 1 is $19.

They're not going to sell three new games at the same price as either Episode 1 or HL2. That would be stupid - it isn't a rip-off at all.

Most...ridiculous thread...EVAR!

The OB is possibly the Best deal in PC gaming. You, my dear TC, fail.

It not about the great set of games in the orange box; it's simply why didn't Valve release the black box?

Answer,.. Simple to "justify" a higher price (by repacking old product with new.) This is a classic marketing trick to increase revenues. They did it because they could get away with it. That's sad.

I love the product, but I can't read the packaging any other way.

Most...ridiculous thread...EVAR!

The OB is possibly the Best deal in PC gaming. You, my dear TC, fail.

shanelevy

he and his friends are dead...

game over

Your NOT paying for HL2 and EP1...they come as free extras. Portal, TF2, and HL2 EP2 are alone worth more then 50 bucks.DarKre

well earlier they had the black box also, which obviously would have been cheaper. they lamely cancelled that and put forward this concept of extras

Actually sunshine...

1. 5 games, $50 bucks. That accounts to $10 per game. You did not pay $20 for both HL2 and Episode 1 previously, so don't go sounding hard done by (Episode 1 has just come down to around that price only recently).

2. I would say, the value of Episode 2 is about twice that of Episode 1 alone (it's currently $30 stand alone), then TF2, the long awaited sequel is probably worth a little more than Episode 2 (same price at $30). So that in itself is $60 seperately anyway. I haven't gotten onto Portal yet. Not to mention that those people who haven't happened to have bought Episode 1 or HL2 yet, they get those on top of that.

3. They are not inflating the price, they are selling it heavily discounted in a package (currently over 50% off seperate sale price) , which includes some previous titles. If you can't see that, then you're lost.

/thread.

This thread is ignoring the key Question... Why no black box?

BTW regarding the "great value" of orange box. Lets compare it to Half life or even HL2 - over 40 hours of great game play, plus Multi-player including Team Fortress and free mods etc,all for $39 (ok todays $49) typical game price tag. Compare that to the Orange Box.

It not about the great set of games in the orange box; it's simply why didn't Valve release the black box?

Answer,.. Simple to "justify" a higher price (by repacking old product with new.) This is a classic marketing trick to increase revenues. They did it because they could get away with it. That's sad.

I love the product, but I can't read the packaging any other way.

cardjr

Try harder. It's the best value out there.

I do think that the Orange Box is a great deal in an of itself. However, I also agree that it would have been nicer for Valve to give PC gamers a bit more flexibility if they already had HL2 and Ep1. IMO they should offer TF2, Ep2, and Portal for around ten bucks each on Steam, but I'm not really complaining, since as some people have pointed out it's still a great deal, even if you're only getting 3 new games.

Anyway, Orange Box was for X360 users and I guess Valve just standardized its offerings on all platforms.They probably won't package a whole bunch of games for Ep3, since that would be screwing over all the people who bought the Orange Box.

I understand where you're coming from, and I feel pretty much the same way.

Hl2 Episode 2, is an Expansion pack, not a real game

TF2 is a Multiplayer Game (Heavily Modded game to be exact)

Portal is another heavily modded game

HL2 and HL2 Episode 1 are usually already owned by most people today. So technically I, as with some others pay $50 for really, just an Expansion pack, and two extensive mods. Naturally we find mods to be for free so we can't justify purchasing mods, no matter how different they are, I mean look at something like Natural Selection that had even a different form of gameplay yet was still free.

Then that means technically we feel like we're paying $50 and the only thing worth it in the Orange box is Episode 2. So we go online and see that it costs like what? $30. Now for $20 more, we could get these much boasted about mods so its either go the cheap man route, pay $30 for a singleplayer expansion, or go all out, and add some multiplayer fun to the game. However we cannot deny that the Black Box would be cheaper since it doesn't include the Original Half Life 2, and the Episode 1 Expansion. Perhaps it'd be $35-40, no matter, it is still cheaper than the Orange Box.

The $50 price tag is reserved for most brand new games, not a set of expansions and mods. It is a good deal, but I mean some of us can't justify spending the money for what is auctually in the box when we have nearly half of it already.

Bingo!!!

You got my point, thanks.

the orange box... a rip off???

u culd always buy them off steam seperatly.. no one asked you to buy the orange box. if you don't like it oh well...thats jsut your opinion.

I understand where you're coming from, and I feel pretty much the same way.

Hl2 Episode 2, is an Expansion pack, not a real game

TF2 is a Multiplayer Game (Heavily Modded game to be exact)

Portal is another heavily modded game

HL2 and HL2 Episode 1 are usually already owned by most people today. So technically I, as with some others pay $50 for really, just an Expansion pack, and two extensive mods. Naturally we find mods to be for free so we can't justify purchasing mods, no matter how different they are, I mean look at something like Natural Selection that had even a different form of gameplay yet was still free.

Then that means technically we feel like we're paying $50 and the only thing worth it in the Orange box is Episode 2. So we go online and see that it costs like what? $30. Now for $20 more, we could get these much boasted about mods so its either go the cheap man route, pay $30 for a singleplayer expansion, or go all out, and add some multiplayer fun to the game. However we cannot deny that the Black Box would be cheaper since it doesn't include the Original Half Life 2, and the Episode 1 Expansion. Perhaps it'd be $35-40, no matter, it is still cheaper than the Orange Box.

The $50 price tag is reserved for most brand new games, not a set of expansions and mods. It is a good deal, but I mean some of us can't justify spending the money for what is auctually in the box when we have nearly half of it already.

clor0x

Hit the nail on the head.

To anyone that has replied to this thread saying that you're not paying for HL2 and Episode 1, you're paying for Portal, TF2 and Episode 2...umm...then you must have picked up something else besides the Orange Box. Because inside that box is HL2, EP1, Portal, TF2 and EP2. You just spent $50 and that money also went towards you paying money for 2 games you most likely already owned.

To anyone that didn't own HL2 and EP1 and they bought the Orange Box, they got one hell of a deal here. Sadly, everyone else that owned these games and still bought the Orange box, they were pulled into a marketing gimick and you were forced to spend more money then what was origianlly planned for these games (TF2, EP2 and Portal) to sell for. I feel bad for anyone that was forced into this marketing ploy - albeit a good one, but it was not needed.

On a side note, has anyone noticed that PS3 and 360 games (new releases) run $60? Do you know why?

It's because the consumers told them to do so. If you don't believe me, then look at all the people that constantly go out and drop an extra $10-25+ for the "Collectors Edition" of games. If you're (the consumer) willing to spend extra on something that has nothing to do with the gameplay, then you're more then willing to spend more on just the game.

Same rule applies to the "Special Edition" of DVDs. That's why the prices will slowly keep rising.

Only company I see not playing by these rules is Nintendo. They offer (I don't own any new Nintendo prodcuts, just played some) a decent machine, at a decent price and their games are not over priced. They're moving in the right direction. Sony and Xbox (Microsoft) are going to alienate consumers with high prices - PS3 is a good example of this.

Just my two cents...

think of HL2 and Episode 1 as freebies. happy?

Edit:

I understand where you're coming from, and I feel pretty much the same way.

Hl2 Episode 2, is an Expansion pack, not a real game

TF2 is a Multiplayer Game (Heavily Modded game to be exact)

Portal is another heavily modded game

clor0x

Expansion packs can sell for $20-$30 easily on their own. and if you are going to call TF2 a mod, you may as well call Company of Heroes, for instance, a mod of DoW.

i owned hl2 and episode 1 already. i bought the orange box anyway. and i have absolutely, positively no regrets whatsoever. i feel like i still got a great deal. i gave my old copies of hl2 and episode 1 to another person, who loved it. it was my early christmas present to him. the orange box is a f-ing awesome deal, whether you already own hl2 and ep1 or not! obviously, it's a better deal for those that don't own those two games already, but a great deal for the rest of us nevertheless. stop thinking about how others are getting an even better deal than you. think only about what a great deal you're getting (3 games for $50! or $25, if you go with the best buy black friday deal!).

and tf2 is not ugly looking. it's got some of the best looking graphics of any multiplayer shooter. it's not a cartoon. it's called an art style, and it's freaking sweet looking.

lol at you.

Epsiode 2, TF 2, and portal are worth at least $50 if you didn't like one of those then you should have bought them seperately. The orange box is a ridiculously good deal and you lose.

just buy it so you can play it on the consoles, it much easier setting up a online account with the PS3 or 360 rather then the PC.

It not about the great set of games in the orange box; it's simply why didn't Valve release the black box?

Answer,.. Simple to "justify" a higher price (by repacking old product with new.) This is a classic marketing trick to increase revenues. They did it because they could get away with it. That's sad.

I love the product, but I can't read the packaging any other way.

cardjr

Well spoken.

my neighbor purchased the orange box after owning hl2 retail from launch. valve/steam sent him a email saying he could give a copy of hl2 as a gift based off the fact he purchased 2 copies. that being said he set it up and steam sent me a email saying a friend gave me a gift. I clicked on link and dl hl2 for free from steam(took 10 min) so before you go bashing what is a great deal to begin with, please make sure you have facts straight.

I only had HL2, so I paid 45 bucks for Ep1+2, TF2, and Portal. That's a damn good deal in my opinion. TF2 is worth 100 bucks by itself. This is one of the most generous offerings in gaming history imo.Staryoshi87

Are you crazy? Team Fortress 2 is by far not worth 100 bucks alone, in fact it's the worst rip-off of all games included. The amount of levels you get is quite insulting for it's developing time, even now it's still not all that balanced. Quite frankly it feels like a mod and the graphical style seems to be cleverly chosen to camoflage the outdated engine underneath. Can't quite say I'm impressed with TF2... the whole Orange Box got hyped so much for no good reason. Other games get crusified because they hardly innovate and HL2:Ep 2 can get away with it? Lol... funny ****

[QUOTE="Staryoshi87"]I only had HL2, so I paid 45 bucks for Ep1+2, TF2, and Portal. That's a damn good deal in my opinion. TF2 is worth 100 bucks by itself. This is one of the most generous offerings in gaming history imo.PHeMoX

Are you crazy? Team Fortress 2 is by far not worth 100 bucks alone, in fact it's the worst rip-off of all games included. The amount of levels you get is quite insulting for it's developing time, even now it's still not all that balanced. Quite frankly it feels like a mod and the graphical style seems to be cleverly chosen to camoflage the outdated engine underneath. Can't quite say I'm impressed with TF2... the whole Orange Box got hyped so much for no good reason. Other games get crusified because they hardly innovate and HL2:Ep 2 can get away with it? Lol... funny ****

that's cuz episode 2 is the most fun 5 hours of all time. and you didn't even mention portal in your orange box bashing, portal being about as innovative as any game in recent years. and tf2 is very well balanced, imo. and the animation is both great looking and funny. art style goes a long way. i'd rather have a game that has a great sense of style than a game that looks realistic but is bland (i'm talking to you, bf2).

The orange box is a ripoff. There I said it. I said what people are afraid to say!

I own HL2 and Episode 1, so why, why should I pay for them again! It should be a $19-29 dollar black box. Fair is Fair.

If we accept this type of packaging, we will all be stuck paying $50 for 6 hour games in the future. Let us not set a bad trend here.

It's not about the game or quality, its about greedy business practices....cardjr

omg

You'r paying for 3 games, HL2 + Ep1 are free. Considering you'r paying the price of a full game for 3 games with high replay value i think its a great deal.

The orange box is a ripoff. There I said it. I said what people are afraid to say!

I own HL2 and Episode 1, so why, why should I pay for them again! It should be a $19-29 dollar black box. Fair is Fair.

If we accept this type of packaging, we will all be stuck paying $50 for 6 hour games in the future. Let us not set a bad trend here.

It's not about the game or quality, its about greedy business practices....

cardjr

dude, i dont normally attack people for their opinions, but youre an idiot.