GamesRadar - The Orange Box

Here's Why Valve is King of the PC Market (News)

Dec 5, 2008

Valve has always been known to be one of the top developers in the PC arena. In fact, their only real competitor is Blizzard and both developers make such different games that it really isn't a competition. Well, in the latest issue of Game Informer, Valve revealed statistics of their game sales in the past decade that show why they are the industry leaders.

Kids in the Hall LOVE Portal (News)

Nov 19, 2008

Classic Canadian comic troupe Kids in the Hall clearly think Portal is the funniest thing in the world. It doesn't look like they make it too far into the game, but if they react like this to the first box-on-a-button puzzle, I can only imagine how crazy they would go for the actual game.

10 things we'd do with a real gravity gun (Feature)

Nov 11, 2008

The gravity gun is a godsend to Gordon Freeman throughout the Orange Box. As adept at creating impromptu platforms, bridges and makeshift shields out of whatever’s laying around City 17 as it is at blowing bits off headcrabs; it’s perhaps the most intuitive and visceral gun in games. ...

Leipzig: The real-life Half-Life 2 (Feature)

Aug 28, 2008

When we went to the Leipzig GC this year, we found ourselves in strangely familiar surroundings. Strangely, disturbingly familiar surroundings. Gravity guns at the ready... ...

Seinfeld recreated in Garry's Mod (Feature)

Aug 15, 2008

We’re big fans of dicking around, so when someone suggested that we attempt to reproduce a classic sitcom in Half-Life 2’s Garry’s Mod, we cited the “why the hell not” clause of our operating procedures and immediately began violating ragdolls. While our interpretation of the greatest nihilist sitcom ever may not win us any awards at machinima festivals, it can at least inspire some ironic ...

Valve Teases 'Team Fortress 2' Update On Consoles (News)

Aug 15, 2008

MTV Multiplayer writes: "Do you ever get jealous at the amount of free updates Valve delivers for "Team Fortress 2? on the PC? You might be a console gamer.

Few people would blame you. "Team Fortress 2? has yet to receive a content update - free or otherwise - from Valve. But that doesn't mean they aren't thinking about it.

In response to the recent reveal of new maps, modes and character tweaks for "Team Fortress 2," I asked the studio if console owners could look forward to this, as well.

Valve's answer to MTV Multiplayer is open to interpretation. "[There is] nothing to announce - yet," said Valve vice president of marketing Doug Lombardi."

Orange Box PS3, it seems, suffers from GHIII Wii syndrome (News)

Jul 31, 2008

Aeropause writes:

"The importance difference being that Activision has fixed Guitar Hero III for Wii."

Full story after the jump!

TF2's Robin Walker disapproves Instant-Respawn (News)

Jul 17, 2008

TF2's Robin Walker shares his opinion on Instant Respawn servers.

Screens & video of new Half Life 2 texture mod (News)

Jul 15, 2008

Fakefactory Cinematic Mod 8 has been released. There are screenshots and a video that show the modifications done to the original game.

The Orange Box PS3: Open Letter from Petitioners (News)

Jul 9, 2008

SCRAWL writes:

"Toni T, one of the petitioners for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of The Orange Box has written an open letter to the world and has decided to share it exclusively with SCRAWL. His letter addresses the problems in The Orange Box on the PLAYSTATION 3 as well as the problems they've had in actually getting through to Electronic Arts and Valve. So here it is, for you to read. Hopefully someone will get through and help us Orange Box gamers out a bit."

Hit the jump to read the letter.

Half-Life 2 team takes crowbar to cyber thieves (News)

Jun 30, 2008

Developer Valve, maker of PC hit Half-Life 2, has disabled 20,000 accounts belonging to users of its Steam online service on account of credit card fraud, theft of accounts and using cracked versions of Valve games.

Rumor: PS3 Gamers Suing Valve for Bad Orange Box? (News)

Jun 23, 2008

SCRAWL writes:
"One of our readers, Toni T, has sent us in this saying that unhappy Orange Box gamers are going to sue Valve unless they receive a patch for the game before July 1, 2008. I know that is a short time, though when you think about it the game hasn't received any real support in seven months. We post this as a rumor because the thread posted was supposedly deleted and we have no real proof whether gamers will actually pursue the suing. The case is for false advertising and they are bringing it to the US Federal Trade Commission."

Pyro Unlocks And Achievements Detailed (News)

Jun 19, 2008

The official website for the Pyro update has come online, and it contains all the information you need to prepare yourself for tomorrow's baptism of fire. Names and descriptions of the other two unlockable weapons (accompanying the Axtinguisher), the Flare Gun and the Backburner, all 35 of the new achievements, and the two community maps to be included in the update, cp_fastlane and ctf_turbine, have all been divulged.

New TF2 Pyro Weapon Unveiled in Sniper Vignette (News)

Jun 18, 2008

Though the official details aren't slated to arrive until tomorrow, the latest Team Fortress 2 character vignette contains a brief glimpse of Pyro's second unlockable weapon.
The device, which appears to be a blunderbuss, joins the Axtinguisher as one of the three unlockable weapons for the fire-happy Pyro class.

As with the recent Medic update, the weapons will be available to players once they earn a set number of class-specific achievements.

Hit the jump for images and a video.

Gaming PaperCraft (Feature)

Jun 10, 2008

Our origami gurus have designed some pretty sweet papercraft figures for you to decorate your office or gaming lounge. Read more to create your own Companion Cube, Big Daddy, Gordon Freeman and Vault-Boy with our printable cutouts. ...

CVG: Pyro unlockables next for Team Fortress (News)

Jun 1, 2008

The Pyro class is next in line to receive an Achievement and unlockables upgrade in Team Fortress 2, Valve has confirmed.

The last class to receive the upgrade goods was the Medic, whom can now receive unlockable weapons for collecting specific Achievements based on its healing abilities.

Valve Announces Steam Cloud - Indefinite Online Save Game, Replay Video, Kill-cam Storage, and other features (News)

May 30, 2008

Valve's been quite busy getting ready to roll out some impressive updates to their games and Steam in general:

"Valve today announced Steam Cloud, a free Steam system that will retain users' saved games and configuration files indefinitely.

Half-Life and Half-Life 2 will be the first games to support the service....

The company is also working on several new Steam systems, including a driver auto-updater and calendar functionality.

Another feature in the works is a system-requirement checker. The program will analyze your hardware and compare it to multiple games, estimating your performance and recommending upgrades.

Valve is also considering storing replay videos and kill-cam screens from games such as Team Fortress 2 and Day of Defeat: Source. "

Valve: We laugh at PC dying stories (News)

May 23, 2008

If you look properly you'll find that PC game sales are even, if not bigger, than all of the next-gen consoles, says Valve's Doug Lombardi.

"We sort of laugh at it," the marketing man told Shacknews.

"Because we've been wildly successful--we're very fortunate, you know. Our games have all done really, really well, Steam has taken off and become this whole other business for us, Valve has never been in better shape--and yet ...

Valve Reveals Final Team Fortress 2 Medic Weapons (News)

Apr 16, 2008

Shacknews writes: "Developer Valve released the final details on its upcoming Team Fortress 2 content update during a party tonight in downtown San Francisco.

In addition to the known crit-increasing gun "The Critzcrieg," the remaining two unlockable medic weapons were also available for hands-on time. Dubbed "The Blutsaugher" and "The Ubersaw," they will serve as replacements for the medic's standard syringe and bonesaw, respectively. The weapons will be earned through a new achievement system, and equipped through a loadout menu."

The three new Medic weapons will be the Blutsaugher, a new syringe gun, the Critzcrieg, a medigun whose charge gives the recipient 100% chance of crits, and the Ubersaw, a saw that charges uber with each hit.

The Top 7... inanimate objects (Feature)

Apr 7, 2008

Inanimate objects. Wow, we must really be out of ideas, huh? It's true, at first pass this sounds absurd, open to all kinds of interpretation with an infinite number of potential entries, but after careful contemplation (i.e. shouting at one another for hours) we've come up with a list of in-game objects so desirable that every gamer should love 'em - even if all they do is sit there.

For our consideration, the items have to be ...

The world's best counterfeit games (Feature)

Mar 27, 2008

Not happy with what the devs are doing with your favourite games? Then let the gamers take over production. ...

Valve confirms UK and EU release of Orange Box separates (News)

Mar 19, 2008

Valve's confirmed that the Orange Box separates will release in the UK and rest of Europe, despite the fact EA had said previously there was "no confirmation" of plans to bring the games to the UK.

"Yes they will," Valve's Doug Lombardi told videogaming247 when asked if the split-out games would be made available at UK retail. "EA is the distributor for most of the EU."

The Orange Box: 100 Awards and Counting (News)

Mar 10, 2008

The 2007 award season is coming to a close and The Orange Box - the unique multiplatform, multi-game offering from Valve, creators of Half-Life® 2 and Counter-Strike® - has racked up over 100 first place awards, comprised of more than 50 Game of the Year honors plus over 50 craft awards for special achievements in gaming.

Orange Box splits up next month (News)

Mar 6, 2008

Those stingy enough to refuse buying Valve's Orange Box for all of its games can reclaim some of their street cred next month, when the bargain package is split three ways. Team Fortress 2, Portal and the Half-Life 2: Episode Pack will go on sale on April 9. According to Valve this is a worldwide release, although UK retailers list both of the games for pre-order. Pricing for the US (according to retailers) will be $19.99 for Portal and ...

No plans to split Orange Box in the UK (News)

Mar 6, 2008

EA has just told videogaming247 that there are currently no release plans for the the separate elements of the Orange Box at UK retail.

"There is no confirmation on UK plans for releasing individual elements of The Orange Box at retail," said an EA UK spokesperson. "Obviously, you can already download individual elements via Steam, and they have announced in the US that they will be available at retail in April."

Individual Orange Box games hit retail April 9 (News)

Mar 6, 2008

Valve has confirmed to Joystiq that the individually boxed Orange Box PC games are due to hit physical shelves on April 9th. The separate SKUs, which will be available worldwide, consist of first-person puzzler Portal, caricatured multiplayer romp Team Fortress 2, and a crowbar double-whammy in the form of Half-Life 2: Episode One and Two. Valve has yet to officially announce pricing details, but retailers currently list Portal at $19.99 and the other two packages at $29.99 each.

Audiosurf Ranks as Steam's Best Seller in February (News)

Mar 5, 2008

Dylan Fitter's unique musical puzzle racer Audiosurf was the top-selling title on Valve's digital distribution-based Steam platform during February, the company announced today.

Released on February 15, Audiosurf and its $9.95 price point topped the charts both in terms of revenue and units sold. The game, which dynamically creates race tracks based on a user's imported music, outsold such notable titles as Valve's The Orange Box and PopCap's Peggle Deluxe.

Eurogamer: Valve hopes to keep TF2 content free (News)

Mar 4, 2008

Valve has reiterated that it hopes to release extra maps for Team Fortress 2 as free downloads for PS3 and 360 owners.

"The maps will come to the console versions," VP of marketing Doug Lombardi told Eurogamer at a recent Left 4 Dead event. "There's a bit of work that makes sense for us to bundle them up and release them as packs."

Asked whether that still meant for free, Lombardi said: "Oh, for free, definitely, as much as we can. You know, we don't have full say over that, but we have some say over how that works.

Orange Box 2 takes shape? (News)

Mar 3, 2008

With a game as stupidly popular and successful as Counter-Strike, the question is not 'Will there be a sequel?' but rather: 'When?' Valve Software, the developer housed in a red building entirely comprised of $50 bills (it could happen), knows this too: "We will never abandon Counter-Strike," marketing man Doug Lombardi told Shack News, explaining why the online shooter hasn't received a major update since the release of Counter-Strike ...

Opening The Orange Box: Portal (Feature)

Feb 29, 2008

The games world has gone bat shit over Portal. By the time you read this, there will be around 23,456 more blogs about the Weighted Companion Cube and over 1.2 million references on forums about “cake,” beating the previous record set by “the knights who say ‘Ni’” by 67 percent. Despite Valve’s sci-fi spatial puzzler clocking in at less than three hours, Portal has become a phenomenon, built on a ...

Opening The Orange Box: Team Fortress 2 (Feature)

Feb 28, 2008

Valve’s devotion to its customers, their unheard of desire to ensure that at every turn we are inescapably pleased with their product, is no more noticeable than with Team Fortress 2. Like doting mothers, they’ve been keeping tabs on how we play. Vast mountains of data stored in underground bunkers keep records of our every action - that time you were sniped on top of the bridge in 2fort? It’s in there. And all in the name of ...

Weighted Companion Cube is "still alive" in WoW (News)

Feb 12, 2008

Love is in the Air has started up for Valentine's Day in the World of Warcraft, and there is a familiar-looking heart-adorned cube sitting outside of the major cities.

Valve: Goldrush "within the month"- New TF2 map featuring new game mode creeps closer to release (News)

Feb 5, 2008

CVG is reporting that TF2's new Goldrush map revealed by PC Gamer (UK) last month should be with us shortly.

"We're balancing the map now; look for it within the month", Valve has said.

The new map introduces a new gameplay mode - one team must escort a small mining cart through a series of Dustbowl-like map segments. The cart moves faster the more Blue players are near it, but stops entirely if even one Red player is in range. Blue have to escort the cart all the way to Red's headquarters within a certain time limit.

EA To Release New Orange Box Games As Separate PC Titles (News)

Feb 1, 2008

During Electronic Arts' financial conference call today, company execs stated that they plan to release all of the new games in Valve's Orange Box collection (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal) as separate retail games for the PC. The three games will ship to stores for the PC sometime before the end of March; no prices for the games were announced. Of course, Steam owners can already pay and download those three games as separate products.

"More Portal for Sure" - Valve + News on Gordon's Whereabouts (News)

Jan 31, 2008

Eurogamer Said: Valve has said it will definitely be making more Portal, confirming plans to add significantly more than just "a bunch of new puzzles".

Speaking to Eurogamer, spokesperson Doug Lombardi said it was less a matter of if and more a matter of what and when.

"There'll be more Portal, for sure. But the details of that, to be honest, we're still working out," he said.

"The only smart thing we did for Portal was to hire those seven kids and give them the support they needed to make the game."

Unsurprisingly Valve is reluctant to be rushed by a release schedule. It's adopting the same policy for Half-Life 2 finale Episode Three.

"Gordon is our number one guy," said Lombardi. "In Episode One I think we left people with some big questions. After Episode Two people saw it was going somewhere.

"With Episode Three we want to live up to the promise of where we are taking things to; there's a lot of work being done to make sure we deliver on that promise."

He added, "Exact details on what's next for Gordon are a way off; probably months not weeks."

US PC Chart: Call of Duty 4 holds off Warcraft (News)

Jan 29, 2008

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has taken the top spot in the US's PC chart for the week of January 13th ¿ 19th, according to NPD data. MCV has the full top ten list.

Gordon Freeman: Strongest personality in gaming (Feature)

Jan 18, 2008

18th Jan, 2008 [Warning: Like our Portal article from December, this piece features some pretty heady discourse, and also benefits from a visit from Mr. Narrative Theory. If that stuff makes you run screaming, then feel free to run screaming. Also, if you haven't completed Half-Life 2, leave now. This contains some inhuman spoilers.] Half-Life 2 is widely and rightly regarded as a modern classic. In terms of both gameplay and artistry there have been few, if any, games in the FPS genre which ...

Interview: Half-life 2's David Speyrer (Feature)

Jan 17, 2008

David Speyrer was interviewed for his job at Valve on the day the original Half-Life went gold in late 1998. He started working there soon after, just as Half-Life 2 began its lengthy development. Since then, hes risen through the ranks from programmer to project lead. Now, David talks us through some of the processes that led to Half-Life 2: Episode Two being the remarkable game it is. Warning: if you havent played Episode Two yet, there are spoilers ahead. Has Episode Two taken you anywhere ...

Custom Action Figures: Half-Life, Duke Nukem, MGS, Ninja Gaiden, Killzone 2 (News)

Jan 17, 2008

Jin Saotome's two latest creations are action figures based on Half-Life's Gordon Freeman (from the Half-Life series) and the 8-bit Bionic Commando. He built these two using G.I. Joe Sigma Six figures, but the results look almost worthy of retail. Freeman and the Commando even come with their signature crowbar and grappling arm, respectively. They are now up for auction on eBay via the Gaming Today link below (news.filefront.com).

Jin Saotome's website features additional custom action figures from other video games: Solid Snake (from Metal Gear Solid), Ryu (from Ninja Gaiden), and Helghast Soldier (from Killzone 2). They are currently not for sale.

The pictures of the figures are attached below.

Valve confirms Team Fortress 2 class changes (News)

Jan 16, 2008

CVG is reporting Valve has revealed tweaks in the pipeline for Team Fortress 2 classes in the wake of news that the developer plans "a large scale modification" to the core of the game.

According to Valve's Robin Walker, the Pyro is set to receive an important boost and the developer's tinkering with the Solider too.

"We are indeed investigating Soldier changes, and one of the changes we're trying out is focused on making Soldiers a little more careful firing their rockets at point blank targets. As for the Pyro scoring, we have a minor tweak coming down the pipe. He's going to get a small amount of points for every enemy he ignites."

Earlier this week Valve promised that a "significant gameplay tweak" for the Medic class is on the way too, and that all the game's classes will eventually receive similar treatment.

Get Portal: First Slice for FREE (News)

Jan 9, 2008

Jan 9, 2008 If you've got a Steam account and an NVIDIA GeForce card, you can grab a special version of the popular first-person puzzler, Portal. By special, we mean that it's just an extended demo. Still, it's an extended demo for one of the best games of 2008. So if you haven't already figured out why the cake is a lie and want to see why everyone's been gushing about this unique title, you should stop reading and download Portal: First Slice for free by clicking ...

Steam offering 50% off selected games (News)

Jan 1, 2008

you are looking for a new game to keep you occupied into the new year, then Steam may have something for you. Until January 1, Valve's gaming service has some very good discounts for its top games.

The Orange Box and 19 Games Available for $75 on Steam (News)

Dec 31, 2007

As if The Orange Box weren't already the best value in gaming, those who have yet to make the $50 plunge can get an even better deal through Valve's Steam service. For a mere $75 gamers can purchase Orange Box and 19 additional titles.

If you already have The Orange Box then you can still get some more Half-Life goodness by downloading the game's main tune, "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coultan at Amazon.com. The entire album is discounted by about $2, available at Amazon for $7.99.

The winner of Destructoid Game of the Year 2007 (News)

Dec 28, 2007

Picking the Destructoid Game of the Year was no easy task, as evidenced by the overwhelmingly varied community response to yesterday's list of nominees. It seemed like each one of the five finalists garnered an equal amount of support: "Pick Mass Effect!" "Super Mario Galaxy is easily the best!" "COD4 FTW!" "BioShock, hands down!" "No competition. The Orange Box!"

And the winner is...

Orange Box Soundtrack Can Stuff Someones Stocking (News)

Dec 24, 2007

Valve have released, to their online store, an official Orange Box soundtrack, upon which you'll find all the hits you've grown to know and love from the year's orangest (and bestest) compendium. Like some of the haunting score to Episode 1, for example. An Episode 2. And Portal, with the catchy electronic score joined by two versions of "Still Alive". If you're less of a Half-Life fan and more of a Team Fortress kind of guy/gal, you're also covered, with its "troop-rallying anthems" also making their way onto the CD. The Orange Box Original Soundtrack is available now, and is selling for $9.95.

Los Angeles Times: Best and Worst of the Year (News)

Dec 23, 2007

What makes a good video game? Strong visuals are important. Good controls are essential. A well-crafted concept helps too. These days, most games can boast at least two-thirds of that criteria.

So, then what makes a game great? Feeling. Emotion. Surprise. Interaction. Even addiction. It's a magical feeling when a game offers all these elements.

Here are the titles L.A. Times deemed the best experiences of 2007. Admittedly, they didn't play everything (because that would probably be impossible), but of the titles that did cross their paths, these are the ones that resonated most. Their favorites in order:

Best of the Year:
¿ BioShock
¿ Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
¿ Assassin's Creed
¿ Super Mario Galaxy
¿ The Orange Box

Honorable Mention:
¿ Halo 3
¿ Rock Band
¿ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
¿ Cooking Mama: Cook Off
¿ Lost Planet

Worst of the Year:
¿ Lair

Dishonorable Mention:
¿ Fusion Frenzy 2
¿ 300: March to Glory
¿ Tenchu Z

[ By Pete Metzger, December 21, 2007 ]

Dear criminals... (News)

Dec 20, 2007

Dec 20, 2007 If you park on the streets of a major city like San Francisco, you know there's the risk that a starry-eyed young hooligan with the bold dream of stealing your stereo will smash in your window. GamesRadar US editor Tyler Wilde is well aware of this risk - his car has been broken into three times in the past year. What he didn't know is that not just his stereo is at risk. As an avid gamer and an angry citizen, he felt it was time to send a message to the window/ocarina smashing ...

2007 - The best gaming year ever (Feature)

Dec 20, 2007

20th Dec, 2007 Gaming is an up and down experience. Some years cram top quality titles into our every orifice until were bursting with videogame joy and have excess polygons dripping messily out of our ears, while some other years… Well, some other years are 1983. In 2007 though, weve had a very good year indeed. A scarily good year in fact. One which has provided us so much brilliance on every format that its a genuine worry that the laws of karmic balance will soon bring us a plague ...

Half-Life To Have Plenty Of Life After Episode 3 (News)

Dec 19, 2007

Kotaku reports:

"In a recent interview with StuffWeLike, Valve's Doug Lombardi confirmed that the wide world of Half-Life won't end after Half-Life 2: Episode 3. There's more on the way: plenty more.

Question: "Are there any current plans after Episode 3 to have a Half Life 3?"
Answer: "We haven't announced anything specific, but Half-Life won't end at Episode Three - hang on to your crowbars!"

"Half-Life 3 or Episode 4? That's fine with me, especially since the sequels haven't stopped Valve from putting out other incredible products with the help of Half-Life technology. If a tried and true franchise allows Valve to experiment with the mechanics you see in Portal or the artistic choices you see in Team Fortress 2, I say bring on the sell-out! I'll be waiting with my Mt. Dew in the ready."

The 10 best games of 2007 (The Chanticleer Online) (News)

Nov 30, 2007

The Chanticleer's Art & Entertainment editor Toni Merriss picks her ten best games of 2007.

Orange Box PS3 may not be that bad, but reports still say worse than 360 version (News)

Nov 29, 2007

To say that EA's port of Valve's Orange Box on PS3 suffered a bit from 1Up's damning preview is a serious understatement. Now, either EA has really taken 1Up's complaints to heart or the site was lumbered some very early preview code to toy with because fresh impressions are filtering through the interwebs painting a very different picture of the Orange Box's performance. Kotaku, IGN and GameSpy are three big names that have come out in support of the mega-bundle, stating that in final code, frame rate issues were noticeable but negligible and certainly not bad enough to make much of an impact on the gameplay.

If this proves to be the case in the final retail copy, and there's little reason to suspect it won't, then EA should get something short of a clap on the back, but a least a nod of acknowledgement that it has finally pulled its finger out and overcome its PS3 demons. However, one sentiment still remains ¿ that the Xbox 360 version is superior ¿ and that isn't going to please PS3's hardcore.

Valve brings achievements to Steam (News)

Nov 26, 2007

Nov 26, 2007 Half-Life dev Valve will be adding more achievements to The Orange Box and other games on Steam, it revealed in reply to a fan email (as odd as that sounds). Team Fortress 2 will be the first to receive the in-game accolades - which work in pretty much the same ways as Xbox 360 Achievements - and other Valve games such as Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2 will apparently follow. "We're planning on adding achievements to all of our games you touched on in your mail," said ...

Top 10 Best Selling PC Games For November 3 (News)

Nov 15, 2007

The NPD Group has released the latest list of the top 10 best selling PC games in the US, this time for the week ending November 3. It seems that despite bad reviews, Flagship Studios have done something right, as people buy Hellgate: London despite many reviewers' opinion that it needed a few more months in production.

1. Hellgate: London - Namco/EA
2. Hellgate: London Collectors Edition - Namco/EA
3. Half Life 2: Episode 2 The Orange Box - Valve/EA
4. Age Of Empires III: Asian Dynasties - Microsoft
5. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage - Electronic Arts
6. Nancy Drew: Legend Of The Crystal Skull - Her Interactive
7. Flight Simulator X: Acceleration - Microsoft
8. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
9. The Witcher - Atari
10. The Sims 2 Deluxe - Electronic Arts

Valve offering real Companion Cubes (News)

Nov 12, 2007

Nov 12, 2007 Weighted Companion Cubes from Orange Box puzzler Portal will be coming to the Valve store soon. In addition, the plush Cube (which doesn't talk and won't try to stab you) will go on sale alongside a smaller pair of cubes made for hanging in your car's rear-view mirror. We need these to complete the Valve toy collection on our ...

The Orange Box PS3 now pushed back to January 2008 (News)

Nov 10, 2007

EA has just revealed in its latest European release schedule that Half Life 2: The Orange Box on Playstation 3 has been delayed again. The Xbox 360 and PC versions have been in stores since early October, but the Playstation 3 version would release 'a few weeks after that', according to Valve.

In the latest trailers Valve promised that the PS3 version would be in stores in time for the holidays. Apparently Valve ran in to some more trouble with the Playstation 3 as Orange Box on the Playstation 3 is now scheduled for release on January 17, 2008. A specific reason for this delay was not given.

Game Of The Year: BioShock, Halo 3, Mass Effect & Orange Box nominated in Spike's VGA (News)

Nov 9, 2007

Yes, The Game Of The Year (GOTY) discussion is already beginning! Spike is hosting its 5th annual Video Game Awards this December in Las Vegas, and this morning the nominees were released on Spike.com. What's in contention for Game of the Year? Orange Box, Halo 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect.

Australian Game Charts for Week Ending 28th October (News)

Nov 2, 2007

Australian GfK's weekly software sale charts for All Formats, PC, Xbox 360, DS, Wii, PS2, PS3, and PSP.

Alyx vs Lara (Feature)

Nov 1, 2007

Nov 1, 2007 According to Rule 34, if it exists, there is porn of it. There are some exceptions of course. For example, we're glad there aren't any nude Little Sister mods for BioShock. However, for some characters, it's only a matter of time until nakedness strikes in the form of a nude mod or patch. But really, how much time are we talking about? If you've never wondered if Alyx Vance kept her clothes on longer than Lara Croft, it's probably for the best. Otherwise, see the video, download ...

Current Swedish Best Sellers (News)

Nov 1, 2007

Metroid Prime 3 is followed by The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, making it a Nintendo top two on the multiplatform chart.

The top twenty includes six football games. Last week's best seller, Football Manager 2008, sits at No3, while three versions of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and two versions of FIFA 08 also chart.

01. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
02. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
03. Football Manager 2008 (PC)
04. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)
05. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
06. Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (PC)
07. Singstar Swedish hits Schlager (PS2)
08. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (360)
09. World of Warcraft (PC)
10. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
11. FIFA 08 (PS2)
12. Counter-Strike 1: Anthology (PC)
13. Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (360)
14. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage (PC)
15. The Witcher (PC)
16. Halo 3 (360)
17. Battlefield 2 (PC)
18. Warcraft III Frozen Throne (PC)
19. FIFA 08 (PS3)
20. World in Conflict (PC)

Current European Best Sellers (News)

Oct 29, 2007

Link's latest Legend of Zelda adventure for Nintendo DS debuts at No1 in Spain and Germany, and at No2 in Sweden.

FIFA 08 makes three entries in the Spanish chart and two in the German top ten. In Sweden, Football Manager for PC tops the league.

While PC titles dominate the German and Swedish top tens, the Spanish chart has a distinctly console, specifically DS, flavor.

Orange Box 360 update released! (Again!) (News)

Oct 27, 2007

"The second Orange Box 360 update has been released by Valve! This time, the focus is primarily on Team Fortress 2. What, exactly, have they changed?

- Reduced network bandwidth usage in multiplayer.
- Improved overall game performance.
- Arranged search results to favor preferred host conditions.
- Improved searching for ranked games.
- Addressed a possible false report of too little storage space on larger hard drives". - Gamernode

Valve Responds to Steam Territory Deactivations (News)

Oct 27, 2007

Some consumers who purchased Valve's Orange Box from vendors located outside of their home country -- mainly in an attempt to save on cheaper products -- have recently reported that their otherwise legally-obtained games have since been deactivated by Valve's Steam software for territory violation.

Talking with Shacknews, Valve's Doug Lombardi now says that the Steam software is merely carrying out this function by design.

"Valve uses Steam for territory control to make sure products authorized for use in certain territories are not being distributed and used outside of those territories," said Lombardi.

Valve "Deactivating" Customers Who Bought Orange Box Internationally (News)

Oct 25, 2007

The Consumerist writes:

According to reader Todd, there are quite a few customers are finding their "Orange Box" games have been deactivated by Valve because they bought them from a seller that wasn't authorized to do business with US customers.

The seller made the mistake, but the gamers are paying the price.

UK charts: Football Manager knocks FIFA off the top (News)

Oct 23, 2007

The Orange Box debuts at 3, Phantom Hourglass at 4

Sega's Football Manager 2008 has entered the UK's all-formats chart at number one this week, knocking EA's FIFA 08 off the top spot.

Accounting for 38 per cent of all PC titles sold in the past week, Sports Interactive's management sim is Sega's first multiformat number one title since last year's version of the popular football franchise.

1. Football Manager 2008 (PC)
2. FIFA 08 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC)
3. The Orange Box (Xbox 360, PC)
4. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
5. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
6. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)
7. Ratatouille (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC)
8. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC)
9. Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
10. Crash of the Titans (Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, GBA)

EGM December 2007 Review Scores Roundup (News)

Oct 23, 2007

The review scores from EGM #222 (December 2007) are revealed:

* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock: 9, 8.5, 8
* Sega Rally Revo: 7.5, 7, 7
* Conan: 5.5, 5.5, 5.5
* WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008: 8, 7, 5.5
* Clive Barker's Jericho: 3, 4.5, 4.5 (Shame of the Month)
* The Simpsons Game: 7, 6.5, 7
* Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War: 4, 6, 4
* Folklore: 5.5, 7.5, 8
* The Eye of Judgment: 8, 8, 8
* Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: 8.5, 9.5, 9
* Halo 3: 10, 10, 9
* Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation: 6.5, 6.5, 8
* Half-Life 2 Orange Box: 10, 9.5, 10
* Beautiful Katamari: 7, 4.5, 4
* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations: 9, 7, 7.5
* Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness: 7.5, 7, 7
* Silent Hill: Origins: 7.5, 7, 7

What G-Man keeps in his briefcase... (Feature)

Oct 19, 2007

Oct 19, 2007 Huzzah! The Orange Box is released today (It's already out in the US), bringing what's perhaps the best videogame series ever conceived to Xbox 360 (and PlayStation 3, eventually) bundled along with one of the greatest multiplayer mashups and the world's first perfect game. Given that Gordon Freeman's only made one visit to consoleland, with Half-Life on Xbox and PS2, we thought living-room gamers might need to catch up. Much of the info contained in this article is only gleaned ...

Half-Life 2 with the Portal Gun (News)

Oct 18, 2007

So you've played through Portal and loved every minute as much as we did. Maybe you've even gone through the advanced maps and tried out some of the challenges? So what comes next?

How about the ability to play through Half-Life 2, HL2 Episodes, or other Source-powered games with the portal gun in-hand? We've been doing that very thing for the past few days now, and after hours spent experimenting with various techniques and tricks, we're here to show you how.

The Orange Box (Screenshots)

Oct 17, 2007

Half-Life 2: Better on PC or 360? (News)

Oct 17, 2007

UPDATE [Oct 18, 2007]: In light of reader feedback, we're happy to supply the details of how we tested and sourced the images for our comparison. We hope this will clear up any queries you have. All shots were captured direct-feed, PC shots by using Fraps and 360 shots by using an image-editing suite to pull the image directly from the input, using component. We ran the PC at its highest quality settings, but in a 1024x720 window to replicate the 720p resolution setting on Xbox 360. No ...

The cake is a lie (Feature)

Oct 15, 2007

Oct 15, 2007 Weve all become rather enamored by Portal, which has been untangling the folds of our frontal lobes since its release last week with Valves Orange Box. While it may appear simple at first glance, Portal is jammed full of subtleties, Easter eggs, and easily repeatable tag lines that have been rapidly absorbed by the Internets collective cultural consciousness. If youve been on the wrong side of the space-time continuum for the last week and have no clue what were talking about, ...

Portal: The Flash Version (News)

Oct 11, 2007

Oct 11, 2007 Want to kill some time without breaking the bank? This excellent free flash game provides a 2D take on Valve's first-person puzzler, Portal. Portal: The Flash Version contains 40 levels of mind-bending puzzles and according to its authors, it has just about everything the real game does (minus the third dimension). Energy balls, cubes, turrets, and the giant crusher from the trailer all make an appearance. Click here to try out Portal: The Flash Version, and find out what we ...

Orange Box beats Bioshock, Halo 3 (News)

Oct 11, 2007

Oct 11, 2007 Valve's Orange Box compilation burst its way onto Steam yesterday, the reviews have begun to go live, and early indications show its average review score of 98 (so far) is going to beat both BioShock and Halo 3. You can read our review of Half-Life: Episode 2 here, Team Fortress 2 here and Portal ...

Gabe Newell: PS3 "a waste of everybody's time" - Edge's interview (News)

Oct 11, 2007

Valve Software boss Gabe Newell has slagged off PS3 calling it "a waste of everybody's time" in a latest attack on the console.

"Investing in the Cell, investing in the SPE gives you no long-term benefits. There's nothing there that you're going to apply to anything else. You're not going to gain anything except a hatred of the architecture they've created", Newell told Edge magazine.

"I don't think they're going to make money off their box. I don't think it's a good solution."

Orange Box beats Bioshock, Halo 3 (News)

Oct 11, 2007

CVG reports: " Valve's Orange Box compilation burst its way onto Steam yesterday, the reviews have begun to go live, and early indications show its average review score of 98 (so far) is going to beat both Bioshock and Halo 3. Could this be the highest scoring game of the year? "

Valve Bets Big on its 'Orange Box': Maker of Half-Life series takes on 'Halo' with five-game package (News)

Oct 10, 2007

MSNBC Reports: A video game company would need a truckload of chutzpah to release a first-person shooter in the wake of "Halo 3."

Such a company would have to be absolutely sure its game had enough fun and value to compete with arguably the biggest title of the holiday season, which launched to first-day sales of $170 million, according to its publisher Microsoft.

Valve, makers of the best-selling "Half-Life" series of PC shooters, is convinced its "Orange Box," launching on the PC, and for the first time, on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and is such a game.

The Orange Box (Review)

Oct 9, 2007

Oct 9, 2007 You can't get much for sixty bucks these days. Dinner and a movie for two? Perhaps. A pair of jeans? Maybe one leg. So there's no way five incredible games, all worthy of individual purchase, would be available for that low, low price, right? You poor naive fool, says Valve, how wrong you are. Their Orange Box is finally here, and its five big sections - Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Episode One - are all juicy, delicious, and ...

Team Fortress 2 primer (Feature)

Oct 9, 2007

Oct 9, 2007 The Orange Box goes live at 12:00 am Pacific Time on Oct 10, and 8:00 am in the UK. If you're on the beta now, prepare to own some noobs when the great unwashed come flooding in. And if you haven't preordered, you're going to need a headstart. Either way, it's time to brush up on a few of the lesser-known factors in the TF2 ...

Best mods for co-op gaming (Feature)

Oct 5, 2007

Oct 5, 2007 This is multiplayer as it's meant to be played: your enemies are mute, you're all on the same side fighting for a common goal, and conventional games are taken into new and exciting territory. The world is always better served when we work together, and never more so than when we're fragging bad ...

The Orange Box to Include Single by Jonathon Coulton (News)

Oct 4, 2007

Valve has revealed that it has tapped the songwriting talents of Jonathon Coulton, computer programmer turned modern day rock star, for a surprise single to be included in its massive multi-platform game offering, The Orange Box.

Eight new Orange Box screens (News)

Oct 2, 2007

Oct 2, 2007 Is it October already? Where did the year go? It means we're only days away from the release of Valve bumper bundle Orange Box; but there's still time for new screenshots to be pumped out onto the interweb. So, take a look at class-based, team-based multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 in these eight shots. And keep those eyes peeled for reviews of TF2, Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode Two real soon-like. Courtesy of ...

Valve's Orange Box goes gold? (News)

Sep 27, 2007

Reports from GameDaily.biz suggest that Valve's Orange Box has gone gold. The pack will include Half-life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal.

HL2: Episode Two And Portal To Have PC Achievements (News)

Sep 21, 2007

Valve's Robin Walker has confirmed to the media that Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Portal will have PC achievements.

First it was Team Fortress 2, now it's the whole Orange box!

The Orange Box - Trailer 09-14-07 (Video)

Sep 14, 2007

Steam Community Goes Public (News)

Sep 13, 2007

Valve announced today that the Steam Community program has graduated from voluntary beta to public release, just in time for Monday's beta release of Team Fortress 2 for The Orange Box pre-purchasers. The online social networking additions to the Steam client let PC gamers create in-depth user profiles, track their friends gaming habits online and chat with other Steam users via any game in the Steam platform. Facebook who again?

Orange Box discount, beta access announced by Valve (News)

Sep 11, 2007

The Orange Box-featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, as well as the complete Half-Life 2 experience to date-is now available for pre-purchase via Steam, a leading online platform for the distribution of PC games. Those who pre-purchase the PC edition via Steam before October 10th will save 10% off the $49.95 regular price and get exclusive access to the Team Fortress 2 beta.

Available at retail on October 10th in North America and October 12th in the rest of the world, retail copies of The Orange Box will be offered for an estimated price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox 360 console systems. The 10% pre-purchase discount also applies to these versions at participating retail outlets.

Half Life 2: Orange Box will arrive a few weeks later on PS3 (News)

Aug 24, 2007

Developer Valve confirmed the previously rumored October release at Games Convention 2007. Valve confirmed that the PC and Xbox 360 versions will hit retail shelves on October 10 in America and October 12 in Europe. The Playstation 3 version, unfortunately, will arrive a 'few weeks later'.

This news comes forth out of an preview from IGN, in which it says that the PS3 version will arrive a few weeks later than its Xbox 360 and PC counterparts. A reason for this short delay was not given. So Playstation 3 owners will have to wait a little longer to play the Half Life 2: Orange Box, which contains Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1 & 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal.

"You won't have to wait long to play with all the goodies in the Orange Box; it's due to ship on PC and Xbox 360 on October 10th in North America and October 12th in Europe, with the PS3 version to follow a few weeks later."

Portal Details (News)

Aug 14, 2007

After introducing some of his work to a group of students at DigiPen IT, Jeep Barnett went on to talk a bit about Portal and how it really works.

PC: The Ones to Watch (Feature)

Aug 8, 2007

A lot's happened in the world of PC gaming already this year. Most notable was the introduction of Microsoft's Games for Windows - Live initiative, but there have already been several high profile releases on the platform. So much so that when we went back to our 2007 PC Game feature we almost had to halve it, as many games were already on sale. But that's okay because there are plenty more waiting for their chance to conquer the charts. Here's what you should be spending your money on in the ...

Flash Gordon (Feature)

Jul 26, 2007

Having written sci-fi and horror novels such as Dad's Nuke, The Orchid Eater and The 37th Mandala, Marc Laidlaw joined Valve in 1997 during the development of the original Half-Life. He's a charming guy, and given the opportunity to speak on his specialist subject, he does so perceptively and at great ...

GameTrailers: E3 Game Awards (Part-02) (News)

Jul 20, 2007

Yesterday's openly salvo of GameTrailers.com's "E3 Business & Media Summit Awards" offered up nominations and winners across various categories, such as Best Racer, Best Action Adventure, Best PSP Game, and Best DS Game. And, to be honest, the winners and loses didn't really throw up many surprises.

However, today's second round of E3 Awards coverage may well stoke the fires of fervent fanboy fanaticism. And why?

Oh, because the Best First-Person Shooter category does not include nominations for Halo 3 and Killzone 2, because Sony comes under fire on various fronts in terms of Most Disappointing, and neither Mass Effect nor Assassin's Creed is given a nomination nod for Best Graphics ¿ while a revamped PC port of Gears of War certainly is.

Valve launches "The Orange Box" website (News)

Jul 7, 2007

New website with screens, trailers, etc. for Team Fortress 2, Episode 2, Portal, and the rest.

The Orange Box FAQ (FAQ)

Jan 24, 2008