Team Fortress 2

A quick look at the definition of art gives the following: "The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty," In short, Team Fortress 2 is simply astonishing in all of these areas.

A game with a long development history, stretching back a decade, always raises a few eyebrows (aka Duke Nukem Forever Syndrome) but if anything, this has benefitted the game. Originally intended as a mod, Valve wanted a grander game and hired the developers behind the original Team Fortress to turn the class based combat into something exciting, unusual and original. Well, let's just say that they certainly did just that.

Firstly, the look of the game is jaw dropping. The highly stylised cartoon visuals are truly a joy to behold, requiring very little to actually be able to play them at maximum specification. When the carnage begins, it initially seems strange to see limbs flying everywhere when the graphics resemble those of a children's film. However, it just adds to the games atmosphere and the comedy value really helps to set it apart from the typical grainy realism of a lot of serious online shooters.

The game itself is a team orientated class based shooter with 2 key game modes. The main mode is a zone capture one, with multiple points required to win the game, usually with each team taking it in turn to attack and defend. The other mode is a more conventional capture the flag (sorry, that should be "intelligence", presumably important documents with details of Half Life: Episode 3).

Whilst the game modes themselves have been seen numerous times in other games, they have seldom been handled with such skill and attention to detail. They are kept fresh with a good selection of maps which are refreshingly different to play, if not being too visually different from one another.

However, the real crux of the gameplay comes from the class system. Each team has access to a range of characters all with unique skills and abilities. The 9 classes are divided into Offense, Defense and Support and there are significant strengths and weaknesses to each of them. The classes are: Scout, Pyro, Soldier, Heavy, Demoman, Sniper, Engineer, Medic and Spy.

It is worth mentioning now that each individual class has been designed with the typical level of attention to detail that Valve have become renowned for. Whether you play as the English balaclava wearing Spy or the gigantic mini-gun wielding Heavy you are guaranteed an experience to remember.

Voice acting is also superb with a wide range of phrases pre-recorded for each character which can either be useful ("Go left!") or largely for irritating the enemy ("Oktoberfest!"). The inclusion of taunt animations is also a masterstroke, allowing to really rub it in when you have just humiliated someone with a melee attack, although be prepared for retribution as a taunt takes control away for valuable seconds.

The art design means each class is instantly recognizable and you soon recognize to steer well clear from a Heavy and Medic combo, that is unless you're a Spy. Here lies the real beauty of the game, as the definition shows (I would get there eventually) not just aesthetic elements, but other elements add to the sense of art.

The class system in this game is so balanced that anyone can play and find a role in a team that they can excel at. A team of brilliant individuals can, and often will, be beaten by a group of beginners who are embracing the name of the game and are working as a team.

The complexity of the system makes it difficult to describe in detail, but I will outline an example. If a team is faced by a group of Engineers (a support class who can build lethal sentry guns which can mow down virtually anyone head on), then they have a number of options. Do they send in the Spy disguised as an enemy to sap it whilst launching a simultaneous team attack? Or instead have a Medic launch an Uber Charge (temporary invulnerability) on a Demoman whose Sticky Bombs can easily destroy a cluster of turrets and anyone foolish enough to be nearby? Or do they try a barrage of long range attacks out of reach of the sentries' fire?

This level of complexity means that rarely are two games the same and this means that the game stays fresh and enjoyable for far longer than many other online games, where repetition is often their downfall. Valve has also promised new game modes and achievements to follow on a regular basis, whether these will enhance the game or destabilise the fragile balance remains to be seen. If anyone can do this though, it is Valve and already the update is overdue in order to tweak it to perfection, I for one, wouldn't have it any other way.

I can't recommend Team Fortress 2 highly enough, not for a long time has a game had me entertained so thoroughly for so long. When you consider that is comes as part of The Orange Box packaged with several other similarly excellent games, then this is a deal not to be missed.

If you enjoy first person shooters and online games with a little more depth, stylish appearance and satisfying gameplay then Team Fortress 2 is for you.