An appealing visual aesthetic and a huge reliance on teamwork conspire to make Team Fortress 2 a jolly good time.
Though you might initially be scared to jump online, thinking you're going to get gobbled up by a posse of ruthless, talented players you should be pleased to know that Team Fortress 2 lets you practice against AI controlled opponents in three of the six game types available and this is something I strongly recommend you do. Team Fortress 2 is no ho-hum, run-and-gun shooter that's deprived of strategy, as grasping all of the facets surrounding every class is no easy feat. The Pyro class, for example, excels in close-quarters combat with his deadly flamethrower but its short burst and the compression blast ability -- which lets you deflect all manner of explosives -- make it a class that's though to master and the same can be said for the remaining repertoire of eight classes. Engineer, Medic, Spy, Soldier and Heavy are just few of the available classes and each and every one of them is balanced, fun to play and exude a lot of personality and the variety between them is staggering. Do you enjoy taking on your foes from a distance? Then the soft spoken, Australian humming Sniper has you covered. Like being sneaky? Well then the cliché riddled, French like Spy --who's clad in a tuxedo-- is your safest bet. No class is inept or supreme and it's this attention to balance that makes Team Fortress 2 such a joyous and meticulously designed online experience.
Where the action is concerned, it's about as frantic and enjoyable as it can be. Limbs fly all over the screen and every confrontation usually results in copious splatters of blood. Every class also possess a distinct combat role, The Demolition man is good at setting up traps and keeping enemies at bay with his small assortment of explosive weapons while the Spy is all about infiltrating the ranks of his enemies and dealing massive damage from behind and The Engineer can setup a perimeter with Sentry guns and supply his teammates with an endless stream of ammo and health. These and more gameplay styles run the gamut and they ensure that Team Fortress 2 has something for just about every player, resulting in a wholly enjoyable and varied experience.
Maps and modes are plentiful too; there are attack and defend scenarios, modes involving control points as well as an unusually quirky mode where one team is tasked with pushing an explosive laden cart into the heart of the defender's base, making for pockets of intense, focused action. The map design is also uniformly fantastic, giving every class a chance to manoeuvre and the weather conditions and map layouts are just as varied and interesting as you would want them to be.
Team Fortress 2's real boon is the visuals. They almost feel pulled from a Pixar movie resulting in a very slick, stylish and genuinely funny presentation. The way characters animate when they emote or expire is simply hilarious and the voice work gives everything a comedic edge too. Half of the classes possess an ethnic accent and there are so many recorded lines that are context sensitive, meaning you aren't likely to hear the same type of dialogue all the time. The music –which often complements the menus and heated online moments–, is stimulating and fits the game's sublime, playful tone extremely well and on the whole the presentation is top-notch for a source engine game.
Team Fortress 2 is a goofy, dynamic and immensely addictive multiplayer experience that's initially tough to grasp at first, but when it does it provides some of the most fun you'll ever have playing online with other people. There is just so much style and flair crafted here, resulting in a feeling that this is an online shooter that has the spark and identity simply not found in similar games. Do you have some gigabytes left on your computer? Do you fancy team-based shooters? Do you enjoy games that don't take themselves too seriously? Well then just head on over to Steam and download this gem of a multiplayer shooter without hesitation. It belongs in the top echelon of multiplayer shooters and in everybody's Steam library.
Pros:
+Stylish visual design
+Huge selection classes -- all of them varied and fun to play
+Expertly balanced gameplay
+Terrific map design.
Cons:
-Learning the fundementals of every class can be daunting.
Game Emblems - The Good:
Outstanding Gameplay
Outstanding Visual Design
Strong Competitive Multiplayer
Superior Animation
Great Sequel
Game Emblems - The Bad:
Steep Learning Curve