L?Pi?QM Tes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized
4 MAXIMUMPC december 2007
F
inishing The Orange Box left us in a
state of shock. It wasn’t Half-Life 2:
Episode 2’s requisite cliffhanger ending
that floored us; rather, it was the realization
that Episode 2 is the low point of the entire
Orange Box package. Portal and Team
Fortress 2 completely eclipse what Valve bills
as the “centerpiece” of the bundle.
Don’t get us wrong, Episode 2 is not a
bad game. It’s more of the same Half-Life 2
goodness, chock-full of physics puzzles and
zombie killing; Valve even doles out a few
more tidbits of the story of humanity’s battle
against the Combine.
That said, Episode 2’s biggest failing is
that it’s more of the same: the same types
of puzzles, the same enemies, and the same
environments. The game remains extremely
linear, with a well-defined path littered with
choke points and the occasional set-piece
battle. Sadly, however, the self-guided
storytelling that was prevalent in the earlier
games is lessened—the noncombat environ-
ments don’t have as many items that trigger
monologues from the characters.Portal lies at the opposite end of the
innovation spectrum. This game delighted
us with its innovative gameplay and twisted
sense of humor. The concept is simple:
You have a gun that lets you rip holes in
the space-time continuum, which you can
then move materials (or yourself) through.
More puzzle game than first-person shooter,
Portal’s genius lies in the way it introduces
new concepts and gameplay mechanics to
the player, then immediately forces you toutilize those mechanics in combination with
everything you’ve learned before. Although
it’s short, Portal delivers nonstop fun from
the opening sequence to the end credits. It’s
quite simply the most entertaining four hours
we’ve spent this year.
And then there’s Team Fortress 2. The
first thing you’ll notice about TF2 is its
unique Incredibles -esque art style and
character design. The second thing you’ll
notice is that it is Team Fortress.
Not a reimagining. Not a mod-
ernized class-based shooter.
It’s Team Fortress Classic, per-
fectly balanced, with all the rough
edges smoothed off, and it is,
without a doubt, the best multi-
player shooter we’ve played this
year (sorry, Quake Wars).
The game retains all nine origi-
nal classes from Team Fortress,
each honed to fulfill a core role
while items that blurred lines
between different classes have
been removed. This ensures that no class
encroaches on another class’s role. Having
such a wide variety of classes in the game
ensures that no two matches play the same.
You must constantly tweak your team com-
position in order to succeed—there’s no
perfect combination of classes.
What really surprised us about TF2 is
that Valve included only six maps. While we
were initially torqued by this paltry number,
the collection is rich and hearty. Because
the community for this type of game usually
ends up playing on only a handful of maps—
we call this the Karkand Effect—Valve con-centrated on building six arenas that truly
kick ass. Remakes of classic maps like 2Fort
and Dustbowl are welcome, but we love the
new Hydro map, which reconfigures itself
from one round to the next to provide near-
infinite replayability.
With Team Fortress 2, Portal, Episode 1,
Episode 2, and Half-Life 2, this is the can’t-
miss gaming package of the year.
—Will SmithThe Orange Box
With tons of Half-Life goodness, Team
Fortress 2, and Portal, this is the best
deal in gaming historyteam Fortress 2 is our favorite part of the Orange Box, and we dig it for more than
its stunning character designs!Don’t let the small screenshot fool you—
Portal is one of the best single-player
games of the year.$50, http://www.half-life2.com,
ESRB: Mthe orange boxBarney
Amazing value; Portal is
top-notch; TF2 is riotous
multiplayer fun.
aDrian ShePharD
Episode 2 lacks innovation;
TF2 needs more The Hunted.We hope you like fighting Striders;
they’re the official baddie of episode 2.9
MAXIMUM
PCKICKASS