one of the greatest games of all time, well deserving the title of my favorite game ever. this game holds up near perfectly even 16 years after its launch. the artstyle is beautiful, the characters are charming, the gameplay is exciting and the economy is unlike anything ive seen in a game (CS;GO doesnt count bc i havent played it).

there is one major problem, however. at the time of me writing this review, it has been 6 years since the last major update. summer 2023 update was amazing, but valve needs to return to this gem. the lack of support from valve has made their official casual server infested with aimbotting bots who walk around, kill people instantly and occasionally spam racial and homophobic remarks in voice/text chat.

this game is incredible, but if you want to play it, do be warned that casual might not be the best place to go first.