There is no compilation on Xbox 360 with the depth and quality found in The Orange Box. It combined an enhanced version of Half-Life 2 with both Episode One and Episode Two so that console owners could experience the magic of Valve's craftsmanship alongside legions of PC gamers. It introduced Portal to millions, and even if the console version of Team Fortress 2 lacks the numbers found on PC, it's still getting support from Valve. The Orange Box is absolutely one of the best titles you can find on the console.
Sterling: I distinctly recall making an impassioned plea to review The Orange Box. As one of the few staffers who had yet to experience Half-Life 2 -- the Xbox version didn't run so hot on 360 -- I sold the idea that I was an ideal candidate to experience it, and the episodes, in all their glory. Best pitch I ever made for a review.
Allen: And just how did that go for you? Everyone was hot to review this game when it came out. Come on, Valve could easily have released these games separately for full price and people would have bought them and called them a bargain. To have three games like Half-life 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal in a single package? It makes my marketing side cringe even as my gamer side sings!Sterling: It worked out splendidly. The Orange Box epitomizes what I love about my Xbox 360. I'll admit that TF2 on console didn't quite pan out as well as I expected -- I hoped it would steal away some of the Halo 3 crowd, to little avail -- but I believe that the entire package is one of the finest around. The hours I invested in the Half-Life 2 games alone provided me with countless memories, and that's before you consider GLaDOS...Allen: Ah, GLaDOS. What I found amazing about The Orange Box was that for all the attention paid to Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2 prior to release, it turned out to be Portal that was the runaway smash. I had played Narbacular Drop, the game's spiritual ancestor, so that gameplay wasn't that much of a surprise, but what really put that game over the top was the writing. It puts the lie to everyone who ever said games don't need stories.
