Have you actually tried it and been discouraged? Honestly, 100% of the core gameplay is identical to what it was in 2008. The bonuses are just new maps, slightly different alternate weapons, a new game mode or two (payload, king of the hill), and hats. It's not as if they added a dozen new classes or something; they release exactly enough content to keep it fresh for people who are playing all the time.

I'm surprised that anyone would find it intimidating -- frankly, if you took 2008 me, put me in a hole for two years, and brought me out to play TF2 CTF or CP, I would probably barely even notice that there were new things.