Once of the highly anticipated game packs of the year namely “ The Orange Box “ has graced us finally with some games that makes us say words like “brilliant†“amazing†“exiting†and most important “funâ€.
The 3 games officially on the pack are “Half Life 2 : Episode 2†“Portal†and “Team Fortress 2†. Additionally thrown in games are “ Half Life 2†and “Half Life 2 : Episode 1â€
My Rig details :
AMD X2 3800+
Asus M2NPV-VM
2 GB Corsair Value 533 Mhz
Nvidia 6800 GT 256 MB
32 “ Sony Bravia Lcd Tv.
Not everyone has a Nvidia 8800 GTX or a ATi 2900 XT at his or her disposal . I believe this moderate system will tell a lot of how the game performs in less than ideal conditions , that accounts for the majority of people .[BREAK=About the game]
While all the games on the pack are worth raving about , the one thing that stands apart on this collection is “Team Fortress 2†with it being the only mutiplayer game of the lot .
Based on the original Team Fortress and Team Fortress Classic , the new Team Fortress 2 is miles apart as far as game presentation counts . Lets just say considering everything , this is by far the most unique multiplayer game that I have personally come across .
The game is very different when compared to other games on the pack . One would expect Valve to have woven the game in some kind of story line relating to the Half Life world , but it is not . This makes it stand without a standard story line with only one piece of history that has prevailed in the game universe that supports the game as it stands .
The Eternal fight of “ The Reds Vs The Blues â€
The game has a very 70-80’s feel to it . In one sense this is what makes it appealing , with most multiplyer games nowadays have catered to the present to mostly futuristic aspects of war , TF2 comes across as a welcome change , with its bright , cel shaded , funny characters .
Initially labeled as “vapourware†given its long time under development , and various hiccups along the way , it seemed that it would share the ranks of Duke Nukem Forever in its infamy of not delivering the goods . But I am thankful that Valve has proven me wrong here .
The Player starts off with a choice of selecting either of the teams , red or blue , or you can select “ random “ where the game assigns you a team depending on the number of players already playing on the teams . Once that is done with , you are given 9 player classes to choose from , and then introduced in the game at a spawn point . But more about that later .
[BREAK=Game Types]
Depending on the map there are two game types available .
1) control point mode
2) CT Flag / Briefcase
The control point mode is where there may be 1 or more point on the map that your team has to capture . That is attained by positioning oneself over the control point make sure that the other team is no where on control point blocking the capture .
CTF mode is like the general CTF games , the only difference is a Intelligence briefcase that has replaced the flag .
At the time of release there were 6 maps available . More available from the user community .
· 2Fort, a capture the flag map.
· Dustbowl, a control point map.
· Granary, a control point map.
· Gravel Pit, a control point map.
· Hydro, a territorial control map.
· Well, a control point map.
The reasoning for the low number of maps is that , the developers thought that they could have offered 100’s of maps but the community would play on hardly 5-6 of them on a regular basis . Which is so true .
Hence they came up with 6 dynamic maps . The maps are played with some sections of the map locked out and opened only when one set of CP are captured . With all possible possible combinations there are a lot of possibilities . and Trust me , each and every map on the pack is well made and it is easy to tell the amount of research and thinking that has gone in to design each one of them .
[BREAK=Player Classes]
Now , we will move on to the player classes . It is divided in to 3 subgroups of Offense , Defense and Support . However the choice is till up to the player how he wishes to work with his choice of class .
The 9 classes are
Offense - Scout , Pyro , Soldier
Defense - Heavy , Engineer , Demoman
Support - Medic , Sniper , Spy
Each of the classes have been balanced out . So there is no considerable advantange with any of them . All of the classes have usually a basic 3 weapon arsenal . A speciality primary weapon , a secondary ranged weapon and a third melee weapon .
1) Scout -
A Scout is very fast . The fastest infact of all the classes . He has a underarm sawed off two barrel shotgun as the primary weapon , a automatic gun , and a Baseball bat . Has the ability to double jump and change directions in mid air . Usually in a strategic manner is used to capture points once the defense is disabled or yet to be formed . A single scout counts as two people standing on the control point . More number of people on the CP , faster the capture is . If fairly weak with low HP . can be easily be taken down by any other class , providing you can keep up with him .
2) Pyro -
Probably the funniest of the lot . Is a rotund guy with a flame retardant suit , with 3 weapons consisting of a short range flame thrower , a single barrel shotgun and a axe . Makes one of the funniest taunts . Has a gas mask over his face so you hear his voice muffled , like Kenny from South park .The Pyro can be very dangerous . The HP is limited but is capable of causing immense damage . The pyro is a bit faster than most classes but yet behind the Scout and the Medic . Strategically is used to stand behind corners and ambush a crowd coming in by setting them on fire . while they are on fire other team mates can take them out as they are easy targets now . The only way to douse the flames is by immersing self in water or by the help of a medic or picking up health packs . The Flames burn after the attack subsides , so player takes more damage than the time he is exposed to it .
3) Soldier -
My Favorite . Partly because of his ability to Rocket jump at great heights . The wepons at his disposal include a Rocket launcher capable of firing 4 projectiles in sucession , a ranged shotgun and a shovel . Strategically part of the initial offense . Since the rockets move slow it is very difficult to hit moving targets , Again there is a lot of prediction involved in where to fire the projectile . But stationary or slow moving targets are his forte . Like Sentry Guns , Dispensers , Teleporters , Other Soldiers , and Heavy's . Once can say the soldier is an allround player with limited capabilites .
4) Heavy -
A lot of people would like to be a heavy . The star of TF2 so as to speak since this is the class that features on the Box cover art of the Orange Box . The Heavy has a minigun , a shotgun and fists as his arms of choice . The Heavy has penty of ammo , plenty of health , but is the slowest of all the lot . Also is the largest of all the class . Usually the heavy works out well as in a combo of a medic . so that he can take damage yet bulldoze in to the enemy base to clear out people . the large structure makes easy cover for medics so that they can heal him from the back . But alone the heavy makes for an easy target .
5) The Engineer -
This guy has defense written all over him . Is capable of contructing Sentry Guns which fire rockets and rapid fire bullets with 2 miniguns loaded on to it with unlimited ammo at its disposal . also Build dispensers with allow other team mates to pick up health and ammo from it . Also is capable of building transporters which make it easier for team mates to get to different points of the map . Has a monkey wrench as his melee weapon and means to upgrade his sentry guns . The best part of the class is the capability of the sentry gun to stay guard in the event that the enginner himself is killed . The sentry gun stays until it is destroyed or the player changes the class . A favorite of many when it comes to defending a control point or intelligence .
6) Demoman -
Porbably the most under rated class . makes for excellent offense or defense . Can fire grenades or sticky bombs . Grenades being primary weapon . Sticky bombs being secondary and a scotch bottle as his melee weapon . The strategic importance of the demo man is that you can make indirect shots and kill around in corners without having to expose oneself to fire . luck has a factor but in such a fast game there are bound to be casualties . has the most hilarious taunt .
7) Medic -
Medic as the name suggests is out there to support the offense or defence against the other team . Has a healing gun which can heal the team mates , can also once charged give self and 1 other player in the range of the healing gun 10 seconds of "Invunerability" . 10 seconds is a lot more than you think . is many times the most desicive factor in TF2 . also has a syringe gun that can inflict negligible damage on a hit . and a bonesaw as a melee . Medic is one of the most pivotal characters and there is always a requirement for him though people may not choose him due to the less glamourous role . But usually goes on to get highest number of points on the table due to large number of heals . is capable of self healing at a slow rate .
8) Sniper -
Cs players will like him . an Australian Sniper . Has a laser Sniper with can kill anyone with a single headshot when fully charged . has low HP , But also has a machine gun and a Blade as secondary and melee weapons . Useful for taking out medics and other annoying players who cause damage to ones team without exposing himself too much .
9) The Spy -
Perhaps the most versatile of the lot .Wears a team coloured mask Has lot of intresting capabilities . Can be invisible for 15 seconds , can change disguise to imitate another player on the enemy team . Can instakill anyother player with a backstab . Can place electronic sappers on Sentry guns , dispensers , etc to destroy them . Has low HP , but the most menacing of all the classes . Killing a enemy player removes any disguise that he is wearing . A favorite of many including myself in some crucial situations .
[BREAK=Conclusions]
The most important point here is to understand that TF2 is a team based game and there is sucess only if there are people from a range of classes availble . a Map cannot be won by only going offensive or defensive .
About the game in general and its performance , It runs with almost all details set to high with a resolution of 1280 x 720 easily wit hover 45 frames . All maps are HDR with some new modified technology that effects how a light is cast and makes a wondeful experience to play . the characters facial expression change real time according to the situation , with warcry's and Glee after crushing the enemy .
Some other important change is how it percives your progress .. While the game loads it give you your stats , wrt the time played and points accumulated ., kills or whatever you may imagine .
Overall it is one hell of a game . I would give it a 8.5 on 10 .and at the price it is avilable at is unbeatable . The only places where it lost out were because of the small number of maps , which will surely change , and no option for bots in game . So practise is out of question . Overall this is a must buy . And if you have bought it , then what are you doing here ..
Go Play!!
ps: excuse my noobness since this is my first review
The 3 games officially on the pack are “Half Life 2 : Episode 2†“Portal†and “Team Fortress 2†. Additionally thrown in games are “ Half Life 2†and “Half Life 2 : Episode 1â€
My Rig details :
AMD X2 3800+
Asus M2NPV-VM
2 GB Corsair Value 533 Mhz
Nvidia 6800 GT 256 MB
32 “ Sony Bravia Lcd Tv.
Not everyone has a Nvidia 8800 GTX or a ATi 2900 XT at his or her disposal . I believe this moderate system will tell a lot of how the game performs in less than ideal conditions , that accounts for the majority of people .[BREAK=About the game]
While all the games on the pack are worth raving about , the one thing that stands apart on this collection is “Team Fortress 2†with it being the only mutiplayer game of the lot .
Based on the original Team Fortress and Team Fortress Classic , the new Team Fortress 2 is miles apart as far as game presentation counts . Lets just say considering everything , this is by far the most unique multiplayer game that I have personally come across .
The game is very different when compared to other games on the pack . One would expect Valve to have woven the game in some kind of story line relating to the Half Life world , but it is not . This makes it stand without a standard story line with only one piece of history that has prevailed in the game universe that supports the game as it stands .
The Eternal fight of “ The Reds Vs The Blues â€
The game has a very 70-80’s feel to it . In one sense this is what makes it appealing , with most multiplyer games nowadays have catered to the present to mostly futuristic aspects of war , TF2 comes across as a welcome change , with its bright , cel shaded , funny characters .
Initially labeled as “vapourware†given its long time under development , and various hiccups along the way , it seemed that it would share the ranks of Duke Nukem Forever in its infamy of not delivering the goods . But I am thankful that Valve has proven me wrong here .
The Player starts off with a choice of selecting either of the teams , red or blue , or you can select “ random “ where the game assigns you a team depending on the number of players already playing on the teams . Once that is done with , you are given 9 player classes to choose from , and then introduced in the game at a spawn point . But more about that later .
[BREAK=Game Types]
Depending on the map there are two game types available .
1) control point mode
2) CT Flag / Briefcase
The control point mode is where there may be 1 or more point on the map that your team has to capture . That is attained by positioning oneself over the control point make sure that the other team is no where on control point blocking the capture .
CTF mode is like the general CTF games , the only difference is a Intelligence briefcase that has replaced the flag .
At the time of release there were 6 maps available . More available from the user community .
· 2Fort, a capture the flag map.
· Dustbowl, a control point map.
· Granary, a control point map.
· Gravel Pit, a control point map.
· Hydro, a territorial control map.
· Well, a control point map.
The reasoning for the low number of maps is that , the developers thought that they could have offered 100’s of maps but the community would play on hardly 5-6 of them on a regular basis . Which is so true .
Hence they came up with 6 dynamic maps . The maps are played with some sections of the map locked out and opened only when one set of CP are captured . With all possible possible combinations there are a lot of possibilities . and Trust me , each and every map on the pack is well made and it is easy to tell the amount of research and thinking that has gone in to design each one of them .
[BREAK=Player Classes]
Now , we will move on to the player classes . It is divided in to 3 subgroups of Offense , Defense and Support . However the choice is till up to the player how he wishes to work with his choice of class .
The 9 classes are
Offense - Scout , Pyro , Soldier
Defense - Heavy , Engineer , Demoman
Support - Medic , Sniper , Spy
Each of the classes have been balanced out . So there is no considerable advantange with any of them . All of the classes have usually a basic 3 weapon arsenal . A speciality primary weapon , a secondary ranged weapon and a third melee weapon .
1) Scout -
A Scout is very fast . The fastest infact of all the classes . He has a underarm sawed off two barrel shotgun as the primary weapon , a automatic gun , and a Baseball bat . Has the ability to double jump and change directions in mid air . Usually in a strategic manner is used to capture points once the defense is disabled or yet to be formed . A single scout counts as two people standing on the control point . More number of people on the CP , faster the capture is . If fairly weak with low HP . can be easily be taken down by any other class , providing you can keep up with him .
2) Pyro -
3) Soldier -
4) Heavy -
5) The Engineer -
6) Demoman -
7) Medic -
8) Sniper -
9) The Spy -
[BREAK=Conclusions]
The most important point here is to understand that TF2 is a team based game and there is sucess only if there are people from a range of classes availble . a Map cannot be won by only going offensive or defensive .
About the game in general and its performance , It runs with almost all details set to high with a resolution of 1280 x 720 easily wit hover 45 frames . All maps are HDR with some new modified technology that effects how a light is cast and makes a wondeful experience to play . the characters facial expression change real time according to the situation , with warcry's and Glee after crushing the enemy .
Some other important change is how it percives your progress .. While the game loads it give you your stats , wrt the time played and points accumulated ., kills or whatever you may imagine .
Overall it is one hell of a game . I would give it a 8.5 on 10 .and at the price it is avilable at is unbeatable . The only places where it lost out were because of the small number of maps , which will surely change , and no option for bots in game . So practise is out of question . Overall this is a must buy . And if you have bought it , then what are you doing here ..
Go Play!!
ps: excuse my noobness since this is my first review
hyeah:
"
