Which games that are being promoted after 4 years of release…?

World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XI?

… And Not a MMO? Or have a Sequel?

The only one I can think of is Team Fortress 2.

This week they’ve about to do something that many companies would never do. Release a completely new Promotional Video for a product that is already been out, for over 3 and half years.  (Actually, PC and Macs TF2 all official updates are required to play online, as all players can get the new items.)

Games are usually do not get promotional material produced after the games release. If they do, it’s usually released with in a few weeks of release. Most Games have promotional Material well before the release date. The only exception for this is a video being released as part of the warm up as part of a update pack, which it is. The first Team Fortress 2 Trailer was about 7 years before the release of the game, but that was for an unreleased version of the game.

The first Trailer for the game we recognise today, was released about 5 years ago. They’ve got most of the building blocks in place, but there are many obvious differences, most classes’ outfits don’t match their release day outfits. Also many weapons changed since that video. It was a montage run down of all the classes, with some action, on familiar map called 2fort. It was first shown to the public over a year before the game was released.

The second Trailer, a few months after the first, used more “correct” models, but still used the test version of 2fort. It was before the Voice Actors had been hired so, stock sound effects was used. The infamous Wilhelm Scream was even used several times. (This Scream has been used in the Star Wars films, but it was used in many cowboy films before that.)

With a few months to go, they made “Meet The Heavy”, which was a short Video of an interview with The Heavy Weapons Guy. It was soon joined after with “Meet The Soldier,” in which The Soldier gave a speech to his Squad. The video featured a “story line” of a battle, which was inserted in to the video. While a single scene “Meet The Engineer” Video was added before the game launched in to a Public Beta.

Just before the Game was officially released, “Meet the Demoman” was released. It featured a part which was bleeped out. Many Games would now to trailers of actual game footage, and then start of the next game. Valve didn’t, they added the Gold rush update which added new Medic items. Along with the Update, they released a new Video to go along side this update, “Meet The Scout.”

“Meet the Sniper” added just before next Game content update, known as the Pyro Update. With exception of The Soldier, all the classes’ talked to camera in an interview, and featured the class winning in battle, in their style.

The 3rd major update, The Heavy Update, brought a new twist, “Meet The Sandvich.” The Sandvich was initially a Prop for Meet the Scout, but was now an unlockable weapon. The Video was set inside, presumably, the RED team’s Fridge, and “showed” the effects of it being used on the Heavy, off camera, outside the Fridge. The Video even had the marks that all the TF2 videos have.

After skipping an update, the 5th major update, The Spy VS Sniper, revealed Meet the Spy. This Video featured a scene, staring BLU team and a Red Spy at work. As with previous videos, it featured a few hints about the next update. Several hats where hidden in the background, the entire set of new sniper weapons where shown in the background. The Spy’s Disguise used in the Video used the Scout’s unlock weapon, which prior to the update it was not possible to appear to have unlock weapons as a spy.

Due to the video being Leaked a few days before, Valve re-did the video’s opening scene, and awarded themselves a Corporate “Achievement.” (The games awards you with a “achievement” for doing a specified task.) The Official TF2 Blog featured Robin Walker, the one of the Lead Creators of the game firing almost everyone and hiring them again.

That brings us up to date for the Meet the Team Videos. Valve made a few TF2 Videos to tease us. The Engineer Teaser, and The Mac Trailer both showed new items that later appeared in the game. Valve referenced the Apple Computer logo, and the “white ear buds” made famous by the iPod. Both Videos showed items that later appeared in game.

Valve made 3 games since Team Fortress 2 launched, all 3 featured one FMV, and in the case of Portal 2 several Videos for in game screens. For Portal 2 Valve created a series of short Videos, which were made to appear to be a corporate video for investors or Potential Customer of Products that only exist in game, such as the Aperture Science Sentry Gun.

If you’ve enjoyed the videos, and you now want to play the game? For the next few days, you can play for FREE forever. I should point out that the game needs large download of over 8 Gigabytes before you can play, but Steams built in download manager helps you out. There are few things you can’t do if you don’t buy a Premium account (by purchasing any item in game).

There even two other free games which you can get hats for TF2 in. Both Alien Swarm and Spiral Knights feature hats and stuff. Spiral Knights runs under the Free to play Scheme, in which you can pay to counter a “slow” recharging energy meter. Alien Swarm due to legal issues can’t be sold for money.

Normally, I’d post a Video explaining the basics of the game here, but I’m working on that now.

While you wait, here’s Steam Basics again, which you if you don’t understand, you can’t get the game. Although you just need to use Team Fortress 2 instead of Portal on the store page. If you like the look of Portal, there is a demo available, and you can buy both games in several packs.