Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2

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Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer first-person shooter made in the Source Engine, where two teams, Red and Blu, battle it out with 9 intriguing classes. The game is part of the Orange Box, but can be bought separately over Steam.




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Game:Team Fortress 2
Genre:First Person Shooter, Action (Multiplayer)
Developer:Valve Software




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PC, XBOX 360 and Playstation 3






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Team Fortress 2 Minimum System Requirements

CPU: 1.2 GHz Processor
RAM: 256 MB
Graphics Card: DirectX 7 capable graphics card
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection


Team Fortress 2 Recommended System Requirements

CPU: 2.4 GHz Processor
RAM: 512 MB
Graphics Card: DirectX 9 capable graphics card 256 MB
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection


Team Fortress 2 Ideal System Requirements

For running the game smooth in 1280x1024 with High Quality graphics.

CPU: 3.4 GHz Processor
RAM: 1024 MB
Graphics Card: Radeon X800 or Geforce 6800
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection




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Rather than talk about the virtually non-existent story in Team Fortress 2 (which amounts to “Enemies over there, KILL THEY ASS),” I’ll instead go into the background of the series itself.

The Team Fortress series began as a Quake mod, which I never personally played, but heard numerous times that it was more for the hardcore crowd (i.e. the classes were anything but well balanced, and it wasn’t very newbie friendly). This mod was then ported to the original Half-Life engine, and aptly named Team Fortress Classic (TFC), which I had the pleasure of playing for several years. In actual fact, it was the first multiplayer game I ever played, and the only game besides Half Life and Unreal Tournament I had ever played on the PC at that point. I won’t go into too much detail (partly because I don’t want to turn this review into nostalgia-central) but at the start, I hated TFC. I sucked, the classes had huge divides between them but weren’t particularly defined, and grenades seemed to be attracted to me by some unholy magnetic attraction of newb.

As time went on, I got to grips with it, and I could capture a flag within a few minutes of a round starting using a medic. Now stop, and read that sentence right there again. And again. I was able to use a support class to down an entire room and capture the flag before everyone got out of their base. That should give you an idea of the class balance in TFC.
A shocking 13 years of development later, Valve have released Team Fortress 2 (which will herein be referred to as ‘TF2’ in an attempt to save me from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and they’ve made a huge list of changes to the series. Was the time well spent? In my opinion, I would say yes. Each class is balanced well, and each character has their own unique and intriguing personality.

At this point I switch to Red, in an attempt to SAVE MY BALLS....

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Here it is. This part of the review. I’m gonna love this!
What can I say, TF2 looks amazing. Valve used a different sort of cell-shading to give the game a comic-book, war-cartoon style, which fits it perfectly. The characters all have different details which make you appreciate how much effort Valve put into this game. It’s the little details that count, like the bandages on the scout’s hands, or the slightly crooked hard hat sat atop the engineer’s head, of the cigarette which never leaves the spy’s lips. It’s very easy to overlook these fine details in the heat of a battle, but it all comes together to form a more coherent world, and really takes you into this furious battle between two different forces. Even better is the level design. For the first time in a while, there are maps in an FPS that really make you believe that they are coherent places.

Take a map like, say, 2Fort. Two bases facing each other, red and blue, with a bridge in the middle. Most developers would make a building, copy-paste it, and stick red and blue on the walls. But no, not Valve. Each base has its own feel to it, from the industrial style Red base, with dartboards and weighing scales, to the Blu base, which has a more anti-septic feel, but still very much occupied, hence the pinups on the wall. What made me smile was the fact that once you get to the basements of each building, it becomes clear that each base is just a front for war-headquarters or something of the sort. But the icing on the cake for me was the logos of the teams plastered on the wall; Red - "Reliable Excavation Demolitions", and Blu - “Builders League United.” Bloody genius.

My personal favourite touch to the visuals are the characters, and more specifically, their silhouettes. Each character looks unique and amazing, and each are to be admired in the sunlight. But it’s when they’re in the dark, or in the distance, that you realise that each class just stands differently. You can tell the difference between a medic and a spy in a way that keeps the action flowing, and is a brilliant touch from Valve in my opinion.
A week or so ago, I tried showing TF2 to a friend at work. As soon as I joined the server, the cretin I had regarded as a friend moments before remarked “Oh this game sucks, I hate cartoony games. Don’t bother showing me.” I proceeded to beat him with furiously my keyboard, after which I carried on playing. Granted, I can understand where he was coming from; it’s hard to take TF2’s visuals seriously. But it’s such a welcome change to the countless number of games where the only colours used are variations of dog-crap brown and gun-metal gray. And frankly, I can’t imagine TF2 with pseudo-realistic graphics, because then all the maps and the characters within them just wouldn’t be believable.

It’s worth a mention that TF2 looks great on all platforms. It goes without saying that it will look best on a high-performance PC, but it still had me salivating on the PS3 and the 360. And if your PC isn’t the greatest (hell, mine isn’t) it’ll still look great. Keep in mind though, motion blur is a must, makes the action all the more fast-paced when you spin to face an ambush!



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Another reason why Valve is to be commended: TF2 sounds amazing. For one, the trademark bullet sounds of the Source engine make al welcome appearance. It’s unbelievably immersive when bullets sound different when hitting metal, or glass, or water, or dirt, or even flesh. It’s such a simple concept, but Valve got it completely right. The guns also sound great. They don’t feel underpowered like in some games, but it also doesn’t feel like you’re a walking artillery force. Instead, the guns have a sizable punch to them, but sound varied enough that you can tell what weapon is being fired in the next few rooms.

And the sound in the background is such an amazing touch. You probably won’t notice it when you’re killing people, but in those quiet periods, when you can hear trains in the distance or birds sing, you feel like you’re right there (which makes you wet yourself all the more when you turn to see a spy behind you).

But the crème de la crème of the sound is the voice acting. It is without a doubt the best I’ve heard in a game for a very long time. Each character sounds different and is full of personality. The Scout sounds egotistical and snobby, while the Demoman always seems to be ready for a drink or a battle. And there are so many lines that can be heard. Even now, characters say things that surprise me. I remember a few months ago, when I first heard a Heavy say after using my teleporter “Engineer is credit to team!” in a thick Russian accent, I smiled. I then laughed when the same character ran to the cart in the map Goldrush and exclaimed “We must push little cart!” in such a comical manner. Congratulations Valve, you’ve made a masterpiece.

"You're about to get F'ed in the A!"

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So here’s the important stuff; how’s it play?!

Well, amazing to be honest.

Because of the variety between the classes, each encounter will be different, and you’ll constantly swing between classes on the fly depending on the situation. The shooting is run-of-the-mill stuff here, and the majority of the time it’s just a shoot and kill sorta thing. But really, it’s never that

Those of you who are actually taking in what you’re reading will notice I mentioned ‘Critical’ rockets. (And those of you who aren’t, start reading again from the top. Go on, and this time concentrate moron.) Yes, you may be thinking, critical hits? This isn’t an MMORPG, what the hell. Well, that doesn’t matter. Criticals further add to the gameplay by making it unpredictable. So you’re a Heavy, and your Medic is healing you out of sight. And there’s an enemy Soldier constantly hitting you with rockets. “So what”, you think, “I can take it.” Then you eat a glowing critical rocket right in the face, and end up sitting in spawn. Have that, ya cocky little twit.

Some players (namely, the self-titled hardcore players) will argue that criticals are for low-skilled nubs. Well, no Mr. Elitist, they aren’t. They add to the game massively, and allow players to turn the tide of battle. And the surge of adrenaline you get from clearing a room with a critical sticky or rocket or the like; that can’t be argued. It’s just one of the reasons TF2 is addicting.

Yes, I’ve said it. TF2 is addicting as ever. That said, there are a few flaws. For instance, some classes have the ability to destroy entire groups of players with no effort (read: Demomen) and can be used by any shmuck with a mouse and keyboard. And sure, extended periods of play tend to get boring near the end. But really, what game doesn’t wear out its welcome after a several-hour marathon?

Another gripe I have is with the auto-balance. It’s the option which is enabled on near 100% of servers, in which is one team has too many players, some get switched to the other to balance things out. In theory, it’s a great process. And it works well. But sometimes I just wish it would choose the newest player to the team. There have been several occasions where me and a Medic have pushed through an entire base, and annihilated all defences. Then I die, and BAM, I’m on the team I just helped lose. And surprise surprise, I get told that my team just lost. It’s at this point I exit the game in anger.

But the thing is, 10 minutes later I’m back. That’s how great TF2 is; it’s endlessly replayable.

But here’s the thing, the main pimple on the otherwise gorgeous face of Team Fortress 2; it’s a multiplayer game. Now I know you’re thinking, what the hell did you just smoke, how is that a bad thing. Well, most of the time, it’s a great thing. But the problem is that you’re relying on other people to win. And people are idiots. If you play TF2, you will be stuck with a bad team at least once. And it’s is so frustrating, because when you have a good team, the experience is amazing, and the teamwork feels natural. But otherwise, it just fills you with scorn for the cretins on your team.

It’s worth a mention that while the PC version gets major updates which add new unlockable weapons, and maps and gamemodes, the console versions rarely get updates. The 360 is promised a major update soon, but Valves idea of soon is, well, it took 13 years to make TF2, let’s just leave it at that. The only updates for the 360 version are bugfixes (and some remain), and the PS3 version seems to be abandoned completely. Both versions, particularly the PS3 rendition, are nowhere near as fun as the PC version, and are filled with exploits and bugs that most players know and use regularly. And on-top of that, TF2, like all other FPSs, controls much better with a mouse and keyboard than it does with a gamepad. simple. For instance, the scout moves so fast you need insane aim to be good with him, but his Scattergun has such a short range and small clip, you have to resort to run in, shoot, run out, reload, and repeat tactics. Another example is the Pyro. Your range is so short; ambush is really your only viable option. But what if you get stuck in the open and a critical rocket gets sent your way? Well, blast the damn thing back with a jet of air from your flamethrower. The interactions between the classes are endless, and things never cease to surprise.




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[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ][Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
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In the end, if you have a PC, buy TF2. It’s essential, and the low prices on Steam means that if you disagree that this game needs to be played, then you will be added to the Government list of people to be killed. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the console versions, and I would say if you have a decent PC and a console, leave the console port on the shelf. It’s not worth the time or the money. But otherwise, TF2 is a vital part of any gamers collection, and deserves to grace your games list on Steam.