Valve Software, founded in 1993 as Valve, LLC, is known for its creation of widely popular shooter titles such as Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike. With the release of DOTA 2, the company dipped into the MOBA genre as well. With such a huge footprint in the gaming community, which of their titles does Metacritic rank at the top?

While you won’t find The Orange Box on this list, which holds the second and third spots on Metacritic overall, you’ll find each of the titles included ranked on their individual merit. To clarify the parameters, this list will give you the top ten independent titles, ranking each on their top-scored platform.

10 Counter-Strike: Source (88)

Starting up this list is somewhat of a cult classic. This title is the 2004 remake of the original Counter-Strike. It features improved graphics and an updated engine but stays true to the original aside from those updates. Counter-Strike: Source has a Metascore of 88.

This game, which features a team of terrorists against a team of counter-terrorists, can be considered one of the best pure shooter games to ever have been developed. Originally, Counter-Strike was introduced as a mod to Half-Life, but popularity demanded that it get a standalone release. Source was only released for PC, but its 2011 sequel, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, would see ports to the Xbox 360 and PS3 as well.

9 Left 4 Dead (89)

The original Left 4 Dead holds a Metascore of 89 on PC and Xbox 360.

While the titles might seem like typical zombie survival games, they do stray away somewhat. To start, the games hinge on set campaigns, forcing players to reach checkpoints and objectives in order to complete levels. In addition, certain game modes pit a team of players designated “Survivors” against another team which plays as “Infected,” swapping roles periodically in an attempt to have more of the former complete the campaign quicker than their opponents.

This change to the typical formula, as well as the abilities of Special Infected, makes for an enjoyable game with immense replayability which fans eagerly await a continuation of.

8 Left 4 Dead 2 (89)

This first-person survival-horror game pits four Survivors against a horde of zombies, known as Infected, to play through several campaigns which all focus on escaping the area. The formula in this installation isn’t completely different than the original title, likely the reason that both the Xbox 360 and PC version of each has a Metascore of 89.

Aside from new categories of Special Infected, the sequel added an objective-based scavenge mode that moved away from the campaign and set players out to collect and use fuel in order to escape their area.

7 Portal (90)

The original Portal requires players to solve a series of puzzles in order to advance. The player is pressed on by an artificial intelligence named GLaDOS that promises cakes as a reward for completing the obstacles.

The sense of humor present in Portal is quite memorable. The original Portal scored a whopping 90 and is still considered one of the best titles around. In 2008, it was introduced to the Xbox Live Arcade as a standalone title named Portal: Still Alive, which added new puzzles to play through. This port also has a Metascore of 90.

6 DOTA 2 (90)

Taking a step away from shooter titles, DOTA 2 is a PC MOBA that has a Metascore of 90. As is the typical formula with MOBA titles, DOTA 2 features two teams of five competing in various roles and controlling various characters, with the final objective being the destruction of an enemy structure.

As with Team Fortress 2, DOTA 2 is not a sequel to a standalone title,  rather, it is the sequel of a mod that was created for Warcraft III. Valve pursued legal action to retain the rights to this mod, eventually creating its sequel as a standalone title.

5 Half-Life 2: Episode Two (90)

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode of events following the main story of Half-Life 2. While it is named an episode and typically referred to as an expansion, it is very much a standalone game. This FPS focuses primarily on the actions of Gordon Freeman, a Resistance fighter located near City 17.

Holding a Metascore of 90, the game is applauded for rich environments and improved visuals. As a shorter title intended to advance the story in smaller (yet more frequent) releases, the game’s biggest drawback is the short length of its campaign.

4 Team Fortress 2 (92)

Another sequel included in The Orange Box, Team Fortress 2 holds a 92 Metascore. While this is quite a drop from the other titles left to be mentioned in this list, it is still worth noting the praise that Team Fortress 2 has garnered.

Team Fortress 2 is a sequel to a Quake mod by the same name. While the game was initially released as part of The Orange Box in 2007, it saw an independent release in 2008. Multiplayer only, Team Fortress 2 pits players against each other in teams with nine different classes to choose from, each with individual strengths and weaknesses.

3 Portal 2 (95)

Available for the PC, Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3, each version of Portal 2 earned a 95 Metascore. Essentially, players set out to explore Aperture Science Laboratory by using guns which create portals to navigate to new areas in creative ways. This can be done in co-operative or single-player modes.

Critical acclaim maintains that this title is one of the greatest games of all time. Portal 2’s innovative gameplay coupled with clearly defined objectives and just the right amount of challenge makes this title a tough contender to beat.

2 Half-Life (96)

Netting a 96 Metascore is the original Half-Life. It’s uncommon for any game to score so high, and almost unheard of for two games in the same series to score so closely together. Half-Life not only set an amazing precedent for this license but spawned a franchise which would maintain that quality.

If you look at the actual list on Metacritic, The Orange Box technically tops Half-Life for the second spot on this list. However, Half-Life is a big reason why that compilation ranks so highly, as the iconic FPS changed gaming for the better upon its release.

1 Half-Life 2 (96)

For those unfamiliar with this iconic title, Half-Life 2 is an FPS packed with rich storytelling and tons of puzzles. One of the few sequels to surpass its predecessor, fans of dystopian titles will love the engrossing universe presented here, while the FPS mechanics involved are incredible to boot.

Half-Life 2 scored a 96 on the PC and a 90 in the series debut on Xbox. As could be expected, framerate on the Xbox hinders the title’s score compared to the PC, but the game is nothing to balk at. Pick up The Orange Box for a shot at the game.

NEXT: The 5 Best Atlus Games (& 5 Worst), According To Metacritic