It seems like I’ve been hearing about Team Fortress 2 for five or six years but it looks like its actually slated to release next month (October 9, 2007 to be exact). This is one of the first computer games in a long time to make me want to get back into PC gaming. Team Fortress Classic was my absolute favorite online game, if not my favorite game of all time.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Team Fortress, it came out as a Half-Life mod (another excellent game BTW). the basic idea of the game is quite simple though it is a deviation from the classic death match style of online play which places each player on one of two teams. Each team typically has a base to defend and you usually play some variation of capture the flag although there were one other styles–one of my favorites was Hunted.

Besides having the team based approach which wasn’t entirely unique at the time of the game’s release (April 1999), Team Fortress allowed you to play as different characters (e.g., Scout, Sniper, Soldier, Demoman, Medic, Heavy Weapons Guy, Pyrotechnic, Spy, Engineer, and Civilian). Each character had unique abilities and weaknesses which really added to the gaming experience.

Of course, by today’s standards the orginial Team Fortress doesn’t hold up so well. All I can hope is that Team Fortress 2 is half as good as the old one. Since Valve (the maker of the Half Life series) is behind it, it stands a good chance of being an excellent a game. If it is, I may have to break down and buy it.

You can find out more about Team Fortress 2 at The Orange Box and as always, Wikipedia. Wikipedia also offers a bit of nostalgia for Team Fortress Classic.

I know one thing….I wasted way too much time on Team Fortress in High School