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PS3 | Action | Half-Life 2: The Orange Box

Boxart for Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box 8 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 5.00
  • SOUND: 5.00
  • CONTROL: 4.00
  • FUN FACTOR 5.00
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.3
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.6
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: The Orange Box (PS3)

Review by Abbie Heppe | 01/09/2008 | 16:06:56 PM PST

The Orange Box is as close to a must buy title as it gets for PS3 owners. It features five incredible games that are worth buying individually; heck, for Team Fortress 2 alone, I'd thrown in my first-born as well.

By now, you probably know all about what the Orange Box has to offer but just in case, you don't, here's a quick primer: it includes the classic Half Life 2 as well as the follow-ups Episode One and Two; these mini-sequels do an excellent job of extending the story and set up what's coming next.

Also included is the gem Portal, a mind-blowing and sometimes baffling title that shines with excellent game design and dialogue. The game arms you with a special gun that allows you to create portals on the fly; you use it to solve environmental puzzles while unraveling the hilarious back story. It isn't particularly long but the experience is awesome from the first minute to the last.

As if that wasn't enough, the package is rounded out by Team Fortress 2, which I feel is best multi-player game of the year. The new art style, fast pace and strategic team play really help set it apart from the rest of the pack. It feels simplified when compared to the original but it's ridiculously fun. The PS3 version also features dedicated servers which helps eliminate a lot of the hosting problems that affected the 360 version. A nice addition is the option to vote on maps rather than return to the lobby between games.

There has been some criticism levied against the PS3 version of Orange Box for daunting load times and framerate issues and while they are present, it's easy to forgive these technical issues given the quality of the game itself. If you have a PS3, you can't afford not to own it.

PROS: Five incredible games in one awesome package. There are dedicated servers for TF2.
CONS: Painful load times, intermittent frame rate issues, the controls are the least friendly of all the versions.

Every PS3 owner owes it to themselves to try out Portal. It really is that good.

Every PS3 owner owes it to themselves to try out Portal. It really is that good.

Team Fortress 2 is a fantastic follow-up to the original. Just be careful where you aim your weapons when playing online, plz.

Team Fortress 2 is a fantastic follow-up to the original. Just be careful where you aim your weapons when playing online, plz.


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