Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Y'know...
I don't always need catharsis, but dang, I do now.

I'm missing it already
So after one of the most gut wrenching cliff hangers I have ever witnessed a game ending on, I now find myself wanting to be playing the as-of-yet non-existent Half-Life 2: Episode 3.

Over the last month I have found myself become increasingly fond of Half-Life's main protagonist: Gordon Freeman. After all, everyone wants to play as the man who pretty much ends the human world, right?

Were there puzzles?
Well, this sequel seemed to be shorter than the previous games, and lacked puzzles of the same magnitude, but it was nice to play it just to see how the story developed.

So you got the rocket launcher?
Yes. A friend gave me a hint at how to get the thing. Launching Freeman into the air via the use of a grenade and a metal flap worked wonders.

Any more of the ORANGE BOX left?
I've got Portal to play next, but I'm not playing Team Fortress 2 as I lack a Gold Live account for my XBox 360.

Main criticism?
The way the game ended. You just shouldn't do that to a player! It's cruel and unusual. Obviously it left it right open for another sequel, but considering how long Valve (the developers) like to take when developing things... I'd be stupid to hold my breath.

Final words...
The game is worth at least one play through, but I would say that the original Half-Life 2 is the only one out of the recent (well, if you can call just over 4 years ago 'recent') games in the series that have any re-playability. The Orange Box is still an essential gaming purchase if you own a XBox 360 or a PC.

Related links
Official Orange Box website
Wikipedia entry for Half-Life 2
Valve's website