​🇮​​🇷​​🇺​​🇲​​🇦​​🇪​ - ​🇹​​🇪​​🇦​​🇲​ ​🇫​​🇴​​🇷​​🇹​​🇷​​🇪​​🇸​​🇸​ 2

​🇦​​🇱​​🇪​​🇷​​🇹​​🇸​ (1️)
​🇾​​🇴​​🇺​ ​🇭​​🇦​​🇻​​🇪​ ​🇳​​🇪​​🇼​ ​🇮​​🇹​​🇪​​🇲​​🇸​!

Recently I’ve become infatuated with the catalogue and timeline of Valve’s works, as someone who has arrived to the PC scene only recently, I’ve picked up their backlog of titles and have come to understand their legacy. Wherever that’s their genre making Half-Life that set forth what an immersive story should be, or the incredible case of Portal, and what I could argue as the definitive puzzle game. Even their more “lesser frontline” games such as Day of Defeat and older Counter Strike’s are fascinating enough where I feel intrigued to explore and delve in more. The success could be attributed to many things, like the Source engine being so perfect for the time as it was, or Valve’s near godlike worship in most online communities. Over the past few weeks however, one of these has stuck out to me as a work I would have never expected to love so much.

ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴀꜱᴜᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ ɪꜱ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ
ᴊᴏɪɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ 6...

Where can you really start with Team Fortress 2? A flagship of the Orange Box quickly becoming one of the longest supported games throughout it’s life, before falling into a limbo of uncertainty for it’s prevalent future. As someone new to playing, this was incredibly daunting, but soon enough you get into a rhythm of matches and matches and the outsider feeling isn’t really a problem. To delve into the gameplay, I believe they really nailed it right on the spot. Before the time of Overwatch and Paladins there were nine mercenaries, and wherever that the natural talent of Valve they’re really loveable. I initially thought these were just blank slates and that internet culture hypes these guys out more than they’re meant to be, but god dammit they're extravagant personalities really shine out. Scout is loud, often abrasive, Heavy is a sort of stupid yet secretively intellectual character, and the cartoonishly evilness of Medic’s science, to name only three. The reason why TF2 has stuck out so much over the 1.5ish decade course is that these jerk-offs really are individuals, which brings so much personality into the world.

🇽​​🇽​ꜱʜᴀᴅ0️ᴡᴡ0️1️​🇽​​🇽​ ︻デ═一 ɪʀᴜᴍᴀᴇ
​🇽​​🇽​ꜱʜᴀᴅ0️ᴡᴡ0️1​🇽​​🇽 🎯​ ​🇮​​🇸​ ​🇩​​🇴​​🇲​​🇮​​🇳​​🇦​​🇹​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇮​​🇷​​🇺​​🇲​​🇦​​🇪​

Speaking of individuality, an almost genius idea that was maybe accidentally brought into the game was the customisation of the mercs.The mix-matching of weapons and weighing out the pros and cons gives you your own playstyle and how you play your matches. To name an example, my team was trying to push on Dustbowl, and were struggling to get it out of spawn. I had an idea and used the Eyelander and Chargin’ Targe for Demoman and successfully flanked most of the enemy team. Older players will probably roll my eyes and make a comment about subclasses, but I felt rewarded by the game for trying out something slightly unconventional.

​🇩​​🇪​​🇦​​🇩​ ​🇸​​🇦​​🇱​​🇹​​🇾​​🇸​​🇴​​🇱​​🇩​​🇮​​🇪​​🇷​⦂ 🇫​​🇺​​🇨​​🇰​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇸​​🇹​​🇴​​🇵​ ​🇧​​🇪​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​ ​🇦​​🇫​​🇰​

“Unconventional” suits this game a lot. The more time I spent in this game the more the rabbit hole of gamemode and maps opened up for me. Mann vs Machine, (if you ignore the prevalent toxicity surrounding the games) is one of my favourite PvE modes that could serve as its own game. The uniqueness of mix-matching the weapons and classes comes into fruition here as they bring forward the teamwork and communication side of TF2, and as long as you get great people it’s a lovely time. It gives a very hard to master approach, but I feel as if I’m learning and improving all the time. All of that is driven by the wondrous prize of an elusive Australium weapon, and although I cannot comment on it as much as I would like to, the market system and trading economy in this game is comprehensive and extensively deep. Community tabs, though a violent cesspool of mediocrity, are majoritively entertaining enough to check out. It’s interesting to see what the community can do with only the engine and game mechanics; you only need to take a quick look at rocket-jumping maps for how committed TF2’s players are willing to push the gameplay core.

(​🇻​​🇴​​🇮​​🇨​​🇪​) ​🇫​​🇷​​🇮​​🇪​​🇳​​🇩​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇦​​🇻​​🇾​⦂ ​🇲​​🇪​​🇩​​🇮​​🇨​!
(​🇻​​🇴​​🇮​​🇨​​🇪​) ​🇫​​🇷​​🇮​​🇪​​🇳​​🇩​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇦​​🇻​​🇾​⦂ ​🇲​​🇪​​🇩​​🇮​​🇨​!
(​🇻​​🇴​​🇮​​🇨​​🇪​) ​🇫​​🇷​​🇮​​🇪​​🇳​​🇩​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇦​​🇻​​🇾​⦂ ​🇲​​🇪​​🇩​​🇮​​🇨​!

Its’ cultural status breaks out of this too, as of its’ 16 year anniversary it has miraculously pulled through the lack of support that Valve has given it. It’s a shame, as issues like hacking and the rise of bots have troubled the community enough. But somehow, the perseverance and determination of TF2’s players has me in awe. The aspect of wanting to keep your playerbase together whilst managing to uptake the parts of the game that made it so interesting in the first place is maybe one of the reasons why I love this game so much. And I feel like I could go more into this game, but I’ve said enough. Maybe as I reach the high hour marks my thoughts and opinions will grow bitter, I’ll sour and become a TF2 vet, depressingly wandering and reminiscing on a game that once was. I’ll have joined a community of edgy teens, toxic tryhards, and AI bots insta-sniping me from across the map. But I’ll also be in a place of belonging, and acceptance in a weird time of the internet where maybe all I need from a game is to have fun.

For a game I only just know, this feels like home.
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​🇰​​🇮​​🇨​​🇰​ ​🇵​​🇱​​🇦​​🇾​​🇪​​🇷​⦂ ​🇮​​🇷​​🇺​​🇲​​🇦​​🇪​? (​🇳​​🇴​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇸​​🇴​​🇳​ ​🇬​​🇮​​🇻​​🇪​​🇳​)

​🇵​​🇷​​🇪​​🇸​​🇸​ ​🇫​1️ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇻​​🇴​​🇹​​🇪​ ​🇾​​🇪​​🇸​
​🇵​​🇷​​🇪​​🇸​​🇸​ ​🇫​2️ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇻​​🇴​​🇹​​🇪​ ​🇳​​🇴​

✓ 6️ ✖ 0️
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​🇸​​🇦​​🇱​​🇹​​🇾​​🇸​​🇴​​🇱​​🇩​​🇮​​🇪​​🇷​⦂ ​🇫​1️
​🇫​​🇷​​🇮​​🇪​​🇳​​🇩​​🇱​​🇾​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇦​​🇻​​🇾​⦂ ​🇫​1️
​🇮​​🇷​​🇺​​🇲​​🇦​​🇪​⦂ ​🇼​​🇦​​🇮​​🇹​ ​🇼​​🇭​​🇦​​🇹​ ​🇳​​🇴​
​🇮​​🇷​​🇺​​🇲​​🇦​​🇪​⦂ ​🇮​❜​🇲​ ​🇩​​🇴​​🇳​​🇪​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇻​​🇮​​🇪​​🇼​​🇮​​🇳​​🇬​

​🇩​​🇮​​🇸​​🇨​​🇴​​🇳​​🇳​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​​🇪​​🇩​⦂
​🇩​​🇮​​🇸​​🇨​​🇴​​🇳​​🇳​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​⦂ ​🇨​​🇱​​🇮​​🇪​​🇳​​🇹​ ​🇩​​🇮​​🇸​​🇨​​🇴​​🇳​​🇳​​🇪​​🇨​​🇹​.

Slippi: ᵀʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵉˢᵗ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᴵ’ᵛᵉ ˢᵉᵉⁿ ᶠᵒˣ! ʸᵒᵘ’ʳᵉ ˡⁱᵗᵉʳᵃˡˡʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵒˡᵉˢᵗ ᵍᵘʸ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ!!

Falco: Yeah anyone could’ve done that you little bitch. Do us all a favour and die you imbecile

Peppy: Good job. Your father is dead