opinion / Team Fortress 2

Updated : 12 / 13 / 07

I really like playing Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is Valve's sequel to Team Fortress Classic. TFC was released in April of 1999 as a free download for anyone who already owned Half-Life. This was an exciting time to be playing first person shooters on PC. TFC has hugely popular and still maintains a strong following to this day. I confess that I spent countless hours playing TFC over the years.

A look at TFC, circa 1999

Looking back on it now, TFC seems pretty primitive. But in its day, it was amazing. And to be honest, TF2 is very much the same game. But Valve has managed to do something great. TF2 maintains all my favorite aspects of TFC and improves on everything else.

Here is a list of some important differences between the two games :

1. TF2 must be played on Steam. This is good and bad. On the positive side I have been able to easily hook up with people on my friends list.

2. Valve has taken a Pixar-like art direction with TF2. It looks great and runs reasonably well on lower-end system. There's a lot to like about TF2's graphics.

3. Standard grenades have been removed! Many people were SHOCKED by this. As it is now, grenades are reserved for the Demoman, which is a smart move in my opinion. Anyone who played intense games of Dustbowl in TFC know what a spamfest it was.

4. The Medic can heal teammates with an energy beam. This makes it much easier for a Medic to heal during combat.

5. Medics generate Uber-Charge while healing. Once Uber-Charge is full the Medic can initiate temporary invulnerability for himself and whomever he is healing. This adds a major strategic element to the game, often making the difference between winning and losing in theose final seconds of a round.

6. Spies can become invisible for a short period of time.

7. All player classes have a unique melee weapon. These weapons play into their individual character indentities.

8. A revenge system has been implemented which rewards players for getting back at whoever is pwning them.

9. Round time is affected by captures and loses. This helps focus the action and avoid prolonged stalemates. There are even an Overtime and sudden Death modes.

I have a funny picture that shows up on the scoreboard.