I would first like to start out on telling you all how great the box is.
First, its 5 games in 1
Second, it's only around 50$
Third, it's on just 1 disc.
Half Life 2 has a great campaign, almost better than Halo 3's.
It combines great first persion shooting action as well as puzzle solving and boss fights. The great things that are on the 360 version of Half Life 2 is the Source 2007 engine. It has real-time shadows, motion blur, and blood squirts. If you're just now getting into the Half Life 2 series, I would suggest buy this. Another great thing about it is they redid all the levels and added HDR, better lighting, achievements, the overwatch shotgunner, better textures, and more lambda caches for the lambda locater achievement.
Now, in Episode One. They added much better AI and more dynamic HDR. Unfortunately EP1 is very short, but packed full of action. Episode One leaves off with a cliffhanger and it took two years for the cliffhanger to end.
Now to Episode Two. This game is actually the same to the PC version. Valve added in better HDR, better AI responses, New NPCs, a new weapon, and a new vehicle. They were focusing on making their outdoor environment vast and enormous. Cinematic Physics comes to mind when playing with buildings being destroyed and such. When you reach White Forest and have to prevent the striders from getting to the base, there is a lot of examples of cinematic physics coming to play. Episode Two also leaves off with a cliffhanger but ends with a tragedy.
Portal is a game created by Valve and a few students from DigiPen that were hired from Valve after they had seen their Senior Project, Narbacular Drop. Basically you control 2 interlinked portals, and orange portal and a blue portal. This is a great puzzle solving game. You have to use your mind in this game a lot. The Aperture Science Enrichment Center is testing a new weapon called the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. In the middle of the game you will receive the fully powered Portal Gun and then you can shoot two portals at once. You must use many techniques to get passed the test chambers. The achievements in this game are pretty easy except for Basic Science, Rocket Science, and Aperture Science.(the least portals, steps, and time). Unfortunately the campaign is very short and it does not come with a map editor to make your own maps.(PC version has Hammer)
I saved the best for last.
TF2 is basically the multiplayer side of the Orange Box. It is packed full of surprises. Basically, 2 teams, red and blue, 9 classes (Pyro, demoman, soldier, scout, medic, heavy weapons guy, spy, sniper, engineer), CTF and territories. Each class has their own specific abilities. My classes I use are all of them. The good thing about this game is if you suck at one thing you can a different class and not suck. The achievements are pretty straight foward, 1000 kills, win 20 games, heal a lot etc... The Art style of Team Fortress Two has changed many times with their Army style which was on the Half Life Engine, and Their Invasion style which was alien verses humans. The Alien and Human models were leaked along with Half Life 2. Team Fortress 2 has so much better multiplayer action than Halo 3. One bad thing about Team Fortress 2 is the lag, Usually there will be times when the game starts to spike a bit, but it usually ends in moment.
I end my thoughts with this. The Orange Box is a very great deal, it was the best deal my parent ever made.
Half Life 2 : 9/10
Half Life 2 EP1 : 6/10
Half Life 2 EP2 : 8/10
Portal : 9/10
Team Fortress 2 : 10/10
