[lucastheisen]

is that really more work than:

  int res;
  try { res = Integer.parseInt( s ); } // if part
  catch ( NumberFormatException nfe ) { } // else part

The words are different (try/catch instead of if/else), but still 2 blocks of code with similar syntax...

[MichaelGG]

The main reason for TryParse, AFAIK, is avoiding the massive expense of exceptions on the CLR.

Another reason is composability. If you're checking several values together, returning a Maybe/Option is much more clear and usable.