Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

If you were already prepared to say “Goodbye” to Counter-Strike, you better revise your plans. Counter-Strike is revived. Again.

Remember how Valve has already tried to remake this legendary “shooter” back in 2004? However, this attempt can’t be named successful. The Counter-Strike fans were so used to the gameplay of the old 1.6 version that the remake with the new Source engine didn’t get a lot of admirers. Nevertheless, eight years later Valve decided to make another effort and improve the game one more time. This is when Counter-Strike: Global Offensive appeared.

The first part of Counter-Strike is so old that there is a chance that modern kids haven't even heard about this game. So, for the newcomers: Counter-Strike is a cult hit that grants you with a unique multiplayer experience. It’s a team-based first-person shooter with permanent death. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive continues to surprise us with the same enthralling gameplay and near-perfect balance of combat and tactical play. If you like it, download CS GO for PC.

Graphics 4/5

Visually, CS: GO doesn’t have any significant changes from Counter-Strike: Source and there is no wonder why. It’s not 2012 anymore, and the Source engine is rather old and doesn’t suit modern system requirements. The game’s graphics don't have anything fancy. The image looks good enough, it doesn’t get blurry or fuzzy, but the animation could be improved properly. However, the sound will pleasantly surprise all of the CS veterans because so many of the favorite guns' sounds were adopted from earlier versions.

Most of the changes occurred with the old maps, weapon and character models. In CS: GO you will see a lot of new guns that became more detailed as well as a new incendiary grenade which can quickly light a small area on fire and let the players pass it without any damages. Also, the standard suits of characters like terrorists and special forces have slightly changed. Now you can’t choose a separate outfit. There are different sets for each team. Regarding the well-known to all players maps, most of them were modified and, as a result, look terrific with the intricate, thoughtful design as ever. I was surprised a lot with the Lake map that has a wide open and densely populated courtyard around the bomb site on the lake’s shore with plenty of vantage points and hiding spots.

Gameplay 5/5

If you’re not sure what to expect from the Global Offensive part, I will tell you that it’s slightly different from the kind of run-and-shoot action games like Battlefield or Call of Duty for example. You won’t kill everything that moves, and you won’t see power-ups, special weapons, tons of tanks and shooting helicopters. In Counter-Strike you get your gear, learn the maps, focus on your team and rely on your skills to complete the goals. You need to work on getting various skills like moving cautiously, aim accurately and cooperate with your teammates, and, of course, be ready to die a lot.

There are a few game modes: a traditional one, Casual, Ranked, and two of the new once but I will come back to them later. The traditional CS mode is perfectly balanced. You play in a fast-paced manageable environment where a good teamwork beats individuals and where you get rewarded for your combat and cooperation skills. Whenever you die, and this will likely happen at least for a few times, you will be able to observe how other teammates play, see their strategy, notice some tricks, analyze your mistakes and make a plan for the next round.

Another level is Casual which is perfect for newcomers to CS because it doesn't provide them with such things like friendly fire or doesn’t require to purchase armor and other accessories each round. Ranked level is considered the original style of CS because all the settings become enabled there. Also, in this mode, you get to the particular team based on your skill level. Therefore, good players usually go to the same team with other good players. In both of these game modes, you will have multiple short rounds after which you need to purchase new weapons, grenades, and accessories for the money you got from completing missions, killing enemies, etc. So it’s quite logical that the winner's team will have more money and accordingly more equipment at the end than losing teams.

As I mentioned above, there are two new game modes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive called Arms Race and Demolition. They both differ from other modes because you don’t need to purchase weapons by yourself anymore, you get awarded with something new each time when you make a kill. Depending on the settings, you are rewarded with weapons of different levels which are up to the situation. So from the primary worthless weapons, you get something better and better every time. However, after a while, all your weapons stop being effective among your enemies, which is, obviously, a part of the gameplay, and you have nothing to do but using your knife. In these new modes, you will find such interesting things as Molotov cocktails, new incendiary grenades, flames for distraction and a lot more.

Controls 5/5

If you prefer to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a keyboard and mouse, then you do the right thing. No matter what modes you choose, playing with a controller isn’t enjoyable at all. The reason is that CS: GO doesn’t have the hand-holding auto-aim that all console players are used to. Therefore, PS3 players might use a USB keyboard and mouse to enjoy playing CS: GO and no wonder why because such controls are sharp and easily customizable. So playing the PC version is unconditionally the best way to experience Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Replay Value 4.5/5

It’s hard to talk about the game which was released at first so many years ago. Global Offensive seems to be something updated and improved, but when you start playing it, you get back to your memories and feel a pleasant sensation of nostalgia. Voices, terminology and swear words in the chat are still the same, and after playing for awhile you realize that it was almost 20 years ago. I still remember that addictive feeling and desire to play one more round and do it better than last time, get new satisfying skills or win in a new way. Even so, lots of things have changed for that period, it’s always a pleasure to go back to those school days that you were spending in front of your computer. But you will likely play this game once or twice again and not more.

In-app purchases

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive doesn’t have any in-game purchases. But there is an option to get a full pack of all Counter-Strike parts including Global Offensive at once for a good price.

Conclusion

If you've played Counter-Strike before, Global Offensive will be your ticket to the past and will grant you with a pleasant feeling of nostalgia that you might be looking for. The Global Offensive part has a slightly modernized look of the classic multiplayer shooter while adding a few new details into the game’s mechanics and the gameplay. Someone can think that Counter-Strike formula is dated at this point, but, in fact, the heart and soul of this game are timeless for the real fans.

• Graphics 4
• Gameplay 5
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 4.5

Pros

new modes;
intense combat;
modified detailed maps;
sharp and easy adjustable controls;
well-known sounds from the previous parts;

Cons

outdated engine;
low graphic resolution;