The Orange Box
Sorti le 10 octobre 2007, The Orange Box se présente comme une compilation majeure développée par Valve sur le moteur Source et éditée conjointement par le studio et Electronic Arts. Ce coffret rassemble cinq expériences distinctes : les opus Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One et Half-Life 2: Episode Two, auxquels s'ajoutent le jeu de tir en équipe Team Fortress 2 et l'expérience d'énigmes à la première personne Portal. L'ensemble couvre ainsi les genres du jeu de tir et de la réflexion, offrant une variété de gameplay allant de l'action narrative au multijoueur compétitif en passant par la résolution d'énigmes spatiales.
La compilation a été déployée sur une large palette de supports, comprenant la PlayStation 3, la Xbox 360, ainsi que les versions PC sous Microsoft Windows, Mac et Linux. Du côté de la réception, la presse spécialisée a salué la qualité du paquet : GamePro a souligné le fonctionnement optimal de chaque titre sur Xbox 360, tandis que Yahoo! a qualifié l'ensemble de « chef-d'œuvre de science-fiction » et de « monstre multijoueur » constituant une réalisation marquante. Les joueurs ont également exprimé un enthousiasme marqué, certains évoquant cette boîte comme une porte d'entrée idéale vers l'univers de Valve et un rapport qualité-prix exceptionnel, d'autres se remémorant la promesse marketing d'y trouver « le meilleur jeu de tous les temps » aux côtés d'un « génie décalé ». Cette unanimité se reflète dans une note agrégée de 89,67.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« For first-person shooter fans, it doesn't get much better than this. What's even better is that each individual game runs amazingly well on the Xbox 360. The graphics are amazing as is the presentation. The interface that Valve created for navigating through the content is also wonderful. »
« The Orange Box can't stop giving. It's a sci-fi masterpiece, a clever puzzler and a multiplayer monster wrapped into one, making this a landmark achievement in gaming value and one of the easiest buying decisions you'll make all year. Color us impressed. »
« The Orange Box offers everything any fan of first-person shooters could possibly want: some of the best single-player gaming ever in the shape of Half-Life 2 and Episodes One and Two; wonderful innovation from Portal, and the most refined, downright fun team-based online FPS currently available in Team Fortress 2. If that doesn't warrant a 10 out of 10, nothing does. »
« After playing through both the old and new stuff, I realized that there is one word that perfectly summarizes Valve: craft. Never mind that ballyhoo about whether games are capital-A art or not. Instead, put someone in front of a Valve game, and watch that person experience sheer craftsmanship. It seems that Valve just can't make a bad game. »
« Gaming bliss, the essential collection for gamers the world over and one of 2007's best deals. »
« Even though The Orange Box deserves accolades regarding the amount of "bang for your buck," it's really about quality here, not quantity. Aside from the fact that you're receiving five games on one disc, the craftsmanship that has gone into each of these titles rears its head with every Antlion you shoot, every high-velocity portal transfer you make, and every sentry gun you assemble. »
« The Orange Box is the greatest quantity of quality gaming ever. »
« It’s hard to think of a game on the shelves that provides more bang for the buck than The Orange Box. For $60, you get one of the best games ever made along with its episodic sequels, a top-tier multiplayer game, and a brilliant little puzzler with some of the best writing in the medium. There’s really no reason not to own it. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« the orange box was my gateway into valve games (which are now amongst my very favorite), and there's not much to say about it other than it's an awesome deal to discover awesome games. great buy for anyone, and one i would absolutely recommend to any "beginner" to the video game scene »
« I can still remember the marketing for this! “What’s inside the orange box? The best game of all time (Half Life 2), brain melting offbeat genius (Portal)”. And then there was TF2 as well?! »
« This is the dictionary definition of quality. First of all, you get the Half Life 2 trilogy, which is considered one of the best single player experiences out there. And then you have Portal. Single-handedly of the best puzzle games ever and contains one of the best antagonists out there, being GLaDOS. With a gorgeous and unique setting to top it all off, though it is a bit short. And of course we end with Team Fortress 2, which is one of the best multiplayer shooters there is, with a charming art style at that. 10/10 would paint a box orange again. »
« Como isso tem nota menor que Half-Life 2 sozinho??? Essa porra reuni 3 jogos maravilhosos »
« These days there are all sorts of game collections, like Rare Replay, that pack an insane amount of value. But for its time, there was no beating The Orange Box, not only in terms of quality but also sheer variety. Portal was the gem in its crown, unexpectedly, and is to this day one of the better first-person puzzle games. Team Fortress 2 feels primitive in 2025 but was groundbreaking and provided breezy fun with friends. And of course, Half-Life 2 and its subsequent episodic stories were equally revelatory in how they blended in-game storytelling, exploration and a satisfying physics system. While a 10 back then isn't necessarily a 10 today, this is a momentous release in game history, and any younger players who weren't around to experience it in 2007 owe it to themselves to try out each piece of the collection to see what Valve was capable of at their creative apex. »
« This is the best collection of games of all time. Portal is extremely fun the first play-though half life 2 is one of the best games ever and TF2 what is bad about this collection nothing nearly 3 perfect games across one disk. »
« Still one of the best combo deals in all of gaming. A perfect shooter, a perfect puzzler, and a perfect squad-based multiplayer all in one package. Endless hours of content, none of which falters or stumbles in any way. »
« half life, portal and team fortress this orange box is best game package ever »
