So last week I finally managed to get my hands on The Orange Box, mainly for HL2: Episode Two and Portal. While both those games were awesome, I was surprised to find that I would spend most of my time not with the two games I bought Orange Box for, but the online multiplayer Team Fortress 2.

I remember playing Team Fortress Classic years and years ago, though I never played online... I'd only ever play with computer controlled bots because if I happened to be getting my butt handed to me on a silver platter I could simply turn down the skill level. That was fun to me.

When Team Fortress 2 was announced (as in the "Yes, we really ARE developing it this time" announcement last year, not the "Hey we've got a really good idea for TF2 we might work on" announcement almost 10 years ago), I was skeptical when they ditched the realistic style with realistic guns and realistic characters for a wacky cartoony style. I honestly thought they'd ruined it.

Boy was I wrong.

TF2 has to be the most fun I've had with a computer and an internet connection in years. There are no computer controlled bots, which forced me to play online when I decided to try it out.

Unlike harcore games like Counterstrike where if you've never played against a human player before you have literally NO chance of surviving a round without hiding in a corner the whole time while your teammates valiantly fight and die against "1337" players, TF2 is relatively forgiving to newbies.

There are enough classes to suit everybody's playing style, for example the Scout if you like quick hit & run tactics, the Heavy if you like shooting the crap out of everything that moves with a massive chaingun, the Soldier if you like to be able to do a bit of everything, and the Spy if you like a bit of espionage and backstabbing (which can be INCREDIBLY fun when you do it right :D). It's anyone's game really, even complete noobs can totally own all but the most experienced of players.

The hilarious cartoon style adds to the experience as well. Unlike most class based games where each class is basically the same character with a different costume and weapons, each character in TF2 takes on their own unique persona. My personal favorite is the Scout, an arrogant hotheaded kid from Boston who shouts "BOINK!" whenever you smack someone over the back of the head with your baseball bat. Meet the Heavy, Soldier, Engineer, Demoman, and Scout.

The comedy takes away from the stress when you get killed too, because you often die in humourous ways. If you happen to get blown up, the game will kindly point out where your limbs have landed. Things like this do well in reminding you that "It's just a game."

So, originally this was just going to be a "Who here plays TF2?" thread but kind of evolved into a semi-review type thing. So, who here plays TF2? And for those who don't, why the hell not?

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"Bull-shit, mister Han Man!"