Online/Multiplayer

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.

C'mon! Through the White Castle!

HIGH Running over someone with the humvee in multiplayer.

LOW Being killed by an unseen grenade/gas barrel/guy hitting me with the butt of a gun while my AI teammates shoot backwards.

WTF There are so many I'm willing to risk fines & sanctions by listing them all:

-Dying and being respawned well ahead of where I was.
-That the back of the box has the audacity to say "groundbreaking 32-person multiplayer."
-"New objective: follow Connor." New? I've been doing that almost the whole game.
-The absolute worst hidden rebel base of all time.

Making a Case for Stagnation

HIGH Pinning down a hostile invader with a small army of machine gun equipped robo-monkeys.

LOW Having to take out entire waves of enemies solo because my entourage was intent on trying to shoot through walls.

WTF Businessmen with machine guns, construction workers with sniper rifles; apparently Mindjack takes place in an NRA wet dream.

A Present From Uncle Joe

HIGH Raising "the Pearl."

LOW Running out of oxygen because I didn't know to jam a door from the top.

WTF It's 2010, is it too much to have the Russian characters speak Russian?

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.

Been There, Done That

HIGH The suspense of hunting someone in Sole Survivor mode.

LOW Spawning right in front of a rocket.

WTF I can blow up this piece of wall, but not the other, more hollow looking wall?

Team Fortress 2 is a topic I can go on for several hours about, much to the dismay of the people I might be talking to. So for the good of everyone on the planet, I have decided to put together Richard's Guide to Team Fortress 2, an essential manual for any Dustbowl-dwelling denizen.