It’s been quite a wait, but the PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box is almost here. EA has announced that the title will ship to retailers next week December 11, in both North America and Europe.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, The Orange Box is a five game compilation package consisting of Half Life 2, Episode 1 and 2, as well as Team Fortress 2 and Portal. All for the admission price of $60.

Although initial previews of the game referred to the frame rate as choppy, recent previews of the game have painted a slightly more optimistic picture. In any case, we’ll know for sure if the reported issues have been resolved once the title hit finally hits retail next week.

THE ORANGE BOX KEEPS ON GIVING

The Epic Five-Games-in-One-Box Masterpiece Comes to PS3 December 11th

Praised by many to be the best value in gaming of the year – and possibly even in the history of the video game industry – Electronic Arts is bringing Valve’s critically-acclaimed and best-selling hit The Orange Box, featuring five innovative action games, to the PLAYSTATION 3 in North America and Europe starting December 11, 2007. PLAYSTATION 3 owners will get all five award-winning action games for the price of one. French and German versions will be available in early 2008.

The Orange Box was released earlier this year on the Xbox 360 and PC to universal acclaim – both versions have averaged review scores of 96 and are tied for being the highest rated games on the respective platforms (source: Metacritic.com), including the following perfect scores:

• Yahoo! Games – 5 stars out of 5
• EuroGamer – 10/10
• GameTap – 10/10
• GameDaily – 10/10
• Gamespy – 5 stars out of 5

• 1Up – 10/10
• GamePro – 5/5
• G4 – 10/10
• X360 Magazine UK – 10/10
• Edge Magazine – 10/10

The five-games-in-one-package includes the highest-rated first person shooter of all time Half-Life® 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and three all-new games:

• Half Life 2: Episode Two – Episode 2 is the latest chapter in the best-selling, highest-rated action game franchises of all time, taking gamers outside the walls of City 17 for the first time as Gordon and Alyx race across the White Forest in race to save mankind from the Combine

• Portal™ – A groundbreaking new kind of action game that will forever change the way gamers interact with their environment, Portal gives players mastery over 3D space with the mind-bending new Portal gun

• Team Fortress® 2 – The long-awaited return of the standard for class-based multiplayer games, Team Fortress 2 delivers fast-paced action with nine distinct character classes and six all-new gameplay modes

For more information on The Orange Box, please visit www.whatistheorangebox.com.

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