Well, I was unfortunate enough to find that Uncharted and UT3 were out at the local rental store, but I was able to snag Half-Life 2: The Orange Box for the PS3. Honestly, it has only reaffirmed how I feel about FPS games, which is that PC is where it's at (or mainly keyboard and mouse).

I'm hoping to either get The Orange Box on the PC as a Christmas present or get it if I can get some time in to work during the winter break, but renting it on the PS3 will let me be able to at least try the games out until I can buy them. Anyway, I love Valve and their games, but I'm not really liking Gabe Newell's outcasting of the PS3 and I'm really not liking how EA has done the PS3 version of The Orange Box.

I'm probably not going to play Half-Life 2 or Episode 1, but so far my time with Portal and Team Fortress 2 have been iffy. A fair bit of distaste in my mouth isn't really Valve's fault, but with how I feel about a controller limiting my ability to play a first person shooter. Portal is a game where I feel like a controller will not cut it because you have to be able to move, look, and shoot your portals quickly to be able to best control yourself around these puzzles. This is something I cannot do with a controller and in my hour with Portal and Team Fortress 2, I've felt like I'm hitting a brick wall and I'll probably never break through it (which sucks because now I can't be my favorite class in Team Fortress, the sniper).

Anyway, onto the actual problems with the port itself. People claim that the load time is horrendous, but I see no real problem. Sure it could be faster, but it doesn't feel much longer than if I were playing on my PC. Hell, if you think these loading times are long, try playing Half-Life 2 the day/week it was released. The frame rate is the enemy here with it chugging in certain areas. I've noticed it chug the worst when I'm trying to look through a portal (... in Portal....) to plan when I'm going to go through it to the next obstacle. In Team Fortress 2, frame rate hurts my already crippled ability by making aiming at moving targets more difficult.

It's kind of funny because if this were on my PC, I'd have no problems with the frame rate because I could at least try turning down some graphical settings to raise it, but I also have the keyboard and mouse that feels like an extension of my hands and arm.

For the games themselves, they rock with Portal being a cool puzzle game and Team Fortress 2 having much more character than Team Fortress Classic. They're very fun, and I really can't wait till I can get them on the PC. On that note, I'd recommend getting the PC version comapred to the 360 (and especially the PS3) version because of the mods and such. Even if I had to turn down certain graphical settings, I'd much rather have all the quirks of mods and such than want to get it on a console, but mainly that the keyboard and mouse trump a controller (... Yea, I say that a lot, because I'm very passionate about that for FPS's).

I agree about the analog sticks. These games were designed to be played with a mouse and keyboard. I saw a video of TF2 being played on a 360 controller, and it looked, in a word, unplayable. You can't snap around to look for someone behind you, you can't aim quickly (which completely screws up the Sniper and Scout), you can't take out sentry guns nearly as effectively -- the whole game is just broken.

I wouldn't think Portal would be as bad. There aren't many situations in Portal that require both fast and precise aiming. Then again, I wasn't really thinking about aiming while thoroughly enjoying the game -- I may be taking the mouse and keyboard for granted. Still, it can't be half as difficult as playing TF2 on a gamepad.

Does it not support the keyboard and mouse on the PS3? That's really disappointing. It'll end up a rental then, it still sounds very good.

PS: yeah, Newell has been a real ass about the PS3.

The controller also makes rocket jumping hard as well with the Soldier. However, like any multiplayer game, it has it's awesome moments regardless. For example, taking out a majority of the enemy team in a sudden death round as a soldier gives quite the feeling, especially when you're the last one left. Honestly, all the games feel broken to me without a keyboard and mouse.

I would say that Portal requires the keyboard and mouse the most because you'll have to make portals, then quickly make other ones in mid-air to keep your momentum going to get to different areas. What makes it worse is that the camera will always try to readjust itself back to normal so trying to do these mid-air portal tricks with an analog stick is VERY difficult.

We take the mouse and keyboard for granted for PC games, trust me.

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If The Orange Box supports keyboard and mouse, I would be VERY happy. Even if it did though, I don't have a PS/2 to USB connector for my keyboard (old school). I've thought about a FragFX controller to get a mouse at least, but I doubt it'd be worth it as long as I have my PC.

To me, it seriously feels like the controls are broken in all the games. I feel very ineffecient with everything and what would take literally a couple of shots wastes all my ammo with misses on the controller.

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Another problem I've realized is that unless there is a quickload button I have no idea about, you can only quicksave. Quicksaving is nice, but to load a game, you have to press start and select load and your game as well, which takes FOREVER. It really messes me up because with PC games (mainly shooters of course) I quicksave ALL the time and then quickload whenever I make a mistake, be it a misjump or thinking I could take out enemies with less ammo and such.

Haven't played it, not gonna play it.

For story's sake you should play Episode 1, but be warned; it's very poor compared to both HL 2 itself and the brilliant Episode 2!
Never thought I'd tire of Alyx, but in Episode 1, you will...

Talking to me? I already own it on the PC, my whole post is mainly about the frame rate problems on the PS3 and how playing these games on a console kills the experience for me compared to how they really are on the PC.

I didn't have a problem with Alyx in Episode 1, but I did have a problem with the pitch black areas. It hurts my eyes (can't explain it exactly) when games do that, but it helps to have a companion who wont die and has unlimited ammo to help you out.

It can't be as good as on the PC can it?

I'm going to pass on this title for the PS3 I think.

I'm pretty sure TF2 would be unplayable with analog sticks.

You can play games like Halo, Resistance, Gears, whatever...they're designed primarily to be used by two analog control sticks.

TF2 is made for a keyboard and mouse...and using analog sticks slows it down, and pretty much breaks the game. There's nothing wrong with analog sticks, but if the game's not designed for them, then there's a problem. I'm guessing HL2 and Portal are a bit better, as it's not quite as intense...but TF2 would really be different...not to mention the fewer players and possible lag.

Does the PS3 version only support 16 players like the 360 version? If so, that would suck...8 vs. 8 is not the optimal TF2 game...12 vs. 12 allows for all the classes and then some on each team...making the strategy as well as the intensity of the game muuuuch better. Any higher than that, like 16 vs 16 on some PC servers...that's just overkill, and the defense gets too strong.  Any lower, like 8 vs. 8 max on consoles...well that can just get boring sometimes.