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A lady gamer's tribute to Team Fortress 2
Lydia Sung - Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 | 4:48PM (PT)


And a celebration of the game’s eye candy

I do not need to reiterate just how awesome this game is.  As I have told many of my friends, when I try to analyze Team Fortress 2 and measure out the components that make it great, my head wants to explode.  Sure, this could be a side effect of the California heat, but it could also be on account of how flippin’ awesome Team Fortress 2 is.  If I could, I would bake everyone at Valve a cake, and that is not a lie.

As a devout Medic, I am willing to set aside my annoyance over the difficulty of Medic achievements (I haven’t even gotten the Kritzkrieg yet) to humble myself before Valve as a lady gamer who is bored by an industry that caters mostly to its male consumers.  Actually, I feel the same about any developer who comes up with any insanely attractive male characters, but Valve has put Team Fortress 2 in the spotlight with another free-to-play weekend and the recent Pyro update. 

I spend much of my time huddled or dancing around behind a Heavy Weapons Guy, hoping he will attract bullets and explosives like a magnet.  I simply don’t fair well against enemy fire, and I hate getting my pristine white coat dirty with my blood and the blood of others (make no mistake, I still enjoy bludgeoning Scouts with my Bonesaw).  Maybe the fact that I’ve found time to admire passing Spies, camping Snipers or fleeing Medics is a sign that I really need to pay more attention to the game, but I’m going to excuse my behavior by saying that multitasking is a talent that should be utilized as often as possible.

Why the Spy, Sniper, and Medic?  Why does my heart flutter whenever I hear these three professions calling for a heal?  Let me explain.

He likes to smoke.  A lot.

The Spy takes “tall, dark, and handsome” to a whole new level.  Many women can be impressed by a pressed suit, and I am no exception.  I also follow the dogma that a mask used to conceal one’s identity jacks up the “hot factor” significantly, and as my Neoseeker profile and Steam ID clearly state, Spies are hot because they take me from behind.  Oh, did I mention he’s French?  That accent kills almost as quickly as the outfit.  Running away while laughing at my misfortune, however, is not so attractive. 

I will say that getting murdered by a Spy is one of my least favorite ways of dying.  Being reduced to giblets by a Soldier’s rocket launcher is a much more dignified death than having my spine severed by a sharp dresser’s switchblade. 

He keeps urine in jars.

The Sniper comes next because I noticed him after the Spy.  I can feel less guilty about this selection because Snipers honestly just stand there and point, and now and then I pause to toss ‘em a heal for good measure or build my Übercharge in the relative safety of the battlements.  He’s the rugged sort, quite the opposite from the beloved Spy, but those sunglasses sitting atop a stern expression can be just as mysterious as the Spy’s mask and mad grin.  Did I mention I like accents?  Yes, I think I did, and I love the Sniper’s, despite having a slight British tint to throw off the Australian.  Could stand to trim those sideburns, though.

I’m going to have to admit that a headshot from a Sniper is just as infuriating as a backstab from a Spy.  You’re running around minding your own business when you suddenly drop dead because you didn’t notice that red or blue dot on your forehead.  In order to kill them, you really need to go out of your way most of the time, and I hardly bother unless I’m a Demoman on 2Fort.

Do you think there’s a reason the Sniper’s got such a huge gun?

He's just really happy to see you.

The Medic comes last because I honestly feel for this character in more ways than one.  A part of me dies each time I hear a Medic’s death cry because that Medic might be me.  Oh, could someone tell the Pyros to quit blowing air in my face so I can do my job?  What a bunch of jerks.

That aside, note the Medic’s snazzy battle garments.  He’s running in with a tie (probably isn't a clip-on either) and polished boots, and he dares to wear white when it’ll likely be stained blood red at any given moment (I bet he combs his hair too).  I’ll also mention here that I have a thing for glasses and the intellectual types who wear them.  I’m going to assume that the Medic is as much of an intellect as the Engineer because he’s a freaking doctor, and chances are he makes more money than you and me.  Come on, ladies, a doctor.

He can check me out any time.  I won’t sue for malpractice as long as he keeps speaking with that lovely German accent – oh yes, I totally went back to the accent thing.

It seems highly unlikely that Valve was actually trying to make their characters attractive, and there is very little evidence of fan service; if TF2 were meant to be a fan service game, there would be bodacious female models.  No, I don’t think we were meant to slobber over the character models, but I am drooling anyway.

Oh noes!

"I healed zeh man who vill keel you!"

My current desktop wallpaper; if anyone knows the person who took this screenshot, tell them I have a marriage proposal.

Take note that I am planning to do one of these posts at the end of each week.  I will be choosing each week's eye candy spotlight unless readers (that means you) are willing to PM me any suggestions.  Have you got a noteworthy beefcake or cheesecake in mind?  Drop RabidChinaGirl a PM and let me know.

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Comments:

June 22nd, 2008 7:22PM(PT)
iamjoe56
Nice article Lydia. Also, I took the screenshot. [Not really. D:]
June 22nd, 2008 7:30PM(PT)
tallteen86
I know beefcake (muscley male), but cheesecake? I think that is a new one for me >_>

Well, I wouldn't jump to TF2 when I think 'Male hotties', but I suppose I can see the attraction. Meh, but then again I'm more the sort that likes the cute/effeminate males (and females of course).

~|Vitae Mortem Sequens|~
/|\-\_/My Digital Portfolio\_/-/|\


June 22nd, 2008 9:22PM(PT)
FragDolly
Most excellent....I have a new game to occupy my time and happily spend moments of my life that would otherwise be spent shopping or something equally useless.

And: Frag Dolls unite, Lydia! Wooh!
June 23rd, 2008 2:08AM(PT)
DeathMonkey
"I love the Sniper’s, despite having a slight British tint" Why the British accent hate? D:

Your going to be finding eye candy each week as in male characters not female characters, right? Should be interesting to see. Tbh I don't care for eye candy in games, the only thing that influences my choice in fighting games is how the character plays rather than how they look.
June 23rd, 2008 3:09AM(PT)
Dark Dom
"If I could, I would bake everyone at Valve a cake, and that is not a lie."


Nice article btw, do Portal next: the Weighted Companion Cube will always be a stud to me.<3333
June 23rd, 2008 3:36AM(PT)
RabidChinaGirl
@ DeathMonkey

Hm, I don't mind the tainted accent. It just bothered me at first because I could tell there was something off about it, after listening to so many Aussie gamers for some years. My UK gaming buddies confirmed the "British tint," and I was satisfied. ;D

No, I may be looking at a female character here and there, now and then. It depends a lot on the feedback I get.
June 23rd, 2008 7:28AM(PT)
ssjgoten
Your an attention whore. Go get *bleep*ed by a toaster.
June 23rd, 2008 8:30AM(PT)
Glotnot
Sorry, but I really don't see the point in this article. I guess it's nwell written for what you were trying to do, but what's the point? This isn't news.

Honestly, look at the current list of articles on the site's main page:

Video Games being pirated in Singapore
Mass Effect DRM issues
Resident Evil 5 sparks racial talks
Square Enix begins work on an Xbox game
Talks begins for MEtal Gear Solid 5
Atari begins suit for Alone in the Dark reviews

And then...

Team Fortress 2 Eye Candy

Compared to the others, one of these things doesn't really belong. I'm not bashing your style of writing or anything (two of the other articles I listed were written by you) but this is pointless. It isn't news.
June 23rd, 2008 12:46PM(PT)
RabidChinaGirl
@ Glotnot

Even mainstream media has its "pointless" moments, and online news sites are certainly no exception to the occasional bout of silly entertainment. It's okay to laugh a little, even on a news site. ;D

I simply wanted to try something new and fun, and Sunday is a rather slow day for news in general (even for GameGrep).
June 23rd, 2008 12:54PM(PT)
VeGiTAX2
Odd statement Glotnot, thing's don't have to be in your face or breaking with drama to actually be news.

It's informative, it provided a moment of stimulation and as such it acted as a piece of news. I guess you might have a better time reading CNN.com if you can't handle that seeing as 99% of other gaming sites on the net feature light hearted moments including things like this.
June 23rd, 2008 1:20PM(PT)
Redemption
I asked Lydia to grace us with more of her interesting pieces rather than just focus on plain jane news. Sometimes the only point is to entertain and share in some chuckles.
June 23rd, 2008 2:44PM(PT)
tallteen86
Lol, there you have it Glotnot, 'the man' himself wanted this sort of 'not news' article. Mind you, I see your point Glotnot, but meh, at least it is entertaining...

@Rabidchinagirl (AKA Lydia) - Here is an idea....Why not try looking at both the males and females of the Soul Calibur series? With the impending release of SC IV, it seems like a good idea to me, and there is plenty of eye candy in that game. Hot males and females, yes?

~|Vitae Mortem Sequens|~
/|\-\_/My Digital Portfolio\_/-/|\


June 23rd, 2008 5:57PM(PT)
Glotnot
Mind you, I didn't mean to come off as a total prick like I did. I'm just not use to seeing this kind of thing on Neoseeker (cue someone throwing links in my face). I just consider news to be what someone said or did, issues and updates about games/electronics themselves rather then an opinion piece. But if your going for what other sites do, just a bit of humor, then yeah, I understand. Like I said though, just not really used to it here on Neoseeker.
June 23rd, 2008 6:01PM(PT)
Glotnot
Forgot to say, @ Vegitax:

It's entertaining, yes, but it's not informative unless we're trying to figure out the kind of man RabidChinaGirl likes.

But no. I don't go to CNN. I called this pointless news, not useless news.

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