Got my money’s worth

I can now say I have completed the entirety of The Orange Box. This came out in October of last year, and I have been playing it pretty consistently ever since. Of course I took time off from it to play such great games as Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, and plenty of Halo 3, also many other games, but I can say confidently that this game entertained me (and it ain’t done yet!) for a solid four months.

The reason I say I have finally completed it is on account of my own imposed regulations. Because Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer team shooter, I decided that the moment I got the Hardcore achievement (15 pts.; get 1000 kills) I will have “completed” Team Fortress 2. The 1000th kill was a great one, nearly symbolic of the scope of human awesomeness in its epic quality. Here’s how it happened:

After playing two matches, I saw that I was within reach of 1000 kills with one more match (thanks to the handy achievement point tracker all games in The Orange Box have). We were storming the second checkpoint on Dustbowl. There were a bunch of pesky turrets within range of a choice sniper shot, so I, thinking only of the team and not my gamerscore, switched to the Sniper class, one I rarely, if ever, use. As I took aim at the turret (one charged up shot can take them out) I saw through my scope a hated Soldier coming my way. I backed up. He came at me. I aimed with the scope. While backpedaling to avoid his rocket, I squeezed the trigger—BAM! Headshot on the Soldier. *Bloop* “Achievement Unlocked: Hardcore” It was a great evening for gaming.

I also finished Half Life: Episode 2 last week. This game is the high point of the Half Life series. While Episode 1 was fun and interesting, Episode 2 really shines. The variety of gameplay, the great storytelling, the characters, and the wicked final fight against the striders all come together to make it a great experience. Oh, and the ending! Very cool.

Now maybe enough time has passed that I can play Portal again and it will be like new. Maybe I’ll never put down The Orange Box.