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Gameplay is an interesting thing in Team Fortress 2, taking from the original design with CTF and CP modes and many of the original TFC maps they help refine the ideas behind the maps and produce fast paced gameplay that still looks great and gets the added bonus of tweaked physics and modeling as well, some spots that were so cut and dry in TFC get some additional modeling changes, the most notable was the suicide bridge on 2fort, now there's a pretty stable cover over the bridge allowing for actual transit between the two sides, so it's no longer a sniper haven although it is possible.

The character balance is a work in progress, if anything lets just go through it right now, I've docked about 30 hours in the game through the updates trying to figure out how well things have gone and all the little tweaks and features in the game.

Scout Class:

Enter in the amazing scout, a double jumping, fast shotgun blasting (not to mention ungodly for accuracy) and quick pistol shooting maniac with a bat. The scout is one of those classes right now where the public is only really starting to say "this guy needs to be nerfed", based on the performance of the scout in combat and his damage levels, I would say that there probably needs to be something done about his attack potential before we see the final release of the game, the only real move towards that has been the change in the pyro who ends up taking down scouts quite fast if they can hit them with the flame.

Soldier Class:

Bazooka carrying, shotgun blasting and shovel waving, the soldier is quite a class to have for many, the effectiveness of course of the bazooka is really tame, if a critical shot goes off though, it's pretty much a gib fest. I'd say that they've rounded out the soldier quite a bit to be solid in mid-long range combat, anyone that spends some time can even challenge or break down a sniper because even if they get one shot off, the soldier could generally send about 4 their way quite fast. Combine that with the classic rocket jump and things get ugly for the other team quite fast.

Demolition Class:

Grenadge Launching, sticky bomb planting and bottle breaking, there's a lot to love with this guy, it takes a lot of time to really get going with him but for those who played enough Peggle, they'll learn quick on how to angle their shots for some heavy damage, pretty much every class should beware of this guy, and those looking for close combat action would be advised to watch out against the bottle, most of my 1v1 fights ended up with a broken bottle taking off a head. I'd say it's safe to say that anyone looking for a strong class right now would be advised to consider it. The demolition class covers pretty much all ranges and is very devestating with an 8 pack of sticky bombs on the wall.

Heavy Class:

I wont even really introduce this guy, all anyone really needs to know about the heavy is that if you see a doc or two docs hitting him with health, then chances are you're not equipped to push this guy unless you're packing the same. If you need to know anymore, he carries a high compression bottle and a load of bullets on him, a shotgun and a pair of fists that if they land, they'll send you flying. With a huge health rating the heavy needs a group effort to take him down, close combat isn't an option against him. If you see a heavy and he has uber, do your best to try and seperate him from his medic, if they distance is great enough the uber link will break.

Engineer Class:

A backbone to the team, the engineer is a class that supports the team greatly if used right, the sentry gun can be built up twice to support rockets and dual machine guns, the amount of damage possible is great but overall the sentry is low on hp. The dispenser is great for self serving purposes of building and also for teams grouped up trying to make a push or take a stand against oncoming attacks, it supplies ammo, health and building material to respective classes and should be placed in key points where it wont be easily destroyed. The teleporters are a creative action too but I advise placement consideration and variety in use, some maps see users placing exits in their base and entry points in the opponent base for quick returns, while it's short lived usually, it can strike for massive damage. The engineer in combat is decent, his attacks with the shotgun and pistol can be effective if you lead your opponents, the wrench is a decent melee weapon but I wouldn't advise anyone to rely on it unless they had a good direct shot at the opponent.

Medic Class:

A critical class that hardly anyone really wants to play, unfortunately it is a key one, medics carry a heavy loaded syringe gun, a healing gun and a handy bone saw. Overall the medic is a lacking class, unloading a full gun into an enemy barely takes them down and without height and lead adjustment to the shots it's pretty much a lost cause taking down a lot of other classes. The bone saw is a wonderful melee weapon if taking the opponent from behind, that plus the taunt following that end up being magical for satisfaction after nuking the opponent.

Sniper Class:

A cool kick back looking fellow packing a high power rifle that bases the damage scale on the charge reading in the scope, the sniper is a great class that isn't so simple for damage as other Valve titles, someone with a bit of luck can take down a guy with a full charged scope. The speed of the reload isn't fast and the charge of the scope has to occur every moment that the sniper goes out of scope mode, this includes shooting and just bouncing in and out of scope mode. The secondary weapon is a high power pistol, often is it the case that snipers pinned down will lash out with it and honestly it's pretty effective, the melee attack is a long knife, its not the most effective weapon but it stands just as much chance to inflict damage as anything else.

Spy Class:

Everyone loves a spy, well, not really in this case. The spy is probably one of the most versatile classes in the game, while not perfect in disguise the spy can mimic any class in the game minus their weaponry. Also they get a wonderful cloak ability and a rather large pistol to go with that outfit, fortunately valve has gone ahead and balanced what could have been an overkill move by making the spy come out of disguise or stealth when attacking, offering a brief moment where opponents can pin down the imposter and nuke them. Often is it though that the spy isn't so forward to just start murdering everyone, instead they also have the ability to sabotage sentry guns, teleporters and dispensers as well. The class itself isn't flawless, the spy mimics the other class but if there is no one in such a position their name will be used instead, on top of that in classes like the scout and medic the Spy lacks some of the defining traits such as the uberlevel and the speed of the scout making them easy targets for the opposing team.

I have to say that all these classes make things really interesting for fights, the balance of one class on a team versus the other can change the effect of the game dramatically, for example in gravelpit, while a group of scouts could capture a flag fast, if there are a few pyros in the room, the life expectancy of the scout drops to 0 really fast. Where just like with a demoman, the entire gameplay can change quickly because the players are not able to concentrate. Personally I think that they're working on finding a steady balance in the game and it's coming together well.