The Orange Box is a valuable collection of Valve's greatest treasures.
The Orange Box is a compilation from Valve containing the developer's most acclaimed creations. Half-Life 2 was released back in 2004 for PCs. The Xbox also received a port of the game, but it was buggier and less slick in comparison to its PC counterpart. Now the game is part of The Orange Box compilation, the meat of the disc. Half-Life 2 puts you in the role of Dr. Gordon Freeman, a man of no words, who finds himself fighting the Combine for whatever reason. Half-Life 2's story flew right over my head, so I would not be able to explain or appreciate the plot.
One thing that is easy to appreciate are the great characters in Half-Life 2. Alyx Vance is one of gaming's most real, down-to-Earth, lovable characters. She accompanies Gordon in some of the game's missions, and it's always saddening when you have to part from her. Gordon is a great character as well, though he doesn't utter a single word. Hell froze over the day that Gordon was voted greatest game hero over Super Mario on Gamespot.com. I still don't know how that happened. I can see the appeal of Dr. Freeman though. He's an ordinary doctor with glasses and facial hair turned hero for all humanity, slaughtering all who cross his path. All of the primary characters possess unique, distinct personalities, making them all very real and memorable.
Half-Life 2 is not an open world first person shooter/adventure hybrid, contrary to what rabid fans of the game may brag. It's a linear first-person shooter set in an open world. The first first-person shooter/adventure game was released two years before Half-Life 2. It's called Metroid Prime. Gordon begins his journey with only the crowbar, good for breaking wooden objects that block his path, or for bashing Combine soldiers in the skull. Later he obtains a pistol, shotgun, crossbow, assault rifle, rocket launcher, and magnum. The weapons are nothing new, just your conventional stuff. The game's best weapon is far from conventional, the gravity gun.
The gravity gun is a major aspect of what makes Half-Life 2 so great. Gordon can use it to pick up objects and launch them far away. Using the gravity gun to pick up projectiles and sling them at enemies is a lot of fun. One Chapter in the game, "We Don't Go to Ravenholm" is a stage full of mutated people and monsters. It's also full of fun ways to put the gravity gun to use, such as picking up saw blades and shooting it at a line of enemies, then you watch heads fly. The gun is also used in puzzle solving as well. It receives an upgrade later on in the game, which will make you love it even more.
There are a good variety of enemies in Half-Life 2, aside from the most common enemies, the combine soldiers. Each enemy was well conceived by Valve, and each has a unique way of attacking Gordon. There are many ways to take your foes out. It may be that you pick up an explosive barrel with the gravity gun and hurl it at a wooden bridge full of enemies, making the bridge blow up, crash and burn. It could be that you have gained favor with giant man killing bugs, who now slaughter at your command, or fellow citizens under the oppression of the Combine have assembled a squad and joined you in the fight. The game has great pacing and constantly changes things up, which keep it from getting old. As the game goes on, things not only get more difficult, but more intense, with some of the greatest action coming in the latter part of the game.
Half-Life 2 did and does have its share of weaknesses. It's common to find yourself with little sense of direction, easily overlooking small entries and exits, or key buttons, valves, and switches that blend in with everything else in the environment. Half-Life 2 doesn't require the gamer to think as much as it does to pay close attention to everything. The vehicle sequences contain some of the game's best moments, but can also be a little awkward to control. Some gamers simply will not be able to get sucked into Half-Life's dreary, depressing world. It's not a game for every shooter fan.
The game's graphics, in spite of age, hold up quite well. The facial expressions and character animation were exceptional for its time, and the voice acting was top-notch. Some very good electronic music can be heard in Half-Life 2. The music fits much of action and sense of trying to escape. Unfortunately it doesn't play very often, as things are quiet most of the time. Half-Life 2 is the meat of The Orange Box, and that's a good thing. It's a great game that still holds up very well today.
The Half-Life 2 experience doesn't end with the core game. Add-on games Episode 1 and Episode 2 are packed in, making The Orange Box the essential Half-Life 2 experience. Episode 1 picks up literally where Half-Life 2 left off. It doesn't introduce any new weapons or ideas, but instead takes what Half-Life 2 did great and brings it to you in a refreshing way. Episode 1 is more combat and action oriented, with Alyx at your side for most of the game. A new set of enemies bring a challenge and there are new environments and objectives that weren't really played out much in the core game. The same can be said about Episode 2, which only builds upon the Half-Life 2 formula, introducing the player to new environments and enemies, refreshing the experience all-over again. Episodes 1 & 2 are less than half the length of Half-Life 2, but collectively help make the Half-Life 2 experience an even more exceptional, unforgettable one.
Valve's Portal made its debut on the Orange Box and was later released as a singular game on the PC. It's one brilliant puzzle game that blew my mind when I first saw its capabilities. In Portal, your goal is to successfully complete a series of tests containing gravity and mind bending puzzles in order to escape the facility. You are aided and instructed by a female computer named GlaDos, one of gaming's most original characters. She speaks as if she is your friend, congratulates you when you survive another test, reminisces on your time with her, but makes it clear that she wants you dead. She's a classy, evil super computer. The voice, wit, humor, oddness, and evil of GlaDos is one of the main reasons you should play this game. Oh and the game's credits are amazing. You'll see.
In Portal, you have a gun that shoots portals into walls. If you need to get to a platform across the room, but can't jump there, you can simply shoot an orange portal on a wall near the platform, shoot a blue one beneath the floor you are standing, jump in the blue one, and viola, you pop out the orange portal onto the platform. If a platform is high above you, you can shoot a wall across from the platform, shoot a portal on a floor that is far below you, jump down into the portal below you at high a speed, and you'll zip out of the portal from the wall onto the platform. Seeing and feeling the game in action is a great experience that is difficult to explain in text. Timing and precision become a good part of the game's puzzles as new obstacles and hazards appear.
As awesome as Portal is, it can be completed in three hours. Still, Portal is one of the most unique, enjoyable, rewarding, and memorable gaming experiences you can have. That's saying a lot considering its length.
The single player experiences of Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 & 2, and Portal are more than enough to justify the purchase of The Orange Box. Team Fortress 2 brings multiplayer online play, making it an even greater, lasting value. About the only way The Orange Box could have been better is if the original Half-Life could have somehow made it onto the disc. Regardless, you can't go wrong with a collection of classic, diverse shooters and puzzle games such as The Orange Box.