The Orange Box is possibly the greatest deal in video game history. A full package of gaming delight.
I bought this bundle of goodness for one reason, and one reason only, to re-experience Half-Life 2 again. I played this beast of a game a few years ago when it was first ported onto the original Xbox. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed it now. The game sadly showed it's age, but then again, I knew that going in. The only possibly negative thing I can say here is, the loading times slow the pace of the game play down to a zombie crawl...which sadly dampened my re-experiencing of Half-Life 2
Episode 1 and 2 is the same as Half-Life 2, only a little shinier, but a tad shorter. They do a good job of extending the story of Half-Life 2, yet I feel slightly short changed. Even though they both extend on the story, they also try to extend on what made Half-Life 2 so great. They both try to recreate the same amazing set pieces, which after about half an hour into episode one, made me very, very bored, actually forcing me to turn the system off. Now, I respect the story of this game, as well as Valve as a developer, and can understand way they chose to go for a episodic approach to a follow up of HL2, but, I feel as if they simply took Half-Life 2, but jammed a new story into the old horse's mouth.
Portal. Nothing else can be said about this game but, amazing. If Jesus was a video game, Portal would be Jesus. For anyone who has played this relatively short game, they would know why. You play an unnamed test subject, seemingly trapped in a science facility, which is run by a creepy, yet amusing, A.I system. You go through a series of test chambers, all involving various puzzles you must solve using a type of gun that rips time and space apart, allowing you to move freely though portals. The game is enjoyable because of the sheer focus on game play. The look of the game is so simple and plain, that all you think about is your objective, which, is to solve the puzzle and move onto the next chamber. This is gaming at its very essence.
The Orange Box is doubtfully the best deal ever in video games, offering 5 games in one package, for the price of one regular game. Half-Life 2 is still a solid game, despite it's age, and lets a new generation of gamers who missed out on it years ago. Episode 1 and 2 add onto the HL2 formula, letting us all know what actually happened after the explosion. Team Fortress 2, from what I know, is a solid multiplayer game, focused on fast solid fun. And Portal, well, Portal is just perfect, in every single way.