Have you ever heard of a game called Team Fortress 2?

It’s one of those games that redefined the class-based shooter genre and became a personal favorite of mine growing up.

I’m Filipino, and while most of my classmates played Mobas like Dota and FPS games like Counter-Strike back in Elementary school, I was grinding my ass off playing Team Fortress 2 nonstop on a map called 2fort.

I didn’t even touch the other maps and took the game seriously until the Pyro Update because I finally had a PC that could run the game above 30 FPS.

But Team Fortress 2 didn’t capture me because of its objective-driven game. Any game these days could meet that standard easily and refine it as much as they want.

No, Team Fortress 2 was a compelling game because of its fun mechanics and hilarious personalities, and even after a thousand hours of playtime from multiple Steam accounts, there’s still more to love because of the community.

Let’s briefly dive into those three components and see what it’s all about.

***Fun Mechanics***
If something is ever so present in most games these days, it’s having rich mechanics for the sake of mechanics. This is because most games are tailored to become competitive esports, which I think ruined a lot of games, but that’s a topic for another day.

The point is, Team Fortress 2 may have begun the streak of rich mechanics, but they were wholeheartedly the first to make those mechanics fun as hell to learn and repeat.


Here are some points of interest.

- Rocket jumping/sticky jumping- Mobility is rewarded to those who utilize it, creating an entire fandom of people dedicated to teaching how to blast jump and surf.
- Puff & Sting Pyros- Despite their confusing identity design, the Pyro class can have fun being an ambush buddy, a sentry guard, or a combo nightmare.
- Engineer Gaming- Eventually, players grow from turtling around their sentry nest to micromanaging buildings. It’s a class that fits well for those who want to test their ADHD into multitasking overdrive for sweatier playthroughs.
- Trickstab Assassin- Let’s not forget the instant killing spy that abuses angle manipulation, making your opponent question how they even died to a stab.
And so much more!

I’ll gladly say it. I’ve heard of the old Team Fortress 2 versus Overwatch debate, and while I’m not one to pick sides, Overwatch, for me, felt frustrating to master compared to Team Fortress 2.

I would gladly sink in hours learning a class in TF2 rather than play one hero in Overwatch simply because Overwatch heroes are very one-dimensional. Not to mention being more team-dependent to gain the most value.

While Team Fortress 2 may seem like a chaotic cluster of bombs, pipes, bullets, and flames, the game rewards skillful potential. No one is a direct counter to anyone, as long as you have the skills to back it up.

I love Overwatch, but quality-wise, it doesn’t compare to the legacy Team Fortress 2 has brought to make mechanics FUN and RICH simultaneously.

***HILARIOUSLY Interesting Personalities***
I never thought of a lore that’s so dumb could actually work and make sense in the Team Fortress 2 universe. But it did. Two brothers fighting for useless land are stuck in a stalemate, with an administrator funding both sides to keep the said stalemate.

That’s how the war became justified in the first place. And TF2 could’ve just stopped there.

News flash! They didn’t.

The TF2 team back then carefully curated each iconic mercenary’s personality and story, along with passionate executions on each individual voice line.

Are you looking for a mad scientist with no morals experimenting on his fellow mercenaries for the fun of it? Not to mention, he tricks the actual devil in the comics into giving him more souls. (As random as this is, this is just scratching the surface).


Or perhaps a Scottish drunk whose other eye became cursed to become a giant Halloween boss that shoots rockets.


Heck, how about a Frenchman banging the mom of another mercenary disguised as Tom Jones to hide his real identity from being the mercenary’s father?


To name a few more…

-A schizophrenic arsonist
-A Texan guitar player
-A piss poor sharpshooter
-An American
-A Russian huggable bear who eats sandwiches to gain back health

You can’t make this stuff up. And yet it worked!

I like to believe these aren’t random details placed for no apparent reason. They belong in this universe and belong in the lore. No matter how ridiculous it is.

AND THAT’S JUST ONE PART OF THE STORY!

There’s also Mann Versus Machine, the reconnection of Team Fortress Classic versus Team Fortress 2 Mercenaries, Saxton Hale, and his obsession with Australiums. The list goes on!

No one could’ve pulled it better than Team Fortress 2 in this chaotic crusade.

***God-Tier Community***
You know your game is great when you have dedicated players willing to keep it alive through their pockets. The steam workshop and community server enthusiasts are perfect examples of this.

For many years, it’s still going strong, and while the bot problem is creating a fuss for many new players, I would suggest looking into TF2 with a friend who has tried the game passionately.

Why?

Because I’m sure your friend will have much to share as a long-time player of the game. In fact, anyone who has played the game for hours can tell you A LOT about what this game has to offer. There’s always something to say about it as a long-term fan, and as a long-term fan myself, community servers are probably the last bastion between the bot crisis and keeping the game alive.

However, as a new player, you wouldn’t know this. That is exactly why I wouldn’t suggest TF2 if you went into the game raw with no protection whatsoever.

The content creators in this game are an understatement, too. From source filmmakers to making fem versions of the mercs, the community remains resilient and dedicated to keeping the game’s economy and meme status alive.

And you can tell that the love for this game is far from dying because the last SEAL update caused an uproar for EVERYONE in the community.

---Wrapping Things Up…---
Maybe TF2 is already dead as a corporate decision because everything needs to end eventually. However, immortality isn’t reliant on corporate rules and how the creator decides the legacy.

It’s how people intend to remember the game and keep that legacy alive.

TF2 may lose management.

But one thing is certain. Team Fortress 2 will remain a classic example of a great game, and it will always have a special place in my cold, beating heart. It is timeless and an essential standard for games to make out of.

While Valve themselves may never learn to count to three, I can only dream of a Team Fortress 3 reality. But I’m pretty sure that such a concept will find its way to align with the values of such a dedicated fanbase.

Team Fortress 2, this is my love letter to you.

Stay strong, stay awesome, and fly high!

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I wrote this review on my medium blog. I'd appreciate it if you checked there, too!

https://medium.com/@minimak0602/a-love-letter-to-team-fortress-2-b4af2be86c88