Team Fortress 2
About
TF2 is an objective based arena shooter with unique characters, representing different classes, acting as a staple of casual and competitive gaming for Steam. Dozens of different maps and game modes are trying to keep this game alive, after all the years it was available. Each character has a vast arsenal that can be accessed through completing in-game achievements, randomly receiving them from loot-boxes within the game, crafting them or just buying and trading items on the Steam Market.
For players, that's not into the direct clash with players from the enemy team, Team Fortress 2 introduced a PvE mode, which is wave defense from the mirrored robotic opponents that have qualities of some of the playable classes.
Every update and introduction, made over years, provided a lot of entertainment In the form of comic books an short animated videos, creating and explaining a story behind endless clashes for resources, briefcases or pure domination.
System requirements for PC
- OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)/Vista/XP
- Processor: 1.7 GHz Processor or better
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- DirectX: Version 8.1
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)
- Processor: Pentium 4 processor (3.0GHz, or better)
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
System requirements for macOS
- OS: OS X version Leopard 10.5.8 and above
- Processor: 1.7 GHz Processor or better
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8 or higher, ATI X1600 or higher, Intel HD 3000 or higher
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
System requirements for Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04
- Processor: Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Sound Card: OpenAL Compatible Sound Card
Where to buy
Team Fortress 2 reviews and comments
Cases and hats aren't my thing, but I did enjoy the new modes, like «Mann vs. Machines».
Overall, I recommend it. The game is immortal.
Well, the reality is that the core matchmaking and gameplay has gotten steadily worse through the years to the point where, today, I wouldn't recommend the game to anyone unless they are interested in the history or just curious about trying the game. The basic challenge is that Valve clearly no longer wants to put any time or energy into managing the game, resulting in:
* No updates for an absurd length of time to the gameplay or lore (either in the not-so-recent past or in the forseeable future). While the core characters are pretty well-balanced at this point, the game gets boring when months pass without any new maps, guns, or features being added.
* A growing spambot/cheating problem. Gone are the days when aimbots and spammers were culled due to improvements to either the Valve Anti-Cheat system or better moderation. Instead, these problems are endemic, to the point where a large portion of games are ruined by these items and a good proportion of even satisfactory games are spent trying to get the other team to kick their aimbot so they don't walk away with an easy victory.
* To deal with the spambot problem, you now have to pay to use the core text/voice chat functionality, which is pretty necessary to perform basic gameplay coordination and is a pretty basic F2P feature. Okay, you can go Premium for $5 to fix this, but given the issues above this is another strike against the game. (Also, yeah, I was F2P for that entire time, but this wasn't an issue until recent updates).
* Matchmaking is completely broken. While joining a game originally lead you to a decently full server about to start and a lively game, half the time you now join a game that is being plagued with auto-aim bots, that's half empty, or that's about to end. Again, this is something that even Valve's other major F2P property (Dota 2) can figure out even matching players by skill level, so the lack of care here is further indicative of Valve's lack of investment.
Given all of these issues, I don't think the game is very interesting or fun to play any more. While existing fans of the game may want to continue playing for their own reasons, my rating reflects my judgement that this game just isn't worth the time anymore. Not recommended.
But it's been a long time and honestly I have no idea what happened in the interim.
TF2 is a staple of Steam multiplayer games running on the Source engine. It's original design philosophy is a case study for game designers of all stripes, and the art style of the game is beautiful and unique. The characters are all interesting, with fun voice acting and lots of personality. Hearing the characters banter with each other was a mindblowing bit of immersive storytelling at the time.
The extended "lore" developed around the game, from bricks of Austrailium , the introduction of MANN CO, and the high value of gravel, is fun and unique. The comics, stories, and short form videos are all gems. And the Saxxy award winning community videos are amazing.
The game is on the old side, though, and it has it's flaws. But it's free to play, so if you can find a server not crawling with aimbots and hackers, it's worth playing a few rounds of this classic.