TEAM FORTRESS 2

It’s simultaneously old and new and experimental and nostalgic

The received wisdom is that Team Fortress 2 has changed, and not for the better. The argument, often made by former players, is that everything Valve has added to the game over the last 13 years – the hats, the achievements, the jars of human piss – has diluted the spirit of what TF2once was. I’ve fallen into the same trap myself over the years, bemoaning that the game I once loved no longer exists.

It would be absurd to suggest that changed; it was arguably the poster child for games-as-a-service design. It’s evident in everything from the menus to the way you start a match. Nevertheless, returning after years away, I’m struck by how much ofthat became one of the most influential online shooters of the 21st century so far.