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Best deal in video game history! 5 games in one box!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 64 / 73
Date: October 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of Half Life, so I knew I would get this for Xbox 360. (I prefer playing games on consoles.) I was also curious about the other games in this package. There is one disc...when you put it in the 360 a main menu comes up with five choices across the bottom of the screen...1. Half Life 2, 2. Half Life 2 Episode One, 3. Half Life 2 Episode Two, 4. Portal and 5. Team Fortress 2. That's right 5 games! One disc. One box. $59.99! Great deal.

Half Life 2 appears to be much better looking graphically than the original Xbox version...there are not as many glitches either. The backwards compatible version had quite a few bugs that made playing the game on the 360 quite annoying. Not to worry here. The game play is smooth and quite comparable to the PC version. The bonus here of course is that you have both Episodes One and Two to move on with after completing Half Life 2...or you can play just Episode One or Two. You don't have to solve one to play the others. That may be beneficial if you have played Half Life 2 and just want to jump right into the Episodes. The graphics on the Episodes really shine...it looks amazing...they did a great job with this version.

Portal is an interesting game and quite challenging. It seems very similar to Half Life 2 in that it is in first person, but this is more of a puzzle game. You have a portal shooting gun, and you have to figure out how to use the device to get through a maze or puzzle. There are a few twists on this too...moving platforms, switches, blocks, weight activated floor buttons, electrical sensor receptacles, energy emitting zappers that can activate the receptacles and later in the game this is even more complicated by motion sensing robotic machine gun turrets. It really stimulates the brain. It definitely makes you think outside the box. Eventually, you get the ability to shoot two different portals...one an entry portal, and the second an exit portal. I got addicted to this game and played for two hours straight until I became completely stuck and confused. I had to put it down and relax for a while...I was getting a little too intense. I can't wait to play again.

Team Fortress 2 is an online multiplayer based game. You are set up into teams, and then there are different objectives to play. I only played it twice, so I don't know all the ins and outs of it. However, it does look quite interesting. There are a few different characters to choose from with different abilities. These abilities can make one character better at defending a base, one is better at going out and stalking the other team, etc. There are snipers, medics, heavy weapon handlers, spies, scouts and a few others that I can remember. This game appears to have some replay value and a lot of fun for online multiplayer.

With all those games in one box and on one disc, who wouldn't want it for $59.99?!? This is truly the best deal in video game history. Why don't more companies do this and release more content at one time? This may make developers think about quantity in addition to quality.

Simply amazing and a great value

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I came into this game and didn't know what to expect. I was amazed. For starters, half-life 2 was insane and i just beat it. I didn't start episode one yet but after i beat all of the half life 2s i plan on going back and replaying them. Half life 2 is the best single player expierence i have ever had with a shooting game. The first few levels are fun but once you get every weapon oh man it is fun. Anyone who hasnt played half life 2 yet here are the list of weapons: 9mm pistol, SMG, .357 pistol, shotgun, crowbar, pulse rifle, sniper crossbow, grenade, rocket launcher, pods that will let you shoot enemies at things (only effective in 2 levels) and last but not least the gravity gun. In the last 2 levels the gravity gun gets maxed out and is insane. Next is portal i am at test chamber 18 and i have had a blast with this game. Although it sounds different it is loads of fun. It is simple you shoot portals and go through them. It is pretty hard and some of the last testchambers but it is fun. Last but not least Team Fortress 2. This game is fun and trying different classes is loads of fun. I havent played it that much but when i did play i had a lot of fun. It is pretty easy to pick up and play and trying out different clases is sweet.

Note: I am adding to Team Fortress 2 here. Team Fortress 2 is a lot of fun. People may be turned away by its cartoon graphics but don't. TF2 is really fun because of the classes. I have tried every class and all are fun to play as. I tried out every class and switch off between classes. Sometimes if i am doing bad i will become a spy and sneak behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. Every class is a lot of fun to play and anyone with xbox live should check it out.

Overall: For the normal 60 bucks you are paying this game is a lot of gameplay hours. This game is not for everyone so for people who are playing half life for the first time RENT IT FIRST. If you like it i encourage you buy it but if you dont well that stinks because this game is amazing.

Sweet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: October 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a good game. People should buy it if they have an Xbox 360 because it's good. I like it to play it. Portal is really fun but once you beat it you probably won't ever want to play it again.

Wow Buy for the xbox 360 if you dont have a good pc

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: October 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok i have a pretty good computer i can play Half Life 2 to almost top specs, but episode 1 had so many problems, anyway i always wanted half life 2 on a console but the graphics were pathetic and did not compare to the pc. When it came for out for the 360 i had to get it, and man was i impressed 5 games for the price of one, and theylook amazing i have a nice hd tv surrond sound and i was blown away so much better than my pc trust me graphics top notch. so if you ever wanted to play half life at top specs get this now. Now about game play come on its half life ok its the best game ive ever played and the best fps on any system, team fortress is fun and portal is a thinker you will spend awhile to get through this game in the end this game was amazing get it.

Peel this Orange and be satisfied!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: October 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

One thing that struck me when I first put in 'the Orange Box' and played Half Life 2 original was how crisp the graphics are. The textures ,dynamic lighting all add to the beauty. And if you have a good HDTV , some additional minor tweaking of the picture makes Half Life-2 look rather stunning.Another thing I loved about the Half Life series were there are no pre-rendered cutscenes,except for the very begining and very end of each episode/game. All of Half Lifes story takes place in game while playing, something I wish more games did. The game is not riddled with mini-movies.Half Life 2 does show its age 'design' wise but as far as graphics and crispness of textures it looks about as good as it can on any platform. One great thing I love about all 5 games is the fully customizable controls. After playing HALO3 for so long I was comfortable with the (RB) reload . So if you want you can fully map any button on the 360 controller for Half Life-2 to suit your tastes, very nice indeed. Multiplayer TeamFortress2 plays nice , there were some early lag issues but at the time of this writing Valve was working on the servers and trying to match people with simular LIVE speed, so the lag issue is nearly solved. Portal is quirky puzzle solving in First Person, if you played PREY the portals work in simular fashion , only with the Portal Gun you can put a portal almost anywhere the game allows,although you don't aquire the Portal gun right away. The (3) Half Lifes look and play great. It takes at least 26-30 HOURS to complete all 3 Half Life-2 games (Not including Portal).I enjoyed Half Life-2's story and its nice to have all 3 chapters in one disc.There's lots of gaming to be had with ' The Orange (5 game bargain) Box' any FPS fan should have this in there collection. (update) I found out there is a lag patch for TF2 out now. You can get the patch via XboxLive. On another note:With the open-ended ending of Ep:2 will HL2-Episode 3 be available for download via X-Live soon? Most likely yes ,PEACE

Outstanding Bundle. Portal is Awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Orange Box is such an extremely good value that there is basically no excuse for you not to buy it. Included on the disc are Halflife 2, Halflife 2:Episode 1, Halflife 2:Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.

There is probably little need to say anything about Halflife 2, which was one of my favorite Xbox titles. Episodes 1 and 2 continue on in the same vein with the same quality and same level of fun. They are worth the price of the disc.

In my opinion, though, the real story here is Portal! I predict that this game will become a classic in short order, and will almost certainly become the basis for further, larger games. Simply put, it is one of the most engrossing games I have ever played. It is primarily a puzzle game, albeit one based on a very novel concept. It is however, blended with just the right amount of ominous, slightly creepy, "game-breaking" that becomes the game behind the game. Just play the thing. You will wish it was at least TWICE as long.

As far as Team Fortress 2 goes, I don't have anything to report yet, mostly because I don't have the free time required to get involved in an online team-based endeavor. It does look pretty sweet though. I'm not sure how conducive it is to casual play, as it seems to require a high-degree of coordination among player classes, etc.

So, Orange Box is definitely 5 stars for Fun. It would get 6 stars for value, if there were a value category, and if it let you give 6 stars. It is the new "must have" title on the 360.

Half Life 2 (worth every penny)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I never played any of the games from the Half Life series/mods (since I never played games on a PC). So, I decided to buy the Orange Box and see what HL2 was all about... Let me first say (write), if you enjoy FPS's you will love Half Life 2. I was already playing Bioshock and thought I would throw in The Orange Box and get a taste of each of the games on the disc. Two hours later I was totally captured by the HL2 storyline and game play. This game is sweet! And its age (2004) doesn't show in my opinion. Yes, Bioshock is a prettier game, and yes Halo 3 is a robust multiplayer extravaganza; but Half Life 2 definitely has a story to it. And the engine used to create this game is way cool.

If you are not sure about buying The Orange Box for the Xbox 360 ~ TRUST ME! You will not regret the purchase! It is worth every penny... :)

Finally, Half LIfe 2 with a game pad and without Steam.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Valve has done everything right with this package. Half Life 2 is now more immersive due to updated graphics and a rumble feature for the controller. The gamepad controls are mapped out perfectly and I have found I can play this came far better and more effeciently than I did with the keyboard and mouse set up of the PC version. I always felt like I was doing my homework sitting in front of a tiny computer monitor and typing and clicking away. That's great for Microsoft Word but not for a FPS video game. (Plus, getting Carpals Tunnel from playing video games is not my cup of tea.) Half Life 2 is now a far more spontaneous and relaxing experience. The biggest plus is the fact that the shackles of Steam are nowhere to be found on the console version of this classic. Now, I just pop the disc in and start playing. My old PC copy of Half Life 2 and Steam are in the dumpster outside my apartment where they belong.

AWESOME games plus 5 for the price of 1 deal..ROCKS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: October 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game bcuz it has Team Fortress 2(multiplayer only) and it is uber fun (after you figure out each game mode, takes about an hour and a half of steady playing). I have probably spent 10 hrs playing this since I got it on Thursday. Primarily I have been playing TF2 but have started plying the first of the 3 Half Life games on it snd am very impressed. I can see alot of value for what you get. Have fun with it.

Reviving a classic, mostly on target with this release

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 17
Date: October 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I will start off by saying that I already owned the Half-Life 2 portion of this on PC - and that as far as the single-player game goes, the controls translate *very* well onto the console, which is one of the main concerns I had about it. Achievements breathe whole new life into the experience, and the addition of Episode 2 gives you around 30 hours or more of the Half Life storyline. Half-Life 2 is already a classic, and is an excellent follow up to the first one.

The only negatives I have to offer in regard to this are minor. Half Life 2 Death Match is omitted. Also - mods, game modes, etc. created using the Source engine will always tend to favor the PC. This is one of the few IPs that still has an active mod community - so it is worth having on the PC. Achievements and the controls more than make up for these shortcomings if you are interested in the Half-Life 2 story itself however.

Portal is... interesting, but the single-player only offering leaves me wishing it could have a multi-player component. It is a good puzzle game however, and will leave you scratching your head at some points wondering how to pull something off.

Team Fortress 2... I remember playing the mod from the original Half-Life. For the most part this is a faithful transition - and I really enjoy the game modes and the way that the classes balance and play. It feels both new and familiar at the same time. As the only online offering of the package - this is an excellent way to spend 15 - 20 minutes at a time blasting other players in a cartoony fashion.

That being said - this is also a weak point in the Orange Box arsenal. X-Box Live, and the reason I started purchasing more games for the console, is supposed to be a "seamless" experience. I should be able to select a group of friends, launch into a game, and go. Connecting to the same server as your friends on Team Fortress 2 is a hassle. You have to coordinate via the microphone and hope that the same servers come up on your list when you click "find servers" at the same time.

Joining in progress is not always an option, because servers fill up quickly. As in Halo 3 - I would like the ability to launch with my friends at once, or join servers as a group.

Once you get into a game however, it is an absolute blast. The online connecting issues are the only reason why I would give this package 4 instead of 5 stars. If the hassle of joining a game weren't there - this would be 5-star material. As-is, it is easier to join the same server using Steam on the PC.

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