Game Reviews: Counter-Strike
What first began as a homemade modification to the Valve Corporation’s smash hit game called Half Life, Counter strike exploded into the mainstream and became an instant favorite among fans of PC first person shooters. As of August 2011, over 25 million units of the game have been sold and several sequels and updates have been released. For those unaware, Counter strike, better known as CS, pits two different groups of players against each other. There are the terrorists, who must try to set up and detonate bombs, or prevent hostages from being rescued. Then there are the counter-terrorists who must defuse the terrorists’ bombs and rescue the hostages. Each side must try to kill off the other, and if a player gets killed they enter Spectator Mode, which means they will be able to watch both the enemy and their own team players through their eyes, and can communicate with other dead players of both teams.
Gameplay
Besides the bomb defuse and hostage rescue modes, there are a few other gameplay types for all kinds of shooter fans, such as capture the flag and a special game type that instantly respawns players after death and lays dozens of weapons out on the ground for anyone to pick up. One of the best parts of playing Counter strike is the weapons. The CS weapons available to a player differ depending on which team they are on. Terrorists have exclusive weapons such as the MAC-10, the AK-47, and the Krieg 552. Counter terrorists, on the other hand, have weapons that include the Colt M4A1, the Bullpup, and the Famas Clarion 5.56. Each player also has the ability to use a knife, in case they run out of ammunition or want to humiliate their opponents by striking them in the back. There are two types of attacks with the knife: a slash attack that does a moderate amount of damage, and a thrusting, stabbing attack that does a high amount of damage but takes longer to execute.
The maps that are included are one of the main things responsible for the games meteoric rise in popularity. The most memorable maps are definitely Office, which takes place in and around an isolated office space where you can hide under desks and behind doors, Italy, which takes place, well, in Italy, and of course Dust. If you search for any open game servers, a large majority of them will be de_dust. Taking place in a barricaded field located in a dry desert environment, Dust is the classic Counterstrike map. There are a few unique vantage points that are favorites for snipers, and there are many skirmish points where an encounter with the enemy is all but inevitable. In addition, the two designated zones where the terrorists must place the bombs provide great hiding spots for terrorists to lie in wait, giving the counter-terrorists that extra thrill element.
One of the only things I initially did not like about this game was the money system. At the start of each game, both teams start with a predetermined amount of cash. You must navigate through menus to purchase weapons, ammunition, armor, health and other items such as grenades and flash grenades, and the first few times you do this you may find yourself getting killed because you took too long and an enemy found you, but after a while you will learn which weapons are your favorites. After each round, the winning team will get more cash, and if they complete the objective, such as rescuing a hostage or detonating the bomb, they will get a big cash bonus. Once you get used to this system, you will learn to love it, as I did.
If you have the PC version of Counter strike, you will have access to the countless modifications other players have created for your enjoyment. These mods include different weapons, characters, levels and gameplay modes. Ultra-realistic weapon skins will change the way you see the game, and some goofy character skins will have you looking like your favorite Marvel superheroes or dead actors. Some of my personal favorite user created maps include an exact replica of a McDonald’s, even featuring a fully functional kitchen and bathrooms, as well as Iceworld, which is an extremely tiny map that holds a massive amount of players and guarantees utter chaos.
Graphics & Sound
There are two different versions of the main Counter strike game. There is the older Counter strike, which is the original game and ran until version 1.5, and then there is the new game called Counter strike: Source, which utilizes Valve’s Source engine. For the purpose of fairness I will review the Source version, since it is more modern.
The graphics certainly get the job done. While not nearly as realistic or modern as many other shooters out there, such as the titanic games Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The guns in the game look as they should, though they are a bit polygonal. The levels, however, display an excessive amount of overstretched pixels and repeating patterns and textures. The game shines when it comes to the animations, though. Each animation, whether it is your character picking up weapons, shooting the gun, or knifing someone in the back looks smooth and graceful. From a distance, it may be hard to distinguish between a member of your own team and a member of the enemy, which may lead to unwanted friendly fire. If you have a sniper though, the scope will usually be able to zoom in sufficiently enough to help you determine which team they are on.
The sounds are also a hit or miss. The guns themselves sound fantastic, and as real as ever. There are other sounds that seem a little slow, late or unsynchronized, such as the sound of your footsteps while you walk or run, when you reload a weapon, and when there are ambient sound effects such as rain or thunder.
Conclusion
Overall, the game is a great time sink. I have been playing for many years now and have yet to give up playing. The modifications add a ton of replay value to the game, and the fast paced, intense action will leave you craving more headshots long after you log off for the day. The graphics are mostly great, and the gameplay is truly the shining gem in this game’s highlights.
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