Recs.
Updated
Team Fortress 2 is a multi-platform, first-person shooter, multiplayer game that focuses on team based gameplay, where each player has their own unique role on the team.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Engaged, active, fun, and creative community give the game a welcoming feel, even for outsiders
The TF2 community is known for actively engaging in different TF2 related activities. They create shorts using the source filmmaker, sell items via the steam workshop, build real-life sculptures, etc.
Pro Fun and humorous gameplay with graphics and sound that fit with this theme
This game has a history of over-the-top characters, visuals, voice-overs, and various other items, which altogether create an amusing world both within the game and outside of it as well. You get a feeling a lot of thought has gone into the development of the characters as well as the world they live in. For a genre that is often filled with drab characters in a drab world, it is refreshing to see something so well fleshed out.
Pro Includes Mann vs. Machine, a ridiculously fun co-op mode
Mann vs. Machine is a co-op mode in Team Fortress 2 that is comprised of gameplay in which 6 players team up to stop AI robots from deploying a bomb. Though not the central gameplay of Team Fortress 2, it is a mode that allows for co-op play to be enjoyed with the characters of the game.
Mann vs machine works quite well over LAN and is very fun to boot.
Pro Tons to do in the game with plenty of game modes and plenty of community mods
TF2 has more than 10 game modes, plus variations on those, as well as community mods that offer a wide range of objective-based play. Classic game modes include Capture the Flag, Control Point, King of the Hill and Payload. There's also Mann vs. Machine, a co-operative game mode where you play against waves of AI controlled enemies.
Pro Hectic FPS gameplay that utilizes 9 distinct classes, each with lots of varied items
TF2 has 9 playable classes - Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. This allows for a range of playstyles. For example, the Heavy, starting with 300 health (going up to 450), wielding a machine gun and usually assisted by a Medic, will be commonly found on the front-lines soaking up lots of damage and pulling the enemy team's focus; at the same time the Engineer will try and avoid direct battle as much as possible, providing infrastructure (teleports, sentry, dispensers). Add to this hundreds of weapons for each class providing different stats and you have an impressive amount of variety in gameplay.
Cons
Con Free accounts are slightly limited
Free accounts do not get rare and cosmetic items nor as many storage slots for items.
Items are relevant as free accounts can only hold 50, while the game has much more than 50 pieces of equipment (that affect gameplay), let alone 50 weapons. While a premium account player can react to almost all situations with a counter item, with only 50 slots a newbie probably won't have or even be able to access it. A full inventory also means a free player will have to miss out or delete exclusive event items and cosmetics just to play the game as full as they can.
A free account is upgraded when any item is purchased with real money from the store.
Con Excessive amounts of bots and lack of developer support
Almost any server can be overrun by aimbots, wandering aimlessly and killing everyone on sight. If they join in packs it can be incredibly hard to votekick them, since they constantly creating votes for other players and new bots join in, voting "No" option in the vote menu. This was a problem for many years now, and probably will stay here for just as long.