TL;DR: If you've never tried TF2 before, I'd seriously recommend against doing so right now. If you're a returning player that desperately misses TF2 however, I think it might be worth giving it another shot.

I've decided to update my review after another 1000 hours (i had 3300 prior to this edit) of trying out the vast majority of gameplay options the game has to offer. Taking my own experience as well as a few of my friends' experiences into consideration, I think I can confidently recommend this game to returning players again. Sadly, I still can't say the same for people who have not yet tried TF2.

To put it simply, the "default" experience you are provided once you open TF2 (which would be Casual mode) is horrendously awful and should be avoided at all costs. Cheaters and cheating bots are rampant in nearly every region and you will run into them frequently, especially outside peak hours. Some maps are so badly affected by it that they're completely unplayable in matchmaking. It honestly reminds me of niche games with small communities that are overrun by cheaters because it is so commonplace, except TF2 is in no way a niche game with a small community. People saying "it's not that bad" have absolutely not played Casual enough to know better, either variety wise, time wise or another similar factor required to be able to view the bigger picture of its current state.

It's easy to be blinded by the "default" option and completely dismiss community servers, when in reality the latter will offer you a much better experience. However, the problem lies within said community servers. Much like other Valve games (but nowhere near to TF2's extent), a bad server can set you off in the wrong direction and give you a false image of what the game actually is. I've experienced this myself in HL2DM for example, and I've seen people experience this in pretty much every Valve game, and especially in TF2. The reason I can recommend this game to returning players as opposed to new players is because, well, they're already aware of all this and know what to expect as well as what to look for in this VERY messy and lengthy list of options. It's not that there aren't any good options, far from it even - TF2 has had so many updates in its lifespan that I don't even mind the lack of major updates in the slightest, it contains enough official content to last you for an eternity and about a million times that for unofficial community content. Rather, it's simply really hard and too confusing for new players to find what they want. That's what official mode should be for, but like I've said before, it's completely unplayable.

Unless you have an experienced friend willing to guide you through all of this, and you're willing to give TF2 way more chances than you'll ever be comfortable giving (I've done that myself, trust me it's not easy), I don't think this game in its current state is for you at the moment and I'd highly recommend choosing another game for the time being. Playing it in this state will leave a bad taste in your mouth for a game that in NO way deserves it.

Don't get me wrong, TF2 is a legendary game that has went down in history as such, and it would be a shame not to at least try to experience it at one point in your life, and it breaks my heart to say this, but I can't in my right mind recommend this game to a newcomer given the current situation of pretty much every playable aspect of the game.

[b]TL;DR:[/b] If you've never tried TF2 before, I'd seriously recommend against doing so right now. If you're a returning player that desperately misses TF2 however, I think it might be worth giving it another shot. I've decided to update my review after another 1000 hours (i had 3300 prior to this edit) of trying out the vast majority of gameplay options the game has to offer. Taking my own experience as well as a few of my friends' experiences into consideration, I think I can confidently recommend this game to returning players again. Sadly, I still can't say the same for people who have not yet tried TF2. [b]To put it simply, the "default" experience you are provided once you open TF2 (which would be Casual mode) is horrendously awful and should be avoided at all costs.[/b] Cheaters and cheating bots are rampant in nearly every region and you will run into them frequently, especially outside peak hours. Some maps are so badly affected by it that they're completely unplayable in matchmaking. It honestly reminds me of niche games with small communities that are overrun by cheaters because it is so commonplace, except TF2 is in no way a niche game with a small community. People saying "it's not that bad" have absolutely not played Casual enough to know better, either variety wise, time wise or another similar factor required to be able to view the bigger picture of its current state. [b]It's easy to be blinded by the "default" option and completely dismiss community servers, when in reality the latter will offer you a much better experience. However, the problem lies within said community servers. Much like other Valve games (but nowhere near to TF2's extent), a bad server can set you off in the wrong direction and give you a false image of what the game actually is.[/b] I've experienced this myself in HL2DM for example, and I've seen people experience this in pretty much every Valve game, and especially in TF2. The reason I can recommend this game to returning players as opposed to new players is because, well, they're already aware of all this and know what to expect as well as what to look for in this VERY messy and lengthy list of options. It's not that there aren't any good options, far from it even - TF2 has had so many updates in its lifespan that I don't even mind the lack of major updates in the slightest, it contains enough official content to last you for an eternity and about a million times that for unofficial community content. Rather, it's simply really hard and too confusing for new players to find what they want. That's what official mode should be for, but like I've said before, it's completely unplayable. Unless you have an experienced friend willing to guide you through all of this, and you're willing to give TF2 way more chances than you'll ever be comfortable giving (I've done that myself, trust me it's not easy), I don't think this game in its current state is for you at the moment and I'd highly recommend choosing another game for the time being. Playing it in this state will leave a bad taste in your mouth for a game that in NO way deserves it. Don't get me wrong, TF2 is a legendary game that has went down in history as such, and it would be a shame not to at least try to experience it at one point in your life, and it breaks my heart to say this, but I can't in my right mind recommend this game to a newcomer given the current situation of pretty much every playable aspect of the game.