Team Fortress 2

The Good
The graphics are just great, I really loved this animated style mixed with the insane chaos, it was like you were watching a cartoon on drugs. The graphics fit perfectly with the silly humor in this game; all the character are stereotypes, the taunts are very retarded and some of the power-ups are objects the animanics would come-up with. A random situation I ran into was when I played as a fat Russian (voiced by an American who tried to sound Russian), firing a turret I was carrying the same way somebody would carry a shotgun when suddenly my friend shows-up and jumps over me after drinking cola. Makes sense?, no, that's why I love it.

I already mentioned that this game in incredibly chaotic and I actually really like that. Nobody is playing to win the game, they are just playing to fire at enemies and mess around. The goal is to either capture areas or capture the flag, but while the area-capturing is alright, nobody captures the flag (or intel as this game calls it) unless they are grieving. Yes, you are grieving in this game when you are sticking to the rules. Most of the time it's just shooting, shooting and more shooting.

Most of the classes are really fun to play as and require a different approach than others. The Pyro for example carries a flamethrower, but lacking a long-range weapon forces him to stay in close quarters and surprise his foes. On the other side we have the Engineer which can set up mini-bases for the team to move forward with. There is a class for everybody in this game and you'll never find yourself stuck with a character you really don't want to play as.

The large amount of achievements may make this game a little too large to do a 100% on, but it does make sure you are occasionally rewarded for playing. Achievements vary from simple tasks, to grinding kills and all the way to insane accomplishments. This meant that when I started playing I was able to get all the easy ones, as I grew better I would start getting the grinding achievements because of the time I had put into the game and now that I am quite skilled I can start getting the tough-as-nails achievements.

The Bad
Lately the game has gone free-to-play and personally I am quite happy about that. However, I do feel that when you make the switch to F2P, you should properly reward the people that paid for it and that's where Valve fell short. The only reward you get for paying for the game is a hat, one of the million hats that are in the game already. Call me a whiner if you please, but when I am given a hat that I instantly lose in my inventory filled other clothes, then I am not awfully thankful.

Like most other games Valve also opened up a store in which you can buy items with real-life cash. I would be okay with a store where you can buy even more cosmetic items, but Valve also decided to put in ALL the weapons you can find in the game and this has genuinely affected gameplay. Let me be very clear: I will never buy items from in-game stores with real money, I think it's cheap and lazy. This decision however gives me a disadvantage compared to the hundreds of people who do not care and got all the best weapons the game has to offer. To challenge me even more, the game constantly gives you chests which you need to BUY keys for in order to open.

Let's put the switch to F2P behind us for now and talk about the core gameplay. I have always disliked the way servers work in Valve games, they never have any official servers hosted by the company itself, so we are left at the mercy of the individuals hosting these servers. I have no problem with connecting to a server to evaluate the settings they went with, this has occasionally led me to some downright awesome servers that I have played on for years, but what I do have problems with is that any server can automatically download files to your computer. When you connect, the server sends all its music files, documents and game files to your computer and we can assume you are not always aware of this.

Talking about files, the game has become quite bloated by now. What started out as a pretty fun FPS that come with the Orange Box has become a 11GB giant that is filled with insane amounts of needless content. The constant patches that bring new cosmetic items to the game may be fun for some people, but whenever I have to re-install the game, I lose several hours of my time. For some reason I can't access my favorite servers anymore either, because they are using older versions of the game and this makes me incompatible.

Those who paid attention probably noticed that I said "most classes" are fun to play as, that's because not all classes are like this. The spy may seem like a good addition to your team, but the learning curve is a dozen times steeper than those of all other classes. The spy can disguise himself as the enemy team, become invisible, instant-kill enemies with a backstab or sap enemy buildings to disable them. Invisibility may sound cool, but even with the best invisibility watches in the game, your invisibility meter will drain insanely fast, so you will always become visible again in the middle of the field. Disguises also rarely work because all players are hardwired to check everybody for been a spy, so even when everything seems okay, you will still get burned. Backstabs also automatically make your disguise go away, so when you stab an engineer his turrets will kill you before you can do anything back and if you sap the sentries, the engineer will pummel you to death.

The Demoman is also useless for everything aside from spamming. All his weapons have timed detonations that, while been rather strong, leave him without a direct attack. Even the Heavy and Engineer have a shotgun to help them when their class-specific roles can't be fulfilled.

The Bottom Line
A few days ago I saw a new review on this website for this game, the person who reviewed it was clearly a big fan and I am glad he's having so much fun with a genuinely entertaining game. However, I do think his review was to biased, as he claimed it the game was perfect while it technically isn't (though theoretically you could say it's flawless). While it seems like I am mostly complaining, I do really love this title and it's one of my most played games of all time.

If you are looking for a high-quality F2P game, then this should definitely be your first (and perhaps only) stop. Fans of the FPS genre should also look towards this gem. If you prefer a more structured kind of game though, then I am sorry to inform you that TF2 is most certainly not what you are looking for.

The Good
First and foremost the graphics of this game were superb. Instead of realistic they went for cartoon like, which works. In addition elements of the game were funny. The user interface was easy and findings games is a breeze.

The Bad
This game is a worse headless chicken deathmatch than the original Quake. "Headless Chicken" is an old first person shooter term for when you run around in a game shooting everything you can, like you are blind headless chicken, until you die. No thought is required. That describes this game perfectly.

The original Quake TF had huge open maps that forced players to THINK before running out in the open. Sniper could pick you off, bombers could catch you, or sentry guns would mow you down.

But in TF2 the player is actively ENCOURAGED to throw away lives like it is the Battle of the Somme. Just run into a room and blast away because you are bound to do some damage, spawn quickly and then continue damaging the enemy. This is done intentionally by the developers, and it is a major headache for many players.

In addition the maps are so small that NO ONE can hold ground. Once again this is intentional! You just spawn and die non stop until LUCK wins the match for one team or another. Very little skill is actually applicable in this game. Thus it is difficult to actually GET GOOD at this game beyond simple twitch skill.

The Bottom Line
This game is about running around and blasting away aimlessly for hours and hours. The funny elements of the game wear off rather quickly since they are repeated constantly. The maps are so small, the player speed so fast, and the possible paths so numerous that defense is just about impossible. So the experience degrades into a contest of luck and twitch skill instead of a GAME of strategy and team work.

Basically this is a game that is in many ways far simpler than the original Team Fortress that was released almost 10 years prior. They took all of the good elements of Team Fortress and dumbed them down for 2007. While a beautiful looking game, it is a failure in execution and a step major backwards for the genre as a whole.

The Good
After years of waiting, Valve has finally unleashed this marvellous creation upon the world. It has been nine years in development, but the wait is finally over, and the good folks from Bellevue have met or exceeded every possible expectation.

Featuring a colorful cel-shaded 1950's-inspired art style, TF2 bursts at the seams with fun and excitement. The basic premise of the game is that two teams (Red and Blue) are in perpetual conflict over various construction sites, bases, military installations, and in one map, briefcases. A typical game will feature twelve players against twelve, and each player may select one of nine different classes. Now, the class system is where TF2 really stands out. Although the Sniper, Soldier, and Heavy Weapons classes could be thought of as rather mundane, an experienced player knows that all nine classes present great potential for fun.

The Pyro wields a devastating flame-thrower that can easily light up half a dozen enemies. Ignited players will burn for about 10 seconds and up to half their health, making them a class to instill fear and confusion. However, the Pyro is largely ineffective at any distance, meaning a good player will have to use stealth and cunning in order to get close enough for ignition.

The Scout is incredibly fast and nimble, and all but impossible to hit. When faced with numerous opponents, however, the Scout dies exceedingly quickly, so he must be played cautiously. The Scout can also double-jump, which gives him access to advantageous positions and shorter routes.

The Engineer builds things, namely an upgradeable Sentry Gun, Teleporter Entrances and Exits, and a multi-purpose Dispenser giving health, ammunition, and metal. Metal is used by Engineers to build and repair structures, and must be managed intelligently. The Engineer is unable to seriously compete in face-to-face combat, but can dish out considerable damage from the side with his pistol or shotgun.

The Spy is the nemesis of the Engineer. When your team is unable to penetrate an air-tight defense, the Spy gets it done. He can use his invisibility cloak to slip past enemies, disguise as any class on either team, and place an electronic sapper on Engineer structures. The sapper disables a structure and damages it over time until it either destroys the structure, or it is knocked off by an Engineer. The Spy can also instantly kill anyone in the game with his butterfly knife, if it is aimed at the back, side, or scalp of an enemy.

The Heavy Weapons guy wields a massive minigun affectionately named Sasha. It offers unparalleled damage at medium range, but is ineffective at both long and short range (unless a player can perform fast and precise turns). The Heavy is incredibly tough, but slow, and moves even slower when firing his minigun.

The Medic is the Heavy's best friend. The Medic heals people with his lock-on, short-range Medigun, and after doing enough healing, can 'Ubercharge' a player for 10 seconds. This confers invulnerability, although a savvy player with explosive weaponry can bounce the Medic away from his target, breaking the power link and causing both to drop back to down to mortal status. The Medic is also armed with a tricky-to-use but powerful Syringe gun, and an extremely powerful Bonesaw for up-close operations.

The Soldier is the bread-and-butter class of TF2. This is a slow, powerful class armed with a Rocket Launcher. Although it fires rockets that both decrease in power and are easy to dodge at medium- to long-range, a Soldier can devastate an opponent who either isn't looking at him, or who is caught unawares while turning a corner. All else being equal, a team with two or three good Soldiers will dominate a team without any. They are difficult to kill, intimidating, and indispensable in any situation.

The Demoman is a bit of a wild-card. He carries no guns, but rather two different types of Grenade Launchers. The first type shoots bouncing grenades that explode after a few seconds, or upon striking an opponent mid-air. The second launcher fires sticky grenades, that explode at the click of a button. A Demoman caught by surprise can be easily dispatched by any other class, but if they are careful about protecting themselves with Sticky grenades, they are a formidable adversary.

Lastly, the Sniper carries the most deadly long-range weapon in the game, a scoped rifle. Without using the scope it has limited usefulness, but when zoomed it has a charged shot that reaches maximum deadliness after about five seconds. Headshots count at about triple damage, and are usually one-shot kills. The Sniper also carries a modestly-powered submachine gun, and a hunting knife. In most situations at medium- to short-range however, the Sniper is outgunned.

The Bad
There is not a single flaw in Team Fortress 2 to my knowledge. There have been many complaints on the official TF2 forums about certain classes being unbalanced, but the consensus among knowledgeable players seems to be that everything is, in fact, exceptionally well-balanced.

The Bottom Line
This is a very fun 24-player online game that is probably the most significant release on the PC since DOOM . It holds endless potential for fun, due to its bright, colorful, stylized graphics, interesting and varied classes, well-designed maps, strong player base, and excellent voice-acting. I expect that it will be played by tens of thousands of people for at least the next five years. Essentially, it replaces Counter-Strike: Source as the most complete and compelling team-based first-person shooter on the market. It's also downloadable off Steam, a mere $30, and runs well on modest hardware.