The Orange Box [Half-Life 2] [X360]

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That down time won't last long, though, because the new Portal game is a menu click away. Set in the bowels of the mysterious Aperture Science labs, Portal stars you as a female test subject forced to undergo a series of trials for the betterment of mankind. These involve devious spatial conundrums solved by ripping two holes in the world with a handheld portal gun. It's technically wondrous and discombobulating stuff - you can literally walk through a wall and "fall" up through the floor - and lends itself to sophisticated, fun puzzle-solving.

It's also superbly written. A soothing robotic female voice urging you onwards might be the best video game character in years, providing expert comic relief with lines like: "Android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance," and "Cake and brief counseling with be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you all." She lies, cheats and steals the show.

Portal's over all too quickly, roughly a 4-hour tour lengthened a bit by an unlockable advanced mode. It's a shame that you don't get to enjoy the tech in a combat environment, but by the end it's clear that Portal will make a more prominent appearance in the final act of the episodic trilogy. We can't wait.

Besides, we've got Team Fortress 2 to keep us company. With cel-shaded graphics that are more Hanna-Barbera than Half-Life, it stands out from the rest of the package by having no ties to the Half-Life universe whatsoever. The nine distinct classes from the original make a return along with a new 60's spy-movie vibe, though the gameplay remains the same: two teams square off in pitched Capture the Flag and Control Point battles. Smallish maps keep the action frenzied and centralized, a far cry from the expansive locations of similar team-based games like Enemy Territory or Battlefield. You'll always know where the action is.

It's a solid update but with a few notable changes, not the least of which is the streamlined weapons payload. Each class gets two standard weapons and a melee attack, but save for the Demoman, grenades are conspicuously absent. It's a questionable decision. The ability to clear out a glut of enemies with a well-placed explosive is a time-honored shooter tactic, and it's suddenly gone.

For the most part, though, Team Fortress 2 provides hours of enjoyable team fragging. The classes are well-balanced and offer plenty of ways to play; be it storming the gates as a Heavy, pumping up your teammates as a Medic, stabbing backs as a Spy or building turrets as an Engineer, you'll always find something to suit your mood. While there are only a handful of maps, they're smartly designed and feature multiple variations. It's stylish and pretty and adds tons of value to an already priceless collection.

What more can we say? 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.