More than just 'Bang for Buck'.
General negative points: There IS a slight framrate issue, its true but it happens infrequently enough to hardly be noticeable. The only time it was a game killer was one or two instances towards the end of Half Life 2... Which is an aweseom game. The second negative point is the loading times... they can be quite long and an hinder the flow of gameplay. Final point is story. What is going on? Who am I? What am I doing? Who am I killing? and why?
Many player reviews of this title suggest no framerte issues and bearable loading times... but I obviously disagree. We are playing the same game on the same system right?
Positive points: There are five main pros to the orange box... they are Half life 2, Episode 1, episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. All these games are brilliant. Portal has already recieved the recognition it deserves. Even my girlfriend likes the game (which is shocking considering I have to FIGHT to get playstation time :)
This is the first time I ever played the Half Life series and I am certainly impressed. Yes its a FPS... but somehow it feels different to all the others on the market right now. Its not just about killing people and monsters, its also about level design and puzzles which is fresh. You can easily notice the improvements on episode one to Half life 2 and that is to be expected. Graphically its colorfull and sharp. Very nice looking indeed. I actually think it LOOKS better than the 360 version...
I am deducting points for the loading times and framrate issues. This should not be tolerated in this age of gaming. I cant say anythig about the story because I am only half way through the trilogy do it wouldnt be fair.
Overall, this is an extremely solid package with much bang for buck. But more than that, they are great games. Great FPS with great puzzles and great graphics. The sound design is a little weak on Half Life 2 but works its magic from episode 1 and onwards. Team Fortress two is my favorite multi player and far more enjoyable than other FPS multiplayer in my opinion.
Woth buying. You will be playing for months and months. You will enjoy every step. I wont consider another purchase until I have torn orange box to shreds.