Electronic Arts and Valve introduced a new gaming genre to the world on October 10, 2007. Cleverly combining first-person, player-vs-player gameplay with a comedy setting, Team Fortress 2 was born. And boy, did it grow up fast!
Team Fortress 2 continues to deliver what its predecessor began by facing two opposing teams - one red, and one blue - against each other in team-based scenarios: base defense, capture the flag, etc. It has also added, through the STEAM interface, an almost RPG element to the gameplay - that of Achievements, whereby each character class may improve its equipment through earned upgrades. One further change is that of its art style, moving from the recently popular real-world graphic look and feel to a more stylized and “cartoony” view. But do these changes deliver? You betcha!
In prior player-vs-player shooter games, the game would take itself far too seriously. It seemed as though more attention was paid to how real the world looked as opposed to how fun the game was to play: from building textures and blood spray to the overall character aesthetic. Team Fortress 2 took a different approach; instead of focusing on adding realism, they crossed to the opposite end of the spectrum and designed the game to be cartoony, comedic, and quite frankly just as fun to watch and listen to as to play.
You’re given a selection of nine different character classes to choose from- The Heavy, Demoman, Engineer, Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Medic, Sniper and Spy- each with its own unique set of equipment, abilities and playstyles. If you find yourself quickly mastering your first choice, don’t think for a second that the same strategies will work for the others. The Heavy has been designated a Defensive character, but is given a large number of hit points to help him survive being on the front line laying foes to waste with his mini-gun. That alone should tell you how flexible he can be. And that’s just one class, so we could arguably add Strategy as a genre-combine for this game.
It doesn’t take long to discover that each class also comes with its own over-the-top personality and voice-overs. I nearly fell out of my chair the first time I set someone aflame as a Pyro and then watched them run around screaming, “Fire! Fire!”. The Engineer lets you know when one of his constructs is destroyed with vocal queues like, “Sentry down!”. But the comedy effect isn’t limited to audio… the visual jokes are just as fun. If your character manages to get blown up- which I guarantee will happen to you often- the game enjoys showing off the magnitude of your destruction by pointing out where each of your pieces landed- complete with arrows saying, “Here’s your head” and “There’s another bit of you”.
I can honestly say I do not remember ever being quite as addicted to a game. With all of the comedic effects implemented, it’s easy to assume that this wouldn’t be a game to take seriously. But let me assure you, all the frustration and strategic headache you would expect from a player-vs-player game is there. Some days you’ll win and rejoice, then other days you’ll get massacred… and have just as much fun.
I could spend page upon page giving you a rundown of each character class and how best to play them (in my opinion, of course), but in the end that would rob you of the best aspect of this game. I’ve seen skilled Medics go on the offensive and single-handedly destroy each of the other classes- very humiliating, let me tell you. So load up your STEAM account, download Team Fortress 2, and get to fragging. It’ll be the most fun getting blown up by running into a rocket, or shot in the head by a stealthy Sniper, you’ve ever had.