Pyro is by far the most hated class in all of Team Fortress 2. He’s one of the games three offensive classes (with the others being scout and soldier), and can inflict some serious damage in just a few seconds.

No one really knows where the pyro comes from, as he covers his face with a mask and always mumbles – making it impossible to distinguish an accent or any ethnicity. Although we refer to the pyro as  “he” there is much debate about the true sex of the pyro.  All you really need to know is that he’s/she’s utterly crazy, equipped with a flamethrower that could burn you to ashes in a matter of seconds.

Oddly enough, he also carries around a fire axe. Yes, the same kind that firemen uses – you know, the people who try to fight fires, unlike the pyro who is all about setting them. On long-distance he makes use of an old fashion shotgun. Even though some might say that pyro is the simplest class in Team Fortress 2, he’s not all about running and shooting relentlessly. You know the drill by now: below are some of the bare basics of playing a pyro, which will hopefully help you in toasting the enemy:

-Only use your flamethrower in close range. Not only will you actually hit the target, but the closer you are, the more damage you’ll do.
-Be sneaky. I know it’s hard to actually disguise a screaming maniac who insists on torching everything, but your most effective weapon is the element of surprise. If you manage to flank the opponent and get close to him, you’ll easily out-maneuver both him and his teammates.
-Friendly fire is normally off, so don’t be afraid to waste some smoke on your friends. If you see someone who’s suspiciously sneaky, flame him. If he’s a spy he’ll start to burn – even though he’s wearing a disguise. The same goes for invisible spies.
-Don’t always chase your enemy. If your enemy is caught on fire, he’ll receive damage over time – meaning you might get kills several seconds after your attack.

If you’re looking to do more than just second degree burning, you’ll need – as with everything in life – a lot of practice. To make things easier for the more experienced players, here is some advice below:

-One of your main objectives as a pyro is to wreak as much havoc as possible. If you manage to ambush the opposing team, try to hit multiple targets and then pull back. If done properly, you’ll be able to burn several opponents – who will keep burning after your attack – and still be alive.
-Your flamethrower is big. A great tactic is to hide behind corners and ambush the opponents, but remember that your weapon is quite massive in size – and might give away your position. Simply don’t point it in the wrong direction.
-In most situations you will be hunting the opponent, not the other way around. Remember that when running forward, your flamethrower won’t have a very long range. If you stop you’ll have a greater range and if you run backwards you’ll have the biggest range possible with the flamethrower. So if you know that someone is lurking around the corner – perhaps a pack of enemies – remember to halt before facing the enemies.
-If the scout is wielding a sandman, he has the ability to stun his opponents by hitting them with baseballs. If you use your second ability with the flamethrower – which is air blast – you can actually stop the baseball mid-air, making the sandman useless. The same thing can be done if you’re facing a sniper with a bow – simply air blast his arrows and you’ll never have to worry about any virtual Robin Hoods making your life miserable.

The pyro is a critical defender when protecting the point against Uber charged enemies. Using the air blast will knock the ubers back and if done properly can render their uber useless.

Weapon Tactics

The pyro is primarily a close range fighter however the shotgun and the flare gun give him err her the ability to do damage from afar. With that said don’t sit back and defend your point with a flare gun as it will only take out an enemy who has already sustained a fair amount of damage. The shotgun is not accurate enough to do much damage from far away either.

The Backburner – I play the pyro A LOT and 85% of the time I use the standard flamethrower simply because of the compression blast which is extremely handy especially on point capture blocks. With that said there is a place and time for the backburner.

The backburner does more damage than the standard flamethrower and does critical damage from behind. If you are more of a stealth player than this will be your better load out choice.

Shotgun vs. Flare Gun – This is more of a personal preference load out selection. Both are primarily used when you are out of range with the flamethrower/back burner. The flare gun does a small amount of damage and the shotgun, when relatively close to a target does a little more than the flare gun.

Regardless of which you have equipped you can unleash a “Hadouken” on your enemies which is one of the better attack taunts in the game.

Fire Axe vs. Axstinguisher vs. Homewrecker – If you like axes the Axstinguisher is a great choice! It does critical damage on a burning opponent. This is a great feature when you are behind a heavy. Quickly light him up then switch to the Axstinguisher and finish him off!If your opponent is not already on fire the Axstinguisher does 505 of the damage of the fire axe.

With that said I am still a big fan of the Homewrecker. I like destroying buildings and the homewrecker is the perfect tool for just that. Another benefit is it’s ability to destroy enemy sappers in one hit. It deals 25% less damage to an enemy than the fire axe.

He’s from Boston, runs extremely fast and loves to mock his opponents. The scout is one of the most popular classes in the game, especially suited for capping points and deploying hit-and-run tactics.

The scout has a rather dull armory, though it should definitely not be underestimated. His strength doesn’t lie in his choice of weapons but in his special abilities. Needless to say, he’s the fastest class in the game an and the only one who can  ”double jump”.
The ability is rather self-explanatory, and basically gives you the power to jump twice. It can be used to reach greater heights, or simply to change the direction in the middle of a jump to avoid being shot. Furthermore, he’s able to capture points twice as fast as any other class, which makes him a vital part of any push.

The scout is able to wield three different weapons: a baseball bat, a scatter gun and a pistol. None of them require any further explanation, so instead I’ll head straight for some basic tips and advice to all the novice scouts out there:

- If you’re caught up in a fire-fight, you should constantly be on the run. The scout hasn’t much health and is easily killed if standing still, but the opponents will have a much harder time killing you if you’re a moving target.
For instance, if you’re facing a heavy you could jump constantly right past him while filling his body full of lead.
- If you’re close to the opponent, use the scatter gun. If not, fire a few rounds with your pistol. Always aim at the center of your opponent – your spray will do more damage as you’ll hit a bigger part of the hit box.
- Flanking is key. Learn your way around the most popular maps; how to get from point A to B and so forth. You should focus on getting across the map without being noticed – that way you can actually flank the opponent and strike them from behind.

Now you know the basics, but you’re still not prepared for any competitive play. Below you’ll find even more tips on how to improve your game, though it’s most suited for the more experienced scouts:

-Target demos, medics and snipers. All three are low on health and bad in close combat, making them easy targets. Pyros are also fairly easy to defeat, as long as you keep your distance and use the pistol.
-The scout is primarily a capper. Your primary job should be to capture points, and thus allowing more important and heavy troops to advance in the battlefield.
- Sentries are fairly easy to destroy. If it’s in a corner, just jump in, shoot it, and jump back again. This way, you’ll dodge all of the bullets while inflicting a lot of damage.
- You could also indulge in some devious anti-capping, by camping at points to ensure that the enemy can’t take control of it. This tactic requires that you know your way around the map, as you’ll need a steady stream of health packs to stay alive.

PC:

The Orange Box delivers five innovative action games from Valve – creators of the blockbuster Half Life franchise, in one box.

The Orange Box includes Half Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2 in addition to full versions of award winning Half Life 2 and Half Life 2: Episode One for an engrossing first-person action experience.

Half Life 2: by taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player’s presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors, and even emotions, of both friends and enemies.

Half Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of new adventures created by Valve that extends the Half-Life 2 single player experience.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second in a trilogy of new games created by Valve that extends the award-winning and best-selling Half-Life adventure.

Portal is a new single player game from Valve. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and will offer gamers hours of unique gameplay.

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map. The most anticipated online action game, TF2 delivers new gametypes, a signature art style powered by Valve’s next generation animation technology, persistent player statistics, and more.

Xbox 360:

The Orange Box is the ultimate collection of innovative action games for the PC, and an amazing introduction to the Half-Life series for PC gamers.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two takes you deeper into one of the best-known stories in gaming, following the desperate struggle of Gordon Freeman against the mysterious Combine. In this episode, you must leave the confines of City 17 for the first time and face even greater dangers beyond the city walls.

Portal delivers an innovative new action gaming experience. Arming you with a portal gun that lets you create portals from one location to another with the press of a button, Portal will forever change the way that you interact with your environment.

Team Fortress 2 is the sequel to granddaddy of role-based multiplayer action games. Featuring nine distinct roles – Heavy, Spy, Scout, Demoman, Engineer, Medic, Sniper, Soldier, and Pyro – Team Fortress 2 is one of the most anticipated multiplayer games for any platform.

* Five games, one box
* Epic storyline
* Redefining action
* World-class multiplayer

Playing the Spy in TF2

France is often belittled because of their military history. In the Second World War, their army was quickly defeated by the Germans – and thus perceived as both weak and cowardice.

Some would say the same thing about the Spy, but in an attempt to not spite any French readers out there, I’d rather call him clever and adaptable. Just like the French resistance – famous for their many successful bombings – he uses the environment to cover his tracks, while maintaining a certain level of class.

The Spy has a wide array of toys at his disposal, as any self-respecting spy would. His most trusted weapon is a simple knife. In an era with machine guns, flame throwers and snipers this is quite an unorthodox weapon, but despite its simplicity, it’s one of the most effective.

First, it’s the only weapon that can kill an enemy in one swing. By sneaking behind the enemy and sticking the knife in his back, you can secure both vital points and create a commotion in the enemy encampments.

If he manages to infiltrate the enemy base the zapper might come in handy. With this device the spy can destroy enemy engineer buildings. To actually get inside the base, his invisibility watch is a convenient little gadget. If you’re feeling extra ballsy, you might even use his make-up kit and disguise as one of the opponents.

Even though the spy has a lot of cards up his sleeve, using them right can be a real hassle. In order to improve, you’ll need proper guidance. Below you’ll find a few pointers hopefully steering you in the right direction:

- Your main target is the engineer. He’ll be held up in a corner somewhere, working on setting up both sentries and teleporters. It might be tempting to destroy these support-structures, but you should never zap them when the engineer is still alive. Always, and I mean always kill the engineer first. This prevents him from fixing the zapped target, and keeps you alive a lot longer.

For best results kill the engineer then quickly zap the sentry. It will take practice, and you’ll most likely be killed the first few times.
- Think like your enemy. If you’re disguised as a pyro but keep standing behind an enemy sniper, he’ll realize that you don’t want to just cuddle. Playing a spy doesn’t call for a Broadway-performance, but it does require more thinking than most classes.
Stay away from the pyro. He’s your worst nightmare, as his flame-thrower sets you on fire – rendering your invisibility/disguise useless.

If you already know all the basic principles of playing the spy,  here are some additional techniques.
- If you’re discovered – and trust me, you will be discovered – try finding some stairs. If the opponent chases after you, turn around quickly and jump right over them. While doing this, you might be able to stab him in the back and thus ending the chase.
- Never use the knife in close-combat unless you’re backstabbing the opponent. It’s utterly useless and your pistol will do much more damage.
- When you’re disguised you can see how much health an enemy has. If his life is already on a string, fire a shot or two to finish him off.
- If you’ve unlocked the ambassador (gun), you’ll be able to do a lot more than just stabbing and zapping. If you spot an engineer with a sentry, keep yourself at a distance and make sure the sentry can’t shoot you. With the full strength of the ambassador, plus the bonus damage from a head shot, you’ll be able to snipe the engineer from a safe location. Furthermore, the ambassador is great when facing a sniper with the razorback-shield (a shield which really makes stabbing a no-no).

Overall playing the spy takes a lot of practice but when you get it down to a science you will net TONS of kills!

Team Fortress 2 Article Series, part 1 – The Review

The game industry changed three years ago. Two radically different games were released. One was a futuristic shooter in a sandbox environment and the other offered a team-based experience, but both games had something very important in common: they revolutionized the industry in terms of graphic.

Crysis was viewed as the most beautiful game ever made, and the graphic hysteria – where ever a developer tried to out-shine the competition with bigger textures, brighter lightning and other nonsense – came to an end. No one could possibly compete with Crysis, people thought. Except the other game – the team based shooter. Team Fortress 2.

When developing the game, Valve used a different and highly unconventional approach. They threw every idea of realism out the window and took a lot of inspiration from comic books. TF2 was given a goofy, almost cartoon-like graphic – which effectively made it incomparable to any game on the market, including Crysis.

In retrospect one must give credit to Valve. Their choice of design was sheer genius; even though they made use of an old engine, everything looked as charming as it was timeless.

Two teams – two colors
Team Fortress 2 is still one of the best-looking products on the market, but does the game have anything else to offer other than boldish face-animations and beautiful maps? It does.

As in most team based-games, players need to side with one of two factions. There’s no real difference between the two combatants, and the only thing that separates them is the color. One team fights under a blue banner, while the other enters the battle in blood-red costumes.

Team Fortress 2 is all about different classes. And when I say different, I mean different. Valve has managed to dig up the most entertaining stereotypes available, equipped them with a rad arsenal and pitted them against each other. A total of nine classes hit the field and all are very, very different.

The heavy charges in to battle with a machine gun and sandviches, spitting out both bullets and mocking comments to anyone willing to accompany him. Because of his excessive eating, the heavy is a slow – albeit muscular – fighter and needs constant baby sitting from his comrades.

I won’t be talking too much about the classes though, as we’re planning to publish an article on each and every class. All you need to know is that there’s something for everyone: from pyros and engineers, to light-weight scouts and arrogant spys.

Pull my finger
Comedy is a integral part of Team Fortress 2. Every class is unique not only in equipment, but in personality. The medic is a remnant from a war-torn Germany, eagerly awaiting any opportunity to “aid” his team mates with a surgical incision.

“All I can tell you about zis next procedure is zat it will be…excruciating!” – Medic

The heavy is as Russian as vodka, ready to retreat in the middle of a battle if he’s feeling hungry.

“Some people think they can outsmart me. … I’ve yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.“ – Heavy
The list of funny quotes could go on for ages, but all you really need to know is this: bursting out in laughter isn’t unusual. And while comedy is a vital part of the game, it would be a fairly useless aspect if Team Fortress 2 itself wasn’t entertaining. Don’t worry though; it is.

Game modes
Every session is a game of death match in Team Fortress 2, but luckily most maps also involve some kind of objectives. In 2Forts for instance, each team is granted a headquarters on opposite sides of a river. The goal is to infiltrate the opponent and retrieve a suitcase. The mode is basically capture the flag with a twist.

Two other, widely popular game modes are Push the cart and Capture the point. If you join a game of push the cart, you have the choice of either playing as an attacker or a defender. Defenders need to stop the opposing team from pushing a cart – and thus stopping them from advancing on the map. If the cart reaches its final destination, the game ends in a massive explosion and everything is restarted – with defenders being attackers and vice versa.

Capture the point doesn’t require much explaining and your assignment is to capture… well, points. Your opponents are trying to do the same, resulting in fire-fights focused around these deadly hubs.

Work together or die alone
As with any team-based game Team Fortress 2 requires a great deal of team work. Each class is granted unique qualities needed to win; the engineer can provide ammunition and the heavy always needs a medic to have his back.

If you hate relying on your team mates and would much rather fight alone, that’s not a problem either. By choosing the spy you can embark on adventures of your own, destroying both sentries and back-stabbing opponents.

The bad
Though Team Fortress 2 does most things right, it has a few flaws. The game has always had balance issues – something which severely crippled the competitive scene. Furthermore, it doesn’t have a very lasting appeal. Sure, TF2 is highly addictive at first – but after playing the same maps and modes a few hundred times, you grow weary of the endless iterations. After a while I stopped firing at my opponents and realized that I’ve been in the same fight a couple of times already – a feeling that occurs frequently when you’ve played the game for a few weeks.

I must also admit that I’m not a big fan of the respawn time. TF2 hasn’t embraced death match in its full extent and if you die, there’s a waiting time in store for you. Sometimes you’ll have to wait up to 20 seconds – which simply isn’t fun in a fast-paced game where you die quite a lot. I tend to play on servers where the respawn time has been shortened by the server admin.

Flawed, but enjoyable
If you look past these minor issues, Team Fortress 2 is one of the more entertaining shooters currently available. Valve has succeeded in a number of ways, providing their customers with an action-packed, unique and – most of all – hilarious shooter.

After three years of fine-adjustments the balance has also been taken care of. With a few exceptions, every class has its own use – whether its the spy going behind enemy lines and capturing points, or the heavy defending a choke point. Include the fact that Valve is constantly updating the game and you’ll have some new toys every now and then.

Review – Zombie Master
Even though zombies have yet to walk this earth, they are a popular phenomenon in both movies and games. The latter has seen its fair share of undead-action, with both Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead starring these unsung heroes.

In most cases the survivors actually survive, and the lovely zombies have to face their unholy creator.
Their defeat can be explained in a number of ways, but the most obvious is their lacking intelligence: even though they’re superior in numbers, zombies can’t organize themselves and are easily out-maneuvered by trained soldiers.

This isn’t the case in Zombie Master, a Half-Life 2-mod still in beta. The game makes use of an old and well-proven formula, pitting survivors against hordes of zombies. So far everything is pretty straight-forward, but after a few minutes of playing one thing becomes very obvious: these aren’t the degenerate zombies you’re used to killing.

Playing the master
Every undead creature is controlled by a leader – a Zombie Master, if you will – who has the ability to coordinate their attacks. The master is randomly chosen from the pool of players and has a number of tools at his disposal. He can spawn different types of zombies – ranging from small and speedy, to flaming and screaming – and command them as he sees fit.

While playing the zombie master, one enters an RTS-like view. Being the master is probably the best choice for a strategic-loving person, though it also suits the more sadistic player. Activating different traps is very entertaining, especially since they have such a variety. Some traps might destroy bridges or other landmarks – effectively separating players from each other – or summon invisible and highly annoying zombies.

However, you should bear in mind that Zombie Master takes a bit of practice. You can’t just hit a button and expect zombies to fly out of a barrel; instead you’ll need to invest quite a few hours to get the hang of it. This is definitely a down-side with the mod, seeing as it isn’t very accessible at first.

Playing the survivor
Luckily, there are ways of getting familiarizing yourself with the game without annoying the hell out of others, and more importantly, without agitating yourself. Zombie Master is very entertaining to play as a survivor too, and it’s a lot simpler. In the beginning of a round you are granted a few weapons, though ammunition quickly decreases. Your team is also given a number of tasks based on the map you’re playing.

For instance, if you’re at a gas station and manage to find an abandoned truck, your mission will be to find some spare parts while defending your position. If your teammates are stuck on a desolated island, you’ll need to find wooden planks and try to build a raft – while yet again defending yourself against the ever-so-hungry zombies.

Hate waiting and pistols? Get used to it.
Zombie Master uses the same FPS-system as Half-Life 2, and as such, it isn’t very revolutionary. There are some fundamental differences though, especially when you look at the weapons. You are always in need of guns in Zombie Master and in most rounds, the majority of the players are stuck with a simple pistol. And while this provides a primal feeling of desperation, it can also be a source of great frustration. If you’re not wielding an AK-47, game play will be both dull and repetitive – and your chance of survival will deteriorate extremely fast.

Another downside of the game is dying. No one likes dying, but it’s especially devastating in Zombie Master. Instead of re-spawning as a zombie or coming back to life, you’re forced to wait until the round is over. This isn’t a problem in most games, but a session of ZM is usually between 5-10 minutes long. Waiting for five minutes is never, ever fun.

Not the best of the bunch, but the bravest
Zombie Master might not be the best Source-mod available, but it’s definitely one of the bravest. Granted, it has a few flaws and will only be entertaining for a couple of weeks, but it is worth a try.

The feeling of being a Zombie Master – a darn good one, mind you – is indescribable. Send hordes of zombies towards one single survivor, while hearing him plea for mercy in the chat, is beyond entertaining. It’s pure satisfaction.

And for that reason alone you should download Zombie Master. After all, it is free of charge. And stars zombies. Zombies!

Review of Source mod – Pirates, Vikings and  Knights II

I love mustard, onions and the occasional avocado. Today I tried to mix these three ingredients, but to my dismay, the result was devastating. Not only did it taste like a piece of cardboard; it emitted a smell even worse than a toilet during an Iron Maiden-concert.
I did learn something, however. Just because three things are built out of pure win, combining them doesn’t always lead to a good result. With that in mind I was rather skeptical about Pirates, Vikings & Knights II. The game is a Source-mod and tries to infuse three different – and in their own way, totally rad – cultures while at the same time keeping an identity of its own.

Dodge, block and strike
In turn, this results in an action-fest where no session is a mere repetition of previous battles. Throw in an entertaining fighting system and you have one of the better mods out there. The combat itself is based around the normal FPS-view, but a few extra elements have been added.
Both blocking and attacks are based on directions, meaning that if you go to the left and press attack, you do a left-swing. If the opponent counters this with a left-side block, the damage is reduced to almost nothing.

To shake things up even more, every class has their own special abilities. For every successful hit you make, a bar charges up. When the bar has reached its maximum limit you’re left with the choice of activating the ability – and possibly killing every damn thing in a close proximity. The pirate, for instance, gets the ability to lunge forward dealing massive damage to anyone in its way. Some abilities are less direct, but they all have one thing in common: You never want to see an opponent activate them.

Different game modes
PVKII comes in many different flavors, with maps taking place on both islands and deserts. There are a number of game modes available, though both Holy Grail and Booty shine the brightest. In booty, six chests are placed somewhere on the map. A goose chase then takes place, where every team tries to snag chests – or booties – and bring them back to their headquarters.

Whenever a chest is placed in the headquarters, a timer starts ticking. Every team has their own timer and the more chests in control, the faster it ticks. In the end, one team will eventually win by reaching 0.

Holy Grail has a similar concept, but instead of chests each team needs to find a holy grail. The map only has one grail, so the factions are competing over the same item. If you’re more of a conservative player, there are modes for you too – classics such as death match and King of the Hill is a given thing in PVKII.

One of the best Source-mods
In the end, PVKII is one of the most thought-out Source-mods available. It has been developed over the course of four years and as a result, its both polished and utterly beautiful. The graphic utilizes everything that the Source-engine has to offer and new classes are constantly added.
And you know what the best part is? PVKII is completely free. The only thing you need is a Source-game, but I assume that most people own either L4D, TF2, CSS or HL2 these days.

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Here’s what’s going on:
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