Before I say anything else, I want to make it clear that TF2 on the XBOX360 and TF2 on the PC are vastly different. TF2 is a game that should never have been ported to consoles. Compared to a mouse, thumbsticks are too clumsy for something that requires precise control and has no autoaim (That's not to say people can't become good even under these restrictions). TF2 makes full use of a keyboard, and as such does not translate onto a controller very well. I use at the bare minimum, 14 keys not including voice commands. A 360 controller only has 12 buttons, two being thumbsticks, further adding to awkwardness as pressing them interrupts movement.
This is made worse by the fact that Valve struggled to update the console version thanks to a DLC platform owned by Microsoft, leaving no bugs or exploits fixed and no content or balances implemented.
There are a lot of things in TF2 that are wrong or could be better, but there are a lot of good sides too. I haven't played TFC outside of a few times back before steam (the platform, not the community) existed, but I do still regularly play TF2 (PC version) in competetive ladders and tournament play, as well as public games. So I'll comment on your points as best I can.
-Fast paced CTF game was replaced with a slow Team Deathmatch game.
CTF is still fast-paced, and is a gametype that takes far more teamwork than 5-point-cp, payload and attack/defend, due to players having to rapidly switch between offensive and defensive roles. It only comes close to "Team Deathmatch" on those 24/7 2Fort servers, which are quite frankly, a joke. Probably because the majority of players can't muster the effort to work as a team, and don't realise that 4 snipers on each battlement isn't any use. In high-level/league play, ctf is by far the harshest gametype. Skilled teams with good teamwork will win every time. In the other gametypes, teamwork and synergy aren't nearly as crucial.
-Class-specific grenades were removed causing more class blurring and a significant loss of depth.
I don't see any "class blurring" in TF2. The only classes that are remotely similar are the soldier and the demoman, and even then, they have very different roles and counters. I admit that giving 3 of the classes shotguns as a sidearm was lazy on Valve's part (and I would have liked to have seen more creative options), but they still do very different jobs. A pyro will use a shotgun on a retreating enemy outside of flamethrower range. A heavy will only use a shotgun if he's out of ammo (unlikely), or is alone against an enemy that has access to cover, or needs to chase down a sniper and interrupt his aim to stop him getting a headshot. Soldiers just use the shotgun as a last-resort if they don't have the chance to reload. Engineers have it as their primary, but they shouldn't be running about on the front lines too much, lest they are unable to defend their equipment vital to the team. All four classes have very different uses for the weapon.
-Advanced movement techniques were removed, significantly reducing the game's depth.
I'd really have to get Valve's opinion on this, but I'm pretty sure they intended TF2 to be slower and more strategic than its predecessor. A slower game has less uses for advanced movement techniques. TF2 still has rocketjumping, stickyjumping and the scout's double/triple jump. All classes can also crouchjump. I'm sure if Valve had wanted medics to be zooming around the map at high speeds, they'd have included grenades.
-Several weapons were removed (and replaced with nothing) further reducing the game's depth.
Several weapons have also been added (replacing nothing with new stuff), further increasing the game's depth.
-The balance is worse than TFC at the highest level of play.
I haven't played TFC at a high level, and wouldn't know how balanced it was, but TF2 itself is not
unbalanced. In terms of tournament/league play, I don't see anything particularly wrong with the balance (Ignoring the sandman, which is banned almost everywhere, for what should be obvious reasons). Every class has roles that are useful, depending on the map, the enemy team, and what is happening at the time, although some classes are more specific and harder to play at a high level, such as spy or sniper.
If you remove limits, any team that runs all one class, or 3 medics 3 demos, as you cleverly pointed out earlier, will get steamrolled by any team that knows what they're doing. A well-balanced team would only have to adjust slightly by swapping a player or two to scout, and the above team would find it very hard to win. I've played 6v6, 7v7 and 8v8, as well as highlander, in all gametypes. 6v6 is usually has class restrictions, although I've played both 7v7 and 8v8 with none, and seen all sorts of team combinations have success. Merely running two soldiers, two demomen a heavy a medic and a scout will not win you a match. It'd make for a strong offensive team, but other combinations would be more effective against it.
-20 second respawn timers make spawn camping a dominant strategy.
Respawn timers are not constant, are generally set by the map, and can be changed by the server operator. That said, unless there is a clear imbalance of skill between the two teams, spawncamping isn't a viable tactic. Trying to send a demoman past enemy lines, to an enemy spawnpoint in hopes of cutting off their reinforcements usually isn't worth it. Firstly, it takes one player away from your team, that demoman is likely to be stopped or killed on the way, and if seen, all the enemy has to do is send a scout back to deal with him. Secondly, enemies respawn in waves, so it's not unlikely that you will bump into two respawned people before you have a chance to set up sticky traps. Thirdly, most spawns also have multiple exits, exits that can be shot out of but not entered by the enemy, or there may simply be multiple spawns. Not to mention if a demoman times his detonation wrong, he'll be in another bad situation. Spawncamping
can win games, but isn't a widely-used tactic in high-level play among teams of similar skill, as the chances to spawncamp are limited and risky.
-Offensive capabilities were limited so turtling is encouraged.
Again, I haven't played TFC much, but offensive capabilities in TF2 seem in no way limited. Even the defensive classes (Heavy, Demoman, Engineer) will still fit into offensive roles.
As for it being encouraged, unless you're playing to lose or stalemate, turtling is far from encouraged. Turtling will not get you anywhere in competetive play. Defense is necessary, but defending without attempting to counterattack is not going to help. If you're say, leading 4-2 in a game of CTF, you'd secure victory better by attempting to extend your lead than you would trying to maintain the current score.
-Armor was removed.
This is a fair point, although armor adds no more depth than say overheal.
-Shells, Nails, Rockets and Cells were replaced by universal ammo (picking up a pistol will magically refill your rocket launcher).
This simply reduces clutter. Having separate ammotypes for rockets, needles, bullets, shells, stickybombs, pipebombs, fuel, flares, minigun rounds and rifle bullets wouldn't be very practical (and if we want to argue about realism, I don't think TFC
or TF2 are the games we should be playing).
-You can no longer throw ammo.
Well yes, removing separate ammo removed the need to throw it.
-You can no longer throw the flag once you have it.
This may be a change from TFC, but it doesn't necessarily reduce complexity. If you need to give the intel to another player (usually a scout or someone faster than you), you merely have to drop it as they run past. If the option of throwing it isn't there, you just have to think of different ways to extract the intel from the enemy base. It also makes scouts more valuable in intel running, as the only thing that can easily stop them once they're out is another scout or a well-placed shot from a sniper.
-Random Dice Rolls/Critical Hits were added that do three times more damage.
About random damage and criticals, those are both options server-owners can choose to have on or off, and in high-level play, they are always off. Yes, this means you can't argue against criticals. If you dislike them, noone is forcing you to play with them. There are a large number of public servers with crits and even damage spread disabled. Also, random criticals are double damage, not triple. Sniper headshots are the only criticals that do triple damage, and they require skill, not luck.
-Also, if you are playing the console versions, good luck doing THIS with a controller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ym97gIn ... re=related
No videos of him scouting/soldiering, but I've seen some pretty ridiculous stuff. That said, TF2 PC shouldn't be compared to TF2 360, for obvious reasons.
Also, melee attacks are used for the same purpose in TF2. Noone in their right mind would switch to melee in the face of an armed opponent unless they knew they were on very low hp. Melee is really just a defense against spies, a last resort in other situations, or something to kill enemies with in the short humiliation time after you've won.