New PASS Time updates!

The recent update is finally live, and there are so many new changes I don’t even know where to start! So for lack of better ideas, I decided to begin with PASS Time, in part because I know it’s not super popular, and I want to encourage people again to try it out. It’s really really not a bad mode, certainly it’s better than capture-the-flag, and the new update pushed a lot of very cool changes I can totally get behind. One of the major problems affecting PASS Time was the extreme emphasis it placed on a single player. Whoever… [Continue Reading]

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Meet your Match update – Called it.

I fucking called it. See, I said it in this article. Unless the ‘Neato’ update comes in the middle of next week (which, knowing my luck, it will), all of next week’s articles will be a bit different in some way. Anyway, yes, competitive has been released, unranked gameplay is no longer the casual slogfest it used to be and copies Overwatch and every other matchmaking system, at least on Valve servers, Pass Time is out of beta and OMG WHAT THE FUCK THEY FINALLY MADE SUNSHINE OFFICIAL OMG FUCKING FINALLY. There’s also Metalworks and Swiftwater, two major competitive maps… [Continue Reading]

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Five Things Valve Didn’t Intend for the Sandman to Do

When the Sandman debuted during the Scout Update, Valve broke new ground regarding ranged melee weapons. Not since the Direct Hit has Team Fortress 2 been given a more spammable immediate-range weapon that crits like crazy, since the Sandman’s baseball shares the bat’s increased melee crit chance. However, perhaps because of its unusual design, there have been a number of bizarre exploits associated with this weapon over the years and a few of these are still in the game today. 5. Hitting the ball through thin walls. Setup gates, windows, just random walls that happen to be narrow enough; the scout… [Continue Reading]

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A late look at pass_pinewood

I have had a hell of a time finding a decent game of PASS Time recently. There’s currently a bug that allows a single player to crash a Pass Time server, and Valve’s tardiness at fixing this bug is causing the playerbase for this game mode to wither and die. The few times I’ve succeeded, the map either changed immediately to pass_warehouse or somehow was already on pass_warehouse despite what the server browser would have you believe. It is genuinely possible that people just can’t wrap their head around pinewood, because it’s a more advanced map for sure. It takes… [Continue Reading]

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The Wrap Assassin: Christmas at 70 MPH

Yeah, I know it’s not meta but I happen to really like the Wrap Assassin. Most of the people who complain about this weapon either find it annoying or point out that it doesn’t really fill any niches. The Sandman shoots a much more powerful projectile, the Boston Basher deals more consistent bleed damage while serving as a mobility tool, and if you want to go full utility nothing’s going to beat the Atomizer. There’s just not really a reason to use the paper tube. But there’s also no reason not to use it. It’s downside-free. You gain a projectile bleed attack… [Continue Reading]

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Early Impressions and Strategies for the Beta PASS Game Mode

Let me start by saying that PASS is a hell of a lot of fun. It’s one of the first beta modes that feels like it should be in beta; it’s bizarre and completely different from anything TF2 has tried before, but it’s addicting and condones itself to all sorts of strategies and playstyles that really makes it stand out as a game mode. I genuinely hope this develops its own tournaments and things because it’s just as much fun to watch as it is to play. Everybody is still learning the ropes of this new game mode and there… [Continue Reading]

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PASS Time – Pass, or Worth The Time?

I almost heard the collective groans and sighs from TF2 fans all over the world when the update notes dropped. Another Beta gamemode?! Not even a single map has been completed since the Beta started, yet Valve has apparently been busy at work creating yet another thing to be “tested”. What are they thinking? Well, simmer down there. Valve works in mysterious ways – At this point, are you still surprised at Valve making yet another mind-boggling, logic-defying decision? But let’s move on to the topic at hand. What is PASS Time? Think American football – with guns. There is a single ball… [Continue Reading]

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Pass Time and other update and community stuff

I’m supposed to be working right now, even though I’m supposed to be on holiday too, but oh well. I want to write articles. Work can go fuck itself. Anyway, there’s a TF2 update that’s appeared out of nowhere. Apparently, Valve have been hanging out with with Bad Robot, who do films and stuff, and working with Escalation Studios (some other gaming company), and they’ve basically made TF2 Rugby. I’d call it Football or Soccer, but they are both lame sports. Rugby is what Saxton Hale would play, after ultimate fighting and hockey. This new Pass Time game mode (who… [Continue Reading]

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