Late in the game review: Team Fortress 2

Game Title: Team Fortress 2
Consoles: Windows, Mac, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Valve
Release Date: October 9, 2007

It's been quite a while since Team Fortress 2 (TF2) was released, but since Valve recently made it free-to-play, it's been back in the public eye. Originally released as part of The Orange Box (Which included Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode One, Half Life 2: Episode Two, TF2 and Portal), TF2 was a huge hit right away. The online class-based shooter brought cartoon-like graphics and quirky, over-the-top characters to a market dominated by the gritty realism found in games like Gears of War. The multi-ethnic cast was varied and interesting, and each member brought his own flare to the fight.

From left to right: A muffled pyromaniac, a maniacal Texan, a sly Frenchman, a bloodthirsty Russian, an eagle-eyed Australian,  a cocky kid from Boston, a WWII-era U.S. soldier, a cycloptic Scotsman and a German Kevorkian.

Despite the introduction of several new weapons and abilities after release, the classes still balance each other beautifully. For example, the light and quick Scout can be countered with an Engineer's sentry gun, which can be taken out by a Spy's sapper, a Spy can quickly fall to a Pyro's flamethrower, and so on. Whenever a difficulty arises, there is always a man (or woman, as the case may be with the Pyro) for the job.

There is a wide variety of gameplay modes for the Red and Blu (yes, that's how it's spelled) teams to battle it out. Classic favorites like Capture-the-Flag are side-by-side with newcomers like Payload (in which one team must escort a bomb-filled cart through a level while the other team must stop them). The new additions keep the game fresh for loyal players, many of which have been playing for years.

Image courtesy of Halolz

All the new items can be quite distracting at first, if you weren't eased into them like the rest of the game's community. You can still recognize each class at a glance, but it does get a bit ridiculous. Case in point: I was recently taken out by a Demoman wearing Kanye West style shades. They did make me want to get revenge though, so I guess they worked.

Since TF2 already has such a large community, there is a sometimes-steep learning curve. The nuances of each class and map aren't always immediately apparent. I remember when I discovered the Scout could double-jump, and it blew. my. mind. That's where the Coaching feature comes into play. With it, a more experienced player can take a newbie under his or her wing and show them around without fear of losing a match because of the lesson.

How has this game kept such a devoted fanbase over the years? Is it all the updates, new maps, hats and weapons? Partially. The main reason behind it, though, is the fact that at it's heart, TF2 is simply a great game. Any match you play leaves you wanting more, and even if you haven't played in a while, it's easy to jump right back in and have just as much fun later. The struggle between Team Red and Team Blu is never boring, especially when the characters have this much, well, character.

Final Call:

I would say that TF2 is a must-buy, but as I mentioned before, it's FREE. If you haven't played it yet, why are you still reading this? Go download it here. Now.