Team Fortress

One of my favorite time wasters on YouTube are the Vsauce channels. I was thrilled earlier this month when Vsauce3 tackled something that I have always wondered about but dared not ask: can I actually rocket jump in the real world like I did in Quake? The answer is disappointing, but at least I know for sure.

A few weeks ago I had a bunch of wine and thought to myself: "Self, what would it be like to get the podcast crew together to play TF2's Mann Vs Machine?" Sadly I couldn't get the whole crew on board, but I did manage to get 4 people who had barely played the game before, plus me being terrible at medic and great at healing spies. Unfortunately we weren't able to finish the round due to technical difficulties and the fact that it was getting so late, but fun was had by all (I think) and let it be known that I actually got Tim Spaeth interested in Team Fortress. Yay me. Enjoy the good times with myself, Chi "Heavy" Kong Lui, Tim "Welcome to the Jungle" Spaeth, Kristen "Self-destruct" Taylor, and Jeremy "Technical Difficulties" LaMont.

Screenames:
Dr. Penguin - Richard Naik
gamecritics - Chi Kong Lui
ColonelT - Tim Spaeth
Gelles - Kristen Taylor
Jeremy - Jeremy LaMont

Montgomery Scott. Kaylee Frye. Lucca. All are capable of fashioning a soup can, a book of matches, and some rocks into a warp drive. From this line of quirky mechanical geniuses comes the Engineer, Team Fortress 2's resident miracle worker.

Greetings all. We're trying out a bit of an experiment here, and no, it isn't "how many times can I fit the word 'game' into the headline?" It's the first ever GameCritics game night, which will hopefully give our wonderful community the chance to play, interact, and mercilessly embarrass each other all in the name of good-natured fun.

The first game that we're going to try is Team Fortress 2, for which we've set up our own server (details below). If you haven't played before/aren't experienced, don't worry! This is going to be about having fun above all else, and all skill levels are welcome.

The first date we're shooting for will be Thursday Feb. 23rd, at 7pm CST/8pm EST. I will also post an announcement in the Steam group around that time. Also, we'd like to know what games you would like to see for possible future game nights-post your suggestions in the comments.

Hope to see you there!

TF2 server address (add to favorites in the game): 8.6.75.26:27015

Steam group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/gamecritics

The Heavy is Team Fortress 2's most iconic class. He graces the cover of the retail box, he was selected to represent the game in Poker Night at the Inventory, and he was the subject of the very first "Meet the Team" video. So what does the giant man-beast actually do, other than brandish his impossibly large weapon and distinct raa-shun accent?

I'm not very good with the Demoman. In the hands of a skilled player he can be the most powerful force in the game, but he and I just never meshed that well. So this article should be taken with a grain of salt, as I am by no means a Demo expert. That said, I do pick up the bagpipes from time to time. Indeed, until a fairly recent update the Demo was the one class that could be legitimately called overpowered. How is that, you ask? Well, take a swig of the ol' grumpy bottle and have a listen.

We're joined by Wowhead.com Community Manager Rhea Monique for another round of our Gaming Exchange Program. This time, Tim endured Team Fortress 2 while Richard suffered through World of Warcraft. You'll never guess the results! Plus, our take on The Death of Middle Class Gaming, and the coach from the Major League movies takes over Tim's hosting duties. Featuring Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and (sort of) Tim Spaeth.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
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Links:

• Richard's Guide to Team Fortress 2

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Her name says it all. Yes, her. Valve has repeatedly dropped subtle and not-so-subtle hints that the Pyro is in fact a woman, so from hence forth she shall be referred to in the feminine. Our mumbly firesmith is superb in close combat, and can throw an entire team into disarray with a well-timed ambush. The Pyro is also the best anti-Spy class in the game.

He's mean, he's got a jawline cut by the Maker herself, and he does the best Captain America on crack impression ever seen without even trying. He's the Soldier, arguably the most well-rounded offensive and defensive class in the game. He has few real weaknesses, but no overwhelming strengths. I didn't used to play him that much, but I've started using him a lot more lately in a defensive role. However, he can work on almost any map or any game mode.

The Scout is probably the hardest class for me to write about, simply because I've spent relatively little time playing him. His advantages are obvious, but they often aren't of any great use. Scouts make their living by being fast and hard to hit, which is useful in some areas and worthless in others. Still, you'd be surprised how many times a clever Scout can get the jump on a Heavy or a Pyro and take them down.