After wandering the halls of vaporware hand-in-hand with Duke Nukem Forever and Prey for the better part of eight years, Team Fortress 2 has suddenly risen from the dead. Valve has announced that the title will be included as part of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the next opus in Valve's episodic Half-Life 2 follow-up series. Valve Marketing Director Doug Lombardi revealed last month that Episode Two is scheduled for a release this holiday season, so Team Fortress 2 could hit stores—and Steam, Valve's online distribution system—in the same time period.
While early screenshots of Team Fortress 2 depict graphics similar to the original Half-Life's, the latest incarnation of the game appears to sport a cartoony, over-the-top look. Valve has revealed little else about the game, but the lone screenshot that accompanies the press release also reveals the same character classes as the current Team Fortress Classic. The press release says Team Fortress 2 will have "the most advanced graphics of any Source-based game released to date," as well.
