Orange Box
I’m a huge fan of first person shooters. I hadn’t played Half-Life since the original came out, and at the time, it was not a good introduction for me- the plot went over my head and I was a little too young to appreciate just what I was playing. I do remember being in awe at the graphics though. In fact, I’d stop and watch the looping trailers at the supermarket where I bought it (sounds weird, I know.).
I passed up Half-life 2 when it came out, because I didn’t enjoy the first one the way I should have. However, with my recent boredom with Unreal Tournament 2K4, I decided it was time to pick up something else.
Orange Box completely blew me away, actually. The price for all of these games together is decent. Granted, some of the titles are a little dated, but they’re just as enjoyable. As far as Half-Life 2, seeing this much effort in a FPS is really wonderful. The scripted events are pretty well done (maybe a little stiff). The graphics are nothing terribly fancy comparatively, but are still impressive and don’t leave my eyes bleeding from ugly textures or shitty color contrasts.
I think this game really shines when it comes to Team Fortress 2 and Portal. The gameplay in the latter is actually an impressive concept and is well executed. And the dialogue from the antagonistic computer had me and my roommates laughing quite a bit. In terms of content, the 19 levels can go really quickly, but there’s a decent amount of replay in terms of challenges, so I won’t hold it against them. Not to mention, there was no guarantee this concept would receive the reaction it has, so for a test-run it’s not so bad. I’m hoping for (and counting on) a sequel.
My favorite overall is Team Fortress 2. This is probably the most interesting approach I’ve seen in terms of competetive FPS. The class system makes for diverse game play every time, and adds levels of strategy that one might not expect. The various quirks, such as nemesis, record keeping (the computer letting you know that you’ve killed more people this round with headshots than the last is mildly entertaining), and the achievements (grey-matter award is pretty rewarding) make it entertaining. Unfortunately, lately, I seem to be ending up on French servers, so I haven’t been communicating with my team mates, but I’m sure it’s a useful feature, lol. Also, please note that it’s pretty funny to listen to French people when they get killed.
I’m sure this review isn’t helpful, it’s more me just talking about my excitement with this game, but I thought I’d share my current gaming experience. Plus, I figure Orange Box is a nice way to spend my time until I pick up Jericho.
