Ugh. I think I’m gonna hurl…

“Bioshock” took me a bit longer to finish because it frightened me. Now “Half-Life 2″ of “The Orange Box” is going to take longer to finish because it makes me ill. It seems to create the same sense of motion sickness I previously experience in “Marathon: Durandal.”

I didn’t play “Half-Life” back in the day, but I am enjoying this game. Granted, I’ve just started playing (I’m in the Route Kanal) but I’m finding the level design to be quite linear. Despite its grand scale in looks, the game tends to force you down a narrow path toward your next location. Oh well, it’s still a nice looking game visually.

Too bad about the motion sickness, though. I was hoping to have this game finished before “Call of Duty 4,” “Rock Band” and “Mass Effect” take over my life next month.

While we’re on the subject of “The Orange Box,” what’s up with the loading screens in “Portal?” Between each stage, you enter into an elevator where you get to stare at the doors for ten seconds. Then you get to stare at the same view with a loading bar for another ten seconds. Hey Valve, why don’t you have the next level load in the background while you’re in the elevator during the first ten seconds?

Meh, what do I know about next-gen programming…