Awesome weekend deal for the "Orange Box"!

Episode 1 are 2 use the same textures, models, and engine as Half Life 2. The only thing new is the story and the enemies. It picks up after the HL2's ending, and goes on until Episode 3. EP3 isn't even out yet, and there are no release date as of today. Each EP's lenght are quite short, and the ending of EP2 will leave you saying, "why the hell hasn't Valve released EP3 yet? I'm dying to know what happens next." I can guarantee you that.

So it's not a totally different game, it's just a continuation.

I got TOB at a gamestop for $50. The guy at the counter didn't give me time to tell him my mom was with me and I could get her so I could buy it... He let me buy it because I would've been the 2nd or 22nd person he had to turn down for being to young.

I thought they upgraded the character models in Episode 1? I could have sworn that I noticed more facial detail or something in the last part of Episode 1...

I also wouldn't say that all games share the same textures (for the most part), even the same engine, at least not for Episode 2, which features engine improvements (less weird random crashing, plus new gib effects and shadows). I'm also pretty sure that the stuff you see in the caves and forest environments are unique to Episode 2 (Seriously, the caves look hella tight with that purplish hue).