Team Fortress 2 is the highly anticipated multiplayer shooter than has been in development since 1998. So was it worth the wait?
Team Fortress 2 is the multiplayer component of Valves Orange Box, as its name suggests it's a team based shooter but it doesn't involve any fort building! (Slightly off topic but for an awesome fort building game check out SourceForts). Once you load up the game you are greeted with the main menu, from here you can access the server browser which is how you will get into games. The game is immensely popular on the PC and there are currently a whopping 1988 servers to choose from. You can also access all the usual things like video settings and controls but new to PC are achievements, as any Xbox360 owner will know achievements are a fun way of extending the life of your games by giving you challenges to complete.
Once you have made it into the game, you will realise there are relatively few maps and modes to choose from. The maps are Dustbowl, Granary, Gravelpit, 2Fort, Well and Badlands, the maps are nicely varied and feature environments from mine shafts to high tech enemy bases. There are only two modes to play Control Point, in this mode one team starts with all the control points and must defend them while the opposing team must capture. The next mode is CTF where each team has intelligence deep in their bases and both teams must attempt to bring the enemy intel back to their own base to score. The main feature of Team Fortress 2 is the unique character classes, there are three offensive classes, three defensive and three support.
The first offensive class player is the Scout, he is fast and
will capture control points twice as fast as any other player, he also has a double jump ability so he can get away from enemies quickly and rush back to base with the intel quickly. He is equipped with a super shotgun which is very powerful at close range as well as a pistol and a baseball bat. Next we have the Soldier, he is the one of the easier classes to start off with, he has more health than most and has a deadly rocket launcher which does major damage as well as splash damage, he is also equipped with a shotgun and a shovel for close range combat. Lastly we have the Pyro, he is quite fast and an excellent player for close range assaults, the closer you get to your enemy the more damage his flamethrower does, he also has a shotgun and an axe for when things get upclose and personal.
The defensive class starts with the demoman, this crazy black Scotsman (lol) is equipped with two grenade launchers, one spike grenade which is great for sticking on a control point and blasting your enemy when he attempts to take the point and one standard grenade launcher which is handy for shooting round corners. The demoman will take damage from his own grenades so when things get close its best to switch to his whisky bottle and smack the enemy. Next up is the Heavy, this mountain of a man has more hitpoints than any other character and carries a deadly chaingun, it's not very accurate at long range but is great at mowing down enemies as they rush to take your control points. The heavy also has a shotgun for when his ammo gargling chaingun runs out. The heavy is very slow so watch out for scouts who will try to melee you with their baseball bats! The last of the defensive classes is the Engineer, he is quite a different class to play as, the focus is more on building than on shooting stuff! As an engineer it is your jobs to construct turrets to defend your base, turrets have 3 levels so make sure you upgrade as soon as you can as it will make your turret more powerful. You can also aid your teammates by building a teleporter which you can place anywhere you want, a good place is outside the spawn room and to near a control point so your offensive players can get straight back in the action. To aid them further you can construct dispensers which will heal your allies and replenish their ammo as well as giving you bolts to upgrade your turrets.
Finally we come to the support classes, here we have the sniper, he is perfect at taking down foes like the heavy with his sniper rifle, over time the power of his shots will increase so make sure your shot is fully charged before firing. The sniper is heavily reliant on cover so don't run into the enemy base as one as you will no doubt die! Although he is primarily a long range class he has a nailgun and a knife for when things get in your face. Next up is the medic, as you would expect he heals your allies, his healing gun has a special function called ubercharge which can turn the medic and the player he is healing invincible for a few seconds, this is often vital to the game as a few seconds is all you need to capture a control point. The medic also has a needle gun and a bonesaw but it's best to rely on the protection of others as they are rather weak. Last up is the spy, experienced players will love playing as this guy. The spy can disguise himself as any enemy class and sneak behind enemy lines sabotaging engineers' equipment and backstabbing everyone else! Once you have backstabbed your disguise will fail but you have a handy gadget to turn you invisible for a few seconds giving you enough time to escape. The spy has a knife for backstabbing as well as a powerful magnum revolver for when you have to fight. Other experienced players may spot you if you're playing a spy as if say you have disguised yourself as a heavy, you will be moving too fast and be suspicious.
The game works best when your team has a member of each class as then you can be prepared for anything, however this is rare so I suggest you play with people you know or frequently visit a certain server so you will get to know some players. When it all comes together you will be communicating on the voice chat, calling for medics, calling for backup and triumphantly cheering as with teamwork you cannot lose!
The graphics in the game are really amazing, the game has been given a Pixar look and on first glance I thought I was playing The Incredibles! Although it has Pixar family friendly looks it is a gory game and enemys (and you) will explode into body parts and gore if you die. The animation is outstanding with each class moving differently, and characters having incredible facial expressions. The game showcases this as whenever you die the camera will zoom in on the person who killed you allowing you to get a close up view. The sound is done well too with nice touches like thanking medics for their aid automatically and roaring as you mow enemies down, there is little in the way of music as there is only a jingle at the end of the round but it's a multiplayer shooter not a single player epic!
Team Fortress 2 is available as part of Valves Orange Box which comes with the Half Life games and Portal for the bargain price of around £30. If you for some reason don't want to play the Half Life games you can purchase it off Valves Steam service for £15 (+ tax). Either way you get it Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer experience that will keep you coming back with its unique class gameplay and amazing visuals. It's a shame there aren't so many modes but as it's a Team game, a traditional deathmatch wouldn't really suit it. If you have ever played an online shooter you will instantly like what Team Fortress 2 has to offer and I recommend it highly. 5/5
Developer: Valve Publisher: Valve (Steam) Price: £15 (£30 included in The Orange Box) Also available on: Xbox360, PlayStation3
Pictures of Team Fortress 2 (PC)
All the classes!
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Team Fortress 2 is Valve's sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team ... more
warfare on the map. Named Best Multiplayer Game of the Year by Gamespy.com, Team Fortress delivers new game types, a signature art style, persistent player statistics ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Out of stock
Advantages: Replayability, just plain fun, active community, excellent style, constantly updated Disadvantages: Not everyone's cup of tea, relies on connection speed, no offline gameplay
Formaldehyde 28.06.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Team Fortress 2 (PC)
Advantages: Replayability, just plain fun, active community, excellent style, constantly updated Disadvantages: Not everyone's cup of tea, relies on connection speed, no offline gameplay
Formaldehyde 28.06.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Team Fortress 2 (PC)
Feb 25th, 2008
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