41| Team Fortress 2

Released: October 10th, 2007

Definitive Version: PC (All major OSes); Also on: 360, PS3

It is kind of surreal that after all of these years, Team Fortress 2 is still one of the most popular multi-player first person shooters. Releasing almost ten years ago, the game was extremely unique at the time for more ways than one. Immediately what stood out was its cartoony art style. When the seventh gaming generation was just getting started, games were often dark and grimy shooters with brown and beige pallets. In contrast, Team Fortress 2 was very colorful and cartoony, which made it a beautiful sight for weary eyes. What's more is that the game had specific character classes, this was uncommon at a time when most games simply had the player choose any weapon they want at the beginning of the game, and even pick up dropped weapons while running around maps. Finally, Team Fortress 2 was a team based game, it revolved around each player doing their part in order to complete objectives such as capturing control points or capturing flags intelligence. The game has garner a huge following and is one of the most popular first person shooters of all-time.

As said before, Team Fortress 2 revolves around players selecting what specific character class they want as they work with their team in order to complete objectives. Originally, these objectives were limited to capturing control points and intelligence, but over the years Team Fortress 2 has added more modes to play. The most notable and innovative was payload mode in which players have to move an armed cart by walking up to it as they "push" it to the enemy's base before the timer runs out. Admittedly it seemed dumb when first introduced but over-time it has become the staple mode of the game. The maps in the game are all specifically designed for their modes. Intelligence base maps tend to be very small, but maze-like. Control Point maps are moderately sized, but are filled with busy areas where players fight to claim each control point. Payload maps tend to not be too wide, but compensate for this by being very long, with various hidden paths to go through. Most of the maps are very memorable and well designed as as Valve definitely went for the quality over quantity approach. There are very few official maps in the game that I wouldn't describe as "great."

The classes are arguably the most defining part of Team Fortress 2. There are nine classes total in the game. These include: Scout, Spy, Heavy, Demoman, Soldier, Engineer, Pyro, Sniper, and Medic. Each class has defining traits and are crucial to complete any objective. The Scout scouts ahead the area and is able to cover a lot of ground fast. The Spy sneaks around as they can even dress like the enemy and kill critical opponents. The Heavy is a slow but powerful juggernaut who can annihilate enemies with his gatling gun. The Demoman can plant bombs and shoots grenades that bounce around the area, as he is great for taking out groups of enemies quickly. The Soldier is an all around balanced character who can handle multiple situations. The Engineer builds teleporting stations, health centers, and turrets. The Pyro is great for taking out enemies in close range as well as having them take damage over time. The Sniper kills enemies from afar. While the Medic heals other players. Each character has a specific job that they do and if a team is missing even one of them then the entire game leans toward the opposite teams favor.

In terms of presentation, Team Fortress 2 is a bit on simple side, but is still solid. All the characters have a unique personality to them that draws the player in. In fact there was time period of the game where Valve created short Team Fortress 2 films that were highly entertaining. The world of Team Fortress 2 is a bit of a mystery as Valve often leaves fans in the dark, however tidbits and winks often come across from time to time.The entire game is essentially that of a Saturday morning cartoon that takes place in the 1940s. However, it is clearly made for adults due to the violence, but despite heads rolling around and bodies exploding it never feels too unnatural or off putting. The game also has a nice 1960s esque spy film soundtrack that fits everything perfectly.

I feel that I can't talk about Team Fortress 2 without talking about its move toward micro transactions and free to play. The game has changed so much since launch, that the only other game that comes to mind that has undergone so many radical changes without an expansion pack is possibly Splatoon. Not only has there been the addition of new maps and modes, but the game has added tons of weapons and costumes for players to wear. The most infamous of these are the hats. It may seem stupid at first glance to have a game economy revolve around costume changes for characters in a first person shooter, and it is, but nevertheless the community for the game can't get enough of them. And to me this is the biggest negative aspect of the game. Prior to Team Fortress 2 moving free to play and having all of the cosmetics the game was highly balanced and very crafted. All the characters looked distinct so you would know exactly who is who and how to measure the threat effectively. Now that the game is filled with tons of weapons and obscure costume choices the entire game has changed for the worst. It is still a highly enjoyable title, it is just that Valve compromised competitive play for the booming in-game market.

Nearly a decade after release, Team Fortress 2 is still one of the hottest game titles around. The only team based shooter in the same vein that is getting more attention than it currently is, is one that is essentially a clone of the game and advertises itself as a "Team Fortress 2 alternative". The game may not be as popular as its heydays, but it still one of Valve's cash cows. I may not prefer what the game has become exactly, but either way it is still a fantastic title.