best game ever

What is valve's next new project? or are they just going to keep milking HL for a while?

@NeoAkira: There's Episode 3 to finish up at the very least, and then I have no idea.

HL2:Episode 3, Left For Dead is a collaberation between Turtle Rock (They did CS:Z and a fair amount of CS:S maps) and Valve. And of course the Portal teams next project.

Yeah why should the mile hl2 or counter strike...right..this isnt about making money or anything

sorry I spelled MILK wrong

playing through half life 2 as we speak, for the first time...pretty crazy game, im enjoying it but ive gotta get outta these fucking sewers soon.

Portal was a blast, looking forward to Team Fortress 2 when i go gold next month or so. helluva deal this game was.

ps if the series keeps up, count me in for episode 3 (im assuing its coming to consoles, yes?) and Left4Dead has me already sold. when's that one due again?

That is awesome. I was hoping to receive Orange Box for X-mas. Now, I'll know what I'm getting myself into.

wait, wait, wait... where the fuck is my PS3 version?

@Phoenixtilt:

So are you saying that since people want to make money that they shouldn't come up with original games instead of making one good one and then a bajillion sequels? I think not.

*

*cake is a lie

epsiode 3 could be ep.3 and counterstrike

@NeoAkira: What magical fairyland do you live in?

@DigiMish: Next Thursday... maybe? PSN usually delivers demos that Live does, later in the week, I'm sure they'll get it out there.

I would love to see the individual games become downloadable through XBL. Portal specifically... because I have no interest in anything else in that pack.

the world'ssssss smallessssst violinnnn, mr freemannnn

I think HLep2 is my game of the year no game has left a mark as big as it has on me. Mario Galaxy is a close second.

I really hope more people pick up and enjoy Orange Box.

Yeah, I couldn't believe how great Ep2 was, especially considering that I absolutely and violently hated Ep1 and everything it stood for.

My HL2 opinions are hilariously polar; HL2 gets a 10, Ep1 gets a 2, then Ep2 gets another 10

I personally don't think either of the two Episodes has lived up to the standard Half-Life 2 set, although they're still pretty great. I already own it on the PC, but I'll probably download this demo out of curiosity to see how the 360 version of this game runs.

@Moonshadow101:

One where the stick up your ass doesn't exist.

@MCW07:

I meant the actual game that you know came out on the 360 a month ago. sigh. But sure, a demo will also suffice.

@NeoAkira:
I think he calls that a backbone you abortion candidate. I am thankful I will never get to to see you outside of text format.

@DigiMish: Oh, right. Yeah, I don't know why we haven't got the actual game on PS3 yet. Not many updates on that version lately :(

@DigiMish:
I'm sure it will come once Valve put their best programmers on it except for the fact Valve didn't make the PS3 version if I remember correctly.

@BigChiefSmokem:
I always feared that saying didn't have legs. I think I may be right :(

@NeoAkira:
People should be allowed to make what they want to as many iterations as they want it I feel. I mean look at movies going into double digits and the SAW series, for example, is putting out about 1 a year now. TV series which are episodic by nature go into hundreds of episodes. The Half-life series, although a competent shooter, has been delivering an excellent story and if they need to break it up a little, that's fine too.

I have Orangeox for the PC. If you haven't picked it up yet, for console or otherwise, you are truly cheating yourself. As far as milking Halflife is concerned, I hope they pull on those teats till dust shoots out. The Halflife series is spectacular....SPECTACULAR!!! I can't wait for Ep. 81.

@WaterMedia: colorful commentary with no point whatsoever. *applauds*

@okenny :): I don't think that people shouldn't be allowed to make all the sequels they want, but it just seems that in the last couple of years any game thats done fairly well is automatically made a sequel, even if the sequel is just a rehashed version of the original with updates graphics. not saying anything about HL2 in particular, I love the series, but it seems that original titles come out so little these days.

P.S. Team Forest 2!!!! Black, Scottish Cyclops!!! FTW!!!

@iamtehawesome: Fortress...oops

I think Team Forest 2 is a Wii title.

i'll be downloading the demo tomorrow since i have yet to pick up the pure awesomeness that is the orange box.

but i really do wish it were a demo for Portal, or at least Half Life 2 and not HL2: episode 2.

SHIT WHERES HALF LIFE 3? not episode 3, half life 3...

Do they even have Episode 1 for the Xbox? Kinda weird that lots of 360 players will have Episode 2 without even playing the previous 2 parts, unless I'm missing something here.

whoops - nevermind - didn't know the 360 did include the previous 2. Damn.

I think there is a fine line between milking a francise and what Valve is doing. Valve releases amazing games now in episodic manners to shave off the 9 plus years it would take to make a Half-Life sequel.

Milking a series is something like TonyHawk where the changes are so insignifigant every year that you wonder why the series hasn't died. And Last time I checked Portal and Left4Dead were new series Neo.

Half Life 2: Episode 3
Half Life 3
Counter Strike Source: 2.3?

Pretty please?

I could see Episode 3 shipping with Left4Dead, and Portal 2 Multiplayer... that would continue Valve's excellent track record.

Maybe I'll give it a shot... really haven't been interested it especially when I've been capturing peoples flags on halo every chance I get... >:], kinda like Bioshock & MetalGear... lots of attention and talk I hear, but no real interest from myself :O.

Like anyone needs a demo to know that the Half-Life series kicks ass.

Since I already own the game, I wish they would've put their time in making another TF2 character trailer rather than a demo. Those trailers are gold.

I was sold on the Orange Box from day one, but Episode 2 is one of the best games that I can remember playing in a long time. The scenes in the ant lion den were absolutely breathtaking (in a Prey sort of way - my wife and I used to call Prey "squish" because of the sickening feel that it had, like the ant lion den.) The original was a masterpiece, Ep 1 was so-so, but Episode 2 showed that the Half-Life 2 engine still has a lot of life in it. (And the "anti-gravity gun" is still the best innovation ever in an FPS).

@frostcircus: This comment was made of awesome and win. I lol'd heartily.

Sign me up on that virtual list of people who await Episode 3 with much anticipation. Episode 2 was the bomb.

@DigiMish: Uh it would also continue their track record of massive delays. I hope they never do a console-PC simultaneous launch ever again so that they don't have to delay the PC version for weeks while the console version gets approved by the hardware makers.

Portal multiplayer will probably come in a mod first before Valve actually releases anything.

Also Valve please never do anything like the OB for the PC again, it just means we have to wait longer to play more of your games.

BRACE FOR IMPACT.

At the moment im tossing up between The PC and 360 versions of Orange Box. Does anyone have any recommendations of which one to get?

PS i don't own any of the HL2 games

@fumar:
Don't complain about something lets more people enjoy valves work. And don't complain about waiting a couple weeks when you have people in other hemispheres who sometimes wait months for games to come out down here... If they do.

"At the moment im tossing up between The PC and 360 versions of Orange Box. Does anyone have any recommendations of which one to get?"

PC. People who want to play FPS games with a game pad are weird.

wait.. so is portal going to come out on the ps3?

@ One_Way_Mile:

If you plan on playing Team Fortress 2 at all then get the PC version. The 360 version isn't updated as often (bug fixes, some small map changes, etc) and, most importantly, the 360 version doesn't do custom maps (in that case, get the PC version if you plan on playing TF2 OR Portal, both of which support custom maps - either creation or playing of). Oh, and the PC version is prettier too. =P

In the end, I suppose, it mostly comes down to if extra stuff matters and if your rig can handle it.

blah blah blah, Mr. Freeman....

Milk away Valve, this game is the equivalent of god in a box. Actually, that would have worked, "God Box"

@Artican:
Thanks. I have to say custom content is always a big plus for me.
@FhnuZoag:
I'd call myself a console person. expect for sim games, worms, indie games and Total Annihilation

the demo i see on live right now is of episode 2 only. hardly representative of the rest of orange box.

@FhnuZoag: people who trot that opinion out like it wasnt old 5 years ago are weird.

on the other hand, i have an actual solid reason to get in on pc, unlike weirdo up there. fact is, not many people play tf2 on the 360, its hard to get good, full matches - and its all peer to peer hosting only, so fuck that and play on dedicated servers with 4 times the players and a quarter the lag on a pc.

So...

I downloaded this thing and only HL2:EP2 is playable, pointless.