Here are some new screenshots for Valve's coveted compilation of games known as The Orange Box. It contains the titles Half-Life 2: Episode Two (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), Portal (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), and Team Fortress 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC). It was earlier reported that the PlayStation 3 version will be a bit delayed while the other two will be meeting their October release date schedule.

Valve Corporation has a lot of surprises for each title. Episode 2, for example, focuses on expansive environments and non-linear gameplay. In this installment, players get to follow Gordon Freeman and the other characters leave City 17 and move to the surrounding wilderness.

Portal, on the other hand, introduces puzzle element in the FPS genre as it allows players to create portals on flat planes for instant travels. Linking two portals on different planes will result to a rather bizarre twist in geometry and gravity. Team Fortress 2, finally, will focus on multiplayer and strategy.

Aside from the above mentioned, The Orange Box compilation will also contain past titles Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One.

   

See the other screenshots after the jump!

Given we're going to be waiting a little longer to get our hands on Half-Life 2: Episode Two, it should give this news bit time to sink in. We have just picked up word (by way of EGM) that Valve announced a name change to Half-Life 2. Henceforth, Half-Life 2: Episode Two shall be dubbed as Half-Life 2:Orange.

We don't have any details on why Valve decided to go Kojima (then again Episode Two was so George Lucas) in the naming, save that orange is a heavily used color on the Half-Life logo, Freeman's hazard suit, and Cheetos stains on many a gamer's fingers.

Whatever the case, we will just have to wait for confirmation on this turn of events, and see if Valve really decided to for a more citrus moniker for this long-awaited sequel.

Microsoft is laying all their aces on the table to ensure that their upcoming RPG for the Xbox 360, Blue Dragon, would be a sure hit. Shueisha, producers of Shonen Jump, recently announced that they are producing a manga adaptation of Blue Dragon entitled Blue Dragon ST.

The manga adaptation will begin serialization in the January issue of Shonen Jump Japan. In case you're wondering, the adaptation will be drawn by Ami Shibata, whose other works include Freeman Hero and Nangoku Shounen Papuwa-kun.

Aside from that, there are also plans for a Blue Dragon TV series as a website is already up for the show. That site could be viewed by visiting the one-month old official Blue Dragon site. Indeed, MS is really trying to market the game to Japanese audiences. Whether or not their gamble pays off is something we will know when Shu, Kire and their other cohorts conquer Japan this coming December 7.

Allow this writer to turn fan-boy for a moment. Why must we wait more! Screw Freeman. We want Alyx Vance and her "dog!" Here's the sad news folks: Valve's new instalment of Freeman's Alyx Vance's game is now due summer 2007. Fan-boy mode off.

CVG reports that Valve's Doug Lombardi has announced that Half-Life 2: Episode Two's release has been reset from Q1 2007 to summer 2007. Lombardi says that Valve is "now targeting summer 2007" for a release. This obviously affects Team Fortress 2 and Portal, which all form the Episode Two package.

Instead of something to welcome the new year, we now have something for the summer. Oh well. They just better use the time to polish those games up.

HL2 Episode 2 was originally expected to hit at the end of 2006, with Valve confirming back in August it had changed its mind and was instead gunning for Q1 2007, maybe February. No official reason has been given yet as to the reason for the release slip, but we're all hoping it's a good one.

It's been quite a while since we last gave you screens of Half Life 2 (PC, Xbox, PS3), but we assure you that the ones we have now will make up for that long interval. But before we give you that, let's give a brief primer for those not familiar with the game, hmm?

Okay, Half Life 2 is a sequel to the renowned game of the same title that won gazillions of awards last year until (and this is where it all turns sour) the game's source code was hacked and leaked into the internet. BUT, Dr. Gordon Freeman is once again up and ready to battle it out with no, not hackers, but headcrabs, barnacles, and headcrab zombies. This sci-fi FPS game is powered by a combination of Source engine and Havok physics so imagine how amazing those headcrab zombies would look like when you blow their brains out.

With advanced AI causing the enemies to intelligently plan, adapt, and respond to the player's actions, you'll find that you're gonna need to find ways to make maximum use of your weapons (which also play a huge part in the gameplay) to survive as you'll be going against both human troops and hostile alien creatures. You can also check out our previous coverage on the game for more details.

Developed by Valve and rated M by the ESRB, Half Life 2 is scheduled for release on February 2007. Now, on to the screens!