The Orange Box

The Orange Box is a compilation of five games developed by Valve Software, including the first-person shooter Half-Life 2, the puzzle game Portal, and the multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2. There are also two additional Half-Life 2 expansions, titled Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Although the majority of the content falls in the sci-fi universe of Half-Life, the innovative Portal and frenetic Team Fortress 2 offer a bit of variety. Whether you're looking for an action-packed adventure or a highly addictive multiplayer experience, The Orange Box has you covered.

Main Game Features

• Five unique games
• Single-player and competitive multiplayer options
• Impressive visuals and gameplay across all games

Story

Out of the five games included in The Orange Box, the majority of the narrative comes from Half-Life 2 and its expansions. The epic three-game series follows Gordon Freeman, a scientist who awakens from cryo-sleep into a world controlled by an evil empire known as the Combine. Taking place sometime after the events of the original game, Gordon must recruit and empower a group of resistance fighters to overthrow the Combine and reclaim Earth's freedom. There's a significant amount of complexity to the plot, so science-fiction fans will enjoy the surplus of lore and world-building.

While the storytelling is much lighter in Portal, it's of surprisingly quality, due to consistently funny dialogue and some great twists and turns. Playing as Chell, a voiceless test subject at the Aperture Science research center, you'll work your way through a series of puzzle chambers. You're guided through your adventure by the disembodied voice of GlaDOS, a darkly humorous artificial-intelligence that seems to have ulterior motives for your experiments.

Gameplay

Across the board, all five games in The Orange Box play from a first-person perspective. Four out of the five are first-person shooters, with Portal being the exception as a first-person puzzle game. In Half-Life 2 and its expansions, you'll work your way through dozens of open-ended levels, blasting through mutant and human foes as Gordon Freeman. In addition to standard FPS weapons like the shotgun and pistol, you're able to utilize some pretty interesting weapons, namely the Gravity Gun. This physics-based weapon lets you pick up and shoot random items at will, allowing you to use your environment to slay the enemy. There are some puzzle-solving sequences and vehicle-based sections as well, adding a bit of variety to the bunch.

Portal offers some truly head-scratching puzzles in bite-sized chunks, laid out in a series of test chambers for you to complete. Your objective in each room is usually straightforward, requiring you to press a button, manipulating energy beams, or traverse dangerous hazards. In order to complete the puzzles, you'll need to use your portal gun, which lets you place a blue and orange portal on walls, floors, and ceilings. There's a seemingly limitless number of uses for the portal gun, making for an exciting and unforgettable adventure.

While both Half-Life 2 and Portal are fantastic, the most replayability comes from Team Fortress 2. In this multiplayer shooter, two teams duke it out for victory in a variety of classic game modes. There are nine unique character classes to pick from, including the Spy, the Engineer, the Soldier, and more.

Each class has special abilities and specific weapons, encouraging you to follow a certain play-style. You'll participate in matches of King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and other memorable modes on six different maps. Thanks to an abundance of custom content and a huge community of fans, Team Fortress 2 offers endless hours of competitive fun.

Pros

• Excellent use of physics-base gameplay
• Unforgettable sci-fi stories
• Addictive multiplayer

Cons

• Half-Life 2 ends on a cliffhanger
• Aging graphics