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STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
5 Stars Classic
4 Stars Excellent
3 Stars Good
2 Stars Fair
1 Star Tragic

Packshot
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box

Game Details
Released
19 October 2007
Format
PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Developer
Valve


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Half-Life 2: The Orange Box

Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (2007)
Review
It goes without saying that any game bearing the Half-Life 2 logo is worth buying. But as The Orange Box includes the sublime Half-Life 2, its two follow-up episodes, a multiplayer blaster and a brand new action-puzzle game based in the series’ bleak universe, this incredible compilation could be the gaming deal of the century.

Don’t even bother reading the rest of this review - just go and buy it.

Still here? OK, if you want more background on what you’re getting into, Half-Life 2 is one of the most intense blasters ever unleashed, a dizzying blend of intelligent gunplay, scarily-intelligent enemies and Orwellian imagery; Episodes 1 and 2 continue the story of accidental hero Gordon Freeman and his battle against alien invaders, each semi-sequel refining the Half-Life experience and plugging holes in the series’ elaborate plot; Portals, a new action-puzzler, sees players negotiating a series of rooms and using inter-dimensional gateways to reach the exit, the game’s ingenious brain-ticklers hooking players with its irresistible, ‘just one more go’ appeal; and Team Fortress 2 is an ambitious multiplayer mash-up featuring exaggerated, cartoon-style heroes that look like the stars of a Pixar movie, but are thrust into hardcore combat where character classes attempt to outdo each other by exploiting their simple-to-understand-but-a-bitch-to-master, paper-rock-scissors-style relationships.

While any PC player worth their salt will have already cracked Half-Life 2 and Episode 1, The Orange Box still represents tremendous value for money, especially as you can ‘gift’ friends with the bits and pieces of the compilation you already own. But no matter what platform you play this package on, The Orange Box is a indisputable classic that no gamer should be without.

Reviewer: David McComb

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Your Reviews
Average user rating for Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
Empire Star Rating

Phenomenal
Empire User Rating

Just buy it. It's brilliant on PC, PS3 and X-Box ... Read More

Stubacca About me
21:54, 04 January 2008 | Report This Post

EXCELLENT!!!!
Empire User Rating

Fantastic game, haven't played episodes 1 and 2 yet. Did play portal and clocked it. A fantastic mini-game, better than most full length games i've played. ... Read More

tallaght24 About me
14:24, 31 October 2007 | Report This Post

Bargin
Empire User Rating

This a bargin not only do u get Half Life 2 u get episodes 1 and 2 also Portal and Team Fortress thats 4 games for the price of one i am going to Amazon to order right now (only 360 has all of half life 2 ) ... Read More

Paulie Wallnuts About me
19:34, 16 October 2007 | Report This Post

Empire User Rating

can't wait to play team fortress 2 online ... Read More

alimac About me
19:26, 10 October 2007 | Report This Post

Empire User Rating

October 19th my good man! ... Read More

tallaght24 About me
16:53, 02 October 2007 | Report This Post

Empire User Rating

October 19th my good man! ... Read More

tallaght24 About me
16:53, 02 October 2007 | Report This Post

Empire User Rating

Does anyone know when this comes out for the 360 cause i loved Half Life 2 on the xbox ... Read More

alimac About me
22:01, 29 September 2007 | Report This Post

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