@Workwork, Well - I agree 2M seems a lot. But I think we are betting on the value-for-maney here and not for the novelty # originality. This kind of product is quite unique actually. Very hard to guess as there is no real benchmark.
@welshbloke, I agree that the Metacritic future will stay relatively strong, but I am growing concerned over the stock price. An aged port can get high review scores, but 2 million sales? I do know this is one of the best selling PC games ever, but long delayed ports only go so far as many people have played it. How far does the Half-Life franchise extend into the console market anyways? Most HL players would not be a fan of console FPS.
This is a tough one for the metacritic, obviously currently it is riding high at 98% with 11 reviews. I am not sure it will be reviewed as extensively as Bioshock which is in the 70s and still hanging onto 96%.
Looking at the PC format it to is doing well at 97% with fewer reviews but more suprising is that Team Fortress 2 as it can be purchased seperately on the PC format has an independent review of 94%.
I am beginning to think this box set is going to out do Bioshock probably settling at 97% very impressive indeed for a box set with a (albeit genre defining) 4 year old game at its heart.
The Xbox 360 version of The Orange Box nearly tops Halo 3's weekly sales in its first few days on store shelves, and makes a strong impression as the week's second-best selling title across all platforms in the United States.
Valve's Half-Life 2: The Orange Box is gaming bliss, the essential collection for gamers the world over and one of 2007's best deals. 2004's Half-Life 2 remains an unrivaled classic that stretches the boundaries of physics to a new level on consoles.
They review each of the 5 games.
"There's nothing else available on any console like The Orange Box. Though you could argue that Half-Life 2 is old news by now, there are still four components of the Box brand new to consoles. That so much great content is offered at the standard single-game price is astonishing. Playing through Half-Life 2 again and then continuing on through Episodes One and Two is like batting with the '27 Yankees. These are Hall of Fame titles; it doesn't get much better than this. Throw in Portal, an imaginative puzzle game with a wicked sense of humor, and Team Fortress 2, one of the few multiplayer games to get the class system right, and you have a tremendous package. And all on one disc. While Portal and TF2 may not be strong enough to stand on their own, coupled with the Half-Life titles, The Orange Box really is one of the best games ever released."
I think CS was never the correct vehicle for the Console market. It is damned hard and requires the reactions of a jedi knight.
I think the key to the success will be convincing those who have invested in the orginal Xbox version of HL2 that it is work doing so again. I think they have done that and TF2 alone for me would be a worth addition to the console fraternity for its fun gameplay alone and them couple that with the two new episodes for HL2 and improved graphics and you have a winner. I have deliberately not mentioned Portal as that really is an unknown and tbh I looks to have a limited appeal but we must wait and see.
I am now debating whether to buy this game again for my 360 having already pre purchased on the PC primarily for the TF2 aspect. I will probably play the single player episodes on the 360 curled up on the sofa. Damned 360 is pullilng at my wallet in all directions though at the moment.
3