GamesRadar - The Orange Box

Game characters that deserved to die (Feature)

Oct 23, 2009

Death and video games go together like a big heart attack-baiting burger and an extra five slices of cheddar. But just because they’re the best of mates, it doesn’t mean certain characters should go looking for the Grim Reaper through their own reckless actions. Sadly, that’s exactly want the following group of death-wishers all do. And whether it’s through their own stupidity, being huge wimps or just dying in embarrassing fashion, these guys ...

Gordon Freeman Wins Gamespot's All Time Greatest Hero Competition (News)

Oct 15, 2009

Gamespot writes:

"That's it. The votes are in and you, the faithful, the fans, the readers of GameSpot, have decided on the single greatest game hero of all time.

You have decided to follow the Free Man.

GameSpot offers its heartiest congratulations to Gordon Freeman, the hero of the Half-Life series, and the winner of this epic competition."

Freeman had a total of 107,581 votes to Mario's 85,280.

Keyboard Cat vs... Half-Life 2: Episode Two! (Video)

Sep 15, 2009

The Orange Box has five big sections - Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Episode One - and they're juicy, delicious, and priced to sell.

The Citizen Kanes of videogames (Feature)

Jul 23, 2009

When talking about the idea of videogames as art, it’s become increasingly popular to lament that the medium doesn’t yet have its “Citizen Kane.” Seemingly everyone, from industry luminary Ian Bogost to film director Guillermo del Toro, has sounded off about how games either need, don’t need, or will soon receive the masterpiece that will force the medium to “grow up” and be accepted as an art form by the mainstream. ...

Team Fortress 2 gets an update for 360 (News)

Jul 22, 2009

Yesterday players of Team Fortress 2 on the 360 might have noticed a new update needed to be downloaded. While this was not the highly anticipated update which added all of the new class weapons, maps, and gametypes that have been thus far released only on the PC version, it did add some cool stuff.

If video game characters were Pokemon (Feature)

Jul 3, 2009

Ever wondered what it would be like to have video game characters in your Pokemon party? Why choose boring old Bulbasaur when you can choose a beautiful Kasumi? Or a level 50 Sackboy?

We've given 21 game characters the Pokemon treatment, with four moves to choose from and some evolutionary states too.

Who would you choose? ...

Gaming's most facepalm-worthy heroes (Feature)

Jun 26, 2009

When the hero's mistakes end the world instead of saving it. ...

Half-Life 2: Episode Three storyline speculation (Preview)

Jun 16, 2009

Where next for Gordon Freeman? We hazard a few educated guesses. ...

The secretly sinister storylines of your favourite games (Feature)

Jun 12, 2009

You never knew they were so wrong... ...

Smashiest glass! (Video)

May 27, 2009

The Orange Box has five big sections - Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Episode One - and they're juicy, delicious, and priced to sell.

Half-Life 2/Eve Online Hybrid Machinima Clear Skies 2 Now Available (News)

May 10, 2009

The highly praised Half Life 2/Eve Online hybrid machinima is back with Clear Skies 2, now available for download.

Video game villains who got away with it (Feature)

May 1, 2009

People like to see good triumph over evil. It's the reason Superman always wins despite getting stabbed in the face with shards of Kryptonite. Why John McClane beats a skyscraper full of heavily-armed terrorists with nothing but a string vest. And why those pesky S.T.A.R.S. agents always get the better of the T-virus. Sometimes, though, there are games brave enough to spit in the face of convention and let their no gooders go ...

The world's best game devs in their own words (Feature)

Mar 11, 2009

The secrets of their success in their own words. ...

Play Team Fortress 2 With SCRAWL on March 15th (News)

Mar 8, 2009

SCRAWL: "In a day over a week from now, SCRAWL will be having their first Community Playdate over the events channel on Xbox LIVE. We've decided to put aside the constant playdates of Gears of War and Halo 3 and bring something new in with Team Fortress 2."

The fantastic origins of your favorite games (Feature)

Feb 12, 2009

We are all guilty of taking game development for granted. Yes, even you, the guy who plays Call of Duty 4 and wonders why co-op wasn’t implemented. As most of us know, development is less magical and more rigorous – terrible deadlines, limited resources and limited manpower – all factor in to creating what we play for the holiday season. ...

Gaming's big-ass booms! (Video)

Feb 11, 2009

The Orange Box has five big sections - Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Episode One - and they're juicy, delicious, and priced to sell.

Warning: This article definitely contains spoilers (Feature)

Feb 6, 2009

Right, Darth Vader is Luke’s father, Bruce Willis is dead in the Sixth Sense, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are the same person in Fight Club. There, we’ve just ruined three movies for you. We’re fairly sure you won’t care about us ruining these plot twists by the end of this article, though, as we’re about to spill the beans on 80 (some potentially game-ruining) spoilers. ...

The Top 7... Best ports on inferior systems (Feature)

Jan 12, 2009

Perhaps no other entertainment industry contains venomous fans arguing over the content of multiple versions of a solitary product. And for good reason - games are made to be ported over to multiple consoles in order to recoup staggering losses of cash. Each console has its own strengths and its own failings. That’s why we see a frame rate glitch here or a severely neutered feature there. ...

The 28 Best FPS Games (News)

Jan 3, 2009

From the dystopian corridors of BioShock's subterranean "paradise" to the Strogg-infested space stations found throughout the Quake franchise, First Person Shooters have found countless ways to establish themselves as rich, enjoyable experiences, capturing the hearts and trigger fingers of gamers worldwide.

Even if it's just blasting away wave after wave of demons in Blood, or perhaps saving mankind from itself as you traverse Half-Life 2's City 17, the FPS genre has proven itself time and time again.

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!

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."

Orange Box petition: EA replies and says NO to a patch (News)

Jun 20, 2008

With nearly 2000 signatures and over 15000 visits, the Orange Box petition seems to be coming to an end. Mike Seedon, the guy handling the petition, knows something for sure: EA will never ever bring a patch.

At EA support, employee John D has replied:

"Honestly, EA will not create the patches. EA did not engineer/program the game. Valve did."

For the full reply, hit the jump.

As for the Orange box petition website:
http://www.orangeboxpetition.com/

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.

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. ...

Team Fortress DLC Price Is Up To Microsoft And Sony (News)

Mar 14, 2008

Kotaku writes: "Recently, Valve went on record saying that they'd like their upcoming Team Fortress 2 map pack to be free on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but admitted that such a situation might not be possible. Many wondered if this uncertain future was the result of EA meddling or interference from the platform holders themselves.

We contacted Valve to clarify and their VP of marketing Doug Lombardi informed us that, "The platform holder owns the final call." So just as we'd suspected, whether or not we see these maps for free is indeed up to Sony and Microsoft."

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.

Coming Orange Box Patch Changes Outlined (News)

Mar 5, 2008

A Valve representative has updated us on what to expect in the coming Orange Box patch for the Xbox 360.

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 ...

Opening The Orange Box: Half-Life 2: Episode Two (Feature)

Feb 25, 2008

In a winter packed with big-name shooter releases there was never really any doubt who’d win out. In value, pedigree and sheer gameplay magic The Orange Box delivered on every count: TF2 is the funniest multiplayer experience many have ever experienced, Portal is so self-consciously kooky that it has now infected every corner of the internet, and Episode Two continued the Half-Life saga with remarkable aplomb.While the long delay of the ...

Xbox 360 Wire - Return of the Web Comic (News)

Feb 17, 2008

The Colonel has posted a new web comic, and is now back on track to updating readers with new comics every month all based on Xbox 360 games and characters. Catch the latest comic on the link.

No word on console TF2 updates (News)

Feb 15, 2008

CVG writes:

"Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Team Fortress 2 continue to be left in the dark when it comes to content updates for the game.

With Valve releasing its "largest update" ever for TF2 on PC yesterday, we dropped the developer a line to find out what the score is with new stuff for the consoles."

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.

"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."

Portal, BioShock Lead Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees (News)

Jan 22, 2008

Valve's Portal and 2K Boston/Australia's BioShock lead the nominees for the eighth annual Game Developers Choice Awards with five nominations each, including the coveted Game of the Year title, organizers have announced.

The Game of the Year category also includes Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4, which follows with four nominations and, with both games receiving two nominations each, Harmonix's Rock Band and Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy.

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.

Kotaku's Frankenreview: Top 5 Games of the Year Edition (News)

Jan 1, 2008

Kotaku writes:

"2007 has been a crazy awesome year for gamers. While during years gone by we've all fallen prey to too much hype and not enough...what's that word again...fun, the most unexpected part of 2007 was that it lived up to our unreasonably high expectations.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview, victory lap 2007 edition. We pulled reviewers' top rated games* from Game Rankings to relive some of our best moments from the year.

Note, on repeat games, we picked the higher ranking platform".

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.

Kotaku's 2007 Games of the Year and Overall Game of the Year (News)

Dec 29, 2007

Kotaku's Brian Crecente writes:

"Our first-ever Game of the Year awards was a pretty straight forward deal. I asked all of the writers to submit a list of three games for each category and the three that showed up most in each category made it as a finalist. Once we had the list of finalists I asked each writer to go through and order the finalists and then tallied the vote. The one with the most points was named Game of the Year, the runner-up was named Not Quite Game of the Year. The game with the most votes for Worst Game of the Year received that dubious honor."

Super Mario Galaxy won Kotaku's Overall Game of the Year award. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune came as second, it won the Not Quite Game of the Year award. (Kotaku posted the overall results as a separate post, see the link at the Alternative Sources below for more details.)

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...

John Gaudiosi's Top 10 Games of 2007 (News)

Dec 27, 2007

Dec. 26, 2007 - John Gaudiosi is a national journalist who has been covering the video game business for more than a decade. In addition to blogging for WRAL.com, he also writes about gaming for Wired Magazine, The Washington Post, Xbox.com and Yahoo! Games. Here are his picks for the best games of 2007:

Â¿ Mass Effect
Â¿ Halo 3
Â¿ BioShock
Â¿ Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Â¿ Unreal Tournament 3
Â¿ Rock Band
Â¿ The Orange Box
Â¿ Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat
Â¿ Super Mario Galaxy
Â¿ Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Notes: In addition to his credentials already listed above, John Gaudiosi is a senior editor for Variety's Video Business and regularly writes about videogames for Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameDaily, GamePro Magazine, Kotaku, MCV, Prima Games, Business 2.0 Magazine, CBS, Chicago Sun-Times, ESPN, Home Media Magazine, NBC, Reuters, and The Hollywood Reporter. He also works on video game programming for networks like The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, Starz Entertainment and VH1.

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

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

Worst of the Year:
Â¿ Lair

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

[ By Pete Metzger, December 21, 2007 ]

Cast Your Vote: TeamXbox Reader's Choice Awards 2007 (News)

Dec 22, 2007

Without a doubt, 2007 was one of the best years ever for blockbuster video-game releases. Be sure to check out TXB's picks for this year's best titles, but right now TXB wants to turn to you to get your opinion - what do you think were the best of the best in 2007? TXB has provided a simple-to-complete form for you to vote in these categories...

Â¿ Game of the Year
Â¿ FPS of the Year
Â¿ Action Game of the Year
Â¿ Multiplayer Game of the Year
Â¿ RPG of the Year
Â¿ Sports Game of the Year
Â¿ Racing Game of the Year
Â¿ Fighting Game of the Year
Â¿ XBLA Game of the Year
Â¿ Hardware/Peripheral of the Year
Â¿ Sleeper Hit of the Year
Â¿ Best Graphics of the Year
Â¿ Best Sound of the Year
Â¿ Best Visual Style of the Year
Â¿ Best Story of the Year
Â¿ Music/Rhythm/Party Game of the Year
Â¿ Developer of the Year

All you have to do is click your choices and hit the button to submit them. TXB will compile the results and pass them on to you shortly.

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 ...

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."

Half-Life 3 practically confirmed (News)

Dec 13, 2007

With Half-Life 2: Episode Three planned to be the grand finale' of the Half-Life 2 story arc, you may be forgiven for wondering what's next in the parade of constant interruptions for the long suffering Gordon Freeman.

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 Â¿ that the Xbox 360 version is superior Â¿ and that isn't going to please PS3's hardcore.

Valve games getting new achievements pack (News)

Nov 23, 2007

In an email to Valve, gamer Thomas was able to confirm that a bunch of Valve games (including three games in the Orange Box) will be getting additional achievements, namely: Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source.

The Orange Box: Half-Life 2 Episode Two Is Out On Xbox Live Marketplace (News)

Nov 22, 2007

The Orange Box: Half-Life 2 Episode Two Demo is out on Xbox Live Marketplace and the demo is 723.93 MB it is not available in Germany, India, Japan and it is rated M for Mature and here is some information about the demo: Download this demo.

The Orange Box 360 Demo for Thanksgiving (News)

Nov 22, 2007

The first public demo for The Orange Box - the unique new multiplatform, multi-game offering from Valve, creators of Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike - is targeted for release on Xbox 360 tomorrow, November 22.

This first demo for The Orange Box is dedicated to Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the latest installment in the award-winning Half-Life 2 series and one of five games included in The Orange Box.

Best of Xbox 360 Black Friday deals (News)

Nov 20, 2007

Xbox360Fanboy took the time to go through all the Black Friday ads and list all the Xbox 360 deals.

Microsoft India Talks Xbox Originals, Orange Box Timed Exclusive (News)

Nov 15, 2007

In an official press released issued today, Microsoft India acknowledged that the Xbox Originals service, as well as the free "LIVE is 5ive" Xbox LIVE Arcade game will be available for India as well, in addition to detailing that the Xbox Originals will be anywhere between 4 GB - 7 GB in size and that they're expecting Xbox LIVE users to jump to 10 million by June 2008.

Also, they issue an invite to a Gamers' Night Event that lists The Orange Box as a "timed Xbox 360 exclusive". Do they know something the rest of the world doesn't? Or is it a boo-boo on the PR agency's part?

More information on Xbox Originals and the official press release available at the site.

Research: Orange Box Eating into Halo 3 Sales (News)

Nov 12, 2007

One industry watcher says the increasingly crowded shooter market is falling victim to some significant sales cannibalization among top-tier titles.

With shooters like BioShock, Halo 3, The Orange Box and Call of Duty 4 hitting the market within close range of one another, companies have had to convince consumers to choose their game over competitors. After all, not all shooter fans can drop a few hundred dollars at once.

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.

Fallout 3 Portal map (News)

Nov 5, 2007

Nov 5, 2007 A Bethesda employee currently designing levels for the developer's forthcoming RPG Fallout 3 has been playing around with Portal map creation. Daryl Brigner has created a level for Valve's first-person puzzle-'em-up called Ren_Test2. We've not zapped holes in the map ourselves as yet, but judging by comments that have been spouted it's a clever design but will test your Portal powers to the limit. Ren_Test2 can be downloaded here. Valve's Portal forms part of the developer's ...

Live Activity for week of 10/29 (News)

Nov 3, 2007

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased this week. The arcade list is based on full versions purchased. Here are the top 3 for each charts, see the source for the complete top 10 list.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1. Halo 3
2. Gears of War
3. Guitar Hero III Demo

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Puzzle Quest
3. Bomberman Live

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Star Wars: Battlefront 2

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.

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)

Gaming Industry Explodes To New Heights, Sales Trump Hollywood's Box Office (News)

Nov 1, 2007

According to NPD's projection, video game sales in the U.S. will reach a record-breaking $18 billion in 2007, surpassing the $10 billion box office sales projected by The Hollywood Reporter. Halo 3 grossed over $170 million on its release day, far bigger than any Hollywood film ever has, making it the highest-grossing premiere in entertainment history.

Game Informer editor-in-chief Andy McNamara gives a partial list of blockbuster games for this fall with brief descriptions.

Orange Box updated to lag-free edition (News)

Oct 29, 2007

Oct 29, 2007 Valve has released its promised Orange Box Xbox 360 patch, which apparently fixes the crippling lag owners have been complaining about since release. The vast majority of complaints stemmed from gamers trying to participate in 6v6 or 8v8 matches, where "connection to host lost" messages become common place. The new patch - which should stream down your internet wire the next time you boot up the game - reduces network bandwidth usage, improves overall game performance and ...

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 "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.

EDGE slams Eye of Judgement, Folklore; praises Orange Box (News)

Oct 24, 2007

In this months' issue games like Ratched and Clank, Orange Box, Eye of Judgement, Ace Combat 6 and Folklore all got reviewed and not all games did well. Orange Box received a perfect 10/10, wile Ratched and Clank and Ace Combat 6 both scored 8/10 scores.

The Playstation 3 exclusives Eye of Judgement and Folklore, however, didn't do very well which scored a 4/10 and a 5/10 respectively. Clive Barkers: Jericho didn't do very well either with a 5/10 score. Check out all this months' review scores below.

Orange Box (Xbox 360/PS3, EA): 10
Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (PS3, Sony): 8
Folklore (PS3, Sony): 5
Eye Of Judgement (PS3, Sony): 4
Wipeout Pulse (PSP, Sony): 7
Jericho (PS3/Xbox 360, Codemasters): 5
Conan (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 7
Juiced 2 (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 6
Monster Hunters Freedom 2 (PSP, Capcom): 7
Pursuit Force Extreme Justice (PSP, Sony): 6
Ace Combat 6 (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 8
Dewy's Adventure (Wii, Konami): 6
MySims (Wii, EA): 6
Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (NDS, Nintendo): 6

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)

ELSPA Weekly Chart - Xbox 360 (News)

Oct 23, 2007

Will the release of The Orange Box be enough to knock Project Gotham Racing 4 off top spot...

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

Live activity for week of 10/15 (News)

Oct 20, 2007

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live. Major Nelson had no access to the Arcade title data this week, so no Arcade list for now. Here are the top 5 for both charts, see the source for the complete top 10 list.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1. Halo 3
2. Gears of War
3. Madden NFL 08
4. Virtua Fighter 5 Demo
5. Guitar Hero II

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Counter-Strike
4. Star Wars: Battlefront 2
5. Madden NFL 08

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: 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 Orange Box (Screenshots)

Oct 17, 2007

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, ...

Game Informer rates Halo 3, Mass Effect, PGR4, Orange Box, Syphon Filter and more (News)

Oct 12, 2007

The newest Game Informer has just landed in stores in America and this months' issue contains some very interesting reviews of all the coming and available games. Games like Halo 3, Half Life 2: Orange Box, PGR4, Mass Effect, Syphon Filter, Ace Attorney, DiRT, Ace Combat 6, NBA Live 08, NBA 2K8, NBA 08 have all been reviewed in this months' edition.

Most noticeable scores are for Halo 3, Mass Effect and Orange Box, which have all received reviews of 9.75 given by two different editors. Ace Combat 6 and PGR 4 also did very well with a 9- for Ace Combat and a 9+ for PGR4. Syphon Filter for PSP did very well with a 9-. Two Worlds was slammed again with two disappointing reviews of a 4 and a 2. Check out all this months' reviews below.

Mass Effect (Xbox 360, BioWare): 9.75/9.75
Ace Combat 6 (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 8.75/8.75
The Orange Box (Xbox 360, Valve): 9.75/9.75
Halo 3 (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 9.75/9.75 **Game of the month**
Zack and Wiki (Wii, Capcom): 8.25/7.75
NBA Live (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii, EA): 7.5/7.75
NBA 2K8 (PS3/Xbox 360, 2K Games): 8.25/8.5
Conan (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 7/7.25
Blazing Angels 2 (Xbox 360, Ubisoft): 7.5/7.75
Crash Of The Titans (Xbox 360/Wii/PS2/PSP/NDS, Sierra): 7.25
Spyro: The Eternal Night (Wii, Sierra): 6.25
Two Worlds (Xbox 360, SouthPeak Interactive): 4/2
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (Xbox 360/PS2/Wii/PSP/NDS, Activision): 4.5/5.5
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (Xbox 360/PS2/PS3): 8.25/8.5
Dirt (Xbox 360/PS3, Codemasters): 8/8.5
NBA 08 (PS3/PSP, Sony): 7/6.25
Carnival Games (Wii, Take-Two): 5.5
The Sims 2: Castaway (Wii/PS2/PSP/NDS, EA): 7.25
Victorious Boxers: Revolution (Wii, Xseed): 6.75
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360, Bizarre): 8.75/9.25
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage (Xbox 360, Warner): 7.5/8.5
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PSP, Sony): 8.75/9 **Handheld game of the month*...

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 ...

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.