I'm not sure what's up with a lot of the TF2 hate out there.  I didn't realize it had become such a polarizing game.  If people aren't super into it, people seem to be really turned off.  Yeah, it's got a quicker pace than something like Halo.  Yeah, it's been out long enough for vets to have a real leg up.  But the crafting, the ability to help out without directly killing people, and the game modes set it apart from the competition.