CherryPopper

Team Fortress 2 was released on Wednesday 10th October and so began my new addiction. This game is every bit as good as the original Team Fortress Mod for Half-Life but has found ways to improve on that winning formula without destroying what was so good about the original.

The same familia classes are still there. The scout, soldier, pyro, demoman, heavy, medic, sniper, engineer & the spy. But the classes have been tweaked a little and I think for the better as the changes mean you have to work more as a team to win. Unlike in most "team" games you can have one good person carry the team to victory, but with the tweaks they have done in Team Fortress 2 it makes this a lot harder to do.

Take the sniper for example, in the original Team Fortress you had grenades to help defend yourself or to use to blow your way through the enemy's defences to cap their flag. But now the sniper is no longer equipped with grenades, actually no one is, so they rely on their team mates to keep them safe from harms way to snipe from a distance, sure they have a sub-machine gun but its not really that effective against the stronger classes like the soldier. They have also made the classes more dependant on each other but still keeping the balance just right to the point where a good medic or engineer can make or break the team.

They have also changed the way the maps work. So while there is still the classic CTF_2FORT map its no longer a flag your capping but intelligence. The other maps are capture the point/domination style maps. Some of the maps you only play one capture point at a time and you slowly capture all of the territories to win the game. This means you have no idea what point your going for next as it all depends on who wins which makes for great re-playability.

The other thing they have changed is the art style. Its now got a very cartoon feel to it, with smart ass comments coming from the people who kill you to the "who shot you" screen grab that shows you who shot you but with the added feature of showing your "bits" if they are lying around that player (see "read more" for pics).

Overall I'm loving this game, its been a blast so far and I just can't get enough of it. So if you want to get in on the action buy the Orange Box and jump in the MonsterLAN steam community and join me in a game.... just watch for my sniper cross-hair being on your forehead

*** UPDATED: Added Domination Picture ***

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