Team Fortress 2 is my favorite game and it would always take warm place in my heart. I spend my childhood in this game, met friends and learned skills that helped me in real life. Fun and wacky, full sweat and pubstomping or everything in between experience. You could have played however you wanted, no interruptions. To facilitate that match times were long, community was creative and chill, game was mechanically deep. No matter the level of your mood it was a pleasure to play the game.
But with every Yin there is the Yang as well. And this Yang is Valve itself. At July 7 2016 game was updated, it was renovated by forcing every player to play competitively, no fun allowed. Main premise of the game was shattered and community outcried. But Valve decide to double down on the idea, slightly improved broken system and let bot hosters to massively infestate the game. In the meantime they actively released 3 sets of crates (aka gambling monetization) ANNUALLY. Only after 8 years of neglect and several community outcries they are purged bots. And this is pathetic. Not to mention that broken matchmaking system is still in the game, we have a new generation of players who know nothing better and even defend it for whatever reason.
This is just absurd, no other game company could actively milk their players while making their game worse and not updating it for such long period of time on such extend.
As for me it’s a complete breach of trust and I highly doubt that any other valve’s game would not meet same fate in the future.

No mater what they’ll do with TF2 as of feb 2025 there is another outcry so maybe valve would update the game I would never change this review to positive nor I’ll believe that valve could sustain their games.