In one of the more highly anticipated game releases of the year, Valve Corporation has officially released "the Orange Box" to consumers today as both a retail boxed copy and an online download available through Valve"s Steam. The Orange Box retails for $49.95 in both stores and online and contains a whopping five games: Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Episode 1, Half-Life 2 Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Of course, the meat and potatoes of this box is in Episode 2, which continues the story of Gordon Freeman and his allies as they take the fight from City 17 into the wilderness, and Team Fortress 2, the highly anticipated follow up to Team Fortress for Quake and Team Fortress Classic for Half-Life 1. Portal, probably the least known part of the package, is described by Valve as a "game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming."
Fans will be happy to note that the Orange Box is thus far holding up very favorably in reviews: PC Gamer gave the compilation a 94% and Gamespot and IGN gave it a 9.5/10.