ClubHooligan.com - Burning it up at both ends

The box contains not one, but five games for about $50. Gramps might not know what the heck a "Team Fortress 2" is, but he was always a miser, and anytime he could get five of something for the price of one it was like the Second Coming.

If it seems odd a game review would focus on value above graphics or game play, consider that each one of the five games - "Half-Life 2," its followup expansions "Episode 1" and "Episode 2," "Portal" and "Team Fortress 2" - are good enough to be bought as stand-alone titles.

"Half-Life," Valve's flagship series chronicling humanity's battle against the alien Combine through the eyes of a crowbar-wielding MIT grad, continues to impress through "Half-Life 2" and its episodic counterparts. For most gamers, the nearly three-year-old "HL2" will be a replay on the Orange Box, as will the first story-driven expansion, "Episode 1." Both of these titles remain completely untouched except for a few graphical upgrades such as motion blur.

The newest vein in the "Half-Life" saga, "Episode 2," continues the fight against the Combine and the alien creatures that have overrun the Earth. "Episode 2" follows the first-person shooter tradition of its predecessors so there's nothing really new in the game play department. Where this series really shines is the sci-fi heavy story that manages some decent character development for a shooter.

Game Review: 'The orange box'

Rating: 9 out of 10

Format: Xbox 360, PC (PS3 Dec. 11).

Category: Sci-fi shooter, puzzle comedy, online shooter.

Parent's guide: RP (Rating Pending).

Cost: $49.99.

New set pieces, such as an underground hive, make things interesting. A lot of polish has been added to the graphics engine via the aforementioned motion blur .

Adding to the value, if you've already downloaded "HL2" and "Episode 1" via Valve's online download application Steam you are given copies of each of the titles that can be freely handed out to anyone else with a Steam account.

If ever there was a brain-teaser-comedy-shooter video game genre, "Portal" would fit right in. Technically a first-person shooter, "Portal" tests your brain more than your trigger finger.

Your only "weapon" is a portal gun that fires two interlinking portals. The basic idea through each of the levels is to use the portal gun to get to various goals, but all this is played through the robust "Source" physics engine that powers "Half-Life 2."

Courtesy of Valve

Team Fortress 2, one of five games bundled in Valve's newly released "Orange Box."

For example, you may find yourself at a wide gap that can't be jumped across. Simply open a portal at the bottom of the long drop and another on an angled portion of the ceiling above. Since momentum carries through the portals, getting across is as easy as plummeting down into the low portal and rocketing out of the high one and across the gap. This forces players to consider each level a physics test. My only beef with "Portal" is it takes only a few hours to finish.

The real meat of the "Orange Box" is the online-only shooter "Team Fortress 2." Taking nearly a decade to develop, the pressure was on Valve to deliver, and they pretty much nailed it.

For those not familiar with the first "Team Fortress," the game revolves around classes. Players can choose from nine unique classes to frag or fry online. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Courtesy of Valve

Portal, one of five games bundled in Valve's newly released "Orange Box."

For example, the soldier wields a rocket launcher and can take a lot of punishment but is ineffective at long range because his rockets travel slowly. The engineer can build a brutal turret, outfitted with rockets and dual chain guns, which will chew through a soldier in seconds. But an engineer is pretty feeble by himself, and the turret, in turn, can be disabled easily by a spy, who can become invisible or disguise himself as the enemy. But a spy is nearly helpless when caught out in the open.

The team that does the best in the various capture-and-hold or capture-the-flag-style games is the team that coordinates roles the best. It's great when it works, and it can be really frustrating when you're on a team with six spies.

Visually "TF2" really stands out from other online shoot 'em ups. Its style is reminiscent of the kid's movie "The Incredibles." but with severed heads and explosions. Couple the smooth animation with some nice sound effects and action and it's almost as fun watching the matches in spectator mode as it is playing them.

The "Orange Box" is available on both the Xbox 360 and the PC, with a PS3 version due in Dec. 11. Both versions run smoothly, depending on the PC you have, but the 360 version seems to suffer from connection problems when playing "TF2" online. Either version is a solid buy for any shooter enthusiast.

Honestly, how can you not buy five for the price of one?

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