Friday, December 12, 2014

CS:GO Review, will have more later!

As one of Valve Software's flagship game series, Counter-Strike is well known for its blend of strategic action and realistic gunplay. Global Offensive, the latest iteration of the series, brings back the popular tactical shooter after an eight-year hiatus with a significant visual redesign, new weapons and modes. Unfortunately, while it's still the same robust FPS we've all come to know, love and/or hate, it doesn't do a whole lot to break new ground for the series.
For those new to the series, Global Offensive is going to be a vastly different experience from the kind of run-and-gun style action you might've seen in Call of Duty or Battlefield. Things like regenerating health, kill streaks and Michael Bay-esque explosions dotting expansive battlefields full of tanks and helicopters are absent fromCounter-Strike - the focus is on smaller teams of Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists completing objectives rather than killing everything that moves. You'll be challenged to develop a different set of skills centered on moving cautiously, placing your shots and thinking how to work best with your teammates, and well, chances are you're going to die a lot getting the hang of Counter-Strike's mechanics. But that makes the first time you successfully plant the bomb, rescue a hostage or just survive a round in one piece all the more satisfying.
For veterans of the series, the good news is that you'll feel right at home with Global Offensive. It may have received a graphical overhaul, and some of your favorite weapons and maps may be absent, but it still offers the same kind of adrenaline rush you might remember from playing the original Counter-Strike well over a decade ago. The game's dual scenarios of rescuing hostages or disarming bombs are back in full form, along with a handful of classic Counter-Strike maps including Dust and Aztec, but the bad news is, you're going feel a fair amount of déjà vu playing through them. As fun as it is to pull off a daring rescue of all the blindfolded hostages that are holed up in Office's projector room, I couldn't help but feel that I had been there and done that a dozen times before. There may be no time like the present for those new to tactical shooters to give Counter-Strike a try than with Global Offensive, but for long-time fans of the game, you're going to notice that Counter-Strike's game play is starting to show its age.

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