Team Fortress 2 as Valve puts it, “paved the way for class-based multiplayer titles.”  Ever since its release alongside the original Half-Life it was a staple of the online shooter fans daily diet – with healthy servings of Counter-Strike and Half-Life Death Match sprinkled in for some extra spiciness.  At E3 in Los Angeles in 1999 Valve made it official – Team Fortress 2 was in development.  Soon thereafter a single screenshot was released showing a desert landscape and soldiers decked out in fatigues.  With this news the forums and fansites were aflame with speculation and rumor.  Word had it there would also be some sort of uber-commander who would oversee the battlefield from above, assisting troops with supplies and weaponry as opposed to being in the trenches.  Obviously DICE thought that might be fun too *cough*Battlefield*cough*.

Alas, not much more about the game was mentioned at the time – aside from a note from Valve’s PR guru Doug Lombardi in 2001 that simply stated TF2 ‘is not dead.’ 

Then last year in July (2006) the lid came off – Team Fortress 2 was not only official  - again – but this time we had some screenshots giving us our first glimpse at the new cartoony look for the various character classes.  Shortly thereafter our own FlyingMaiden made a trip up to Valve’s offices and sat down to interview Doug Lombardi and Kim Swift to talk TF2, Portal and of course, Half-Life II: Episode II.  Here’s a snippet:

GH:  What were the reasons behind continuing development on Team Fortress 2 instead of dumping the title?
 
DOUG: … The team realized the flavor of TF wasn't working with what we had. We tried to figure out what we could do that was more exaggerated. We went with a sci-fi approach for a while. There were some cool game play ideas in that that people will see come forth, especially in the medic in the version we have now, but again the art style was wrong.
 
Then it came back, about a year or two ago, someone started going down this sort of Saturday morning cartoon feel. That allowed the characters to be really exaggerated. And with this we could add in some type of over the top style gameplay that is TF. After trying everything we eventually came back to a sort of style that really felt like the original.

Meet my Fireaxe

Team Fortress 2 definitely does feel ‘original’.  And more importantly – fresh!  From the games new look, to the simplistic and crazy-fun character classes, to the ‘Meet the…’ marketing plan and its 1950s style video clips Valve has employed to unveil each of the new character classes – it feels like a new wind is blowing inside Valve.  If you’ve not seen the latest – check out ‘Meet the Engineer’ for a taste – 'brilliant' sums it up quite nicely.

What makes TF2 brilliant is its simplicity paired with depth.  Just about any shooter fan can pick up the controller and dive right in. Well, that and it's just damned fun! Each of the 9 classes (Pyro, Scout, Soldier, Heavy, Demoman, Engineer, Spy, Medic, and Sniper) plays a distinct role in providing Offense, Defense or Support and comes equipped with two custom weapons or tools as well as a melee weapon that humorously matches their character’s style – like the high-strung Scout’s baseball bat or the Pyro’s fireaxe.
 

Classes can be swapped at anytime making it easy to quickly get a feel for the various accoutrements afforded each soldier, though mastering the benefits of each will take some time.  The true capabilities of the Medic, for example, only shine through with good teamwork.  When paired up with the Heavy -  weapon geared up for ‘ubercharge’ - they can become invincible for ten seconds allowing just enough time for the duo to penetrate that choke point the other team has been holding for most of the round.

I Solve Practical Problems

Some of the more unique classes are the Engineer and Spy.  The Engineer can collect parts around each map which can then be used to build out supply stations, upgradeable turret systems and teleporters.  Only one of each can be present in the map at any time – but strategic use can make the difference in holding that zone.  If the equipment becomes damaged by enemy fire – the Engineer can break out his trusty wrench and attend to some needed maintenance.

The Spy is great for those who enjoy sneaking deep behind enemy lines.  Not only can he cloak himself for a short period of time – creating that moment of opportunity to slip past some waiting enemies – or turrets – he can don an enemy disguise allowing him to easily blend in - especially when things are hectic. Once he’s cloaked, or in disguise, he can sneak up behind for a one shot one hit kill with his pistol or knife – but it’s much harder than it sounds.  Once he attacks, his disguise wears off - so he’d better not miss!

It’s clear the team spent a significant amount of time balancing out all the classes.  Having played through all nine over the course of a few hours, there doesn’t even seem to be a single throwaway or – nerfed – class in the bunch.  I only had time to play through the map ‘Well’ which seemed to be in heavy rotation during our play session.  But Doug has promised some classics and after launch support:

GH:  What kind of maps can we expect to see? I know 2Fort makes an appearance.
 
DOUG: We're doing a mix of old and new. Probably about 4 or 5 of the most remembered classics from the old days. 2Fort is one that will be in TF2, and Dustbowl is another we've mentioned. There will also be a handful of new maps, probably around the same number but that's not locked down for sure. We will continue to release new and old maps after launch, just as we did with CS Source.

Team Fortress 2 two is a breath of fresh air in a time when some multiplayer titles *cough*Shadowrun*cough* require in-depth tutorials just to get started.  It’s easy to pick up and get playing – and rewarding to those who spend the time to master each of the classes’ various quirks.  If you’re a Half-Life fan – then the fact you'll get Team Fortress 2 too is like the icing on the cake of the Orange Box collection you’ll be snatching up next month.  And if you’re not – you should still give Team Fortress 2 a look – we think you just might like what you see.