The Orange Box: Team Fortress 2
Luke Earhart
September 9, 2009
Filed under A & E
Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is the critically acclaimed first-person shooter (FPS) designed by the award-winning developer, Valve. This is the same company that made the majesty of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Even though TF2 has the number two attached to it, it is merely a sequel in thought. The first Team Fortress was actually an add-on for the first Half-Life’s multiplayer feature. This add-on proved to be a fan favorite, so Valve gave the people what they wanted by including an improved version of Team Fortress in The Orange Box.
Gameplay wise, Team Fortress 2 has no single player; it is an entirely online game. That’s right, so unless you have Xbox Live, PSN, or a decent computer with online capabilities, looks like you’re out of luck. Thankfully, Team Fortress 2 has a lot of delicious online content that will keep you hooked. TF2 really focuses on team play and many characters have skills that help their team, whether they are on RED or BLU. Another TF2 player who goes to our school, Dylan McNeill, agrees that Medics are “great team players, and allow you to contribute regardless of aiming skill.” Any character you play will require a great deal of communication and coordination with your teammates.
No matter what you’re play style is in FPS’s, TF2 won’t disappoint because there are nine classes, all completely different from the last. The aptly-named Heavy is a mini-gun wielding Russian brute who can take a mass of damage, but is the slowest character. The Scout is a bat-wielding smart-mouthed Bostonian who has the fastest speed attribute, but has the least amount of health. The other characters include: a black Scottish demo-man, a brütal German Medic, a crazed American Soldier, a chain-smoking French Spy, a Texan Engineer, an Australian Sniper, and a flamethrower wielding Pyro whose race (and even gender) is unknown.
Almost every class has unlockable weapons as well. Most of them play on the fact that you are sacrificing one thing for another. For example, the Pyro can unlock a “Backburner,” which is a flamethrower that has a guaranteed critical hit effect whenever it is fired at an enemy’s back. This Backburner loses the ability to fire a compression blast, a burst of air that can push an opponent backwards, which is something the first flamethrower could do. Fellow gamer Connor Stanley believes that “the Pyro is too easy to play” and that all you need to do is just burn, run away, burn, etc. It’s so easy “a caveman could do it.” Sadly, the 360 and PS3 do not have any updates and Valve has not announced when one could be coming.
Besides varying characters, TF2’s maps are also excellent. Again, there are no new or updated ones for the 360 or PS3, so the choice is somewhat limited. The PC version however, is constantly updated by Valve and new maps are usually added every few weeks. The community of gamers who play this game also make many custom maps, including ones with specific challenges like perfecting a Soldier’s rocket jump. There are also a bunch of different game types, including the standard “capture the flag,” (or “intelligence” in TF2) and a medley of capture point maps.
Personally, I own the 360 version and PC version, to see what the differences are. The updates for the PC help balance the game tremendously; one welcome addition is the ability to destroy the demoman’s sticky bombs. Even though the 360 hasn’t seen any advancement, people still play daily, and you won’t have any trouble finding a game. Team Fortress 2 gets a big two thumbs, and a definite buy for the Xbox 360, especially since it comes in The Orange Box. This compilation of Valve games is called one of the best deals in video game history and I will be reviewing the other ones next time in the video game articles.
Don’t forget what an amazing deal the Orange Box in general is, giving three excellent games for the price of one. Team Fortress 2, an excellent online multiplayer, along with Portal and Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Half-Life 2: Episode 2, all fantastic single-player games.
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