Three games for the price of one are hard to ignore. Valve Software must have known this when they put together The Orange Box, their collection of almost everything they’ve worked on for the past three years. Looking at the box art might make you feel like you’re holding one of those budget anthologies, full of mediocre time wasters.
True believers know, though, that these are not just games. They're Valve games. Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and the long-awaited Team Fortress 2. What you hold in your hands is no mere collection of games, Mr. Mainstream Consumer. It's a codex of greatness, +2 to awesomeness. You’re not getting three games, but five: the original Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 are primed and ready for the Xbox 360, and everything included in the package is the cream of the crop. The worst part of the collection is merely deciding where to start.
When Valve announced they would do episodic expansions to their blockbuster Half-Life 2, gamers expected new content on a regular basis. Obviously that didn't happen, as it's been 18 months since Episode 1 continued the story of Alyx, The Resistance, and Gordon Freeman. But as with all the Half-Life games, the wait is more than worth it.
Episode 2 starts after the Combine's Citadel is destroyed. Disorganized and scrambling, the Combine is trying to open a super-portal to call in reinforcements. Gordon and Alyx have to bring a copy of the Combine's transmission from Episode 1 to the Resistance leaders, as it could be used to find the Combine's home world, and then find a way to keep the super-portal closed. The game moves at a brisk pace, demonstrating Valve's mastery of keeping the player engaged while pushing the epic plot along.
Along with the large-scale firefights seen in previous HL2 titles, Episode 2 focuses on bigger open environments and less on linear gameplay. It also introduces more enemies to take down. The Hunters, seen briefly in Episode 1, are now out in full force, attacking with charged flechette cannons that explode if they miss their target. New Antlion Workers attack with a ranged acid attack, and explode when you kill them.
New open areas give players the chance to try out the new Hotrod vehicle, a souped-up Dodge Charger that's a blast to drive. Later in the game, new modifications are made to the vehicle, including weapons and enemy radar. Players will also get to use so-called "Strider Busters" with the gravity gun, giving them explosive power against a mass of Striders that attack late in the game.
What really makes Episode 2 exciting are the subplots and new characters that are introduced. In case it wasn't clear from the previous episode, Valve is telling an epic Sci-Fi story with the Half-Life series, and while waiting for these new installments is near-torture, every chunk is refined and exciting. Here's hoping the wait for Episode 3 is shorter.
