The Orange Box

Last updated

The Orange Box
Hltob-win-cover.jpg
The box art depicts Half-Life's Gordon Freeman, a sign from Portal, and the "Heavy" class from Team Fortress 2.
Developer(s) Valve [a]
Publisher(s) Valve
Engine Source
Platform(s)
Release
October 10, 2007
  • Windows, Xbox 360
    • NA: October 10, 2007
    • EU: October 19, 2007
    • AU: October 25, 2007
  • PlayStation 3
    • NA: December 11, 2007
    • EU: December 11, 2007
    • AU: December 20, 2007
Genre(s) Various
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

The Orange Box is a video game compilation containing five games developed and published by Valve. Two of the games included, Half-Life 2 and its first stand-alone expansion, Episode One ; had previously been released in 2004 and 2006 as separate products. Three new games were also included in the compilation: the second stand-alone expansion, Half-Life 2: Episode Two ; the puzzle game Portal ; and Team Fortress 2 , the multiplayer game sequel to Team Fortress Classic . Valve also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation. A separate product entitled The Black Box was planned, which would have included only the new games, but was later canceled.

Contents

The Orange Box was released for Windows and the Xbox 360 in October 2007, while the PlayStation 3 version, developed by EA UK and not Valve, [1] was released in December 2007. A digital Orange Box pack, containing the five games, was released in May 2010 for Mac OS X following the release of Steam for the platform, [2] while a similar version for Linux followed after the Steam's clients release for Linux in early 2013.

The Orange Box received widespread critical acclaim, with Portal being recognized as a surprise favorite of the package. The PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box, however, was criticized for containing several technical shortcomings that were not present in the other versions, only a few of which were fixed through a single patch. [3]

Overview

Episode Two introduced new rural environments to the Half-Life series. Halflife2 episode2 screenshot.jpg
Episode Two introduced new rural environments to the Half-Life series.

The Orange Box features five complete games compiled into one retail unit: Half-Life 2 and its two continuations, Episode One and Episode Two; Portal; and Team Fortress 2. All of these games use Valve's Source engine. [4] At its launch the game was priced similar to other AAA video game releases of the era. With it costing $49.95 on PC and $59.95 on console in the United States. [5]

Through the Steam platform for the Windows version, the games can collect and report in-depth data such as where the player's character died, completion time, and total victories in multiplayer modes. This data is compiled to generate gameplay statistics for Episode One, Episode Two, and Team Fortress 2. [6]

Although Half-Life 2 has the largest proportion of Achievements, there are 99 spread across all five games, exceeding the 50-Achievement limit that Microsoft maintains to feature the most Achievements of any Xbox 360 product. [7] These Achievements include killing a certain number of monsters, finding hidden weapon caches, or other tasks specific to each game. [8]

All the games on The Orange Box except Half-Life 2 (on consoles and on PC prior to its 2024 20th anniversary update) contain in-game commentary that can be enabled, allowing the player to listen to the developers discuss the creation and purpose of particular sections and components of each game. [9] This has been a feature of every Valve game since Half-Life 2: Lost Coast due to the commentary's popularity in that game, according to Erik Wolpaw, lead writer for Portal. [10]

Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter game and the sequel to Half-Life . While remaining similar in style to the original, Half-Life 2 introduces new concepts to the series such as physics-based puzzles and vehicle sections. The game takes place in the fictional City 17 and surrounding areas as the player takes on the role of scientist Gordon Freeman. Freeman is thrust into a dystopian environment in which the aftermath of the events of Half-Life have come to bear fully upon human society, and he is forced to fight against increasingly unfavorable odds in order to survive. In his struggle, he is joined by various acquaintances, including former Black Mesa colleagues, oppressed citizens of City 17, and the Vortigaunts, all of whom later prove to be valuable allies. Half-Life 2 received critical acclaim, including 35 Game of the Year awards, when it was originally released for Windows in 2004. [11] As of December 3,2008, over 6.5 million copies of Half-Life 2 have been sold at retail. [12] Although Steam sales figures are unknown, their rate surpassed retail's in mid-2008 [13] and they are significantly more profitable per-unit. [12]

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Half-Life 2: Episode One continues from the events of Half-Life 2. Building on the original, Episode One added cooperative play with friendly non-player characters such as Alyx Vance, whose new abilities complement Freeman's abilities and allow her to comprehend and respond to the player's actions by lending help. [14] It is set immediately after the end of Half-Life 2 in the war-torn City 17 and nearby areas. Episode One follows scientist Gordon Freeman and his companion Alyx Vance as they continue to cope with the events chronicled in Half-Life 2 and humanity's continuing struggle against the Combine. The game was originally released in 2006 for Windows as a standalone game and was generally well received. [15]

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Half-Life 2: Episode Two was first of three original new game included as a part of The Orange Box and focuses on expansive environments, travel, and less linear play. In the game, Gordon Freeman and the series' other major characters move away from City 17 to the surrounding wilderness following the closing events of Episode One. [16] The game was praised for its new environments and features and was well received by critics. [17]

Portal

Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle game that was first available as a part of The Orange Box as one of its three original new games. The game consists primarily of a series of puzzles, solved by creating portals which the player and simple objects can pass through in order to reach an exit point, under the supervision of an AI-programmed robot named GLaDOS. The portal system and the unusual physics it creates are the emphasis of the game. Portal was a surprise favorite of The Orange Box, receiving widespread praise [18] [19] and several Game of the Year awards. [20] [21]

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2's graphical style has been well received by critics. TF2 Group.jpg
Team Fortress 2's graphical style has been well received by critics.

Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer team-based first-person shooter that was first available as part of The Orange Box as one of its three original new games. The game is a sequel to the original Quake modification, Team Fortress , and Valve's Half-Life modification, Team Fortress Classic . Its focus is on two competing teams that attack each other in order to achieve varying objectives, including capturing control points or defending them from attack, or capturing a flag. Players can choose to play as one of nine classes in these teams, each with different strengths and weaknesses. [22] [23] Unlike most other Source-powered games, Team Fortress 2 features a cartoon art style and non-realistic graphics. [24] Team Fortress 2 was very well received by critics; [25] it was particularly praised for its unique artistic direction and graphics. [26] [24] In June 2011, the Steam version of Team Fortress 2 became free-to-play. [27]

Development

The Black Box

Valve planned on releasing an additional compilation for Windows entitled The Black Box, which would have contained only the three new games released as a part of the Orange Box—Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The Black Box was later cancelled for retail and only made available through Steam exclusively to owners of certain ATI graphics cards, who received a voucher for a free copy of The Black Box. [28]

During development, the simultaneous release of two game compilation packages with different content combinations was touted by Valve as a new direction for the game industry. Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, said, "The Black Box and The Orange Box represent a new approach to publishing multiple products on multiple platforms." [29] After first discontinuing The Black Box, however, Valve released all the new material for individual download via Steam. [30] [31] [32]

The Black Box was to be priced US$10 lower than The Orange Box which would have made it $39.95 on PC and $49.95 on console in the U.S. if it used The Orange Box launch price as a baseline. [33] To compensate for the cancellation of The Black Box, Valve offered gift subscriptions to Steam users who had previously purchased Half-Life 2 or Half-Life 2: Episode One and then purchased The Orange Box so that they could give their second copies of those two games as gifts to people added to their Steam Friends list. [34] Still, the cancellation of The Black Box sparked complaints from game critics and consumers alike, unhappy that they were obliged to pay for games that they already owned. [35] [36] It also raised concerns among those who had bought the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT graphics card, which came with a voucher for The Black Box, but Valve clarified that only the retail version of The Black Box had been cancelled. [37] While Valve never expressed its reasons for this decision, industry writers speculated that it might have been to increase profits on retail copies or to avoid customer confusion between similar game packages and their availability across the platforms. [35] [38]

PlayStation 3 version

While the Windows and Xbox 360 versions of The Orange Box were developed and published by Valve, the development of the PlayStation 3 port was outsourced to the Electronic Arts studio EA UK. In an interview with Edge magazine before the game's release, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell commented, "I think the people who have The Orange Box on the PS3 are going to be happy with their game experience. We've done the PC and 360 versions here and EA has a team doing the PS3 version – and they'll make the PS3 version a good product; EA got the job done in putting a lot of people with PS3 experience on the project. But I think it's harder to get it to the same standard as the 360 and PC versions". Despite this, he noted that Valve will probably handle PlayStation 3 versions of its products in the future. [39] [40]

In a preview of The Orange Box in November 2007, 1UP.com revealed numerous problems with the late beta build of EA's PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box, citing pervasive frame rate issues which, they claimed, "at best merely hinder gameplay and at worst make the experience downright unplayable." [41] IGN's Hilary Goldstein disagreed, writing that although EA "is one of the worst offenders when it comes to porting games to the PS3," the frame rate issues were not bad enough "to make me throw my controller in disgust." [42]

On January 3, 2008, IGN reported that Valve employees had created a thread on Valve's website forums for players to list the problems they had encountered and to suggest fixes, [43] which caused speculation that a patch was being planned to address the issues in the PlayStation 3 version, such as the frame rate issues, the connection problems in Team Fortress 2, and the slow loading times in Portal. A patch for the PlayStation 3 version was later released in North America on March 19, 2008, and in Europe a short while after that; however, it made no mention of fixing frame rate issues or slow loading times. [44]

Region-specific versions

Valve deactivated accounts with CD keys that were purchased outside of the consumer's territory in order to maintain the integrity of region-specific licensing. This generated complaints from North American customers who had circumvented their Steam end-user license agreement by purchasing The Orange Box through cheaper, Asian retailers. [45] [46] Some customers who then purchased the game a second time from a local vendor experienced difficulty adding the new CD key to their accounts in order to activate their newly purchased games and also had trouble communicating with Steam's customer support team about this problem. [47] Doug Lombardi of Valve stated, "Some of these users have subsequently purchased a legal copy after realizing the issue and were having difficulty removing the illegitimate keys from their Steam accounts. Anyone having this problem should contact Steam Support to have the Thai key removed from their Steam account." [48]

The German version of The Orange Box is set to a low violence mode in order to comply with German laws regulating the sale of violent video games. Blood effects are replaced by sparks and bullet wounds are replaced with dents as if the characters were metal robots. Additionally in Team Fortress 2, instead of body parts being scattered after a player's character is blown apart, various items such as hamburgers, coils, rubber ducks, and Chattery Teeth appear (known as "sillygibs" by the community). Characters from different classes leave different items and different ratios of these items when killed by explosives. [49] [50] In the Half-Life games, bodies fade away after the death of non-player characters and the blood has been altered to a gray color. [51]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for The Orange Box consists of music that Valve employees composed for Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. It also includes the original version and an exclusive remix of "Still Alive", both by Jonathan Coulton. It was released on December 21, 2007, and is sold by the official Valve Store, Amazon.com, and digital music services such as iTunes, Napster, and eMusic. [52] A more-complete version of this soundtrack that also includes music files from Half-Life and Half-Life 2 was released on Steam as part of the Audiosurf package. [53] "Still Alive" was subsequently released as a free downloadable song for the rhythm game Rock Band on March 31, 2008. [54]

Promotions

Pre-purchasing of the Windows version on Steam began on September 11, 2007. Those who pre-purchased via this method received a ten-percent discount and were able to play the Team Fortress 2 beta starting on September 17, 2007. [55] The original PC version of The Orange Box came with Peggle Extreme, a ten-level playable demo of Peggle Deluxe , which contained levels with graphical themes of games contained in The Orange Box. [56] However Peggle Extreme was later made free to download for anyone with a Steam account and is not included in the current PC version of the Orange Box on Steam. [57] [58] Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is also technically included with the PC version of The Orange Box, as it was offered as a free download to all owners of Half-Life 2. And as of 2024 is listed as a part of the Orange Box after Lost Coast and Half-Life 2 Episodes One, and Two where integrated into Half-Life 2 as a part of its 20th anniversary update. [59] The same is true for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch , which is was now included with Half-Life 2 following Half-Life 2's 20th anniversary update. [60]

Reception

In-game screenshot of Portal, which became a surprise favorite among players, and later spawned a franchise Portal screenshot.jpg
In-game screenshot of Portal, which became a surprise favorite among players, and later spawned a franchise

The Orange Box was met with universal acclaim from reviewers. The averaging website GameRankings cites both the Xbox 360 version and the PC version as the highest-rated game of their respective platforms. AllGame editor Mark Hoogland called The Orange Box "the gold standard for bundled (video) games". [70] IGN described The Orange Box as "the best deal in video game history," and awarded both the Windows and Xbox 360 versions with an Editors' Choice Award. [9] All three versions won GameSpot's Editors' Choice Award. Approximately 3 million copies of The Orange Box were sold by the end of November 2008. [85]

Portal was singled out for praise by reviewers. Official Xbox Magazine admired its unique puzzle gameplay mechanics, stating that it was the first major advance in puzzle gaming "since Russians started dropping blocks", referring to Tetris . [84] The Escapist's Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw stated in his Zero Punctuation review that he could not think of any criticism for Portal, saying that it had "some of the funniest pitch-black humor [he had] ever heard in a game" and concluded that it is "absolutely sublime from start to finish." [86]

The PlayStation 3 version's critical review scores suffered because of the technical issues first uncovered by 1UP.com. While discussing the retail version on a podcast, 1UP.com staff members agreed that a significant number of the frame rate problems had been resolved, but not all of them. They concluded that the PlayStation 3 version was not quite as smooth as the Xbox 360 version and recommended that "if you own both [consoles], you should do the 360" version. [87] Kotaku's Michael McWhertor echoed that recommendation, though stated that those who only have a PlayStation 3 should still consider The Orange Box. [88]

While frame rate issues were the main complaint, the PlayStation 3 version was also criticized for unreliable voice chat and excessive network delay or lag in Team Fortress 2, [72] [81] [83] as well as long load times generally. [78] [83] It was, however, praised for featuring anti-aliasing and a quick-save feature, neither of which were present in the Xbox 360 version (but were present in the PC version). [72] After release, the game received further criticism from fans for the lack of surround sound support when using an optical cable. An open letter to Valve, asking them to put pressure on EA to release a fix was posted to the Steam forum. [89] A response was posted by a Valve employee going by the name of "BurtonJ", [90] directing disappointed customers to a dedicated thread on the subject. [91]

Awards

The Orange Box won a number of awards for its overall high standard and use of technology. The compilation won "Computer Game of the Year" at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; it also received nominations in the "Overall Game of the Year", "Action Game of the Year", and "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming" categories. [92] The Orange Box won the "Breakthrough Technology Award" and the "Best PC Game Award" at the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards, and was additionally nominated in the "Game of the Year", "Best Shooter", "Best Xbox 360 Game", and "Best Multiplayer Game" categories. [93] [94] It was also named the second-best video game of 2007 by Time Magazine , [95] while the PlayStation 3 version was nominated in the category of Action and Adventure at the BAFTA Video Games Awards. [96] Valve also received developer awards for their work on The Orange Box. [97] [98] The Orange Box received 17 Game of the Year awards and over 100 awards in total. [99] The Orange Box was placed as the 22nd most influential video game in history by the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, 2009. [100]

Portal won "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering", and "Outstanding Character Performance" for Ellen McLain's vocal portrayal of GLaDOS at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. [92] The game won 76 awards, including 37 Game of the Year awards, [99] and was recognized for innovative design and game mechanics. [101] [102] [103] The dark humor of Portal and the ending music track "Still Alive" were also singled out for awards. [104] [105]

Team Fortress 2 was nominated in the categories of "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" and "Outstanding Achievement in Animation" at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. [92] Although unsuccessful at the IAA, the game did receive 10 awards, including five Game of the Year awards, [99] and other awards for its artistic direction and multiplayer gameplay. [106] [107] [108]

Half-Life 2: Episode Two won four awards, including one Game of the Year award, and was recognized for excellent NPC AI, level design, and story. [99]

Related Research Articles

<i>Half-Life 2</i> 2004 video game

Half-Life 2 is a 2004 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It was published for Windows on Valve's digital distribution service, Steam. Like the original Half-Life (1998), Half-Life 2 is played entirely from a first-person perspective, combining combat, puzzles, and storytelling. It adds features such as vehicles and physics-based gameplay. The player controls Gordon Freeman, who joins a resistance to liberate Earth from the Combine, a multidimensional alien empire.

Source is a 3D game engine developed by Valve. It debuted as the successor to GoldSrc in 2004 with the releases of Half-Life: Source, Counter-Strike: Source, and Half-Life 2. Other notable third-party games using Source include Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Dear Esther, and The Stanley Parable. Valve released incremental updates to the engine during its lifetime. Source was succeeded in 2015 by the release of Source 2.

<i>The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</i> 2006 video game

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a 2006 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and co-published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games. It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by PlayStation 3 in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the player character's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.

<i>Half-Life 2: Episode One</i> 2006 video game

Half-Life 2: Episode One is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve for Windows. It continues the story of Half-Life 2 (2004). As the scientist Gordon Freeman, players must escape City 17 with Gordon's companion Alyx Vance. Like previous Half-Life games, Episode One combines shooting, puzzles and storytelling.

<i>Team Fortress 2</i> 2007 video game

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2007. It is the sequel to the 1996 Team Fortress mod for Quake and its 1999 remake, Team Fortress Classic. The game was released in October 2007 as part of The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360, and was ported to the PlayStation 3 in December 2007. It was released as a standalone game for Windows in April 2008, and updated to support macOS in June 2010 and Linux in February 2013. It was made free-to-play in June 2011, and is distributed online through Valve's digital retailer, Steam.

<i>Unreal Tournament 3</i> 2007 first-person shooter video game

Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Midway Games. Part of the Unreal franchise, it is the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series, and the eighth and final game overall; its name is in reflection of the game being the first in the franchise to use Unreal Engine 3. It was released on November 19, 2007, for Microsoft Windows, December 10 for the PlayStation 3, and on July 3, 2008, for the Xbox 360. OS X and Linux ports were planned, but they were eventually cancelled. A free-to-play version, entitled Unreal Tournament 3 X, was leaked in late 2022 and cancelled in 2023.

<i>Mercenaries 2: World in Flames</i> 2008 video game

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is an action-adventure video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to 2005's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. The game is a third-person shooter with an open world, set in a fictionalized war-torn Venezuela. The game's primary objective is to kill the President of Venezuela whose betrayal of the protagonist mercenary acted as a stepping stone to their current position.

<i>Half-Life 2: Episode Two</i> 2007 video game

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve. Following Episode One (2006), it is the second of two shorter episodic games that continue the story of Half-Life 2 (2004). Players control Gordon Freeman, who travels through the mountains surrounding City 17 to a resistance base with his ally Alyx Vance. Like previous games in the series, Episode Two combines shooting, puzzle-solving and narrative elements, but adds expansive environments and less linear sequences.

<i>Portal</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Portal is a 2007 puzzle platformer video game developed and published by Valve. It was released in a bundle, The Orange Box, for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and has been since ported to other systems, including Mac OS X, Linux, Android, and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Half-Life</i> (series) Video game series

Half-Life is a series of first-person shooter games created by Valve. The games combine shooting combat, puzzles and storytelling, and are played entirely from the first-person perspective.

<i>Battle Fantasia</i> 2007 video game

Battle Fantasia is a fighting video game developed by Arc System Works. Originally released in Japanese arcades in April 2007, the title was ported to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Japan in May 2008, followed by a North American release for Xbox 360 in September 2008 by Aksys Games. It was later released in the PAL region in 2009 for both systems by 505 Games (Europe) and Aksys Games (Australia). A PC version, ported in collaboration with DotEmu and distributed via Steam, was released on July 7, 2015 globally as Battle Fantasia: Revised Edition. The game's development was headed by Emiko Iwasaki, who had previously served as illustrator for the company's Guilty Gear series, and features three-dimensional character models restricted to a two-dimensional plane. Battle Fantasia retains a number of features of its predecessor including fast-paced gameplay, colorful anime-style graphics, and over-the-top effects, yet was designed to be a more basic representation of the fighting genre.

<i>Left 4 Dead</i> 2008 video game

Left 4 Dead is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Valve South and published by Valve. It was originally released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Mac OS X in October 2010, and is the first title in the Left 4 Dead series. Set during the aftermath of a zombie outbreak on the East Coast of the United States, the game pits its four protagonists, dubbed the "Survivors", against hordes of the infected.

<i>The Bigs</i> 2007 video game

The Bigs is an arcade-style baseball video game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii and PlayStation Portable. It was released in June 2007 in North America, and in October in the PAL region. A sequel, The Bigs 2, was released on July 7, 2009.

<i>NBA Live 08</i> 2007 basketball video game

NBA Live 08 is the 2007 installment of the NBA Live series by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Windows and PlayStation Portable. This is the first NBA video game to include all three next-generation consoles, the first game to be released for Sony's PlayStation 3, and the last NBA Live game for the Windows platform.

<i>Hydrophobia</i> (video game) Action adventure video game with dynamic water

Hydrophobia is an action adventure video game developed and published by Dark Energy Digital for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on September 29, 2010, as part of Xbox Live's Games Feast promotion, marking the first of three episodes. The PC version was released in 2011.

<i>Record of Agarest War</i> 2007 video game

Record of Agarest War, known in Europe as Agarest: Generations of War, is a tactical role-playing game for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game is a collaboration between Idea Factory, Red Entertainment and Compile Heart. An updated port of the game was released in Japan for the Xbox 360 on November 27, 2008. HyperDevbox Japan released an Android port on December 19, 2013, and an iOS port on May 16, 2014. A Nintendo Switch port was released on March 9, 2023.

"Still Alive" is the song featured in the closing credits of the 2007 video game Portal. It was composed and arranged by Jonathan Coulton and was performed by Ellen McLain, who voiced the Portal antagonist and in-game singer of the song, GLaDOS. Two Valve developers commissioned a song by Coulton, a fan of Valve's Half-Life series, which is set in the same universe as Portal. The song was released on The Orange Box Soundtrack on December 21, 2007, along with an exclusive vocal mix not heard in the game.

Portal is a series of first-person puzzle-platform video games developed by Valve. Set in the Half-Life universe, the two main games in the series, Portal (2007) and Portal 2 (2011), center on a woman, Chell, forced to undergo a series of tests within the Aperture Science Enrichment Center by a malicious artificial intelligence, GLaDOS, that controls the facility. Most of the tests involve using the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device" – nicknamed the portal gun – that creates a human-sized wormhole-like connection between two flat surfaces. The player-character or objects in the game world may move through portals while conserving their momentum. This allows complex "flinging" maneuvers to be used to cross wide gaps or perform other feats to reach the exit for each test chamber. A number of other mechanics, such as lasers, light bridges, high energy pellets, buttons, cubes, tractor funnels and turrets, exist to aid or hinder the player's goal to reach the exit.

<i>Metal Gear Solid HD Collection</i> 2011 video game compilation

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a compilation of remastered ports of Metal Gear video games released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011 and PlayStation Vita in 2012. The compilation contains Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater on all three platforms, plus Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on the home console versions, with the individual games all branded as HD Edition. Bluepoint Games handled the conversions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, while Genki worked on Peace Walker.

References

  1. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (September 7, 2007). "Valve explains PS3 Orange Box delay". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Half-Life 2 Comes To Mac, Gets New Graphics, New Achievements". Kotaku Australia. May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010.
  3. ↑ Faylor, Chris (March 20, 2008). "The Orange Box PS3 Patch Released". Shacknews . Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Adams, Dan (October 9, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  5. ↑ Kain, Erik. "10 Years Ago Valve Released The Orange Box, A High-Point For The Company". Forbes. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Game and Player Statistics". Valve. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  7. ↑ Pigna, Kris (September 11, 2007). "99 Achievements in The Orange Box". 1Up.com . Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  8. ↑ "The Orange Box Achievement List". GameRevolution . October 10, 2007. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Goldstein, Hilary (October 9, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  10. ↑ Sheffield, Brandon (March 25, 2008). "Still Alive: Kim Swift And Erik Wolpaw Talk Portal". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Valve Awards". Valve. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  12. 1 2 Remo, Chris (December 3, 2008). "Analysis: Valve's Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  13. ↑ Remo, Chris (May 30, 2008). "Valve: PC Has 'Perception Problem,' Piracy Reflects 'Unserved Customers'". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  14. ↑ Lee, Garnett (August 29, 2005). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on January 28, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Half-Life 2: Episode One Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
  16. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (June 6, 2006). "Opening the Valve". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Half-Life 2: Episode Two (pc: 2007): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Portal Reviews (PC)". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Portal (pc: 2007): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Game of the Year — Portal". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 12, 2007. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Game of the Year Awards 2007". Shacknews. January 4, 2008. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  22. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (July 13, 2006). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two – The Return of Team Fortress 2 and Other Surprises". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  23. ↑ Berghammer, Billy (March 28, 2007). "Team Fortress 2 Hands-On Preview". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  24. 1 2 3 Burt, Andy (October 10, 2007). "Review: Half-Life 2: The Orange Box". GamePro . Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  25. ↑ "Metacritic: Team Fortress 2 (pc: 2007): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  26. ↑ Francis, Tom (October 10, 2007). "PC Review: Team Fortress 2". PC Gamer UK . CVG. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  27. ↑ Lahti, Evan (June 23, 2011). "BREAKING: Team Fortress 2 is now free to play 'forever'". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  28. ↑ "ATI Steam Offer". Valve. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  29. ↑ "EA and Valve Unveil The Black Box and The Orange Box" (Press release). Valve. February 7, 2007. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  30. ↑ "Team Fortress 2". Steam . Valve. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  31. ↑ "Portal". Steam . Valve. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Half-Life 2: Episode Two". Steam . Valve. Archived from the original on January 14, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  33. ↑ "Black Box in a Pine Box". IGN. May 18, 2007. Archived from the original on May 21, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
  34. ↑ "Orange Box Gift Subscriptions". Valve. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  35. 1 2 Caron, Frank (May 21, 2007). "Valve cancels The Black Box, forces consumers to rebuy content". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
  36. ↑ Sliwinski, Alexander (May 19, 2007). "Half-Life 2 Black Box gone, only Orange Box remains". Joystiq. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  37. ↑ Valich, Theo (May 22, 2007). "ATI R600 Valve coupon owners are safe". The Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (May 18, 2007). "Valve Doesn't Care About Black Boxes: Half-Life 2 Black Box Cancelled". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  39. ↑ "More from Gabe Newell: part two". Edge . Next Generation. October 4, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  40. ↑ Arendt, Susan (October 11, 2007). "Valve's Gabe Newell: PS3 is 'A Waste of Everyone's Time'". Wired .
  41. ↑ Ellis, David (November 21, 2007). "This version of The Box has issues. (Mini-preview)". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  42. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (November 26, 2007). "The Orange Box PS3 Hands-On". IGN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  43. ↑ Robinson, Martin (January 3, 2008). "Orange Box PS3 Patch Imminent?". IGN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  44. ↑ Purchese, Robert (March 20, 2008). "Chunky Orange Box PS3 patch released". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Steam Error: Game not available in your territory". Valve. October 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  46. ↑ Caron, Frank (October 25, 2007). "Valve locking out user accounts for 'incorrect territory'". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  47. ↑ Marco, Meghann (October 24, 2007). "Valve "Deactivating" Customers Who Bought "Orange Box" Internationally". The Consumerist. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  48. ↑ Breckon, Nick (October 26, 2007). "Valve Responds to Steam Territory Deactivations". Shacknews. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  49. ↑ "Team Fortress 2" (in German). Schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  50. ↑ "Team Fortress 2 [Microsoft Xbox 360 / Deutschland]" (in German). Online Games-DatenBank. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  51. ↑ "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (in German). Schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  52. ↑ "Friday, December 21, 2007". Steam Storefront. Valve. December 21, 2007. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
  53. ↑ Twelker, Eric (February 11, 2008). "Surf your Music! Audiosurf Now Available for Pre-purchase". Steam News. Valve. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
  54. ↑ Breckon, Nick (February 21, 2008). "'Still Alive' Confirmed for Rock Band Release". Shacknews. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  55. ↑ Sliwinski, Alexander (September 11, 2007). "Pre-purchase Orange Box on Steam, play TF2 beta next week". Joystiq. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  56. ↑ "About the Game". Valve. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  57. ↑ "Peggle Extreme on Steam | Ghostarchive". Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  58. ↑ "The Orange Box on Steam". Steam Store. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  59. ↑ Pinckard, Jane (October 27, 2005). "Lost Coast Out Now". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  60. ↑ "The Orange Box on Steam". Steam Store. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  61. ↑ "The Orange Box — PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 10, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  62. ↑ "The Orange Box — PS3". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  63. ↑ "The Orange Box — Xbox 360". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  64. 1 2 3 "The Orange Box PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  65. ↑ "The Orange Box PlayStation 3 Critic Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  66. 1 2 "The Orange Box Xbox 360 Critic Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  67. ↑ Scott, Ryan (October 16, 2007). "Half-Life 2: Orange Box (Windows)". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  68. ↑ Ellis, David (January 16, 2008). "Half Life 2: Orange Box (PS3)". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  69. ↑ Boyer, Crispin (October 10, 2007). "Half-Life 2: Orange Box (Xbox 360)". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  70. 1 2 Hoogland, Mark. "The Orange Box (PC) Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  71. ↑ Reed, Kristan (October 10, 2007). "The Orange Box". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  72. 1 2 3 Leadbetter, Richard (December 14, 2007). "The Orange Box". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  73. ↑ Reed, Kristan (October 10, 2007). "The Orange Box". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  74. ↑ Reeves, Ben. "The Orange Box". Game Informer . Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  75. ↑ Miller, Matt. "The Orange Box". Game Informer . Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  76. ↑ Reeves, Ben. "The Orange Box". Game Informer . Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  77. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (October 10, 2007). "The Orange Box Review (PC)". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  78. 1 2 Ocampo, Jason (December 12, 2007). "PlayStation 3 The Orange Box Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  79. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (October 10, 2007). "Xbox 360 The Orange Box Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  80. ↑ Accardo, Sal "Sluggo" (October 10, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  81. 1 2 McGarvey, Sterling (December 12, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  82. ↑ McGarvey, Sterling (October 10, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  83. 1 2 3 Clements, Ryan (December 11, 2007). "The Orange Box Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
  84. 1 2 Amrich, Dan (October 19, 2007). "The Orange Box". OXM . Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  85. ↑ Remo, Chris (December 3, 2008). "Analysis: Valve's Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  86. ↑ Croshaw, Ben (November 17, 2007). "The Orange Box". The Escapist . Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  87. ↑ "1UP Yours — Podcast". 1UP Yours . November 30, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  88. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (December 3, 2007). "The Orange Box (PS3) Impressions: Volume Three". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  89. ↑ "A Letter to Valve Regarding The Orange Box PS3 Edition (Page 1)". Steam Forum. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  90. ↑ "A Letter to Valve Regarding The Orange Box PS3 Edition (Page 2)". Steam Forum. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  91. ↑ "[PS3] Orange Box Suggestions / Tweaks". Steam Forum. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  92. 1 2 3 "11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". AIAS. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  93. ↑ "Spike TV Announces 2007 'Video Game Awards' Winners". PR Newswire. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  94. ↑ De Marco, Flynn (December 9, 2007). "Spike TV Video Game Awards: Winners, Losers and Boozers". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  95. ↑ Wilson, Mark (December 10, 2007). "TIME Announces Top Ten Video Games of 2007". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  96. ↑ "Video Games Award Winners 2007". BAFTA. October 1, 2007. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  97. ↑ "IGN Best of 2007: Xbox 360 – Best Developer". IGN. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  98. ↑ "IGN Best of 2007: PC — Best Developer". IGN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  99. 1 2 3 4 "The Orange Box – 5 Games. One Box". Valve. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  100. ↑ Crecente, Brian (February 27, 2009). "Super Mario Kart: Most Influential Video Game in History". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
  101. ↑ "IGN Best of 2007: Overall — Most Innovative Design". IGN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  102. ↑ "GameSpot's Best of 2007: Best Original Game Mechanic Special Achievement". GameSpot . Retrieved April 6, 2008.[ dead link ]
  103. ↑ "OXM's 2007 Game of the Year Awards". Official Xbox Magazine . March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  104. ↑ "IGN Best of 2007: Xbox 360 – Best End Credit Song". IGN. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  105. ↑ "GameSpot's Best of 2007: Funniest Game Special Achievement". GameSpot . Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  106. ↑ "IGN Best of 2007: PC — Best Artistic Design". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  107. ↑ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2007: Special Awards". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  108. ↑ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2007: Multiplayer". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2008.

Notes

  1. ↑ The PlayStation 3 version was developed by EA UK.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.