Only a few months ago I had decided for myself that not only am I tired of FPS games, I'm also not very fond of online multiplayer games. They were getting to be too redundant and I hated dealing with people online.

What changed me? What dragged me back to two things I thought I didn't like? It was the art direction of Team Fortress 2. For those of you who haven't seen how the game looks, I'll direct you toward the official page . In addition to the trailers, be sure to check out those three little videos in the lower right-hand corner. They're awesome.

Recently at work, they ordered brand new ATI video cards for our machines and they came with free games, including Team Fortress 2. So we installed it and have been playing the beta for a few days now. The game is simply bleeding with character and charisma. I don't think I'd be so enthralled if it was the usual realistic crap we're getting in other FPS games. But TF2 hired a great character designer, great voice actors, and skilled animators to pull it off. The actual gameplay has been pretty fun too.

You can get Team Fortress along with Portal, Half Life 2, HL2:Episode 1, and HL2:Episode 2 for a mere $50 in the "Orange Box" ($60 for PS3 and Xbox360). You can play the TF2 beta now if you pre-order the Orange Box on Steam.

I must agree with you. This game does look like it could be alot of fun, and for once not substitute gameplay for graphics as most games do nowadays.

I saw a bunch of footage from Team Fortress 2 on Electric Playground (I think, it was some video game show but now I can't remember which one). I can honestly say that it is hands down my favourite shooter (possibly just game in general) as far as the art direction is concerned. The characters are just dripping with personality which I'm finding less and less common nowadays.

Hawk
You can get Team Fortress along with Portal, Half Life 2, HL2:Episode 1, and HL2:Episode 2 for a mere $50 in the "Orange Box" ($60 for PS3 and Xbox360). You can play the TF2 beta now if you pre-order the Orange Box on Steam.

The Orange Box has been released?

Why has no one told me?!?

It's not released yet... It will be on October 10th. But if you preorder it on Steam before then you get to play the Team Fortress 2 Beta (which is pretty much the full game minus some tweaks and balances) as well as a $5 discount.

Bumpage since, the orange box is out now. Go get it.

So, uhm, is anyone as smitten with Portal as I am?

I made a Weighted Companion Cube from paper to keep me company in this cold, cold place called college...

suzi
Weighted Companion Cube

;_;

suzi
So, uhm, is anyone as smitten with Portal as I am?

I made a Weighted Companion Cube from paper to keep me company in this cold, cold place called college...

You beat me to it?

D:

I did get the wallpaper pack for Portal off that site. Naturally I have it set to the companion cube paper.

<3 cube

I just finished Portal. In one sitting. I am in love.

I picked up The Orange Box shortly after release. I haven't tried Portal yet, but Team Fortress 2 is a blast. I'm pratically useless with some of the classes, though.

I'm still playing and absolutely loving Team Fortress 2 during my lunch break. I've found that if I communicate and work closely with my buddies in the same room as me, we can do a lot of good in the game. Team Fortress 2 is all about teamwork and compensating for your friends' weaknesses. This is still a game I highly recommend.

Hawk
I'm still playing and absolutely loving Team Fortress 2 during my lunch break. I've found that if I communicate and work closely with my buddies in the same room as me, we can do a lot of good in the game. Team Fortress 2 is all about teamwork and compensating for your friends' weaknesses. This is still a game I highly recommend.

Do you use XBL for matches, or a computer?

If we get enough DD XBL users we should totally throw a couple DD only matches.

Rutger
I just finished Portal. In one sitting. I am in love.

I played through it at a friends house and loved it. It was so short though. I expected the puzzles I was in to just be a tutorial, not the full game. I really loved portal. Just an all around great game. Just so short!

Team Fortress was also cool. I got in a round on the new version of 2fort. I must say, I liked it. The art design in motion is wonderful. I was a sniper for most of the round as I usually am on TF, and I gotta say I liked it. I tried out all the other classes too. I like how they have some unique melee weapons. I didn't spend enough time with it to give it a proper review.

I'm still on the fence if I should buy any new games though. Even one that has as much content as the Orange Box, especially considering I never played through all of Half Life 2. But I think I'd lean more towards Halo 3 just because there would be more people online. If I wanted to play at 4 AM on a tuesday, people would be playing Halo 3. I doubt that in two months hardly anyone would be playing Team Fortress. As much as I LOVE team fortress both on quake and half life, I doubt it'd be worth buying for my xbox.

If my PC could handle it, I would've already bought it and played it.

marine

Rutger
I just finished Portal. In one sitting. I am in love.

I played through it at a friends house and loved it. It was so short though. I expected the puzzles I was in to just be a tutorial, not the full game. I really loved portal. Just an all around great game. Just so short!

I doubt it'd be worth buying for my xbox.

You did play it out all the way throuh the end, right? Not just the testing chambers?

Also, I got it for the XBox...so far it's worth it.

Rutger

marine

Rutger
I just finished Portal. In one sitting. I am in love.

I played through it at a friends house and loved it. It was so short though. I expected the puzzles I was in to just be a tutorial, not the full game. I really loved portal. Just an all around great game. Just so short!

I doubt it'd be worth buying for my xbox.

You did play it out all the way throuh the end, right? Not just the testing chambers?

Yeah. And you know what? I'm still alive.

I just wish I had got my cake. :(

I'll probably get the PS3 version eventually. There are too many other games that I want more right now, or I'd go ahead and get it.

lefarce
Do you use XBL for matches, or a computer?

If we get enough DD XBL users we should totally throw a couple DD only matches.

I'm playing it through Steam on my PC. I just can't bring myself to play a FPS with dual analogs.

Hawk

lefarce
Do you use XBL for matches, or a computer?

If we get enough DD XBL users we should totally throw a couple DD only matches.

I'm playing it through Steam on my PC. I just can't bring myself to play a FPS with dual analogs.

I was skeptical too. Now I'm loving the dual analogs and triggers on the back of the controller. Its like a weighted dream cast controller, which is the best.

I love keyboard/mouse, but if I had the choice of using the incredibly comfortable and wireless xbox controller, I think I'd go for it.

I may give Orange Box a rental. If I can find some xbox live gold time LeFarce, I'd show you how bad I can be with that sniper rifle.

Does TF2 have Dustbowl or maps like that on it? Where you've got to defend or attack a sequence of progressively more and more defendable areas. I used to have a decent TFC group I used to run with two or three years ago.

Hawk

lefarce
Do you use XBL for matches, or a computer?

If we get enough DD XBL users we should totally throw a couple DD only matches.

I'm playing it through Steam on my PC. I just can't bring myself to play a FPS with dual analogs.

I've actually always preferred the analogs. I'm not sure why.

marine
Does TF2 have Dustbowl or maps like that on it? Where you've got to defend or attack a sequence of progressively more and more defendable areas. I used to have a decent TFC group I used to run with two or three years ago.

Actually, TF2 does have Dustbowl and it's probably the best map of the bunch. I play it almost exclusively. Are you telling me that it existed before TF2 in an earlier Team Fortress?

Sure did. There was another one similar to it where you had to get a flag from one part of the map to another, and there were three checkpoints on the one map. The final checkpoint was in a church that had a high up loft and all sorts of fun places to defend/attack from. I think there was a wall that the demoguys could destroy so you could sneak in. Engineers could strategically place turret guns.

Dustbowls probably my favorite too though. The way it does the checkpoints and the various ways to attack/defend are really great. Well made maps are the reason I like to play certain games over others.

Thats why people still play counter strike. I feel that the maps there, the two or three really great ones, should just be on every multiplayer game. So many ways to move and do things. Its nice having the options.

I like a really nice mirror type map like 2fort. Its simple, so you can have everything in mind after playing it a few times, but it has all the options you'd ever need. You can go straight in, rocket jump over to the other base, go under water, or defend all those places.

Team Fortress is such a great game. Team Fortress Classic is great too. I really want to play TF2 now.

Dammit hawk!

Bump for awesome.

So anyway I was just playing and I got eight backstabs in one life. Them I played 2fort with Terminal and he spends the whole time camping the intel as Pyro. Always.

Atom Apple
So anyway I was just playing and I got eight backstabs in one life. Them I played 2fort with Terminal and he spends the whole time camping the intel as Pyro. Always.

That or placing the Sentry Gun inside the control room of the other team. It's hard as hell but it's satisfying. As blue taem sucks. Red. Always.

My favorite thing is being demoman and placing all 8 remote mines on the bridge. Then I serve as lookout for anyone who goes in the water plus I can blow anyone dumb enough to cross.

...In an explosion way.

They say Team Fortress 2 will receive a substantial update soon. They're releasing two new maps (one of them is apparently a remake of a Team Fortress Classic map called Badlands). Also, the Medic is going to receive some kind of special adjustment that will signify a shift in the entire game's gameplay. The rest of the classes will gradually receive this same adjustment.

I've been working on my own TF2 custom map. It's a one-way control point map like Dustbowl, but it's got my own custom textures and models in it.

Do you have some screenshots?

I'll take some and put them up soon. I'd prefer to do it from my work computer since it's got a better video card.

Is that to run the intense 3d graphics of MS Word's Wordart?

I have the Orange Box, but I can't seem to get online with TF2. :( So I haven't played it yet.