The Orange Box

NotorietyH

Anyone pick it up yet? I got it yesterday, just played it for a few hours last night, just played Portal and Team Fortress so far. Portal is great. Team Fortress 2 is really fun, and surprisingly I had the most fun playing as the medic, teamed up with a heavy and we were just blasting through bases capturing control points. Great fun, and really makes you feel like you're the glue holding the whole team together. Playing as a spy is damn fun as well too though. Haven't played any of the half-life games yet so I don't know about the supposed framerate issues on episode 2.

Helix

how does it play online? im quite wary of getting it til i know its smooth

FreeOSCAR

Heard its a rubbish port..

Dcully

Also heard its terrible on consoles.
Worth reading this http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=89373

Helix

its great on the 360

but i cant play online on that, so im hoping its playable online on the ps3

Kev_ps3

Well im buying this game once I finish Assassins Creed. A few choppy frames doesnt bother me when the game itself is fantastic. Plus, its known now that the ps3 problems have been blown way out of reality.

Branoic

Dcully wrote: »

Also heard its terrible on consoles.
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360 version doesn't suffer from any issues and is an absolutely fantastic bundle of games.

I was going to get this on the PS3 originally but couldn't wait for the delayed release and got in on the 360 instead. Glad I did now after reading about various issues!

Helix

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

its known now that the ps3 problems have been blown way out of reality.

i dont think they have tbh

as ive said before i have both machines and i have multiple games on both and theres definitely performance issues on every one of them bar fifa 08 which is identical in every single way so far as i can see

Dcully

Hi Helix.
Are you saying all your PS3 games have slowdown and poor framerate so?
The reason i ask is im still trying to decide between a 360 and PS3.
Or indeed are you saying there are performance issues on all your 360 and ps3 games?

Helix

for games which i have on both machines, there are varying levels of issues not in the 360 versions in the ps3 versions. some more minor than others (cod4 for example is pretty much the exact same til crippling slowdown when running through smoke etc)

now the thing is, had i not played the superior 360 versions, i may not necessarily have had an issue with the ps3 problems (ala the way kev thinks theyre fine)

steviec

It depends how sensitive you are to such things aswell. I had no problem with supposedly dire PS3 ports of Assassin's Creed or GRAW2. I own both machines and the differences are only there if you're looking for them or are sensitive to them.

Mass Effect has by far the worst framerates of any game I've played this year and nobody complains about it because its an exclusive - they're right not to complain too because it's an incredible game.

Kev_ps3

steviec wrote: »

It depends how sensitive you are to such things aswell. I had no problem with supposedly dire PS3 ports of Assassin's Creed or GRAW2. I own both machines and the differences are only there if you're looking for them or are sensitive to them.

Mass Effect has by far the worst framerates of any game I've played this year and nobody complains about it because its an exclusive - they're right not to complain too because it's an incredible game.

I have both Assassins Creed and GRAW 2 for the ps3 and enjoyed them both. If there are problems with them then I didnt notice and dont care. Its the same with The Orange Box. Im going to rent it over the weekend, i'll post back my impressions.

savemejebus

If the ps3 version is that bad why is it getting 8/10 as an average score on most sites. I figure the orange box is lucky to even run the way it does on the PS3 when you think about gabe newell's hatred of the console and their handing off of the job to an EA team in the UK. Still i have it on xbox so i'm not too worried

Up to now many games ported to ps3 have suffered, but that situation seems to be changing now as devs get more used to the ps3 hardware. Case in point - Burnout Paradise, according to Tycho on penny-arcade it the ps3 version is actually better than the xbox 360 version (demo at least)

NotorietyH

It's been absolutely fine for me online so far, not a problem, nary a glitch in sight. Haven't played any of the games on PC or XBox, the loading times on Portal are longish alright, but nothing major. As I said, I haven't played the Half Life games yet and as far as I know, episode 2 is supposed to be the game with the framerate issues.

FreeOSCAR

As far as i know the burnout devs criterion have always used the playstation tool kits to make there games so it would be no suprise that paradise will perform better on the ps3.

whiterebel

Dcully wrote: »

Hi Helix.
Are you saying all your PS3 games have slowdown and poor framerate so?
The reason i ask is im still trying to decide between a 360 and PS3.
Or indeed are you saying there are performance issues on all your 360 and ps3 games?

The only game I have seena a problem with is the much talked about PES2008. Even that is fixed by dropping the display to 720p. Online is a different matter.
Tiger Woods 08, F1, RFoM, Warhawk are all perfect on it, both online and offline. I am really looking forward to Uncharted (Crimo present) and I'm seriously thinking about Jericho - The demo looks fantastic.

The article seems to be more critical of the developer rather than the PS3.......

mcgovern

savemejebus wrote: »

Up to now many games ported to ps3 have suffered, but that situation seems to be changing now as devs get more used to the ps3 hardware. Case in point - Burnout Paradise, according to Tycho on penny-arcade it the ps3 version is actually better than the xbox 360 version (demo at least)

His main complaint seemed to be the fact that to get into a game on the 360 one of the blades opens up and does not fit in with the rest of the UI whereas on the PS3, because it uses its own code, friends list etc, the UI was designed by the game designers and fits much better.

savemejebus

tycho wrote:

The 360 version quite simply doesn't have it in the performance department. It runs, and well, but once you've played it on the PS3 you start to notice performance dips and lost frames that used to just fade into the background. Also, this is the rare case where the 360's consistent UI is actually a hindrance to a cohesive experience: PS3 owners pull up an entirely in-game menu to select friends to play with. 360 owners get the same experience up until the end, when you leave the game UI altogether while this huge blade thing sweeps in and obscures the game.

That plus the performance dips and stuff

Beekay

Just ordered this on movietyme last night! Played half-life 2 on the xbox and is one of the best FPS i've ever played so i had to get it!!! And for what you get its really value for money!

lee_baby_simms

Helix wrote: »

i dont think they have tbh

as ive said before i have both machines and i have multiple games on both and theres definitely performance issues on every one of them bar fifa 08 which is identical in every single way so far as i can see

Do you play through a SDTV?

Helix

depends if im playing upstairs or downstairs

i have both

NotorietyH

I take it back, I'm having more fun playing as the spy now in Team Fortress, it is just so much fun strolling past someone disguised as someone from their team then turning around and stabbing them in the back. My tactic is to disguise myself mainly as a medic, as people don't expect you to be attacking the other team as much being more of a support character, so they don't get as suspicious when they see you running from their enemy's base. Also people expect the medic to follow behind them, which is perfect for much backstabbing!

meanpeoplesuck

Have you experienced much lag on TF2?

Do you have any idea how many people are on the servers for Europe usually?

Helix

yeah id like to know the above too

whats the lag like? any graphical issues with it? same for controls

NotorietyH

meanpeoplesuck wrote: »

Have you experienced much lag on TF2?

Do you have any idea how many people are on the servers for Europe usually?

I've haven't anything resembling lag at all playing the game, had a juttery start once for like five seconds, but it's very smooth for me. Don't know how many people are on line, but I've never had any trouble finding a game.

Sayingall that though, I haven't had any problems with Call of Duty 4 either, as the internet in my place is run through my dad's office's server, which is pretty damn quick (fastest in Cork our IT guy says). But again I don't think there's that much of a difference that I've noticed since we upgraded,so I imagine it's pretty stable, and for a new game that's impressive. I ordered Unreal Tournament III from Canada as well, hopefully arriving this week,

Controls seem grnad to me, haven't played with an Xbox, but they're the standard FPS playstation controls really. The d-pad is handy for quick selecting weapons. I'm well used to playing FPS with the controller at this stage so I find it grand. I didn't notice any graphical issues, not yet anyway.

Helix

picked it up at lunchtime, it better be good

Kev_ps3

Helix wrote: »

picked it up at lunchtime, it better be good

u get it for 360 or ps3?

Helix

ps3, already have it for the 360

Kev_ps3

Helix wrote: »

ps3, already have it for the 360

Why?

lee_baby_simms

^ He gets 360 games at a reduced rate.

Helix

coz i cant play mutliplayer on the 360 due to being a filthy pirate, so i download 360 games, and if theyre good i buy them on the ps3

saves me from buying rubbish

lee_baby_simms

^ How do you look yourself in the mirror everyday you monster.

eggplantman

im getting it for christmas.i want team fortress the most:)

Helix

lee_baby_simms wrote: »

^ How do you look yourself in the mirror everyday you monster.

lol

i know, im scum me

that €150 a month a spend on games is wasted, as im crippling the market single handedly

311

Is this game anything like the pc at all ,I really liked the pc one. But I wreckon I'd prefer the controls of the ps3.

I was thinking of popping out and getting this now ?

Helix

i havent played it much so i cant give a decent opinion

no issues with it thus far in terms of framerate affecting playability (there was horrid slowdown in portal when i managed to kill myself by dropping a light fixture on my head tho)

311

That sounds alright so ,I need to get something with a bit more depth than what I have at the moment.

This should do nicely.:)

Cheers.

phill106

been playing through it now, and framerate is perfect so far, untill i got to the bit with the airboat thing you see in video clips. SOme shocking slowdown there, specially for a next gen console.
the loadings are really annoying too, particularly the way it does it in 2 parts. Hope someday they release a patch or something to install more of it to the harddrive.

agentgreen

Would people recommend this?

311

phill106 wrote: »

been playing through it now, and framerate is perfect so far, untill i got to the bit with the airboat thing you see in video clips. SOme shocking slowdown there, specially for a next gen console.
the loadings are really annoying too, particularly the way it does it in 2 parts. Hope someday they release a patch or something to install more of it to the harddrive.

I've bought it for myself and won't play it until tomorrow. I was a little dissapointed to hear about the boat slowdown part:(

I'm looking forward more to playing it ,without sitting in front of a pc.:D

weeder

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/todays-most-comparative-video-orange-box-ps3-vs-xbox-360/

to be fair theres only 2 real places where it suffers FR issues, might still buy it

eggplantman

cant wait until i get it

I've been playing this since Christmas Day and I really think the reports of framerate problems etc. have been massively overhyped. Episode 2 plays just fine as do Team Fortress and Portal. Loading times are a nuisance but they still seem to be faster than I remember them being on the PC.
I've just started playing through Half Life 2 and I have seen no problems yet. The only criticism I have is that it looks dated compared to this years games(obviously) but it still plays brilliantly.
If you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself to get The Orange Box.

eggplantman

Deleted User wrote: »

I've been playing this since Christmas Day and I really think the reports of framerate problems etc. have been massively overhyped. Episode 2 plays just fine as do Team Fortress and Portal. Loading times are a nuisance but they still seem to be faster than I remember them being on the PC.
I've just started playing through Half Life 2 and I have seen no problems yet. The only criticism I have is that it looks dated compared to this years games(obviously) but it still plays brilliantly.
If you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself to get The Orange Box.

whats your psn?mine is benjany

weeder

i also went out and bought it and im not regretting the decision to get it

311

I think it's a great version of the original. I can't seem to get team fortress to work though.

I expected as much from EA to be honest ,but I can't see how they'll get away with it ,if it gets sony a bad name.

I've had no trouble with Team Fortress aside from the lack of people playing it

eggplantman

i hope more people buy the game because i have played the same players over and over again.

311

I've tried it again ,no joy.

I try a custom match to play any game and also I'm trying quick match.

It just goes to connect to the server and then says it can't

I occasionally play warhawk and never have any issues ,I do have issues with
fight night aswell in much the same way.

311

I reset my router and splitter and it seems to have worked.

Teamfortress is deadly:D

jayteecork

Just put back on the Orange Box after completeing Half Life 2 and Portal at Christmas.

Must admit I enjoyed episode 1 a lot more than I did Half Life 2.
I think Half Life 2 is far too long to be honest.