The Orange Box... 10 Years Later

this video took far too long to make no individual or company has been in the place of valve traditionally those who left the routine to forge their own path were devoured but founders Mike Harrington and Gabe Newell struck gold twice and in 2007 were on the path to changing an industry of all the innovators have covered so far none have been as influential and nothing encapsulates his company's legacy better than their momentous collection [Music] [Music] [Music] The Orange Box is a tale of convergence in part due to valves meticulous detail and seal of quality having revealed its flaws at the end of 2004 valve only released two half-life games there was great success and multiplayer spin-offs such as day of defeat Team Fortress and counter-strike but in terms of progress made internally development cycles weren't desirable both half-lives received overwhelming praised by critics and fans but judging from vows efforts after work a serious toll was taken on its makers easy to understand when other franchises ran their course in the span it took valve to make a single game for as much as one can believe in quality over quantity the trajectory of vows development only worsened with time drastic measures needed to be taken and that's when the convergence started [Music] each game within the orange box is unique not just in its story or gameplay but also its development the cycles range from 2 years to nearly a decade developers were modders graduated students and industry veterans intellectual properties were firmly established dearly beloved and making their first impression with gamers but chronologically there's only one place to start [Music] Team Fortress 2 had the most radical evolution of the bunch what ended up as a cartoony team-based shooter began as a military FPS subtitled Brotherhood of arms featuring a slew of gameplay innovations that'll sound familiar it was to have a commander mode with one player observing the entire level dropping items and orders to assist their team just like battlefield 2 parachuting into the map like battlegrounds d-day beach landings along with an attack in defense mode with preparation phases like Rainbow six siege assembled during the end of the 20th century the developers implemented techniques to optimize and create a more immersive experience like blending animations and graphics that adjusted in quality as you played it was years ahead of its time while counter-strike would go on to popularize resources recoil and real world weapons Brotherhood of Arms was poised to ignite the large-scale military warfare craze that ultimately that's not what the developers wanted they did not envision what we now understand a war shooter to be the desire was for classes to be completely distinct from one another and the realistic style while unique at the time isolated the developers perhaps it's a blessing that the team was doubtful and frustrated rather than attached because vows rapidly aging gold source engine along with their new technology making Team Fortress 2's animation texture innovations obsolete resulted in Brotherhood of farms being canned after 2000 most canceled projects in the industry lead to layoffs or adjustments within a company structure but the T of two developers were able to keep going an outside of the public eye crafted new versions it's unknown just how many builds of the game there are but one has been dug up seemingly in prototype with an art style that to modernize is similar to bring her Dishonored Team Fortress 2 swap the Brotherhood have farmed subtitle for invasion retaining Bo as grittiness with a more exaggerated appearance to complement the gameplay in interviews with designer Robin Walker it's said that eight to ten art styles were examined to find what worked best with their carnage it's unknown if invasion was one of these or if the visual test came after but it's logical that this is what led to the visuals which appeared in the final product and the benefits weren't just in gameplay not striving for photo realism meant the designers focused more levels design rather than its fidelity or believability and in complemented valves catalog of games invasions art style may have been just as exaggerated but its gritty tone was not unlike the half-life series knowing what accompanied it and Team Fortress in the orange box it's a decision that only got better with time time that was starting treat valve with some grace the company suffered a monumental blow in 2003 when the source code of half-life 2 was leaked online employees spent half a decade of their lives innovating iterating and implementing only for all the work to debut in an unfinished state because of one person one person who was eventually arrested in large part thanks to Mouse community assisting them in the FBI but by 2005 things were starting to change half-life 2 Lost Coast deathmatch counter-strike source and day of defeat source were all out by 2005 and there is more going on behind the scenes half-life 2 went through many changes over its grueling development but the big culprit behind its years of work was to do a vast technology in the idea of immediately leaving source to forge new tools didn't hold merit but that's what would be expected with a supposed to half-life 3 as it's the bar have played to set for the franchise at this point valve are developing an expansion half of to aftermath but doing so is still following convention successful PC games often received expansions in order to make a profit within a shorter time frame but valves goals had to do with addressing all of the challenges they faced with half-life 2 it's important to highlight that while the intrusion of their servers was a major blow to the company it had a greater deflation of morale over productivity had the event never occur Val still faced disputes with their publisher locking development for physical release and targeting Hardware years in advance half-life 2 would have been pushed in November 2004 no matter what with this in mind to evolve their expansion into one of an episodic trilogy roughly scheduled for release every six months is almost self-explanatory in this format valve would make a profit consistently rather than once every few years steam allowed them to avoid publishers who'd hinder their progress and half-life would get content regularly so half-life 2 aftermath scheduled for summer 2005 release was delayed to March 2006 redubbed episode 1 will valve starting for seperate teams devoted to producing future episodes and other single-player projects not far from valves offices in Washington is the DigiPen Institute of Technology a university that prides itself on computer science engineering and game design every year concludes with an expo for graduating students who are able to showcase their work to developers such as Robin Walker one of the most notable games stumbled upon was narbacular drop what sounded like a Nickelodeon production turned out to be one of the biggest advancements for portal technology in gaming released a year before prey of Daz similar concept but in fixed locations this student project gave players total control over two portals they could place anywhere in the level the students thought after Robin left a business card that they might get some advice and emailed the valve veteran just prior to submitting the game for our contest instead valve invited the graduates to further demo their work at valves offices where Gabe Newell offered the team to make this game in the Source engine 15 minutes into their presentation as valve were recovering from multiple developments logs the students were speechless finding themselves employed immediately after graduation instead of on the streets work was brisk pre-production which took a large chunk a half ITU's development didn't repeat as the team's earliest days were about learning the source engine instead of building it with the exception of the portals themselves traditionally game development is a lengthy process because all systems and mechanics need to be built and tested individually before they mesh levels can't be built if what they contain isn't functional but unlike the in-depth classes of Team Fortress 2 or the AI and set pieces of half-life 2 portals formula was staggeringly simple once the team coded portals into Source engine nearly all the remaining elements could be built off of valves work reusing turrets energy and sound effects from half-life 2 all of the games test chambers were designed within the first year was shocking resemblance to the final product Valve's goal of releasing half-life episodes on a frequent basis had already failed at this point but without discouraging the company Team Fortress 2 was finally on track to being completed episode 1 left people desperate for more and portals gameplay was unlike anything else on the market valve was confident in each of their upcoming games and now the problem to tackle was marketing and distribution how would three games released at the same time come from one company without consequence the answer was revealed that of all things an EA press conference without any news prior Gabe Newell took to the stage of EA summer Showcase event in 2006 to announce half-life twos latest episode Team Fortress 2 portal and that all were coming to consoles thanks to the EA partners division slated for release in the 2006 holiday season it came as a surprise to nobody that Valve delayed their games and by q1 2007 pushed them back to fall 2007 under a new packaging scheme [Music] in past videos I've looked at story game-playing conclusions individually because that's how many video games are designed they have formulas which are repeated throughout to use Mass Effect 1 as an example it has three modes of interaction that rotate on a regular basis Kombat conversation and exploration in the case of this particular game none of these aspects may have enough depth to endure a multi hour epic but when combined make for a compelling experience this is in contrast to the genre first-person shooters which are traditionally focused on one element from doom to halo and fear is a connective tissue of being superb at this one thing whether it's quake or counter-strike their experience is built to loop the maps weapons and tactics where navigating and mastering all is the hook as halos designer famously said if you can get 30 seconds of fun you can pretty much stretch that out to be an entire game and this is what makes half-life 2 unique because it doesn't have 30 seconds of fun stretched out to be an entire game in fact it might not even have 30 seconds of fun at all ok I wrote that because I get a kick out of triggering people what I mean to say is when compared to the games I mentioned half-life 2 isn't nearly as exciting or in-depth yet it's considered to be one of the best games ever made so I think it's important to address its weaker aspects as they'll lead into what's great even reviews at the time which granted near-perfect scores only described half-life 2's combat as solid with vague descriptions and highlighting a few set pieces that's because there's not really much for a critic to work off of when you strip it down every shooter has a few levels that use a minimal layout and put the weight of engagement on its gameplay loop arena such as the copy and paste of rooms in Halo or the factories of fear half-life 2 is no exception enduring levels that lack grant context unique visuals or gameplay mechanics you're left with a few enemy types and grounded weapons with ammo and health management the industry's over-reliance on halos mechanics has kept the style of gameplay retro actively engrossing but excusing physics or visuals there's little advancement in half-life 2 from its predecessor and has been pointed out by fans for years there's multiple areas that have regressed chiefly in enemies and weapons half-life's limited technology leads to soldiers who move like they've got treads and levels that are more barren than a nun's porn collection but there was a real emphasis on movement that's because the enemy's design punished you for remaining still Marines would throw grenades and aggressively push while you took cover vortigaunts charged up heavy both attacks bullsquid spat acid and houndeyes rushed you with shockwaves all of these combined with the high movement speed encouraged players to be on their feet despite half-lives unremarkable shooting mechanics these elements kept the action fast and fluid whereas half-life 2 combines greatly reduced movement speed with enemies wielding hitscan firearms in fixed locations you can guess what this encourages the combine have distinct chatter and sound effects that seamlessly assist in gameplay such as the flatlining heartbeat but they rarely demonstrate the sort of tactics you'd expect from this series routinely they'll exhibit the all too common trope of zombie like creatures will throw away their life just to chip at your health bar they do still throw grenades and push like marines did but with slower movement in reaction times so the only combine soldiers that catch you off-guard are the elites wielding shotguns except for some reason their spaz 12 is able to fire at a much higher rate than yours making these enemies feel distinctively cheap your mileage may vary but I found the combine have a real habit of bunching up into groups typically when they first spawn making it easy to wipe them out with one hit from the smg's grenade launcher there isn't a sense these overwatch soldiers are people during battle one of the benefits of sections like Raven home or highway 17 as zombies and ant lines are much easier to suspend your disbelief for the erratic behavior of the latter is similar to a wild animal and zombies are creatures who crave their next taste of brain matter the combine are modified by an alien race but there's still human and one of the great things about half way to is how effectively it conveys the power dynamic of citizens and their oppressors the combine have a tragic quality and that the civil protectors and overwatch soldiers are potentially just people who are tired of being on the wrong side of the fence but this characterization doesn't suit their behavior in combat however that's not to suggest that all the faults rest on the combine shoulders the weapons selection isn't terrible and has its share of satisfaction the shotguns alt fire is gratifying the crossbow complements vows physics and the SMG while weak sounds fantastic and there's half-life 2's claim to fame a gravity gun this physics based wonder weapon however not only stands out because of its unique application but also because the rest of the arsenal isn't nearly as versatile the USP is discarded by most the instant an SMG is picked up the revolver and crossbow ultimately had the same job of picking people off at range the pulse rifles secondary is inferior to the SMGs launcher and the only explosives you get are grenades in the RPG not only is half-life selection larger it's more useful the Glocks pinpoint accuracy makes it good for clearing weak enemies and objectives at range the crossbow could be used under water where the revolver couldn't he had satchel charges and laser mines to complement your standard explosives along with an entire category of weapons CLE from the sequel and that's not including the superb additions made in opposing force and let's clear this up before going any further half-life is a game I didn't play until years after completing its sequel and I've only finished it once so this isn't coming from the mouth of a die-hard fan who grew up with the original game I'm more fascinated and frustrated by half-life 2's approach to making a sequel one that removes just as many things as it adds with altered visuals and retcon characters is similar to the current craze of R equals and is beloved where most are at least controversial that's where we get to the good of half-life 2 and back to the original question how does a shooter with average at best combat while backtracking from its predecessor be regarded so highly well these are multiple levels from hallo and fear meanwhile this is half pipe tubes reusing assets isn't something to frown upon inherently in fact when implemented well it's great game design time is money and if you're able to reuse something rather than bleeding your budget dry it should be encouraged but a problem that comes up with visual sounds or pieces of music is that it can reduce the impact of its intended effect the more you see or hear something the less it grabs your attention it's the reason I talk about game scores by their individual tracks and implementation halo CII's music is iconic but the way certain tracks are reused out of necessity make them less poignant and the same can be said of levels no matter what's done playing earlier stages backwards for example doesn't match the feeling of wonder and discovery a new location gives you this is half-life 2 specialty and it's the area that truly expands on the original game having not touched at like two four years or playing through it countless times they have with Mass Effect in halo very little was forgotten in that time city 17 raven home highway 17 Nova Prospekt The Citadel no location blends in with the rest both through gameplay and storytelling but it's not just their distinction it's the order and how one chapter leads into the next the opening effortlessly immerses the player in its world with perfectly selected visuals and audio cues there's no music immediate crime or extreme violence instead there's believable NPCs and a boatload of implications similar to half-life 1 half-life twos premise has been thoroughly explored in any art form but just like half-life 1 it doesn't feel derivative because the storytelling is so effectively shown rather than told you know Breen is the head of city 17 in your antagonist just from his placement you know the aliens aren't only oppressing humans and this storytelling is constant by the time you've got the USP you find monitors are used in combat resistance members are scattered throughout the city and that even headcrabs are to love the combine and rarely with any dialogue the opening chapters aren't a single thing they're equal parts seamless tutorial combat and exploration I do feel the airboat sequences one that could have been cut down or feature a more involved design as is there's not much for the player to do but stop on the gas and the vehicle doesn't have a sense of speed due to how wide the canal is but ultimately I'd still leave it in because it's the necessary piece that connects act 1 to 2 valve could have placed Raven home next to City 17 and transition the player from here to here but a key to half-life 2's enjoyment is its tangible progression having to travel the Black Mesa East yourself accomplishes multiple things it gives the player ample time to become proficient with the mechanics establishes the combines outreach and that you're their biggest threat sets up the resistances organization believably shifts from day to night and allows the next story beat to occur just after the players fatigue from combat making these things desirable where they otherwise might be tedious even a sequence that I'd argue is the weakest of all still benefits half-life 2 as a whole and the tedium of this airboat sequence is something that's never felt again after its completion Raven Holm is fondly remembered by gamers because of its tone of horror over science fiction the use of the gravity gun and the character father Grigori but all of that is amplified by lasting for just a single chapter the brightest star lives half as long the coast that follows is an example of how half-life 2 manages to transition things like wide open countryside driving with an alien prison break seamlessly firstly your objectives location has been subliminally mentioned several times prior the player may not know of Nova Prospekt directly but they've had several hours to understand its significance and second the aunt lines are introduced with a layer safety that being the buggy you get to understand their attack patterns and behavior before jumping into a pit against them valve plant these seeds for the player regularly when you've completed your drive and proceed on foot the level design and sand traps never changes but the way you use it does players begin slowly traversing either from taking time to jump from platform to platform and that's when you're thrown a curveball in the form of bug bait the ability to use antlions as allies and that's when the level goes from vast and threatening to liberating half-life 2 is a textbook example of pacing and video games by the time you've bought through city streets and Massacre the combine with your enhanced gravity gun it truly feels like you've been on an event experiencing every sight sound info in this world the quality of each levels design or gimmick may vary with plenty to criticize but for me the real problem of half-life 2 is its commitment to the narrative that sounds counterintuitive so bear with me Gordon Freeman is often considered a great character despite not having any that's because in half-life 1 he was truly a vessel for the player is he a terrified scientist a proficient warrior a bloodthirsty psychopath yes he's any and/or all of these because valve accounted for it you could murder every Black Mesa employee left alive in the game would not only accept it but there would be short term benefits for doing so most infamously killing the first Barney you see in order to get the pistol early we could also try to save everyone on Black Mesa with benefits for doing that - like weapon caches that allowed you to stockpile gear these decisions may not be profound but they were tangible tangibility is one of Valve's biggest pursuits it's what feels everything from the art style to the physics engine there's no logical reason to have employees spend their hours programming seagulls that defecate on your vehicle only the desire to make half-life seem like a potential reality but valve we're following a trajectory their NPCs went from being all enemies in the original build of half-life 2 featuring allies because users started to care about them half-life 2 wanted to enhance their empathy and they succeeded in 2004 only Metal Gear Solid 3 could compete in a physical expression in body language where power houses such as Doom three featured characters seemingly made out of clay half-life 2's cast had a much closer resemblance to actual people valve hunted for Hollywood talent who worked with doctors to come up with the right catalog of facial expressions and even wrote up full character profiles for the main cast this is all very impressive lots of attention and care was taken even more so than half-life 1 but it came at a cost this sequel originally carried the predecessors design of having allies that could die but with a narrative that was defined by your actions rather than in different and having scenes requires certain characters to be present Val reversed their decision and wouldn't allow Gordon to be free this choice is understandable as the workload on display is very commendable but I can't help but feel there was a Mis top opportunity to advance what half-life started rather than change it just imagine if Alex's death didn't trigger a game over screen it was something you had to live with it had the potential to make a scene with Eli Vance be more impactful with the loss of his daughter but the blender against Valve's decision to make NPCs immune to player attacks is how much it confuses Gordon Freeman's role as he's no longer an avatar that the player shapes in their image but in actual character but no voice personality or meaningful backstory it only gets weirder when people behave like Friends of Gordon despite this never being on display in the original game or how Mossman is familiar with Freeman's work before Black Mesa when he was just a recent hire who wore suit and push carts in fairness this line of dialogue lacks proper context due to cut content in the beta eli mentions you are hired over Mossman for the job at black mesa fine scientist Judith she would have been at Black Mesa if our budget hadn't been so tight but he edged her out in light of your work at Innsbruck it could have been her in the test chamber that day I'm also not faulting valve entirely for their decision it opens a whole can of worms in a game that was already innovating in so many fields I'm just lamenting the loss of an opportunity to push FPS design through half-life foundations rather than changing one of its core principles something else I lament is a lack of level streaming in the source engine that results in you seeing these on a modern PC the load times are fast but still akin to someone constantly pausing a film and I'm hopeful for an update to source 2 word I have same as transitions such as Dark Souls the pacing would be superior [Music] yo talk about Dark Souls and I'll [ __ ] cut you coward I hmm word to have same as transitions like no man's sky the pacing would be superior to what's already superb but that's all about what half-life 2 could be in terms of what it is the game has endured over a decade of evolution remarkably nothing else has managed to inherit this game's variety and levels in the subtlety of its transitions between them it isn't really a game whose age has created problems that wouldn't be acceptable in a modern game most of what's wrong with half-life 2 was there from day one the combat was never very impressive in the retractions from half-life were a disappointment I understand where people who don't care for this game are coming from because if the combat doesn't excite and the world and characters don't intrigue you then it's meticulous pacing and variety isn't going to compel everyone hard mode is an absolute must and it's still relatively on challenging but at least carries some consequence for running around like an idiot which normal doesn't have I don't believe half-life 2 is the greatest game of all time and I don't believe it ever was nor do I really care there's such a large variety of games on the market it's not worth trying to objectively put one above everything else what matters is if half-light 2 achieves what it strives for even today and I believe it does in a year phenomenal sequels half-life 2 still managed to be one of the most accredited games released and it's one that any video game player should experience for themselves along with its episodes this is the expansion pack turned episode that sparked the next generation of half-life content vows first attempt with their new release model is one that's regarded well by critics at the time but hasn't received much discussion and I believe that's indicative of its content and how games are remembered what have I to is brought up in conversation it's more than likely about Raven home Nova Prospekt or the Citadel not the apartment fights or combine outposts the most unique levels in set-piece are talked about over core gameplay and that's true for most video games but in the case of episode 1 that's unfortunate because it's opening and ending our anticlimactic slogs that stick out in the players mind meanwhile it's moment-to-moment combat and level design has been refined making for gameplay that's more enjoyable than half-life 2 the opening has some very endearing moments with Alex and dog but once you're back in the Citadel it can test ones patience getting the supercharged gravity gun in half I too was effective because it capped off the game with the most powerful weapon he went from picking off combine soldiers with standard firearms behind cover to vaporizing them in an instant players had the contrast and context of being a citizen in the confined apartments of city 17 to appreciate the colossal interiors of the Citadel episode 1 Laxus climactic build up and as a result its gameplay doesn't have that excitement to start with there's also the greater presence of dialogue scenes Alex's likability in the openings exchange for dumping exposition and setting up the storyline of episode to her more personal lines are what keep the scenes inoffensive but it's hard to not get frustrated at how often you're waiting for her half-life 2's dialogue scenes were discreetly placed after a slew of exhaustive battles and gave the player multiple things to explore if they weren't listening to the dialogue explicitly this doesn't translate to episode 1 the best part of the Citadel is what it hints at for the rest of the gameplay and half-life 2 combat was at its best when it wasn't just the player versus the combine because episode 1 features Alex as a teammate with improved AI it mostly avoids repeating half of whose dullest encounters on top of this arenas with antlions require the player to physically prevent their invasion via blocking underground pits with vehicles the player takes in the environment rather than just hunting down targets a window of opportunity needs to be created it's much more involving and therefore engaging along with episode one's hard mode being more satisfying it's not easy to tell if the combine are smarter better placed or do slightly more damage but battles require more persistence and tactics though you can still choose them the best levels are - which include the combine fighting ant lions or zombies not only does it look and sound fantastic with all the effects but once again involves the player there's real strategy deciding which enemies take priority and even using specific types against each other zom mines are the only new addition but their design of a beefy target who kamikazes is intimidating yet useful at times and then there's Alex who can cover you take down enemies in CQC and serves to add levity to the game's dark and forbidding tone I'll talk about half light twos characters in its second episode but Alex is it easiest to empathize and connect with before it was because of her personality but in Episode one it's because she's genuinely helpful and believable the way she navigates the world seems closer to that of a person living in this world compared to the desperate charges of the combine though that's not to suggest the AI in Episode one doesn't have its deficiencies by and large this game is one of the reasons I decided to present this analysis as a video rather than a series while the core gameplay may be improved from 1/2 by 2 as we discussed that wasn't the reason people revered it the mission design and pacing was an episode one's campaign feels much more by the book rather than each chapter being completely distinct in its challenges and gameplay mechanics they're broken up into layers the first being locations the Citadel and city 17 and the second is gameplay that rotates between puzzles combat and clashes for as enjoyable as each are and are placed intelligently nothing reaches the distinction of Raven home or Nova Prospekt the closest moment to a set-piece here is the climax and it's one of the weakest and valves history the player is tasked with escorting multiple groups from one interior to a train station with combine forces interrupting your progress escort quests are rarely satisfying but since Alex became a welcome companion there's potential unfortunately it quickly fractures the storytelling half-life is known for with an objective that exists only to create a gameplay scenario the first group you lead is free of enemy forces this is done to get players familiar with the level and allow them to safely navigate before dealing with a combine there's just one problem so hard we should have brought everyone over at once yes we should have Gordon Alex or Barney could have Scout and give out a signal for the all-clear this level exchange is believability for justifying its existence and what results is an emotionless finale that's supposed to be humanity's final steps in city 17 now it's not complete teeter-totter design as the level pits you against an array of enemy's vehicles weapons and destruction to the environment but with Alex staying behind in the lack of puzzle solving during combat this section relies on half-life to use basic gameplay the most but what rightfully left a sour taste in everyone's mouth is the final fight against a Strider the synth known for its slim mobility can finds itself within the station despite having a wide-open entrance to attack where you're actually escorting people from instead of waiting for Alex viewed under the lens of a half-height - expansionpak episode 1 doesn't have much ground to stand on making incremental improvements to its graphics AI and level design without the powerful additions of opposing force but valve tend to forecast the industry so what episode one actually feels like are the epilogue DLCs most popular with EA games but I'm sure that's just a coincidence in when compared to things like mass effect - arrival it actually holds up pretty well with gameplay that's been effectively tweaked rather than downgraded as I've described in Prior videos some games have extensions rather than expansions and episode 1 is a solid example of the former combined with half by two accompanying the orange boxes new content and meant that it was the perfect time for newcomers to jump in [Music] just like half-life 2 episode 2 is impression is shaped by its lack of such at the beginning picking up immediately from its predecessor it immediately repeats mistakes there's an inherent drawback to making episodes that aren't within a singular experience and that's having to account for the potential of it being someone's introduction to the series meaning you have to teach them the basic controls and avoid any immediate action episode 2 is much more efficient in bringing players up to speed but it's disappointing that none of the halfpipe games have immediately compelling introductions the long build-up in the original was unique at the time and set up black mesa but not only have other games made this innovation a cliche it's become predictable in half-life at this point it feels less like tradition and moral lack of originality but episode 2 isn't about innovating it's about iterating and nowhere is this more evident than your time spent in the caves alex is wounded in a scripted sequence and sustained by one of the vortigaunts where you're subsequently brought into a rock shelter packed with antlions what takes place is a completely predictable wave defense sequence that fits perfectly within fps cliches and yet it's one of the best sequences in the campaign typically when games fall back on wave defense it's the pad for time in games like warframe it's acceptable because it has missions dedicated for using this framework to level and loot whereas story missions in the original destiny were not due to over reliance unlike episode ones repeated use of the antlion pits this defense sequence is never duplicated there's four tunnels to hold off by yourself and two NPCs to make up for being outnumbered you give in to turrets in multiple Minds early waves come from a single location and they're so painless you can just pick up a turret and point in the vague direction of your enemies but even here the game is teaching you things the second wave doesn't come from this tunnel next to the first it's the punctured entrance with a different layout in size compared to the rest information that needs to be known when each wave starts to build up mines are depleted turrets are knocked down leaps are made you go from viewing to participating with shotgun in hand and just when you've been pushed to the brink vortigaunts show up and the music kicks in everything about the sequence in game design audio and visuals is constructed to make this final wave as thrilling as possible app like two's average combat is given such an expertly crafted section that the level simplicity doesn't register in the moment on paper it's just like any other game but in execution it's what makes half-life special to this day and speaking of the score that leads into something else half-life has all to itself I adore the music of Halo Mass Effect or day of sex but they fit into genres such as orchestral or electronic but half-life is unlike any other shooter both in its sound and usage [Music] the closest our industrial artists such as nying its nails are front line assembly groups who have had their own impact in videogames but where trent reznor uses the sounds made to explore darker themes compared to most popular artists half-life's composer Kelly Bailey uses the sound at very specific moments to complement the world that's likely due to him being in charge of the game's audio creating all the sound effects and systems used to run them being intimately familiar with every weapon creature and level it's small wonder how Bailey so effectively adds music on top of his creations not having a separate composer is what probably led to the music's rarity if you spent years creating and layering a world sonically you wouldn't overrule all that work with music unless your creativity called for it the rarity of tracks makes their presence that much more impactful when only a third of your combat encounters are fought with music and I'll heighten anyone's excitement and in the case of Episode two it may contain the best of Kelly Bailey's career [Music] this leads into what I mentioned earlier about iteration the sequence where this song plays is actually a retread of the airboat chase from half-life 2 only swapping vehicles and concluding on foot but the music setting in character interactions that are completely unique to this game separate it from half-life 2 in execution and for the better this improvement is across the board which is where hunters come in the combines hitscan weapons and basic movements have been averted with a unique alien skeleton and Mensch strength and deadly projectiles not only are their explosively shets avoidable they accompany half-life 2's mechanics exquisitely the gravity gun could always be used for protection but combine were so weak that it was easier to throw explosives at them or right-click with a shotgun but for hunters their explosive rounds allow your defense to become offensive these flash hits have a brief idle period before they explode allowing the player to pick up objects tank rounds and hurl them at the enemy the hunters strength also gives much more weight to your rocket launcher and pulse rifle energy as both can quickly take care of them but are limited in ammunition this enemy is so well designed that frankly there's only one major fault with it and that's there is week two car bumpers as aliens are to Commander Shepard these creatures can withstand a texans ammo supply but are instantly killed upon a rusted hunk of metal traveling at ten miles per hour it's one of the reasons I think the game's climax hasn't aged well hunters are the only combine enemies you battle directly and your car is more powerful than any rocket launcher leaving you free to take down each Strider some may argue to simply not use the vehicle to kill hunters but unfortunately that's only one problem with the climactic battle this series is linear but their beauty is the freedom they allow within each limited space a sort of mini sandbox and despite episode 2 scope being ambitious the endings illusion is shattered quite easily I can't in good heart fault its lack of NPCs and enemies that can be blamed on the restriction of console hardware and limited system requirements in 2007 what can be faulted are the multiple outposts that magically respawn health and ammunition instead of having to keep track of the supplies or draining the Striders don't confront you as they did in half like - either acting almost indifferent to your unless you stop directly in front of them and the levels destruction is scripted to the tee with certain Striders charging for one base in particular before progressing again at a normal speed thankfully the game doesn't make them invincible so you can kill them but each Strider afterward proceeds to ignore the structure you protect it unless they happen to stumble upon it there isn't an authentic dynamic here fond memories of this level can't overpower the immense tedium I felt while playing it's not as blatantly rushed out the doors episode ones conclusion but it's just as unexcited the ending of episode two didn't clutch gamers hearts because of gameplay it was what it did to one of the characters which is our final subject in regards to half-life half-life 2 committed to establishing major characters who couldn't be killed unless the plot called for it not only was this design ubiquitous across the industry half-life 2's play and narrative didn't really justify it in episode 1 even less so with half-life 2 valve finally began to take advantage of their choices Alex's critical wound is rather cheap but it leads to an excellent scene with a g-man in a way that makes sense half-life is best with implication and the g-man's reveal interfering with Vance's life in front of you is laced with intent episode 1 is the first time gene man doesn't lecture you directly but episode 2 is the first time he does it willingly every other speech in the series is all about Freeman and how he benefits the g-man in his employers but episode 2 is when he talks about meddling with other people's lives to you rather than in the distance I couldn't help but notice at the end of half-light - the way he looks at Alex it could have been coincidental until discovering another cut line of dialogue we were living in base housing you know when I made it back there right before the end I found the only Alex she had her mother's wedding ring in her hand but she couldn't tell me how she'd gotten it those days are blank for her sometimes I wish it were the same for me I can still only guess what might have happened to my wife saving this mystery until later was absolutely for the best without question the g-men and Alex of the highlights of this games cast the likeability and dependability of Miss Vance and the mystery of the g-man is rarely matched in gaming but if there's one thing that can be said of the cast is their lack of complexity which isn't inherently a problem not every character in every story needs to change for the story to be good what it needs is writing in a plot to make the most of their talents and that's where the half by two series hesitates I've already mentioned the retcon characters which adds to the bitter pill of your allies and antagonists in one sector of Europe being Black Mesa employees but more than the absurdity which can be overlooked there's a lack of not only conflict but choices characters make the reason Alex and dog are the most beloved NPCs is in large part to making decisions that inform us of their character there's nothing like this from dr. kleiner Eli or Barney and half-life 2 they exist to fill a quota and do a job I demand of the script be the leader that gets captured be the fighter who helps the resistance be the dork that acts as a door opener episode 2 is when the series really starts the entry and uses its existing characters to spark debate with elion kleiner being on opposite ends of the scientific mind due to the events that they both experienced this is interesting it's using a combination of future and previous events to show who these people are and because they're talking you don't suffer from the awkwardness of being a silent protagonist that characters speak to even that's done better here alex has environments specific interactions such as throwing health packs during the chopper battle or commenting on weapons you've found and Eli is finally talking to the player about the g-men and other relevant matters rather than just using Gordon silence as a punchline that is until you account her Magnussen the character who encompasses almost everything wrong with half-life 2's approach to characters in dialog following an archetype just as cliched as prior characters with a personality only a mother can love and that's because he exists big valve out of their own hole originally elion kleiner were the ones that kick-started white Forrest after escaping city 17 and the writers knew this was nonsense so they use the opportunity to repeat what they did before by retconning another npc from Black Mesa oh and Freeman if you pull this off I might just forgive you for that baccala black mesa you know the one I mean involving a certain microwave casserole personally lines like these only get worse with time because unless I buy them as things people would say and mores taking the easy road not that I mean to over blow this issue speaking as someone who used XD out of desperation of 4:00 in the morning and we likely would have seen the other side of Magnussen hinted at towards the finale where the series they continued finally the cliffhanger ending is better off with Eli scenes that finally reference half life's greater events in mystery outside of Easter eggs but the character people really care for is Alex through the time spent players are able to empathize with her sadness while the actress ends with authentic desperation and Bailey's music includes [Music] valve centerpiece of the orange box was a six-hour second chapter continuation of a three year old game and half-life was speculated debated and talked about for a decade that's the impact this series had and revisiting Episode two makes me feel it's well deserved not because it's perfect but because it compelled it hooked it effortlessly made those who played it desperate for more Episode two doesn't quite have the variety of half-life 2 but everything that game did episode 2 does better from enemy and level design to character and storytelling Valve's ability to utilize basic scripting linear levels an average combat and turn them into experiences that are remembered to this very day speaks volumes of their talents these were valves veterans continuing to push their expertise but at any company there's going to be a time for new blood [Music] portal is a very difficult game to critically view under a retrospective lens because unlike for instance counter-strike its gameplay isn't made to be an endless loop half-life twos combat might not be extraordinary but you can put yourself in a house spawn combine and have a dynamic experience portal doesn't work like that I can't play this game and experience what o 7r a civic did he spent hours solving what I now complete in seconds just from memory I've realized however this speaks volume to how effectively portal instructs the player it invented a 3d puzzle mechanic and it's the game to use as an introduction to 3d video games as a whole thinking with portals used to be a marketing line now it's common knowledge within the gaming community and that is absolutely an achievement test chambers 1 through 17 is one of the most seamless elegant and crucially entertaining tutorials out there leading the player one step at a time from learning about portals and Static to in motion in hand and in total control youtubers have delved into the fastidious design of each chamber and it's true every window visual cue or door has an explicit intent when introducing a new mechanic it's often best of frame and familiarity platform switches and generators are common concepts are people to understand the portal guns use the coherent pacing and progression of gameplay is what you'd expect from valve seal of quality but in a genre valve never partook in puzzles in their games were always used to break up pacing never to carry an experience and as part of a complete package it complements the orange box experienced gamers get to witness a new mechanic newcomers to the medium overcome their own struggles rather than aliens and those looking for valve storytelling an atmosphere are treated the moment you've woken up the game incorporates a locked cell countdown ironic music safety glass and a glitchy sarcastic robot combining for a sense of unease you have a confidence to continue through each chamber while knowing there's something brewing out of your sight but unlike many games that thinks so little of their players to treat this as a revelation portal lays down its cards by chamber 16 the players first look behind the curtain happens to be the moment you're pitted against sentry turrets it begins a set of chambers that are more adversary while you stumble upon more of these rat dens hinting at the bigger picture the clean-cut aesthetic is built upon industrial rust and tear where visual cues are the frantic markings of a madman rather than printed signs the framework around portal is what makes it a gaming classic akin to half-life the story doesn't blow your mind with world-changing twists or complex characters it simply lets you explore the narrative as much as you desire with a subtlety rarely seen but this framework didn't always exist portal evolved greatly with time but not in its gameplay there's restoration mods available to the public that allow them to experience what portal used to be the chambers are here with an almost identical layout and utility to the final product but everything else is missing let's re-examine the opening in this recreation of portals 2005 build the visuals emulate Nova Prospekt an atmosphere of despair and danger rather than disingenuous corporate construction the clock is slow in analog making the minute drag the windows are clear and there's no voice to give context to the player that's because GLaDOS didn't exist at this point portal didn't seem to have a story at all in 2005 the ending features no mention of characters companies are constructs it's about breaking out of the facility by fetching batteries for a generator preventing your exit playing these early versions of the test chambers without portals framework only reinforced a feeling that's going to get my head put on a stick thankfully it's one that the developers have openly shared so I can cower behind them portals core is rather barren or to quote him Swift the game's director on its own the gameplay would be alright honestly a little on the dry side at first I thought this was simply due to having replayed the game enough times to know the answers to each puzzle but completing still alive brought this line of thinking to a halt traditionally speaking video games teach you all of their mechanics and discovery is replaced with knowledge the enjoyment of manipulating the world to your will with skill portal doesn't have this once you've learned every mechanic the games almost over and if you substitute that with new levels provided by mods you're missing the presence of GLaDOS and the paranoid atmosphere the monotony isn't from a lack of challenge it's to do with a lack of decisions in gameplay puzzles I never tested before and still alive were completed quickly not out of my intelligence but just from pattern recognition in knowing the game's tropes you see app it use momentum you see a gap shoot a portal see a cue put it on a switch portals real magic isn't from designs that are endless in depth but the game's flow its final chambers solidify this this being a puzzler the game's most complex chamber could have easily transitioned to the final test but it doesn't instead it lets players use the full momentum and speed that the portal gun allows which also trains them four sections taken place outside of the facility's boundaries there's no puzzle solving here just like the enhanced gravity gun the intent is to give you a sense of power and a contrast beautifully with the serene pace of the test chambers this pacing is also why GLaDOS is so crucial to portal success early versions of the game lacked advancement without an antagonist to build towards without the game played to generate tension or excitement fiction was burdened with the responsibility the AI does a wonderful job of presenting the game's 11e but dialogue that accurately strengthens her ill-will while making people laugh the ending actually demonstrates this best don't believe me here I'll put you on that's you that's how dumb you sound you've been wrong about every single thing you've ever done including this thing you're not smart you're not a scientist you're not a doctor you're not even a full-time employee but just as with the rest of the game there's multiple lines in contrast to this specifically when she references the world outside of Aperture Science are you trying to escape things have changed since the last time you left the building what's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here I have an infinite capacity for knowledge and even I'm not sure what's going on outside all I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and them these are the things that make portal great for what it is a gateway to gaming it's one of the few 3d puzzle games out there that isn't explicitly for fans of the genre anyone whether they've played a thousand games or none at all can pick up portal and enjoyed simplicity and endearing presentation it was rightfully explored both by fans and valve themselves and while I don't believe it's what makes the orange box it does complete it but if portal is concise in both its development and experience our final game is the opposite unlike the rest of the orange box Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer game that has been around for 10 years and yet it's retained a player base many never reach to begin with it's one of the most recognizable shooters ever made even to those who've never played a match of 2/4 in their life and it's in large part due to the updates and support the scheme has had over those 10 years this introduces a problem because while I really enjoy Team Fortress 2 and never became my go-to shooter the 40 hours I spent with Team Fortress 2 on PC took place around 2009 before the game became free-to-play as a result it's impossible to view the game's multiplayer as I did with Halo or Mass Effect 3 games I experienced the evolution of directly T of to has thousands of regulars who played for thousands of hours and they're the experts when it comes to balanced content and updates not me regardless let's tackle this game as the filthy casual I am what's fascinating about Team Fortress 2 is that it's always had to deal with overwhelming new players most competitive shooters in 2007 had unified base gameplay even class-based titles like battlefield shared weapons and movement speeds across its different soldiers Team Fortress 2 has more classes and more distinction within them through movement animations personalities and play styles on top of that not a single one fits within the AR everyman archetype aware that only Team Fortress fans would instantly recognize the game's design valve poured countless hours into alleviating its complexity without a sacrifice too great we've already discussed the change in arts au allowing the developers to make care more expressive compared to their realistic counterparts but it goes deeper than that streamline has become a dirty term and modern gaming due to its overuse in the seventh console generation but tf2 was a great example of this practice done properly seven of the nine classes only carry three selections with them during gameplay their original fourth option grenades were also removed not only was keeping track of the different nade types difficult it hurt the flow of gameplay combat became more about knowing where to spam explosives rather than confronting the enemy it's quite amusing that the Orange Box claims to feature all new game modes because I believe tf2 echoes portala framing their unique core gameplay within familiarity capture the flag and control point were staples and multiplayer gaming and it helped players instantly recognize the role of each class engineers protected objectives or vital points on the map Scouts flanked and pestered enemies heavies took and gave damage and just like Portal going back to Team Fortress 2's original launch is almost underwhelming in its simplicity in today's world of MOBAs and hero shooters Team Fortress 2 is easy to pick up and play which is a testament to its strengths and influence what's intimidating about the game today isn't the core but everything that surrounds it stores unlocks contracts blueprints crafting trading editing stats and achievements it's understandable as a free-to-play game but the Premium Membership for current supporters are those who bought the launch game doesn't convert the complication at first glance this validates the mockery against tf2 but it's a case studying games which grow to become a digital Frankenstein that no longer resemble the foundation but it's never that simple the character based crazed he have to ignited has a consistency in their post launch support base characters or classes are created and left to be reinhardt's tweaks don't change how he's played cap cans new traps fit within his intended role the evolution comes from new characters with their own intentions and abilities Team Fortress 2 doesn't do that it's number of classes haven't changed their potential has remember when I said engineers protected vital points on the map suggesting they're meant to stand back and support well with the option to create and directly control many centuries this defender can be reconfigured into an aggressor the Demoman can still sit and span he can also charge selected targets for a melee kill the Scout pesters enemies but with one beverage can become speedo sound sonic bypassing the engineers and mines that stop them before playing tf2 without these additions really does fit the word vanilla it's perfectly fine but you feel there's something missing and what's missing is variation in place now encountering one class isn't the same thing every time you can't spot a Demoman far away and relax you need to prepare for him to potentially get up in your face but crucially regardless of play style you need to bide your time the tactics I mentioned can only be achieved when a window of opportunity presents itself charging as demo or flanking a scout isn't without risk you need to scrutinizing enemy's positioning and placed out before making your move which makes her success that much more rewarding now there are a couple caveats first off this is all in the context of Tia twos bread-and-butter 8v8 or twelve e12 [ __ ] casual matches when you examine the game under a competitive lens which valve has invited themselves to issues crop up for instance the spy is a class that thrives in the online environment tf2 established vast lobbies and a perpetual cacophony of explosions and gamers who aren't allowed to play counter-strike yet it's here that posing as enemies and backstabbing them is a possibility but a 6v6 competitive match with whole squads on either side makes this almost impossible it's not just in competitions that dictate the use of certain picks though it also depends on which game type you're in I originally used ambushing with pyro as an example of knowing when to strike but in payload that opportunity is whenever the card is close to your spawn trust me this MVP badge was very undeserved capture the flag is by far the weakest when it comes to these forest rolls which might explain why it only has four maps compared to everything else having seven or more the class variety mentioned is staunchly neutered by Nature Engineers must place their turrets and teleporters in the most predictable spots as without said placement scout soldiers and spies will just take their objective snipers have to watch from vantage points as aggressively pushing is better led to someone less specialized based on tf2 success and other modes you'd think that CTF would be one flag but it's not levels are entirely symmetrical no time limit exists so rounds last for an eternity and when victory is finally achieved it's less to do with overcoming challenges and more with your enemies losing their will it's baffling because symmetrical modes in tf2 can work proven by king of the hill and control point the mere existence of time pressure gives each capture some weight and meaning the quick captures a control point make every push exciting as it has a potential to be your last and king of the hill builds itself towards clutch saves and devastating losses the easiest to pick up and play however our payload in attack and defense these asymmetrical arenas in casual settings don't require every play to be substantial in order to be a game changer in CTF you can't steal the intelligence without a specific approach if the defense is strong enough but in payload burning multiple players sabotaging one turret or weakening a medic is what gives you a few more feet with the bomb or puts you one step closer to the capture point payloads popularity is a game type stems from knowing exactly how much you as a team have done collectively almost delivering the bomb doesn't feel like failure in the same way an unreached capture point does similar to what I said about half-life this tangibility makes certain game types murder any sense of time the most surprising thing for my time spent with a game however is how much its core gameplay has been retained default weapons aren't slouches and can prove to be devastating even if you're not an expert and most of the alternatives come with notable downsides that if they don't make the weapon on appealing does make one consider their options the keyword is most and now that we've talked about the game portion of tf2 it's time to talk about what surrounds it weapons available to the different classes are often just the base gun with occasionally sensible but mostly bizarre twists what I realized with post-launch weaponry is the interaction with them is simple this extinguisher only use it when targets are set on fire easy it's looking at traits of the game overwhelms this isn't just an A K to an m16 this weapon has 25% more projectile speed and does 25% more damage against buildings but it has 25% lower mag size with a 25% decreased explosive radius that's not always the case though and damage dealers like the back burner are quite one side hmm what's more valuable critical hits on ambushed enemies which as pyro is kind of the point of his character or more ammo for the ability I use once every few lives now what I came to accept is while this game's weapon and items sandbox is like trying to crack enigma I never felt while playing that there were weapons I couldn't outplay or drag the pace of the game no equivalent of armor lock the sniper 90 or MP 40 drum Meg so I don't think the system is bad just bewildering crafting however is a joke hey do you want to crap this gun well you're going to need to use the blueprint to craft scrap metal with two items from one class three times so that you can use the three scrap metal pieces to make refined metal which you then uses one part to craft a weapon that requires an already existing item in your inventory to create the thing you wanted in the first place while navigating a menu that isn't listed by release class or even alphabetical nor allow searches even though the store where you buy the same items instead of crafting allow you to do each of those things it's small wonder why trading is so big in this game when your other options for items are loop boxes direct pay more this pile of garbage okay that's not completely true you can unlock some of the most vital and useful unlocks through achievements which is cordial or it would be if the game ever explained this I understand to a veteran this may seem like a joke and there's been plenty of servers where you can get all the items with just a chat command but put yourself in the mind of someone who's just installed this game for the first time when is this information ever given to you in fact this leads into one of the biggest problems with Team Fortress 2 it's 10 years old and has seemingly made no effort to invite players the shift towards matchmaking over custom servers with a focus on competitive play leads to overwatch being blamed and while I'm sure Blizzard has inspired valve tf2 s recent evolution is more likely encouraged by their own games the most popular of which rely heavily on matchmaking and competitive play this is all theory but what's more likely valve incorporating what works best for their biggest successes into team fortress or plagiarizing overwatch but only two parts of it Valve's recent announcement of the artifact card game is what probably gave that impression big publishers followed trends because they believe it's what will generate higher profits for shareholders that they must please the valve listens to no one they take from themselves live streaming from counter-strike and dota was added to Team Fortress 2 just like portal adopted hats counter-strike uses crates and dota 2 has the Steam Workshop valve has been developing concepts for years in using their franchises to advance them but while counter-strike and dota found suitable ways of incorporating TF two's monetization Team Fortress doesn't fit within Valve's current model of success dota and counter-strike are vastly different experiences depending on what level you're playing in but the game itself its rules mechanics weapons and items are the same that's not what tf2 is I've spent enough hours in Halo 2 and heard enough of super smash melee to know a rule said doesn't need to be identical to the core game to generate traffic but these are very different scenarios compared to Team Fortress competitive gaming was much smaller when halo 2 began to stream and televised MLG events in super smash brothers melee was lightning in a bottle to the point of a GameCube launch title being used at Evo today it's not a ten-year-old FPS whose developer avoided competition at the frustration of competitive players until valve realized the potential of eSports and wants to implement it despite spending seven years not designing anything with the intent of the game being so I'm reminded of a story leet world was the red versus blue a counter-strike attaching hilarious and distinct personalities and voices to what were just skins but unlike red vs. blue there were no endorsements or DVDs because the quote valve directly to another machinima studio we are not interested in licensing our technology or IP for machinima this includes providing copyright approvals in what did valve do two years after this release source filmmaker reversing decisions made in the past isn't new at valve software Team Fortress 2 is simply the latest product to be handled as such this game is confusing because with all of its controversy in the community and adjustments over the years what remains is a great game underneath confusion and a lack of accessibility Team Fortress 2 is vast overwhelming and hypnotic positively and negatively but ultimately for the better it's not it may never be my go-to shooter but I completely understand why it is for so many the orange box itself is a thing of the past now single-player games can be picked up for less than a dollar during sales so other than archival purposes there isn't much reason to purchase it today rather the orange box represents what valve stood for in a time where big publishers relied on quick and disposable income and the artists let or closed down valve not only survived but thrived with quality in care delays were never due to incompetence but love a desire to ensure that the release of their latest lived up to the standards set by the past in the eyes of gamers valve could do no wrong frustrations with Steam retractions from half-life or hatsan team fortress were miniscule compared to the monument of trust and success the company had but for Valve themselves there was a cost gabe newell has said that 2012 to 2015 was some of the most fun the company had in its entire history I don't believe it's controversial to say that isn't Mutual of Valve's fans and for good reason when half-life 2 came out gamers didn't experience the sleepless nights weeks and months the embarrassment of their privacy being exposed the business politics and continued mistakes that couldn't be reversed after six years in development as always we only got the product or in the case of games like half light to the aren't valve made that commitment and looking back at the Orange Box criticisms in all it's something to commend and celebrate but in learning from the trials and tribulations swinging the pendulum from years of silence to monthly posts large teams to small teams single-player to multiplayer something has been lost valve has done many great things from innovating and virtual reality making its entire dota cast free to all and involving the community with some of their biggest games however the romance in one group sacrificing their funding in hell for the sake of an art form is gone truthfully it might have never existed valve were never one large entity frustrations with steams functionality have existed from day one and niche groups weren't treated as equally as others but their games spoke louder than any of trues valve were known for their results and now they're known for their business grateful for the results I don't hate them I miss them [Music] normally my research consists of scouring for developer interviews behind the scenes or articles written by journalists in the industry it can make you feel like an investigator searching for details with information others used for promotion or payment but for this video I am completely outclassed by the valve community the amount of research and dedication they have to this company's games and services is unparalleled and I absolutely wouldn't have been able to do this video without their hard work despite this being my longest and most ambitious video to date I feel like I've only scratched the surface I highly recommend checking out bollixed valve news network escalation Rick an examine life of gaming for videos that delve into far greater detail than I ever could and special thanks to Sparky for making the thumbnail and Sergeant strawberry for assisting me in the writing process who do you like more Captain Picard are kept in Kirk I'm not really that familiar with either of them so Commander Shepard which Rainbow six operator is best waifu elite which or Kabara don't kink shame what you get for christmas 14 new cousins have you ever played hearts of iron 4 nope but I have watched it and it's pretty entertaining to watch the game crippled underneath its own weight with the Mass Effect trilogy have had a better or more well-received ending had it gone the route of the original Star Wars trilogy and just have a happy satisfying ending where the good guys win additionally what would you have preferred it would only have a better ending in terms of retrospect if we were to go to a world where Mass Effect 3's ending never happened and all we got was a cliche ending then the series wouldn't be very notable and it probably would have faded into obscurity or at the very least its ending would have been considered a disappointment just because of the quality of the two games have preceded it I would have preferred in the same way I'd prefer a protein shake compared to mud will there be a critical mass when it comes to the player publisher relationship where bad publishers finally hit a wall of declining profits or will people continuously buy the new cod games regardless of quality the thing to remember about player publisher relationships is that only a hardcore gamer crowd is going to care about it and that gaming is mainstream enough at its moments that relationship wouldn't completely [ __ ] a company if there's any way I can describe it think of any industry food or item that you're not particularly interested in and would accept a low-quality product from just out of ignorance and put that to your favorite medium of video games there's millions of people that are completely a-okay with something like Call of Duty World War two mediocrity makes money as long as you sell it right why does my peepee come out yellow Gatorade what's the best mgs boss fight throughout the series the boss without question because she's an actual formidable enemy and having to fight against another human being that uses tactics like you to defeat you is something that I wish more videogames would pursue when are you going to publish more of your crappy fan fics like your stalker callers share a noble video it'll happen whenever I start streaming maybe when is the next siege video when I feel like making totalbiscuit tweet when is the community play session of genital jousting happening I love you guys [Music] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Raycevick

Views: 2,976,334

Keywords: Raycevick, CuHnadian, COG, connected, COGconnected, review, analysis, years, later, Half, Life, Orange, Box, Team, Fortress, Portal, Two, HL2, TF2, Episode, Episode 1, Episode 2, Valve, Software, Opposing, Force, Blue, Shift, Gearbox, Expansion, gameplay, mass, effect, doom, fear, halo, combat, evolved, news, network, update, competitive, story, campaign, ending, cliffhanger, episode 3, half life 3, half life 2, sequel, requel, reboot, barney, alyx, vance, g-man, eli, gamespot, counter, strike, day, of, defeat, dota, steam, early, access

Id: xFhB6F5n3b4

Length: 71min 38sec (4298 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 12 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Lightguardianjack]

I think the Orange Box was one of my favorite game purchases of all time. So much cutting edge content in one box. I loved Half life 2, portal and played probably 3000 hours in TF2.

I was surprised how he was able to nail his section on TF2 despite admitting he wasn't that familiar with it's evolution (although only scrubs can't use the airblast on pyro Rev :P). When I quit the game the items were already getting a bit crazy (can't remember when I quit I think it was around the update with the Medic's crossbow) and it seems it's gone bananas since then.

[u/GaryOaksHotSister]

I'm still utterly surprised we never saw an Orange Box 2 for Ps4/Xb1, akin to the Legendary edition of Skyrim did for current generation consoles

Like honestly I figured Valve would rather push TF2 onto consoles rather than work on another entry.

Easily could have done that either by itself, or half-ass bundled a handful of other games and call it Orange Box 2.

[u/SquigBoss]

I still hold out hope that Valve will release sequels for their amazing games, even if they don’t include Half-Life. Stuff like Portal 3, Left 4 Dead 3, Team Fortress 3, Dota 3. So many series that need their third games. They could call it...

The Orange Cube.

[u/DawsonJBailey]

the game that made me switch from console to PC. Mainly because of the HUGE difference in content in TF2

[u/Bokthand]

I don' t think there ever will be a stronger game bundle in my gaming career than Orange Box...

HL2Ep2 has some of the best Half Life moments, TF2 holds up as a really fun multiplayer, and Portal still stands as my favorite game of all time. It's kind of crazy looking back how they included Portal because they were unsure how it would sell on its own but all these years later it is the highlight of the release for me.

[u/Ideas966]

Anyone remember when they announced the orange box they also announced The Black Box for people that already owned HL2 + Ep 1 and would sell it for cheaper but then it never never came out? I think I still have my unused extra key of episode 1 haha. Not really complaining though because TOB was still amazing even if you already owned HL2/Ep 1.

I listened to this whole video while working today and I think he looks at these old games in a pretty fair way, although I think he went a little hard on the climax of Ep 2 because there was a gameplay exploit of the car being able to instantly kill any hunters. I've probably played that level like 10 times and I never knew that was the case and considered that level my favorite level in any game ever -_- .

I used to vehemently defend the HL2 games as basically the best single-player games ever, but over the last couple years I haven't felt as strongly about them. The core gameplay definitely hasn't aged as well as some other similarly old games like RE4 or FEAR, but this video really did a good job of reminding me of how the series was so ahead of everyone else when it came to pacing and level design and atmosphere.

And I still don't think there's ever been a new game mechanic in any game that has been as profound and amazing and fun as the gravity gun was. Except maybe the portal game but that doesn't really seem to meld into different gameplay styles very well outside of Portal-style puzzles.

[u/SyrupBuccaneer]

This is one of the greater dissertations on the Valve experience. I do still genuinely look forward to whatever advancements they have, but this is a wonderful obituary of what once was.

Kudos for how difficult this was to put together.

[u/Malemansam]

I swear I had an "Orange box" back in '04 which consisted of Half Life, Opposing forces, Blue Shift and another game or two.

It was a bundle deal but now everytime you hear mention of a Orange Box its about the one with Half Life 2. So why wasn't it called "Orange box 2" or something.

[u/CoolSpy2397]

I will always miss the kind of games that valve used to make. there is pretty much no other equivalent gaming studio working right now(Ok, maybe CPDR).

What grinds my gears is the fact that there are companies which have to compromise and work with publishers(cough Obsidian cough) and eventually get absorbed by it(literally any studio EA acquired). They don't have the resources, money or time to make games which match their vision but still try to do it to their level best. Valve is pretty much the only company which has the money to make whatever outlandish game they want to without following industry trends, the time to pursue that vision since they don't answer to shareholders and the redundancy of a digital storefront to absorb losses in case the game fails. I realise I may be over-simplifying this, since there are other ways valve can fail, but it definitely is in a better position than most. Instead, they just stopped making games. And I'm not clamoring for the eponymous half life 3(though that would definitely bring tears to my eyes). Instead, I just want more games, made by valve.