'Orange Box' is a sublime, striking package

When the PC games "Half-Life" and "Half-Life 2" launched in 1998 and 2004 respectively, they heralded a fresh, hybrid style of action game: the cerebral shooter.

Other first-person shooters might have had token puzzles to spice things up (find a key in "Doom II" or hop on a box in "Deus Ex") but no game had integrated situations that required you to stop and think like the "Half-Life" games. (If you had time to stop and think while you were blasting the heads off of zombies, that is.)

With "The Orange Box," developer Valve Software offers a bountiful collection of previously-released and brand new game material for both PC and next-gen console gamers. Included in the package are "Half-Life 2" and "Half-Life 2: Episode One" as well as the new "Half-Life 2: Episode Two," "Portal" and (whew!) "Team Fortress 2."

At the tail end of a four-night-long marathon, having plumbed the depths of "The Orange Box," I can't remember having a better time gaming. Whether you're a "Half-Life" completist or just want to stretch the heck out of your game dollars, obtain this excellent collection.

Quick facts Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Valve Software Price: $PC - $49.99, Xbox 360 - $59.99 Platform: PC, Xbox 360 ESRB rating: Mature

PC gamers can either buy the full retail package today for $49.99 or download the games through Valve's Steam service — www.steampowered.com  — at the same price. Xbox 360 owners are in for a treat since none of "The Orange Box" goodness has appeared on a next-gen console before. "The Orange Box" is available for the Xbox 360 today for $59.99. PS3 loyalists, already used to waiting, should have theirs by the end of the year.

Commencing with the main course, let's start at the "Half-Life 2" end of the buffet table. If you're a newcomer to the series, a quick plot re-cap is in order. Our hero Gordon Freeman, the strong, silent type, is a theoretical physicist who's quite capable of kicking some serious butt. He spends his time during "Half-Life" trying to undo the damage caused by a botched experiment at the top-secret Black Mesa Research Facility. It seems that fiddling around with time and space has its consequences. At the close of "Half-Life," Gordon is put into stasis by a mysterious character known colloquially as G-Man.

"Half-Life 2" is where the material starts to come into its own. The characters and storyline benefit immensely thanks to deft writing and almost distractingly realistic character and facial animations. "Half-Life 2" sees Freeman revived and facing off against the Combine — enemies from another dimension who have taken over Earth. He's aided by human resistance fighters and scientists. All this scientific tomfoolery with mother nature has also unleashed legions of zombies, insectoid mutations and assorted beasties which means there's never a dull moment for Gordon.

Valve Software Combine Hunters on the prowl for Gordon Freeman. Hunters, and their Strider big brothers, are some of the tougher foes in 'Episode Two.'

Suffice it to say that "Half-Life 2" and the subsequent episodic sequels, the first two included here, are tales imbued with a haute-pulp, sci-fi flavor. The humor and rich characters set the material heads and shoulders above gaming's usually flat, predictable fare. Here are characters you'll care about.

For the Xbox 360 version of "The Orange Box," Valve has gone back and given "Half-Life 2" and "Episode One" a shiny new coat of paint — motion blur, higher quality fire and lighting effects and increased surface texture details are immediately noticeable.

Valve Software Gordon Freeman’s partner (and budding love interest) Alyx, poised for action. 'Half-Life 2' offers characters you actually care about.

Gordon's partner Alyx is even more life-like, complete with subtle facial expressions and context-specific comments. If Gordon is driving erratically she might laugh at him or express gratitude for not getting car sick.

The 360's controller, while certainly less precise than a PC mouse, does a competent job with aiming and navigating. The inventory screen can be clumsy to operate, so it's best to have your weapon of choice equipped before a firefight. More often than not, you'll be packing "Half-Life's" trademark Gravity Gun for no other reason than it's so darned fun. One controller trigger picks up objects and the other launches them. Few things in life are more satisfying than hurling a fuel barrel into the face of a Combine Hunter machine.

As far as "The Orange Box's" new material goes, "Half-Life 2: Episode Two," stars Gordon and Alyx and follows the two as they assist the resistance in shutting down an inter-dimensional rift the Combine are using as an elevator between their world and Earth. We also witness a budding romance develop between our two heroes.

When was the last time you had an emotional investment in a game? We don't want to reveal too much, but a tear might just be shed before the credits roll in "Episode Two."  

Meanwhile, the puzzles, like in the previous installments, are thoughtfully designed and logical. Gordon may have to manipulate the environment with the Gravity Gun to reach an objective or figure out how to best destroy giant Combine Walkers. The level of difficulty is nicely tuned to avoid controller-launching frustration.

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