After some 1.2 to 1.5k hours, I can definitely recommend this. This mechanically deep class-based team shooter manages to retain a high degree of playstyle variety in nine classes and more subclasses, meaning it can stave off boredom for far longer than most other team shooters in the same playspace. Favorite class: Medic.
The Source engine's base movement mechanics combine wonderfully with the now-canonized blast jumping, opening up Soldier and Demoman's movements and virtually begging for mastery. Classes with more supportive roles such as Engineer and Medic are active and tense, keeping team balance healthy. A wide variety of maps, gamemodes, and community support manage to keep things fresh even after nearly two decades of gaming.
It's not without downsides. Alternate weapons, acting as sidegrades, drop in random order, effectively requiring players to trade to unlock all gameplay styles. Over time the game has accumulated more than 150 maps across almost twenty game modes (and counting), and the natural tendency of the community to cluster around favorites leave some functionally unplayable (Territory Control? PASS Time?). Social interactions are all but unmoderated; expect to turn off voice and text chat, as well as sprays, in public matches. Configuration can be a bit unwieldy, and the game is rather CPU-heavy, having odd performance problems on what should be overqualified systems.
I downloaded Team Fortress 2 in 2011 or 2012, both I and my brother enjoying the crap out of the game since. I've enjoyed countless hours on each of the classes and have fond memories of matches we played together, cheesing backcaps on Dustbowl last as Bonk Scouts. Most times I have the urge to boot up the game wind up in more-relaxed alternate game modes and community servers. I expect this to be a game I come back to for a long time.
The Source engine's base movement mechanics combine wonderfully with the now-canonized blast jumping, opening up Soldier and Demoman's movements and virtually begging for mastery. Classes with more supportive roles such as Engineer and Medic are active and tense, keeping team balance healthy. A wide variety of maps, gamemodes, and community support manage to keep things fresh even after nearly two decades of gaming.
It's not without downsides. Alternate weapons, acting as sidegrades, drop in random order, effectively requiring players to trade to unlock all gameplay styles. Over time the game has accumulated more than 150 maps across almost twenty game modes (and counting), and the natural tendency of the community to cluster around favorites leave some functionally unplayable (Territory Control? PASS Time?). Social interactions are all but unmoderated; expect to turn off voice and text chat, as well as sprays, in public matches. Configuration can be a bit unwieldy, and the game is rather CPU-heavy, having odd performance problems on what should be overqualified systems.
I downloaded Team Fortress 2 in 2011 or 2012, both I and my brother enjoying the crap out of the game since. I've enjoyed countless hours on each of the classes and have fond memories of matches we played together, cheesing backcaps on Dustbowl last as Bonk Scouts. Most times I have the urge to boot up the game wind up in more-relaxed alternate game modes and community servers. I expect this to be a game I come back to for a long time.