I have a confession to make. I’m not proud of it nor am I particularly inclined to let you all in on my little secret.
I never really played "Counter Strike: Source," the version of Counter Strike before Global Offensive (GO), at the height of its popularity. Oh, I had seen people play it and I heard the stories of people both raging over it and losing sleep to it but it never really jived with me. I think I’ll just chock this one up to me being young and impatient.
When I did finally own it for myself in the past two years, Counter Strike: Source handed it to me. When I heard that Valve Corporation was releasing yet another update to one of their many renowned shooters, it was a little daunting. And rightfully so, Counter Strike: Source was one of the toughest shooters I have ever played. So, how does "Counter Strike: Global Offensive fare?"
The Good
Well to put it in the simplest of terms: Counter Strike: Global Offensive is still one of the toughest competitive multiplayer shooters on the market which makes the game that much more addicting. When you die in CS: GO, with the exception of the Arms Race mode, you have to wait until the match is over. The fear of death lurking around every corner, the speed at which you can die when another player is shooting at you and a hankering to do better in the game really entices you to play one more match and hone your skills.
The whole package of CS: GO comes with four modes sans a singleplayer story mode. Arms Race puts players on a map and with each kill; your weapon improves until you get to the golden knife. Demolition has the Arms Race spin of improving your weapons with each kill but you have an objective of blowing something up. Classic Casual, which was my go-to mode, is your standard kill or be killed or blow up something mode that lasts ten rounds. Classic Competitive is the same deal as Classic Casual but there is friendly fire and it’s best out of thirty rounds. If you’re not really getting CS: GO then you can set up some offline A.I. bots until you learn the mechanics and controls in the game.
The audio for CS: GO is incredible. Sometimes in First Person Shooters, you’ll get that one gun that sounds like it came from an antiques shop. The guns in CS: GO are loud and lethal sounding like their real life counterparts. But what more do you expect from the developers that forced me to learn the specific creature noises and audio stings when fighting hoards of the un-dead?
I also really liked the new aiming system for the game. When you run and gun, your aiming is poor but if you crouch and take your time through an environment your accuracy becomes more precise. It gives CS: GO a personality in an over-crowded sub-genre of modern military first-person shooters.
The Bad
There isn’t a whole lot of bad to discuss about CS: GO. The visuals of CS: GO leave a bit more to be desired. It is a $15 game and the visuals have improved since Counter Strike: Source but I wanted more of an increase in graphical fidelity since 2004. If you’re the kind of player that wants to go be John Rambo then the wait for the game to finish will irritate you. I consider myself a relatively patient man and it begun to grade on my nerves a little bit but that depends on the people you play with.
Also, be forewarned that people are crazy skillful at the Counter Strike games. I’m sure you all have that one friend who is really good at a video game but I assure you, the people that play these games are something else entirely.
The Verdict
At $15, Counter Strike: Global Offensive is a steal. The amount of modes you get plus the weapons you get to use and the community of players that you’ll be playing with really puts CS: GO in a class of its own for the gamer with a modest budget. But if you’re really unsure about a purchase due to the high difficulty I mentioned then I’d wait for a price drop so you don’t feel like you wasted money if you end up not liking the game.
Follow me on Twitter @MaroonandGamer and send me an email to shfawcet@asu.edu.
