I saw the rather disappointing review by Chris Watters, 8.5. I figured i better say a few words. Firstly, calling it expensive? Chris, the majority of people buying TF2 are those who don't know the game very well, or new to gaming. They are the ones who have money to burn and heard there's this cool Steam thing that gives you games on demand. I'd say greater than 70% of people bought the game as part of The Orange Box (which was a full point better on the PC at 9.5 and an editor's choice), and probably about 90% who have visited GameSpot or similar sites. That game was 'value-priced' according to Jeff Gerstmann. Now, I don't have a problem, really with you calling it expensive, but when you detract points because of such a debatable reason, you're gonna get slammed. It really should be reviewed as part of the whole. That's not my biggest issue with the review, however, as there was another, more pressing issue.

That would be the majority of criticisms in the written review itself: multiplayer.

Still, many a team has fallen to defeat due to dissonant strategy, and as such Team Fortress 2's biggest strength is also its biggest liability. Your success is tied to your team's success and, in part, so is your enjoyment of the game. Just as being part of a fluid, coordinated team is truly excellent, so too is being part of a fractured, dysfunctional team truly frustrating. These are two extremes, to be sure, but such is the inconsistent nature of a game experience that depends so wholly on other players.

This is truly frustrating for a player to read. This game is multiplayer. As with all multiplayers, if you are in a game that teams suck, the experience will suck. Thus, the reverse is also true. However, if you take points away from a game like this, you must, then also take points away from EVERY multiplayer game.

Still, Team Fortress 2 is a purely multiplayer game and, as such, lives and dies by the team.

There are very few other criticisms.

This is my take. Team Fortress 2 is simply the best multiplayer game available to date. Better than Call of Duty 4, better than Gears of War, and better, yes, than Halo 3. The game hides the complexity of a strategy game behind the cartoony screen of a FPS. The depth of each character, which Watters discusses in depth in his review but talks only briefly about, is amazing, and the way they interact with each other makes the game truly special.

"The team is only as strong as its weakest link", the saying goes. After reading this review, Watters seems to think that TF2 is the weakest part of The Orange Box; almost to a point where it is dragging the collection as a whole down. It, however is far from it. This is the type of game that makes being a gamer so rewarding. Perhaps this is evidenced by the other two reviews: a 9.2 from 12 other paid critics, and a 9.1 from the most important demographic: gamers (1,727 at last count).