VideoGame Thoughts and Feelings - In Which Team Fortress 2 is Reviewed
Well, since there aren't any reviews up yet...
Team Fortress 2 is an online Class based First Person Shooter made by Valve and available on Steam.
I read that Team Fortress 2 was free on Steam and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I don't play Shoot'um'ups often and I'm mainly a console/Minecraft player, but I thought "hey, free game" so I downloaded it. A day later, my download was finished (I don't know whether it was just my computer or Steam) and I've just finished playing it.
Pros:
- Free on Steam (at least on time of writing)
- Controls are simply and easy to learn
- Class system - something I like in games
- Classes seemed balanced (although apparently some would disagree)
- Classes were all unique, with different strengths and weaknesses and required different gameplay styles
- Different gameplay styles actually encouraged teamwork
- When you play, you actually feel like a productive member of the team
- Easy to get lost in - I started playing at 18:00 and ten minutes later it's midnight
- Colourful style which is a nice break from all the dirt brown and muzzle flash yellow
- Every time you die, you get a message saying "on the bright side" which is encouraging and a nice idea to have
- It offers you the chance to be "coached" by another playing, which, whilst I didn't choose to use it, is also a nice idea
- Fast paced
- There is a setting where any damage you do sets off a "Ding" noise which is satisfying
Cons:
- Tutorial was way too long and offered no decent/new information on how to play or non-combat things
- Lots of people playing, so lag becomes an issue
- Colour scheme is very much based on red and can become boring
- Maps are mostly the same
- Achievements can get in the way of some numbers on the HUD
- I felt that Valve were very pushy with their paid for merchandise *
- Set up time between matches take about a minute (or a minute and a half) which can get irritating if you're on the defending team
Overall:
- It can be improved but I like it. I'll play it to take breaks and it'll probably be played a lot, but not as a main game; but most of all, it was fun. I would recommend it and it's free so there's no reason not to try it.
VideoGame The shooter with personality
Team Fortress 2 has everything for everyone. Chaotic gameplay, brilliant writing, a fantastic artstyle, interesting characters, customization, a fountain of memes, really it's for any gamer. Ever since 2007, Valve has fixed about every complaint about the game. There are bots, about a bajillion maps, items, less bugs, you get the picture. The game BARELY resembles what it was four years ago. The free updates really seal the deal. I mean, any other shooter would make you cough up 10 bucks for a few maps and modes, but tf2 gives you more in a free update. Not only are the updates free, IT IS FREE. How much more could i take?
But there are flaws. Maps might be plentiful, but they feel the same. Capture point, get suitcase, push kart, or to mix it up a little, kill everyone from opposite team. Thats the basic formula of every map in the game(even medieval mode is just CP with melee). Once in a while, an overpowered weapon appears, and you can't wait for it to be nerfed(Sticky Jumper, Tomislav, the level 3 mini sentry exploitation, etc). Also, i get sick of how the entire fanbase would squee when they hear the word hat. Come on, you can't even see yourself wear it, except when you die. Although, these complaints are about as meaningless as any horror movie sequel after 5(in fact, i don't hate hats at all, just how people worship them). Give it a try NOW.It's not perfect, but what is?
VideoGame Definitely worth a try.
This is definitely one of my favorite games to play when killing time. I can't think of very many negative things to say about it. So lets start with the positive.
The class system is one of the best things about it. It's fun having 9 different play styles to choose from. My personal favorites are Pyro and Spy. It's also great to have a game where someone like the Heavy can actually be killed. The unlockable weapons are a very nice touch, and there's always more. Strange weapons are a must, if you can get your hands on one.
I love the multiple modes of play, and that you actually have to try and work as a team to win the round. As far as hats go, when you inevitably get them, try and not trade them if possible. I once traded away an Attendant and a Strange Shotgun, and I will never forgive myself for that. Crafting is time consuming, and requires that you have tons of items, so I wouldn't reccomend trying it until you get a lot of random drops. Although, when you do craft that item you've been wanting forever, it feels rewarding.
Custom content is another thing that I like about the game. As far as mods go, I personally love "Vs. Saxton Hale." One person on the server randomly becomes Saxton Hale (a character from the TF 2 comics) at the start of a round, and the rest of the server hast to kill that person. Essentially, it's a big boss battle that everyone has to work together on.
The community is one thing that can be negative. They tend to bitch and moan about every update. But if you look past that, it's a really fun game. Since it's free, there isn't any real reason not to try it. And it is definitely worth at least a try.
VideoGame The Ideal Shooter
Thanks to TF 2 being free on Steam now (thanks Gaben), I finally got a chance to sink my teeth into the rapidly-spreading behemoth of a game known as Team Fortress 2. Once I got a deep bite into the surface, I tasted nothing but bliss and euphoria. It was everything I had ever heard about it and more. It was perfect.
The main reason I like TF 2 as a shooter so much is because it feels balanced. Each of the 9 classes have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, and no class has a dominate advantage over the other. For example, sure you could go heavy and whip out your minigun and mow through a crowd of three players at once, but what happens when you run into a Sniper in a hidden balcony? Or a Pyro who managed to slip through your line of fire and has gotten behind you? Or a Spy who cloaked his way past you and is ready with a backstab?
Another huge reason why I love TF 2 so much is because how much teamwork you actually need. You and your team need to cooperate and get along if you want to have any chance of getting through the match alive. Pyros, be a pal and spycheck around friendly Engineer sentries. Scout, do us all a favor and slip past the enemy defenses while we distract them and take the intelligence. Heavy, we already have two Heavies on our team, be a dear and go Medic for us. Teamwork is something that most shooters fail to get right, but TF 2 is certainly capable of boasting teamwork.
The only negative aspect I can think of for TF 2 is the community. Sometimes they can be a little whiny and ungrateful about updates (like with the aforementioned update of TF 2 being free). It's not too bad though, and the occasional annoying prick in the relatively nice community can easily be ignored.
In conclusion: if you haven't checked it out, you should. It's a wonderful little experience that can be enjoyed by almost everybody and played over and over again to get different experiences each time.
VideoGame Would Have Been a Better Show Than a Game
When people hear that I like TF2, they often ask me why. Is it because of the stellar gameplay and competitive spirit? ...Snnrrrrk.
TF2 is a funny meme game. Heavy says "pootis," Engineer says "nope," Soldier likes buckets, and Spy likes Scout's mother. The only reason I'm aware of TF2's presence at all is thanks to the hundreds of hilarious Gmod and SFM videos that spawned from it, not to mention the official animations by Valve that injected so much personality and charm into the characters you'd swear it was tied to an Adult Swim show. Each and every character leaves a lasting impression on you and makes you want to see more of them, and while most would ultimately check out the game and become a dedicated player for years to come, I'm honestly on the inverse.
When I finally decided to check the game itself out I was mostly left disappointed. TF2 is a prime example of how a decent game can be ruined by atrocious team balance and horrendously blatant aim-botting and scripting. Trying to enjoy a casual match is often an exercise in frustration, as when you're not being deleted by waves of sniper bots you're constantly pitted against teams stacked with veteran players who dominate the battlefield with no mercy.
Newcomers stand little chance of making any meaningful impact, as they're thrown into matches where the skill gap feels insurmountable. Instead of fostering a welcoming environment for all players, I often felt oppressed by the ridiculously steep skill wall as I get bodied by a Scout main who waxes their ego with their particle emitting laugh taunt that they likely paid upwards of 20 dollars for.
So final verdict is that I don't think TF2 is worth getting into, at least as a game. From my experience I feel better off just enjoying the community made animations on Youtube, which ooze and explode with creativity and passion, something I did not really feel from the game itself.