Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Join A Clan...TODAY!

Have you ever noticed that the word TEAM is in the name of Team Fortress 2? Undoubtably you have at one time or another. But have you ever thought about it?

Many modern day multiplayer first-person shooters, such as Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 tote strong clan followings. When you get into the nitty-gritty of those games you realize that they are just as fun whether you go solo or with your friends.

But Team Fortress 2 is much different. As the name suggests, Valve created this game for teams. The more organized your team is, the more fun you have. Sure, griefing is cool for awhile, but eventually all players yearn for the white-knuckle action of two evenly matched teams duking it out.

And what better way to ensure you have these types of games than to join a clan?



For those of you who are already playing Team Fortress 2 a lot, this would barely entail a lifestyle change. For those of you that are new to the game or fear you suck too much to be on a clan, don't worry. Playing in the competitive scene is probably the best way to get good quick.

I have two websites for you to look at if you are considering this matter. The first of the two, TF2 Laddder, has been in my suggested links for a long time, and handles the 8v8 clans. The other is a more recent website, named TF2 360, which handles the 6v6 clans.

Now, you might be thinking, “Neal Kenneth, you aren’t even in a clan!” The truth is, there ARE reasons in the world not to be in a clan, though few and far-between. I cannot commit to a clan because of my erratic playing schedule. Sometimes I go for weeks without playing, than I am on LIVE for five days straight. Any clan willing to take in that kind of member probably isn’t worth joining.

Other than that, the only other legitimate excuse for not being in a clan would be that you aren’t willing to spend $10 on another crappy Microsoft headset.

Good gaming!

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By the way, the above photo is from Ubercharged.net's excellent competitive guide already in progress. Even if you are already in a clan, I suggest you take a look.

7 comments:

Alexander Smith said...

Been in a clan since the game came out. We've lost 2 games.

Anonymous said...

I was all ready to jump down your throat Neal about making a post on clan membership but I've since mellowed out. Perhaps I should explain myself. Clans are and will always be a (largely positive) influence on this game's popularity; of that I have no doubt. What I'm sick of hearing though is the constant requirement that you need to be part of a clan to be considered a 'true player.' Many clans offer competitive and casual structures so their members get the most of the game while meeting new friends. However, clans can be time consuming; they can be draining and inconveniently-timed even for the most battle-hardened veterans. And if you go to college, have a fulltime job, or don't feel like spending every waking moment glued to the controller, practicing, then the clan really isn't doing you any favors. At the risk of demonizing the 'sport' even more, some clan leaders I've come across are petty elitists, especially if you're trying to join a clan that only cares about maintaining a constant W/L ratio. Get on their bad-side and watch yourself become ostracized from a game you thought was only played for fun.

But of course they're not all like that, there's likely a clan for everyone, no matter your play style. I just don't want to see one of my favorite games turn into the MLG.

Mr Stabby94 said...

is this for the 360?

Neal Kenneth said...

Don't worry, Ben, I agree. If you don't want to deal with the negative issues you mention (specifically time consumption), then there is no reason to be in a clan. I have been in plenty of tight, exciting matches, and I am not in a clan.

Jacob Riesterer said...

Hey so I was sitting in history class today and this guy next to me starts to say stuff like "that spy is a spy" because we were studying laws on how to punish spies in medieval times. Naturally I suspected him to be a TF2er. so I ask him about it and he says that he plays on the P.C. I say that my bro and I love the 360 version. I also prompted him to check out this blog. He just gave me a bigot look and didn't talk to me anymore. Fuck PC gamers and yeah MrStabby94 this is for 360!

Anonymous said...

Don't sweat it Klyte, PC players are notoriously elitist and self-entitled brats. (One doesn't have to look any farther than the L4D2 controversy.)

It's ironic how they flaunt their gaming culture as superior because I can't think of one reason why I would want to be a stressed out everytime Valve made a new addition to their game.

That's not to say I don't want the updates or will never get a gaming PC but PC players have largely shown they are an embarrassingly petty bunch who've never been humbled in their life. (I.e. outrage over getting their free Tf2 hats taking away because they idled for them.)

Most of the them are not worth indulging.

Anonymous said...

Neeeeeeeeal Kenneeeeeeth, just lettin you know you have 14 subscribers on Google Reader. That means that there are 14 people out there who have not seen an update from you since September. Juuuust sayin lol