I have an issue with a lot of current reviews springing up around the newly ported PS3 version of the much lauded – and probable contender for cross platform game of the year – The Orange Box. Sony’s ill-fated console seems to be beleaguered by low scores on account of this amazing collection (and remarkable bargain, it must be said – even at full price) being released last on the PlayStation machine.

That said, I can also see why – it’s got some pretty damn high benchmarks to meet, and the slightest discrepancy that wouldn’t even have been an issue if The Orange Box appeared on the PS3 first is causing lost points. Fair enough, the port feels a little rushed in places, with mild visual difficulties and the odd dropped frame causing occasional aiming difficulties, but the truth is it probably was a rush job in time for Christmas, and the internal UK team in question must be applauded for working their way around the increasingly notorious problems of programming for Sony.

So, with that said, I’d prefer to concentrate on the game, and not the system. After all, very few gamers out there own both an X360 and a PS3, so it’s unlikely many will have bothered reading reviews of a game on a system they’ve no intention of buying. So, PS3 players, let’s look at this new game from a fresh perspective.

The Orange Box is a tangibly refreshing concept. While we’re seeing lots of retro revivals and reimaginings of classic games all over the place, here we’re simply being given a working port of a recent, yet highly acclaimed, shooter from only a couple of years hence: Half Life 2.

I realise I said I wasn’t going to do this, but naturally Half Life 2 still reigns supreme on its original intended format – the PC. But these recent console ports have been quite superb, with the additional Half Life 2 games – Episodes One and Two – further tweaking the classic shooter gameplay to provide a bridge between the desk, monitor and mouse and the sofa, television and joypad. And, by the mere mention of the name Half Life 2, there almost seems little reason in going on with the review – if you’ve already played it, you’ll undoubtedly feel your current console will be richer for the option of owning it again, and if you haven’t played it… well, you should. And The Orange Box is the perfect opportunity to do that.

The Half Life 2 trilogy are a trio of standalone games (beginning with Half Life 2, then Episode One followed by Episode Two) that make up a rich and engrossing first person shooter powerhouse that’s not yet been rivalled even on the modern machines. For this reason alone – having all three Half Life 2 games under one convenient, current gen roof – makes the Orange Box a remarkable bargain in today’s greedy corporate climate, and the sheer number of gaming hours that can be clocked up when playing through all three games is utterly unheard of for 40 quid.

Hats off to Valve for finally providing gamers with the kind of genuine value for money that’s almost never seen in the profiteering videogame industry (think about it – when was the last time a games publisher ever gave you a special offer, a “buy one get one free”, or a loyalty reward? It simply doesn’t happen).

Anyway, all bargain hunting aside, there’s also the additional benefit of the long awaited Orange Box exclusive, Team Fortress 2 – one of the finest examples of online gaming the consoles have yet been graced with, and one that remembers the age old developer’s doctrine that too many games now neglect; it’s simply fun to play!

The same also goes for the final title in the Box: Portal. This game feels like it’s been pushed to the back of the collection, and there’s a distinct impression it’s included simply because Valve didn’t know what else to do with it. Much to the developer’s surprise, undoubtedly, is the massive impact this insanely addictive and ingenious puzzle game has had, with many players insisting this is the jewel in the Orange Box’s already valuable crown. While it’s labelled simply as a puzzle game, it goes far beyond that, and the only reasonable explanation of the genius of Portal is in playing it – The Orange Box is worth buying for this game alone.

Ridiculously addictive, mind-bendingly fun and laced with the blackest humour seen in a game for a long time, the praise being poured on Portal is never too much. This is a game that many people have suggested could have gone down a storm as an independent title at the online arcades, and many – including myself – might even goes as far as to venture that Portal could have supported itself impressively as a full release. And yet, here it is as something of a freebie thrown in - as if the value of The Orange Box wasn’t already enough.

So ignore any technophiles wittering about frame rates and cross-platform comparisons – those people are the equivalent of cinema critics who cluck a haughty tongue at films with giant ants in them, complaining that such a creature could never exist as it’d break under its own weight. They don’t deserve the sheer, unabashed fun provided by rarities like The Orange Box, and should go an pick holes in a dam, rather than the classic purposes offered by this vital collection.

Buy it – for whatever system you own. It’d quite simply be madness not to.