Half Life 2: The Orange Box Review By quadomatic on Dec 01, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

There are many game bundles that advertise themselves as being a great deal. Out of the numerous game bundles available, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box is one of the greatest bundles there is, at an amazingly low price.

The Orange Box includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Each of these games are fantastic. Half-Life 2 is one of the best First Person Shooters ever made. It is highly innovative in its gameplay. Its graphics are top notch. The sound quality and soundtrack are great. All of these things can be said about its sequels Episode One and Episode Two as well. The only problem with Episode One and Two are that they are pretty short; both take about 5 hours each to play. But, considering that The Orange Box includes all three games from the Half-Life 2 series, the shortness of Episode One and Episode Two can be overlooked.

The Orange Box also includes a multiplayer game, Team Fortress 2. Team Fortress 2 has been in the works for many, many years now, and finally everyone has a chance to play it. It certainly has been worth the wait. There are a wide array of classes to choose from - Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. Each of these classes are unique in their weapons and abilities. The class based gameplay requires teamwork in order for victory. Gameplay is very fun. The quirky, cartoony graphics look very good too.

Portal, the spiritual sequel to the game made by the makers of Narbacular Drop, is also very enjoyable. In Portal, you solve puzzles by using the Handheld Portal Device. Some of them can be very challenging, but the game is very fun and rewarding. Also, Portal has a very good sense of humor.

If you haven't already bought the Half-Life 2 games, and are at all interested in first person shooters, The Orange Box is a must have for you. If you have already purchased some of the games in The Orange Box, it is still worth it to buy it for the newer additions (Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal).