The Orange Box (TOB) hits every gaming geeks nail on the head. TOB title game is the critically acclaimed game of the year Half Life 2. The TOB also includes Half Life 2 expansions Episodes 1 and 2. On top of this impeccable set of games there is also Portal and Team Fortress 2. Half Life 2 is a first person shooter full of puzzles, action and deep story telling. Portal is a complex puzzle driven game whose game play style and graphics are modeled after HL2. Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is an online balanced multiplayer only shooter. TF2 graphics reminded me of Disney smash hit movie The Incredibles (Think CGI animation if you missed The Incredibles and shame on you if you did it's a flawless family title). Big difference is this isn't a Disney game it's a action shooter so there will be blood, killing and plenty of dismemberment.
Half-Life 2(Did I mention Game of the year but I should also mention GOTY 2004):5/5
Half-Life 2 is everything a first person shooter (FPS) should be with vivid graphics, compelling story, believable characters plus acting and rocking game play. The pace is always switching from tense to frantic to creepy. Most importantly is that Half-Life 2 (HL2) manages to never become stale by incessantly switching up its game play. One second all you have is a crow bar used to bash in fascist Combine soldiers and the next your speed racing on a river boat craft getting shot at. This first person shooter uses the usual tricks of starting you out with no weapons leaving you to accrue an arsenal over several levels. That's a FPS standard tactic but HL2 goes outside the box by not just adding several fun and inventive weapons which they do do plus so much more. For example they insert exhilarating vehicle sequences, they've created AI that takes cover and tries to out flank you, Your charged with solving multitudes of well thought out and rewarding puzzels and you'll fight a wide array baddies ranging from the futuristic military state Combine soldiers, several mutant monsters to large Combine military vehicles that are all itching to take you down along with many other unexpected baddies that I won't ruin here. In HL2 you play Gordon Freeman the lead character from Half Life 1 who was the scientist that managed to escape from the Black Messa research facility accident. This accident has lead to the chaotic world that you must now survive in. Half Life 2 is a FPS only title that uses the now old school set up where you can carry about a dozen weapons at once. Since your lone wolfing it a lot I never once complained at how much fire power I could hold at once or felt it took away from my gaming experience.
Possibly Half-Life most enduring features are its engrossing world that at times totally consumes you with it. You play in future Earth that's been totally changed by Black Messa accident. Technology has in some ways advanced tremendously while society as a whole is on the verge of an apocalypse. By playing Freeman your immediately thrown into a world that's either run by the Combine an insidious military state regime or plagued by alien mutant zombies. This leaves you to lead the resistance (complied of both human and aliens) in a revolution from the combine. HL2 most inventive design comes from its use of a physics engine that allows for realistic gravity for both you and your surrounding objects. While a piece of wood might float on water rocks will sink straight to the bottom. While hurling a harmless pop can at foes does nothing a fridge is sure to crush anyone in its path. One of it's most original features is a Gravity gun you obtain that allows Freeman to pick up and throw objects such as a Refrigerator. On top of HL2 world feeling real the characters you're surrounded with are well written and believable. HL2 also has a high octane musical score that helps set the mood whether its heart pumping, eerie or just plan exciting. Only after all of HL2 story twists, adrenalin action and creepy backdrops are completed can you really understand why this was GOTY by over 40 different gaming media outlets.
HL2 Episode 1 (Classic HL2 not much new on the table):4/5 Alyx Vance was a major character in HL2. After the events of HL2 your thrust with her to escape from the Combine run City 17. The adventures you experience in Episode one offer very little that HL2 didn't already throw at you save the fact that Alyx becomes your side kick for almost the majority of your escape. Freeman will again start out having lost all his weapons. Damn how does that keep happening? Other than a few new baddies Episode 1 is simply a straight expansion from HL2. I still enjoyed Episode one but it lost points from me for not incorporation HL2 best feature of constant originality. That being said The end battles in Episode 1 we're enjoyable.
HL2 Episode 2 (Fresh, gripping and well written): 5/5 Now that you've escaped City 17 you and Alyx must fight your way to the White Forest resistance base. Episode 2 outclasses Episode 1 in originality, story and action. While episode 2 is still using classic HL2 engine you'll face several new baddies and receive one new weapon for your arsenal. There's several well added cinematic action sequence that usually involve Alyx's dog (who is a large AI one eyed robot that's first seen in HL2). The battles leading up to the finale are blood pumping and brilliant. The final battle was one of the most grueling of the whole series. It's a real grind to complete and a thrill ride all the way through. Episode 2 ends but in classic HL2 fashion it closes with a grand canyon size cliff hanger. If you enjoyed HL2 as much as me you'll be chomping at the bit for HL3 which hopefully is another Game of the year title.
Portal (It's no piece of cake): 4/5 Portal begins with you being a trapped test subject in a bizarre research faculty. You're prompted by a robotic voice on where to begin solving your way to hopefully freedom. The robotic voice acts as your only verbal companion during Portal's methodically escalating live action brain teasers. Portal's unique in that it gives a dual portal gun which you can fire on two different setting one being to create an entrance and another being for an exit. Portal quickly goes from hard to lethal while your only voice companion goes from helpful to psychotic. Portal will catch you off guard with its well placed humor, dark moods and fantastically designed 19 levels. It's fun addition to the TOB and while it steals from HL2 engine systems Portal is unique in a variety of ways.
Team Fortress 2 (very balanced multiplayer only gaming): 4/5 team fortress is really fun multiplayer gaming. It's basic combat red team vs. blue team. Each map has a locked in special objective like capture the intelligence or capture the position. There's several characters and they compliant certain means of attack whether heavy on defense, offense, speed or stealth. For example you can choose from the scout (very fast, weak health, shot gun, pistol, baseball bat), The sniper (sniper rifle, machine gun and knife), The heavy (chain gun, fist, shot gun, very tough and slow), Pyro (flame thrower, shot gun, axe), Engineer (Shot gun, pistol, wrench and ability to create portals, turrets, and supply stations), Demo, (sticky bomb gun, rpg, melee weapon),Medic (saw, healing gun thingy, dart gun and special limited invincibility for you and one teamate once you've gotten a full charge from the healing gun thingy) Solider (Shot gun, Rocket launcher, shovel, pistol) and lastly my favorite the spy (revolver, knife ,weak health, special limited invisibility cloak and ability to mask self in opponents colored suit and ability to sabotage engineer constructions). The spy loses his enemy mask after attacking but his knife is a one hit kill from behind. I live for knifing heavy's in the back. TF2 is different from other online games because it's object based and not kill based. You can respawn a hundred different times into what ever character you want too. Plus you can kill a hundred different characters yet never win. TF2 gave me a sense of team work I rarely find in other online games. Each skin has pre set voice commands that add a sense of humor to this already fun shooter. Games are clocked so if no winner is claimed there's a bonus round where your given only one life to duke it out with. This last man or team standing round is really fun because it gives you a sense of mortality that you don't feel during regular game play. These little touches add to how balanced and fun TF2 is to play. Basically TF2 is another nice bonus to already great package wrapped in orange and placed in a box.
Last take: I'm not a fan of playing games over again but Half Life 2 & Portal offer commentary gaming where you can replay these games and search out commentary bubbles click and hear what the development team has to say. Half Life 2 is one of the few games I've played twice and enjoyed it both times. Team Fortress 2 to me is like chess it never gets old.
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