Xbox 360 Fanboy

It's a good thing too, because most of you would like to see more Portal. Speaking to Eurogamer, Valve spokesperson Doug Lombardi confirmed that there will be more Portal and, furthermore, it won't simply be "a bunch of new puzzles." When exactly we'll see the next installment of Portal remains a mystery. Also a mystery is exactly what form it will take. At this point, it's unclear if Valve intends to create a full blown sequel or if the company plans to stick to an episodic format in the vein of Half-Life 2. Speaking of Half-Life 2, Lombardi notes that Episode 3 details are still a long way away -- "months not weeks," according to Lombardi. Lombardi also reasserts that Valve wants additional content for its games to be free. That's a good to hear with new Team Fortress 2 content in the pipeline.

Now that we know there will be more Portal, allow us to create a subtitle for the sequel: The Quest for Cake. What would you call it?

When perusing our comment threads, you may see comments from Team Fortress 2 fans that will be opting for the PC version over the 360 version? Why? Lots of free content. Specifically, lots of free user-made content. While it may be some time before user-made content heads to the 360, we are happy to report that any downloadable content for the Orange Box will be free. Eurogamer reports that Valve will not charge for its DLC. According to Team Fortress 2 designer, Robin Walker, "You buy the product, you get the content," who adds, "We make more money because more people buy it, not because we try and nickel-and-dime the same customers." We imagine that someone at EA -- publisher of the Orange Box -- has just imploded. Free content is always good, especially when you consider that TF2 will ship with only 6 maps.

[Via Joystiq]

It seems Team Fortress 2 is fast becoming the best reason to own the Half-Life 2 Orange Box. In every preview of the game, various outlets are describing it as the most outstanding feature of the entertainment-packed package. With some particularly impressive visuals and reportedly rock-solid gameplay to boot, it's easy to see why. IGN recently got their turn to try out Team Fortress 2 and have done us the favor of breaking down every single character class in the game. With 9 classes from which to choose, finding your favorite might be a difficult task, especially considering that the support classes are actually fun to play.

Honestly, we're torn so many ways we don't know what to think. Do we pick the Demoman and his sticky bombs, the Pyro and his flamethrower, or the Engineer and his deadly turrets? What about the chameleon-like Spy, or the cool-as-nails Sniper, or the well-rounded Soldier? Of course, there is the Medic, who's capable of making players and himself briefly invulnerable, and there's the Scout, who can change direction mid-jump. Then again, there's always the Heavy Weapons Guy ... and his beloved Sasha.

Who's your favorite so far?

Valve announced today development of future game releases for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, with the first (unnamed) title "coming soon." Valve's Gabe Newell said, "The combination of Source and the 360 provides game designers the chance to create powerful entertainment experiences...Whether developing a traditional FPS, RTS, RPG or delving into new genres, the Xbox 360 is a great platform for expanding Source and our game experiences.”

Of course there is no mention of what this mystery title is, as they're undoubtedly saving the big reveal for E3. But what could it be? We know Microsoft is interested in episodic distribution (Peter Moore told me so himself) and that Ritual is interested in bringing their Source-based SiN Episodes to the 360 (they've said so), so it seems a reasonable assumption that Valve could be bringing the episodic efforts of SiN and Half-Life 2 to the 360 platform, with Microsoft making the big announcement at E3. What say you Joystiqers?

[Thanks, Nate, Jeremy, and Crimson]