PS3 Orange Box pops top Dec. 11

When Valve Software first revealed that the PlayStation 3 version of Half-Life 2 megacompilation The Orange Box would lag behind its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts, director of marketing Doug Lombardi anticipated the delay to be a mere "couple of weeks." Two months after the other versions' October 10 launch, Electronic Arts today has officially confirmed The Orange Box on the PS3 will arrive on December 11 in North America and Europe. The publisher also noted that French and German versions would follow in early 2008.

The Orange Box--which includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal--will meet stiff competition when it goes on sale next week. Despite Midway telling investors not to expect the game until next year, Epic Games defied naysayers last week with word that the PS3 edition of Unreal Tournament III would arrive December 10. Also getting a day's jump on The Orange Box next week will be Midway's internally developed BlackSite: Area 51.

The Orange Box on the PS3 will retail for $59.99 and is rated M for Mature. For an idea of what to expect from The Orange Box, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the already-reviewed PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game.