Metacritic Games

Orange Box, The (Playstation 3)

Games included in The Orange Box compilation: The original Half-Life 2 - The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people - people he cares about - are counting on him. Half-Life 2: Episode One - The player reprises his role of Dr. Freeman, who must immediately face the repercussions of his actions in City 17 and the Citadel. Freeman reconnects with Alyx Vance and her robot, Dog, as they continue their support of the resistance's battle against the Combine forces. Half-Life 2: Episode Two -- the second installment in Valve's episodic trilogy advances the award-winning story, leading the player to new locations outside of City 17. Portal - a pioneering type of single player action game that rewrites the rules for how players approach and manipulate their environment – much like how Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun reinvented the way gamers interact with objects in the game. Team Fortress 2 - an all-new version of the legendary title that spawned team based multiplayer action games. The game's daring new art style features the most advanced graphics of any Source-based game released to date. [Valve Software]

Electronic Arts / Valve Software
First-Person Shooter, Action, Compilation
Players: 16
M (Mature)
Developer: Valve Software
Released December 11, 2007

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

89 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 GamePro
There has been some criticism levied against the PS3 version of Orange Box for daunting load times and framerate issues and while they are present, it's easy to forgive these technical issues given the quality of the game itself. If you have a PS3, you can't afford not to own it.
100 Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
For Playstation gamers who might not have played these game on other platforms, The Orange Box is the best value package available on the PS3. [Feb 2008, p.72]
100 AceGamez
It is better than you could possibly imagine and it deserves all the praise that it has gained in its short life so far.
94 My Gamer
If you don't already own this, you just…NEED to get it.
94 Cheat Code Central
It would be hard to find a better deal anywhere and you definitely won't be disappointed by what is in the Box.
93 Play UK
It's five games - every one of which is among the best of its type, if not the best - for half the price of one. Had Valve updated it for PS3 then it would have socred even higher. [Issue#161, p.76]
93 Game Informer
Half-Life 2 delivers stunning action and fantastic storytelling, while dramatically changing the tone of the gameplay at regular intervals, and its subsequent episodes only add to that formula.
93 Gamer 2.0
When it comes down to it, The Orange Box is a must-have no matter what system you have, but if you’re a PS3 owner that has yet to play the game on either the PC or Xbox 360, there’s no reason to miss out on it now.
92 Ferrago
It's a revolutionary title offering five times more than any other developer would dare. There are potentially infinite playing hours available here, providing you get hooked on Team Fortress 2's zany online experience (and there's plenty of players mainlining daily).
90 Pelit (Finland)
The Orange Box is great and atmospheric fun on PS3, too. Only major gripes are the occasional slowdowns, which luckily don't make the game unplayable. [Feb 2008]
90 PSM3 Magazine UK
Overall Five ace games in one box. The slowdown shouldn't stop you having an Orange Christmas.
90 Playstation Official Magazine UK
Innovative, imaginative and extraordinarily playable. [Jan 2008, p.110]
90 GameSpot
The Orange Box is one of the greatest values in gaming history, because it's jam-packed with a variety of world-class content.
86 MEGamers
You will enjoy playing TOB no matter how bad the frame rate issues get but you can’t help but wish the full great experience was transferred over to the PS3, still a must buy if you don’t own other systems.
84 IGN
All five games in The Orange Box are awesome, and even though we had problems here and there with some of the control choices, the experience of playing Half-Life 2 games should not be missed. Valve should be counted among the few that simply know how to tell a good story. However, the PS3 version is without a doubt inferior.
80 GameDaily
The PS3 version runs slower than its Xbox 360 counterpart, but it's still a heck of a fun time.
80 EuroGamer
Most of that score is attributable to the superb quality of the core Valve games rather than the shoddy conversion work which sees one game out of the five ruined, and another badly compromised. That being the case, if you own a PC, even a relatively lightweight one, that version will almost certainly be the better - and definitely cheaper - purchase.
80 VideoGamer
If you love FPS gaming you owe it to yourself to get The Orange Box. Hell, if you love gaming, you owe it to yourself to get it.
80 TheSixthAxis
It's true that the 360 versions run cleaner, with quicker load times and there's no force feedback for Dual Shock 3 owners, but it's still absolutely worth the money for PS3-only gamers.
80 1UP
Despite several technical deficiencies in this port, The Orange Box is still one of the most rewarding gaming experiences of 2007. We do, however, recommend you steer clear of the PS3 version unless you don't own an Xbox 360 or a PC with a moderate graphics card.
70 GameSpy
In spite of framerate drops, inconsistent online multiplayer, and other serious issues that weigh it down, there's little doubt that the five games in this package exude Valve's attention to detail and show off the developer's talent for making great titles.

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