Listen, we don't know what Fauvism is, but we know cool art when we see it. Artist James Barnett's oil paintings of scenes from Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4 and Team Fortress 2, are done in the early 20th Century style known for strong lines and color.

We asked Barnett, who has spent more hours in those games than he cares to admit, what inspired him to create images from those games in the style of Les Fauves. He told us, "I really liked the idea of turning on its head the idea of PC 3D video games that had been trying so hard to get everything as close to reality as possible. You have teams of super-talented artists and designers, and you just try and imitate normal old reality? Come on, people! Do something weird! There are enough overmuscled, gritty space marines in brown-grey hallways. I'm less annoyed about this than I used to be thanks to games like Braid and Super Mario Galaxy, and cel shading, etc."

Barnett, who has also done woodcut pieces depicting the Space Invaders, added that the idea of using an age-old process to depict something that couldn't exist at the time was a nice experience. If you've got the cash, you can always purchase Barnett's work from his site. If you've got more cash, you can commission a piece.

Whether you're a multitalented master of map modification or an acutely amateurish architect, perk up your ears -- Valve just uploaded 10 original Team Fortress 2 maps into the Source developer kit for your modding pleasure. Said maps include Lumberyard, Ravine, Badlands, Dustbowl, Granary, Gravelpit, 2Fort, Badwater, Goldrush, and Hydro.

If your modding experience is limited, you can use these pre-made maps as a canvas for subtle weapon placement and blockade changes, easing you into the finer points of environmental creation. For more advanced world-shapers, you can study the intricate design of these levels to learn how the mapmaking professionals at Valve do they business.

When Valve introduced the first four class updates to Team Fortress 2, an achievement system was used to help unlock new weapons and items. According to Valve, that system did not work as intended. In the end, instead of playing the game toward fun and rewarding goals, hardcore players would grind achievements to unlock the game's latest weaponry. At the time, users complained the achievement system was changing the landscape of Team Fortress 2's online community -- mostly because some of the achievements were so difficult to acquire regularly.

In response, Valve has changed the new weapon system with the latest update (Spy & Sniper). In the new system, Team Fortress 2 utilizes Valve's Steam Cloud, automatically rewarding players new weaponry and items previously only attainable through completing achievement related tasks.

According to Valve, the new system is designed to reward gamers based on how long they play Team Fortress 2. Play more, get more. But according to the game's forums -- and multiple emails to Joystiq -- some players are unhappy with the changes.

We've met the Sniper before, but now we learn what he actually does with all those jars of urine. The latest update in Team Fortress 2's continuing Spy vs. Sniper saga reveals the Sniper brandishing his liquid gold as a weapon. A thrown jar of "Jarate" on an opponent will increase damage by 35 percent (poor Heavy) and can disable the Spy's cloaking device. If it's used on a teammate (eww!), it'll put out fires and jellyfish stings ... if there were jellyfish in the game.

We may not be playing Team Fortress 2 that much anymore, but we're more than happy to let Valve keep chronicling the exploits of the well-developed TF2 cast.

[Thanks, Anthony]

The Team Fortress 2 vignettes are clever, but YouTube videographer AyesDyef did something that takes serious geeky dedication when he recreated the opening to Super Smash Bros. with the TF2 crew. The video above is an incredible recreation of the original Smash Bros. opening. How do we know it's so accurate? Well, there's a comparison video after the break if you don't believe us.

We thought Valve had given up introducing us to its Team Fortress 2 cast (considering The Orange Box launched in 2007), but a new video has shown us to be a little too hasty. This time, players get a glimpse into the world of the Spy. Devious, brutal and womanizing ... the Spy is a force to be reckoned with. We've loved the short introduction vignettes Valve has developed to promote the game's classes so far, but the Spy's video is definitely our favorite of the bunch. Enjoy.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

We thought Valve had straight up flipped their melon (whatever that means) when they started announcing the upcoming changes to Team Fortress 2's hawk-eyed class, the Sniper. A bow and arrow? Okay, fine -- but a shield that prevents you from getting backstabbed? Why not just allow them to turn on God Mode? However, our worries were assuaged by the latest revelation for the Sniper update, in which said Sniper gets Julius Caesar'd by a Spy -- the proud recipient of yet another TF2 update.

The betrayal-prone class will be getting two new tools in the update -- the Cloak and Dagger Spy Watch, which allows you to stay camouflaged indefinitely (as long as you're standing completely still) and the Dead Ringer Spy Watch, which instantly cloaks you for eight seconds when you get hit, dropping a fake corpse in your stead. Oh, we're going to do terrible, terrible things with that.

Valve just sent a press release our way confirming that the upcoming Sniper update for Team Fortress 2 will be a bit less, uh ... upcoming. The update will be available to download through Steam sometime later this week, as Valve could not provide us with a definite date of release for the new goods. So, what is there to look forward to?

Well, the Sniper is going to go all Ted Nugent with a new bow and arrow, apparently, as you can see in the image above all of this text. The weapon is called The Huntsman longbow, and it will allow our fan of the long range an opportunity to pin those bothersome bobbers and weavers against the wall. Hey, Scout, think you're going to zig-zag all over the place? Well, not when you've been bowed to the wall.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

If you needed further proof that the folks over at Valve are cheeky, cheeky scoundrels, you need not look further than a recent piece of code in the latest patch for Team Fortress 2:

• // TF2 MMO
• "TF_MMO_LFG" "Looking For Group"
• "TF_MMO_Quest1" "You must kill %s1 %s2 to complete this quest."
• "TF_MMO_Monster1" "Boars"
• "TF_MMO_Monster2" "Rats"
• "TF_MMO_Monster3" "Bats"
• "TF_MMO_Monster4" "Wolves"
• "TF_MMO_Monster5" "Spiders"

Great, Valve. That's really great. Now we can't stop thinking about how much we want to play an MMO'd version of TF2. We've already got a debilitating addiction to WoW. Now we're addicted to the idea of a spy-checking, sentry-sapping, rocket-jumping, chaingun-toting MMO. That's just what we needed.

Speaking to Shacknews, Valve's Robin Walker clarified some of the new features that are soon headed to Team Fortress 2. A recent update to the game added a backpack and a slot for head items in the loadout menu, which lead many to speculate -- correctly, as it turns out -- that new unlockable items were on the way. According to Walker, the backpack has been implemented so that not all item unlocks have to rely on earning achievements -- something that many casual players don't want to do.

While Walker notes that head-slot items are all cosmetic for now, Valve may implement items that grant gameplay bonuses in the future depending on the feedback received from the TF2 community. In addition, Valve may even allow players to trade items if the community asks for such a feature. Valve plans to implement head-slot items before the upcoming Sniper update.

Finally -- and this might be the best part -- Walker states that Valve is not finished with the "Meet the ___" videos that have been used to promote the game. Said Walker, "There's still the Pyro, Medic, and Spy to go. We've saved the best for last!" We're guessing the Pryo won't get much of a monologue.

All of the monkeyshines which occurred this past April Fools' Day weren't completely without newsworthiness. For instance, Valve's April 1 update revealing the Sniper's newest (and fakest) armament -- weaponized jars of urine -- was a hint that the Sniper class would be the next Team Fortress 2 class to get the update treatment. In fact, Valve promises it will be the biggest update thus far, with new maps and gameplay tweaks. In addition, a second update, due to arrive before the Sniper pack, will add "some new content for all classes." Probably no jars of urine, though.

Also, if you're a member of the incensed mob of players of the (mostly) non-updated TF2 for the 360, the latest Valve update includes word that the developer is still working to bring new content to the console. So please, put down that torch and pitchfork. You'll put someone's eye out.

After racking their brains and kicking around a few of different proposals, Valve has figured out how to rate servers automatically in the back end of Steam for Team Fortress 2. Valve's Robin Walker detailed how the system will work and help players in search of a decent game (Read: Not achievement farming): New servers begin with a score of 0, each time a player connects it loses 15 points but gains 1 point per player for each minute they remain inside (with a 45 point max per user).

"In short," Walker writes, "servers that have lots of players joining & leaving rapidly will score badly." The rating will ensure players are walking into honest assessments of a server's quality -- sometimes server hosts write false descriptions to entice people to join. Well, with the new system those jerks can keep their phony servers because the first order of business on Valve's end is to completely "delist" them. The server breakdown (pictured above) shows last week's server statistics, ignoring all password-protected servers as well as servers had fewer than 200 connections per day. Walker also notes that Valve will continue to improve their ability to measure these types of server problems.

[Via Big Download]

Now that we've seen that hot new shotgun, it's about time we got a chance to use it. Well, we're glad to report that the Scout update has gone live, bringing with it a host of new achievements and items for the fleet-footed character class. And don't forget about those new maps, either!

If all of this is piquing your interest, yet you haven't played the game, know that Steam is offering Team Fortress 2 for only $10 up until Friday. You'd be crazy not to check it out at that price.

Source - Scout update details
Source - Team Fortress 2 for only $10

Valve has officially revealed the second new Scout weapon included in the upcoming Team Fortress 2 update. Called the Force-a-Nature, the double-barreled shotgun packs a wallop so big it will knock back any enemy it hits, even the Heavies. If fired in the air, it will also knock back the Scout himself, essentially giving him a third jump.

Don't get too worked up though, like most other unlockable weapons in the game, the gun comes with a caveat. The Force-a-Nature only has two shots -- makes sense, given it's a double-barreled shotgun and all -- and it reloads slowly.

Additionally, Valve has posted a poll asking players to choose which Scout update item should be released first: The Bonk energy drink, the Sandman bat or the Force-a-Nature? Cast your vote here. You'd better do it quickly because the update is expected to drop sometime today!

[Via Big Download]