TF2: Nine years in the making

Are you tired of the same old first-person shooter?

The boring, predictive story line complemented by a dull set of characters, uninteresting dialogue and the sense that all the emphasis during development was placed upon achieving the most "uber-realistic" visuals and physics engines?

Well if you aren't, go back to playing "Call of Duty 4." If you are, consider the following.

"Team Fortress 2," the highly anticipated sequel to the 1999 title by Valve, "Team Fortress Classic," offers very unique game-play while remaining accessible to first-time players.

TF2 is a team-based online multiplayer first-person shooter. There are nine classes to choose from-Pyro, Scout, Heavy, Sniper, Medic, Soldier, Engineer, Demoman and Spy-and each class has three available weapons-a primary, a secondary and a melee.

Each class has a distinct purpose, and objectives and successes can only be achieved when each class performs his or her specific duties.

The Scouts, Pyros and Soldiers are offensive-minded and are strategically employed as "rushers" who storm the front, create mass havoc and keep the opposing faction from trying to do the same.

On the other end of the spectrum lies the "support."

It is the duty of Medics and Engineers to provide the necessary assistance to frontline fighters.

The Medic runs around wielding a massive healing gun that regenerates and "super" charges a teammate's health past the starting value.

The other support class is the Engineer, who scurries around and collects "metal" to build upgradable Sentry guns, health dispensers and teleporters.

There are three main game-types in TF2. The first is a variation of capture the flag, where teams RED and BLU attempt to penetrate the opposing base, retrieve a briefcase of "intelligence" and bring it all the way back to their base.

The second is "control points" where both sides attempt to capture a designated control point before the opposing side does.

The third and increasingly popular is "arena" mode, which is the classic team death-match where no re-spawning occurs, and the victor is the side with at least one surviving member.

What I have failed to mention thus far is the "look" of the game. During the near nine year development of TF2 the styling has changed drastically.

The original "TFC" was actually a mod of Quake built on the free to use Half-life Software Development Kit, which enables novice users to create a world as they imagine it.

TF2 was rumored to stay true to those origins and be more of a classic military shooter.

Unlike popular online shooters such as "Counter Strike," which is built with a realistic graphic approach, TF2's graphics are intentionally cartoon-like.

This approach has enabled Valve to make the game-play more lighthearted in nature.

In a word, TF2 is addicting. With the myriad of achievements and unlockable weaponry, you will be playing this game for hours on end.

"Team Fortress 2" is available for PC through download from Steam, as well as for Xbox 360 in the five-in-one game "The Orange Box." A note to PC users: do not attempt to run this game on insufficient spec's because you will be sorely disappointed in the low frame rate.

Eddie Makuch can be contacted at emakuch@keeneequinox.com.