As your average gamer, I have a shameful backlog of games I need to play. In a desperate attempt to both polish off some of these games and write reviews, I combine the two and write reviews several months or years after games come out. It's intended less as a review for the consumer and more for the casual reader. Today I review Team Fortress 2, Valve's huge, quirky, class-based online shooter by…not reviewing it at all. For a review of the Half-Life portion of the Orange Box, clicky.
A game like Team Fortress 2 isn't so much a videogame as it is a community. One absolutely gigantic, admittedly terrifying community. As someone who had never approached online gaming with very much seriousness, the thought of working online with gigantic teams in assigned roles to work toward a common goal was abysmal – who wants that pressure? What if I mess up?
I had played Left 4 Dead extensively – another online-based Valve shooter which is also teammate oriented – but that game is less than a year old. In contrast, Team Fortress 2 and it's predecessor Team Fortress are cemented in PC history and paved the way for massively online shooters.
But the reputation of TF2 precedes itself, and a couple of friends who were (and are) big fans of the game roped me into playing a few matches.
I hated it.
I wandered huge maps, not knowing what to do or where to go. It would take me several minutes to find anybody — and that was usually an enemy spy gearing to put a knife in my back. If I did manage to find the self-described "hot-spot", I tasted bitter defeat in a matter of seconds.
I didn't know where to put my turrets as an engineer and I had no idea what the hell an uber-charge was when I played as medic.
It's been three weeks since, and I'm absolutely hooked. The learning curve, surprisingly, is not that bad. What's more: it's totally worth it. I'm not going to give TF2 a score in this review – that'd be a bit artificial and the overall experience of the game teeters on what server you are on and how entrenched you are in the game.
Certainly, though, it has potential to be a 10/10 — Valve has created a game which is nearly perfect in every regard that doesn't wholly depend on the online experience and the commitment of you, the player.
But as a newbie, it's all a bit intimidating and you aren't going to like it. So, herein lies a 7-step process for those who either have played TF2 and hated it, or who have never tried it. After this easy recipe, you'll be playing an unhealthy amount of Team Fortress 2 in no time! Enjoy!
Step 1: Keep an open mind
I'll concede it might be theoretically possible to enjoy TF2 the first time you fire it up, but I'd put the odds at slim. This is especially true if you're new to class based shooters or some of the excellently crafted game modes housed here that you don't find in many other shooters. But keep with it. It might take more than one night to really see the appeal, but don't write relate your first-time experience with the quality of the game.
First, you have discover some of the nuances of the game modes and the maps to truly enjoy yourself. It takes a while to really appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor, sounds, and graphics. Get to know what a teleporter is, what an ubercharge is, and how goddamn annoying spies are. Which brings us to the next step:
Step 2: Find some classes you enjoy
Play around with the classes to get a feel for which ones you want to start out trying – it helps tremendously to just pick a few classes and focus on those. Some sage advice: do not pick the spy or scout to begin with. Both these classes can be tremendously difficult to master and aggravating to learn.
Don't worry about choosing a weak class – most of them are excellently balanced and are a worthy contribution to the team. In many cases, each one is downright necessary. They are all individually an blast, and and are a unique experience in their own right. Try picking some polar opposite classes – I enjoy Engineer, Sniper, and Solider.
All very different classes that provide vastly different experiences. Before you know it, you'll find yourself feeling pretty good after a great headshot or a tremendous run as a heavy (thank your medic!).
Step 3: Find a good server
Either by recommendation or just playing around (I did the latter), find some servers you like. A lot of servers provide a wholly different experience, and many of them will cater to what you prefer. If you choose servers that simply cycle the same game mode over and over again (24/7 Caputre the Point, for instance), change it up every now and then.
Don't play game modes you don't like (that should be obvious). Find maps you like, decide if you like quick spawn or not. Once you find some servers, stick around those for a while so you can ensure a fun experience while you learn.
Step 4: Hit up the web!
It shouldn't exactly come as as surprise that TF2 has a huge following. I mean, by this point, even you are starting to get hooked – unless you read this guide without doing the steps (shame on you!). As such, there are tons and tons of resources out there to help you get better. Learn some of the tactics of your class – I suggest the Team Fortress 2 wiki.
Read up on other classes and see what they are capable of. Odds are, by this point you'll want to do this anyway by virtue of wanting to get a bit better.
Step 5: Take a break
All this shooting is well and good – but how about a break? Not from TF2 entirely, of course! You're too addicted now to do that. Maybe check out the Team Fortress 2 official site – there's some hilarious stuff there that can also provide insight to the game (in addition to letting you know about updates). Read some of the previous update material (lots of the Spy vs. Sniper material is a riot).
Watch the "Meet the Team" videos if you haven't seen them already. Hilarious! My favorites below:
Step 6: Set your own goals
Alright – now you're well versed on some of the finer points of TF2 and have forgone your heroin addiction in favor of playing Medic. Good for you! All that's left is to play and get better. Valve does a great job of tracking your best moments and various other statistics that you can see during loading times – use these stats to your advantage and set goals.
Try to get 10 points with your favorite class in one life. Try to get 15. Go for the achievements. Or – I guess – you could just play and have fun with it. There are a lot of ways to have fun in TF2 and maintain a feeling of progress. In essence, it's the best part of the game and is what makes it so addicting.
Step 7: Link your friends to this guide so they get hooked as well.
It's not a shameless plug, I swear. Now go play, damnit!