I picked up Team Fortress 2 for the Xbox360 as part of the fantastic Orange Box bundle a little under a year ago and instantly fell in love with it. I'm not a big online gamer by any means, but TF2 was so immediately charming, smartly designed and had such tactical depth that I played it almost every day for the best part of 2 months.
Every match seemed to introduce me to some ingenious new gameplay nuance that stemmed from TF2's multi-faceted mechanics, be it the wonderfully designed and balanced weapons or the myriad interactions between the nine vastly different player classes. Along with DooM II, TF2 has to be my favourite multiplayer game ever.
For a time it seemed like I would never grow bored of it.
Eventually however, I did, as TF2 launched with a relatively small roster of maps and only one CTF arena called '2Fort'. Now, if you picked up the PC version over Steam, this isn't even an issue as new maps, gameplay modes and even unlockable class-specific weapons have been pouring out, free of charge over the service since launch.
The 360 and PS3 versions, on the other hand, have received absolutely nothing extra in the way of content since the Orange Box's debut. Valve have been making vague promises about bringing updates to the 360 version since late last summer, but haven't even managed to get a solitary new map out in all that time.
One interesting point Valve keep raising in their defense is that Microsoft are pushing to charge a fee for such a sizable upgrade (in terms of both content and, presumably, file size), something Valve feels is unfair given that PC owners are getting it all at no extra cost. It's a reasonable complaint, but frankly I don't care if it does costs me extra! I'd happily shell out 500, 800 or even a thousand MS points just for something new to play!
It's truly maddening to know that while I slouch in front of my television, sobbing bitter tears into my headset, TF2 playing PC owners are being spoiled rotten with a seemingly endless tide of pristine new content.
If the 360 version doesn't get it's act together soon, I'll have not other choice but abandon my controller and download the PC version over Steam. It hardly seems fair having to pay the team at Valve twice because they're incapable of delivering on their promises, but it seems I have no choice. My thirst for TF2 is endless, and my patience is all but spent.
To Gabe Newell and the team at Valve, from Hell's heart I stab at thee!
2 comments:
I know what you mean. I haven't played nearly as much TF2 as you have, but I'm still kind of bored by the limited selection of maps available.
I wish we knew who was more responsible - Valve or Microsoft, but I have a feeling it's the latter, as they've had no problem getting the updates out on PC. And now that they're switching their focus over to Left 4 Dead, who knows when we'll finally get the new TF2 stuff?
Also, Valve seem to have gotten the Left 4 Dead DLC past Microsoft without having to charge for it, so what's up with that?
It does seem strange that new Left4Dead content seems to be getting pushed through much faster than Team Fortress 2 stuff. Maybe it's been so long they see TF2 on the 360 as a lost cause and are concentrating on the more popular title?
I guess we'll see.
Post a Comment