At Christmas I was pleasantly surprised to receive The Orange Box from Dad (thanks!). This game deal of the century includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes 1 & 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.
I’m very fond of the Half-Life series, of which I previously purchased Half-Life Anthology (HL1, Blue Shift, Opposing Force, and Team Fortress Classic). I’ve also borrowed and completed Half-Life 2. The story and world of Half-Life are well-developed and very immersive. I look forward to replaying HL2 and then tackling eps 1 & 2 (assuming my computer can handle them).
At this point I could get into Team Fortress Classic and 2, which high-speed Internet have made possible. I play TF2 quite often now (my Steam ID is kryptech if you want to add me).
Now on the main news. I just completed the final mission of Portal…
Whoa.
What a game! First off the idea with the portal physics is unique and mind-bending. The puzzles get increasingly challenging without ever becoming maddening or tedious. I got stuck a couple times but always managed to figure it out before I dispaired. Then there is the test chamber guidance voice – fairly unhelpful, humourous, and vaguely sinister (at least at first). After zipping through most of the levels fairly quickly things toughen up and get a lot longer. And the end, what shall I say about that? Well, I’ll just conclude by assuring you that you will not anticipate how the final test plays out. Awesome ending.
Oh, and the credits were the best I’ve ever seen in terms of creativity and humour.
Go! Buy Portal now. Better yet, get The Orange Box.