I wasn't really open to the idea of The Orange Box for 360 when it first arrived - I had never really seen the fuss that the Half Life games had created, and the good things I had heard about Team Fortress 2 from a friend wasn't enough to persuade me. As far as I was concerned, I wasn't going to spend forty quid on an FPS game that didn't even have a single player. And as for Portal, well it didn't seem to intrigue me enough.
How wrong I was.
I picked it up, and was evidently shown the error of my ways. Half Life 2 remains the best storytelling game that I have ever played, and although I lost interest at the beginning of Episode 2 due to Army of Two coming out (that decision probably wasn't one of my better choices) I am now firmly confirmed that once I've wrapped up GTAIV I'm going to start HL2 again and this time go all the way through to the finish.
Portal is one of the most innovative puzzle games to date, and although it was too short in my opinion, the ending was well-worked and the humour was dark but at the same time easy to laugh at. The news that a full length Portal title is in the works can only be good
Finally, Team Fortress 2. The sole reason I originally picked up TOB in the first place was probably the one that I spent the most time playing. It took me a while to get into it as I was more used to the frantic noobfesting in Halo 3 - and especially with the lack of a deathmatch made the idea seem uninteresting as I don't usually enjoy objective based games. It was, then, a big surprise that I got so involved in capture the flag games... The class variations make each game exciting and unique and adds to the game a new element of tactics that is uncommon in other games.
All in all, The Orange Box is probably the best value for money package on the 360. It took me about a day's worth of time to finish HL2, plus four hours on Episode 1. I gave about an hour to Episode 2 before I lost interest due to Ao2, and I'd say around five hours for Portal plus countless hours whiled away playing TF2.
Verdict - 10/10. Superb value for money with five titles for the price of one. Essential if you haven't played any of them on PC, worth it for TF2 alone on XBL even if you have.
How wrong I was.
I picked it up, and was evidently shown the error of my ways. Half Life 2 remains the best storytelling game that I have ever played, and although I lost interest at the beginning of Episode 2 due to Army of Two coming out (that decision probably wasn't one of my better choices) I am now firmly confirmed that once I've wrapped up GTAIV I'm going to start HL2 again and this time go all the way through to the finish.
Portal is one of the most innovative puzzle games to date, and although it was too short in my opinion, the ending was well-worked and the humour was dark but at the same time easy to laugh at. The news that a full length Portal title is in the works can only be good
Finally, Team Fortress 2. The sole reason I originally picked up TOB in the first place was probably the one that I spent the most time playing. It took me a while to get into it as I was more used to the frantic noobfesting in Halo 3 - and especially with the lack of a deathmatch made the idea seem uninteresting as I don't usually enjoy objective based games. It was, then, a big surprise that I got so involved in capture the flag games... The class variations make each game exciting and unique and adds to the game a new element of tactics that is uncommon in other games.
All in all, The Orange Box is probably the best value for money package on the 360. It took me about a day's worth of time to finish HL2, plus four hours on Episode 1. I gave about an hour to Episode 2 before I lost interest due to Ao2, and I'd say around five hours for Portal plus countless hours whiled away playing TF2.
Verdict - 10/10. Superb value for money with five titles for the price of one. Essential if you haven't played any of them on PC, worth it for TF2 alone on XBL even if you have.
