Team Fortress 2: Reloaded

With gaming giant Valve's recent announcement that Team Fortress 2 is coming to the Mac, it seemed like a good time to give this gem a revisit. Back in 2007, TF2 was released as part of The Orange Box with other hype-worthy blockbusters Portal and Half-Life 2. Gordon Freeman and GLaDOS have since shuffled out of the average gamer's field of vision due to linear gameplay - you can only beat the same game so many times, no matter how great it is. But TF2 remains as fresh as the day it was launched, offering endless hours of fun in a compact package.

History

For the uninitiated, TF2's origins begin back in the last century. Its first incarnation was as a mod, created by John Cook and Robin Walker, for the ultra-addictive Quake. Next it surfaced as Team Fortress Classic - or Team Fortress 1.5, a mod for the original Half-Life. These introduced the elements that define Team Fortress: team-based play, unique and equally valuable characters, and a less-competitive edge than many of the other shooters out there. The popularity of Team Fortress Classic spurred Valve to announce development of TF2 back in 1998, but infrequent status updates led most gamers to believe the title would never see the light of day - Duke Nukem Forever, anyone? When finally launched nearly a decade later, TF2 was lauded by gamers and critics alike.

Look and Feel

This game is prime evidence that you don't need to have flashy graphics to be good. It has a cartoonish, slightly fluffy appearance that makes it a lot nicer to look at than the abandoned houses and rat-infested sewers of other shooters. In TF2 you'll find lots of rounded edges and well-lit passageways - even the blood doesn't seem offensive. This is one of the elements of the game that Valve executed perfectly; though not as graphics-heavy or realistic as other games in the genre, TF2's look takes the shooter to a whole different level.

Movement and keymapping is in standard shooter style, relying on WASD and the number keys for the most important functions. The menus are easy to navigate, allowing even the most clueless players to switch classes, remap keys or communicate with teammates. The voice chat is also well-implemented; other players come through loud and clear even over game sounds. Those of you who prefer to move with arrow keys would be well-advised to also remap your weapons from number keys 1,2, and 3. Switching to a melee weapon in close combat can mean the difference between life and death, so be prepared. Reaching across the keyboard isn't going to cut it.

The game runs on Valve's smooth Source engine, on the Steam gaming platform. That means getting updates delivered right to your desktop - no pesky searching for new maps or version updates. While there are some standard maps that come preloaded with the game in classic arena or capture-the-flag varieties, there are also a number of community-based maps available for play at any given time. On Valve's maps the maximum number of players per server is 32, but some independent maps can support up to 34. Some maps have timed rounds, while others rely solely on point captures to end rounds.

Gameplay

The players are divided into two teams: RED and BLU. If you get in at the start of a game, you'll be able to choose which team you prefer to play for. Otherwise you'll have to go where there's room to make sure there's equal balance. Other measures are taken to equalize teams, such as prioritizing the low team to get the next incoming player or shuffling players at the end of a round based on performance. RED and BLU control near-identical territories in every map, so neither team has a map disadvantage to blame losses on. Each team also has a dedicated first aid station that the other team may not enter, for healing and reloading ammo. There are first aid and ammo kits scattered around the map available to all players.

There are 9 unique characters to choose from in TF2, each with their own distinct personality and appearance. Each character falls into one of three categories: offense, defense, or support. A series of trailers were released introducing each of the playable characters around the time of the game's launch, which remain entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, the movies for the Pyro and Medic still remain unreleased - don't get rickrolled looking for their videos. All weapons are class-specific, including one melee weapon related to each class: the Spy has a switchblade, while the Engineer wields a wrench. Special equipment upgrades can be earned for each class, but they are not make-or-break items.

Death comes quickly and often in TF2...but unlike many other games, death in TF2 really isn't that big of a deal. My personal favorite character, the Pyro, boasts the shortest average lifespan of any character according to Valve's statistics. He does a lot of damage, and the residual flames from his flamethrower will kill targets long after he's dead - but the close range required to do damage with that weapon puts him in harm's way. Each character has a similar set of challenges - the Scout moves quickly but doesn't do as much damage, the Heavy does huge damage but is limited by very slow movement. This adds up to a nice balance between the characters, giving support-based choices such as the Medic a fighting chance.

Games go by pretty quickly, averaging 30 minutes or less per round. There is no requirement to "lock in" until the end of a battle - players can easily disconnect at any time without it being a huge issue for their team. If too many players leave a team at once, the remaining players will be redistributed quickly to even the odds. You can also switch characters easily at any time, as long as there aren't too many teammates using that same class at the same time - you can't have an entire team of Demomen, for example. It's recommended to change classes while you're dead or in your team's base to avoid getting killed while you're not looking. Changing classes while alive will cause your character to drop dead (so you can respawn as the new one), but this doesn't count within the stats as it would if you were killed by another player.

As much as I love TF2, it still has some noticeable drawbacks. For one, there is no on-screen minimap available to point out landmarks. New players who are unfamiliar with various maps pretty much need to learn the hard way where everything is, including capture points and first aid stations. Since the playing field for each map is relatively small, this isn't too sharp a learning curve. It can still be annoying wandering around lost, not to mention going around the wrong corner in a shooter will usually buy you a one-way ticket back to your base. Another con is a frequent complaint among gamers in terms of playing online - you never know who you're playing with. Even though you can meet a lot of great people while playing video games, too often your teammates or opponents are bent on annoying others or ruining the game experience by cheating. Language barriers, loud noises, and foul language are all issues at some point or another. If you're going to play any game online, you'd better have a thick skin. Despite the game's "M" for mature rating, underage kids are common in TF2 and are often the culprits of poor gaming behavior from my experience. Video games are often referred to as "electronic babysitters" for a reason. Stuff like this is just the lay of the land, though - nothing that can be faulted to TF2 individually.

All in all it's a pretty great game, even for people who aren't huge shooter fans like myself. Don't let the game's advancing age fool you, it still looks just as good as anything released since '07. If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should.

Where to Find It

The Orange Box is still available for purchase. Originally retailed at $39.99, the price has since dropped to $27.99 - not a bad deal for 5 games. Team Fortress 2 can also be purchased as a standalone PC/Mac game for $9.99, either on disc or as a digital download. Versions also exist for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but these versions only boast half the team size of the PC release.

http://www.teamfortress.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Fortress_2