Hey guys
Here is my review of the new version of the Counter Strike family "Global Offensive". This is currently still in the beta phase and is subject to change but since the release date has been announced this is pretty close to what you will get in the final product minus some minor tweaks and changes.
So lets get started.
The menus
The menus have been updated from previous versions of counter strike. The menu system has more options implemented into it now than ever before. The main menu now has a new background and the overall aesthetics have been changed to a much more appealing look. The main menu now shows your in game name which is determined by your steam name. It shows your accomplishments and has the usual buttons such as "Play" and "Options". In the options menu you will find the usual such as "Audio", "Video" and "Keyboard and Mouse"
Keyboard and Mouse
In keyboard and mouse you have the usual rebindable buttons and mouse sensitivity. Valve has added for the first time however an option to change mouse zoom sensitivity which until now had to be altered via a console command. Other changes are options the have to toggle or press the walk and crouch buttons which will suit different players styles. There is also options to bind the different grenades to different keys which also had to be done via console commands previously. The changes allow the player to customize the game to their suiting and allows the players to quickly make changes if they find pressing a certain button difficult or if they feel a button is not to their liking.
Game settings
Game settings refers to options such as your crosshair style or colour. You can also now for the first time change the behavior of the crosshair via the menus where as previous it had to be done via a console command. You can have the crosshair static or dynamic which moves depending on your recoil and movements. Other commands such as close buy menu after each purchase and always show your inventory are changeable here also.
Video settings
Under video settings there is also some new options. There is a colour mode and play distance options. These are there depending on if you play on a pc monitor or a tv. The play distance changes the Field of view to a more comfortable option depending on what distance your most likely to be playing on. For example if you play on a monitor your fov will be greater because you sit closer than a tv. Another new addition is laptop power savings. This option will decrease the games maximum frame rate in order to extend battery life on a laptop.
In the advanced options you will find the usual options such as texture quality, model details and anti aliasing. There is a host of different resolutions which can be run in fullscreen or windowed modes.
Audio settings
Under audio settings there is just the usual options for volume and speaker configuration. You can also adjust in game voice options here also.
There will be options for controllers and motion controllers also but at the moment these are not available.
The changes made to the options menus seem to be a positive one offering new options as well as the old options. This means that old counter strike players and new comers will be able to adjust the settings to suit their play styles and needs.
Buy Menu
The buy menu has also changed appearance in GO. Instead of a list menu you are now given a buy wheel. You can still use the numbers and bind buy keys as like older versions of CS. The menu also features new weapon models and stats. See below
Graphics
The graphics have been updated in GO and thus the game will require a slightly better machine to play on over previous versions. The changes bring in new models and new aesthetics to the maps which include new lighting and new textures. Overall the graphic style is quite nice and if running with a high MSAA or Texture Filtering the game will look quite crisp. At the moment the game has not been optimized for high frames per second performance and many graphics cards are still not supported but Valve have said this is usually one of the last things they do in their development phase. To give you some examples my old 8800gts would just play the game on low settings but would crash on terrorists side of the map de_train. So with some optimization tweaks I am sure even a card as old as that could run this game be it on low settings and with a frame rate between 50-80 fps which should be fine for most users. With my new machine I can run the game maxed and still get over 300 fps on average. See below for some screenshots of the the map dust 2 on full settings
There are a few graphical issues that some people are still giving feedback to valve about. The game features a sort of de-satured look on some maps which some old school players do not like, myself included. There is a sort of shadow vignette around the sides of the screen which is just about noticeable but is not very intrusive which in my opinion makes the game look a little cinematic rather than a game. There is another issue which is the "fog" on most maps see below.
Which can hinder visibility and can make determining if a character is friendly or foe more difficult. Many people did not like this and Valve introduced the "SE" maps which were aimed towards competitive play but in my opinion will become the default maps because of their increased visibility, see below.
Other graphical changes are the models for the characters and guns. Each map will have a default character for it so the counter terrorists will look similar to their real life counter parts for that region. See below for some examples of both terrorist models and counter terrorists models.
The guns have had changes too and their positioning on the screen has been moved also. The guns seem to take up a little more space on the screen, the most notable being the desert eagle pistol which takes up quite a bit of the screen. The main issue I have with the models is that some either are too big example the desert eagle or too small example the he grenade which looks like a small apple. Some of the classic guns have changed, the scout sniper rifle and galil rifle being the most notable. In previous versions the galil looked similar to an ak47 but now it looks more like a baby m4a1. The scout also looks very similar to the awp sniper rifle and thus can confuse new comers between the two which have different characteristics. The awp being a one shot kill sniper and the scout being a two shot but one head shot kill weapon. This means for new comers the mistake could potentially cost a round.
See below for some examples of the weapons.
Deagle
Ak47
Awp
Galil
Scout
Audio
At the moment positional audio which plays a big part in the counter strike franchise is a little off and can be a little hard to hear if an enemy is close or far away. However Valve has said there is a big audio update planned for the coming weeks which should improve the audio.
The gun sounds have changed slightly too. The deagle seems to lack the punch it used to have in previous versions and the bass behind it is lacking. The awp and scout snipers sound very similar and the awp seems to have lost its intimidating sound that was present in previous versions. In previous versions when an awp was fired you knew straight away it was an awp where as with this version the awp and scout sound similar and can make it hard to distinguish which is being used by the opposition.
I am still reserving judgement on the sound quality in global offensive until the update comes out but as of now 19/06/2012 the sound and positional audio are not ready.
Gameplay
If you are unfamiliar with the counter strike franchise the game is a first person shooter and is an arena based game. The standard mode consists of maps with two bomb sites. A terrorist force is playing against a counter terrorist force. The aim of the terrorists is to either kill all of the other team or plant and explode a bomb at one of the bombsites. The aim of the counter terrorists is to either kill all of the opposing team or stop the bomb from exploding. There is a time limit to each round and the counter terrorists need time to defuse the bomb. The standard game consists of 5v5 gameplay but community servers will support more players and may or may not have their own restrictions to gameplay.
The game also has a money system which is very much a crucial part of the game. Guns cost money and if you die the next round you will need to purchase new weapons. Examples of cost are the desert eagle is $800, the awp sniper rifle is $4750. The price of the weapon is suppose to reflect its power so the desert eagle is the most powerful pistol thus it is the most expensive pistol.
Gaining money can be done by a number of ways. Winning rounds will get you a cash bonus for your team. Planting the bomb as terrorists gets your team a cash bonus. Individual efforts get you money too. So each kill will give you money. In previous versions you had a static kill reward which was $300. In GO you get a different amount depending on what weapon you use. If you kill someone with an awp sniper rifle you get $50 but if you kill someone with a glock pistol you get $300. Managing your money and buying as a team is part of the game as much as shooting heads.
Game Feel
One of the biggest areas of an fps for me is how it feels and with GO being a counter strike the feel is quite good but it is not there yet. The movement can feel a little impresice at times and the character while jumping can feel as if you have lead boots on. The guns feel quite nice but the visual feedback the gun gives you is a little lacking compared to older Counter Strikes and with the addition of tracer rounds the guns are quite hard to get a consistant feel with. The recoil system is a slight blend of 1.6 and source versions with it being slightly more towards source. Overall the game feels good but comparing it to older versions something seems a little off. However that said there is still plenty of time left before release for these to be tweaked.
Guns and grenades
GO offers some new weapons and some older weapons have waved goodbye. The usp pistol for ct's has been replaced by the P2000. The Mp5 sub machine gun beloved by both 1.6 players and source players has been taken out and replaced with the PP-Bizon and MP7. There is a second LMG in the form of the Negev and additional shotguns in the form of a sawed-off, Xm1014 and nova. There is also a one shot tazer called the xm-27 which has one shot but if connected will kill instantly. New grenades also feature in the game such as the molotov which when thrown on the ground spreads fire out around a given area for a few seconds. It is possible to die in the molotov even if entered with full Hp. There is also the addition of the "decoy" grenade which once thrown makes random sounds and shows up on the radar as an enemy player to the other team. See below for Molotov and Decoys in game.
Molotov
Decoy
Game Modes
This version of CS sees the introduction of the classic "gun game" mod to the game for the first time all be it under a new name now called "Arms race". This sees the player start off with an smg and progress through shotguns, rifles, machine guns and pistols until the golden knife round. The aim is to get a kill with the current weapon and then you are given a new weapon instantly and until you reach the golden knife. The golden knife is the last level and if you get the first kill with it you win.
GO also sees the introduction of "Demolition" mode which is a mode that blends both arms race and the classic CS gameplay. You are on a small map which has one bombsite and you start off with a gun. The aim is to race through the guns like arms race but you do not get a new weapon instantly but rather at the beginning of the next round. You can also win by exploding the bomb or defusing like in classic CS.
Classic casual mode and Classic competitive mode are based on the old school CS gameplay of 5v5 arena shooting with bomb defuse. The two modes offer differences however. In casual mode friendly fire is off and team collision is off also. You get more money per kill and it is best of 10 rounds to win. You also do not need to worry about buying defuse kits or armor as they are given to you each round. In competitive mode you have friendly fire and team collision. You also have the dynamic money system and it is based on best of 30 rounds. Armor and defuse kits need to be bought at the beginning of each round and thus money management becomes more evident in this mode.
Maps
GO offers the usual maps from previous CS's such as Dust, Dust 2, Nuke, Train, Inferno, Aztec, Office and Italy for the classic modes. There is also the se versions of most of the above maps which removes some visual clutter and the "fog" in game. Each map has been updated and remade for go with some changes.
There is also new maps for arms race and demolition modes. Baggage and shoots are the arms race maps available at the moment. Demolition mode has the maps Lake, Bank, Sugarcane, St marc, Short train and safe house.
Baggage
Shoots
Bank
De_dust
Dust has been altered slightly with the addition of a stairs from the lower tunnels to the upper walkways. Other than that it has been mostly cosmetic changes.
De_dust 2
Dust 2 sees mostly visual changes but some boxes have been moved and sizes teaked.
De_Nuke
Nuke sees some of the biggest changes with the upper bombsite and lower bombsite having new obstacles and cover. The back steps have been removed and toxic barrels on lower site have been removed.
De_Train
Train also sees some major changes with the movement of the outer bombsite train and the removal of being able to sit under the trains. The inner site has now much less trains and cover also.
De_inferno
Inferno seems to just have had a cosmetic change much like dust 2 but the banana walkway has been altered to a more confined space but with more cover.
De_aztec
Aztec has been pretty much left alone also apart from visual differences much like inferno and dust 2.
Release and Price
Currently the game is still in the beta phase but Valve announced at E3 that the game is set for a full release on the 21 August this year and will carry a price tag of $15. It is not yet sure if the usual steam 1:1 ratio for dollars to euros will carry over but even if it does the game is still very cheap.
Platforms
The game is set for release on Ps3, Xbox, PC and Mac via steam. Cross platform play has been ruled out however.
Conclusion
In my opinion for the price Global Offensive is worth picking up even if it is released with bugs and minor gameplay annoyances Valve have said they will continually update the game after release to polish any issues. If you are a die hard CS fan however you may find yourself back playing either source or 1.6 quite quickly. That said the game has potential and with a little tweaking to a few key areas the game could be quite successful and with the price tag as I already said it is a bargain. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
Score 8/10
Lastly there is now chickens on De_Inferno
Here is my review of the new version of the Counter Strike family "Global Offensive". This is currently still in the beta phase and is subject to change but since the release date has been announced this is pretty close to what you will get in the final product minus some minor tweaks and changes.
So lets get started.
The menus
The menus have been updated from previous versions of counter strike. The menu system has more options implemented into it now than ever before. The main menu now has a new background and the overall aesthetics have been changed to a much more appealing look. The main menu now shows your in game name which is determined by your steam name. It shows your accomplishments and has the usual buttons such as "Play" and "Options". In the options menu you will find the usual such as "Audio", "Video" and "Keyboard and Mouse"
Keyboard and Mouse
In keyboard and mouse you have the usual rebindable buttons and mouse sensitivity. Valve has added for the first time however an option to change mouse zoom sensitivity which until now had to be altered via a console command. Other changes are options the have to toggle or press the walk and crouch buttons which will suit different players styles. There is also options to bind the different grenades to different keys which also had to be done via console commands previously. The changes allow the player to customize the game to their suiting and allows the players to quickly make changes if they find pressing a certain button difficult or if they feel a button is not to their liking.
Game settings
Game settings refers to options such as your crosshair style or colour. You can also now for the first time change the behavior of the crosshair via the menus where as previous it had to be done via a console command. You can have the crosshair static or dynamic which moves depending on your recoil and movements. Other commands such as close buy menu after each purchase and always show your inventory are changeable here also.
Video settings
Under video settings there is also some new options. There is a colour mode and play distance options. These are there depending on if you play on a pc monitor or a tv. The play distance changes the Field of view to a more comfortable option depending on what distance your most likely to be playing on. For example if you play on a monitor your fov will be greater because you sit closer than a tv. Another new addition is laptop power savings. This option will decrease the games maximum frame rate in order to extend battery life on a laptop.
In the advanced options you will find the usual options such as texture quality, model details and anti aliasing. There is a host of different resolutions which can be run in fullscreen or windowed modes.
Audio settings
Under audio settings there is just the usual options for volume and speaker configuration. You can also adjust in game voice options here also.
There will be options for controllers and motion controllers also but at the moment these are not available.
The changes made to the options menus seem to be a positive one offering new options as well as the old options. This means that old counter strike players and new comers will be able to adjust the settings to suit their play styles and needs.
Buy Menu
The buy menu has also changed appearance in GO. Instead of a list menu you are now given a buy wheel. You can still use the numbers and bind buy keys as like older versions of CS. The menu also features new weapon models and stats. See below
Graphics
The graphics have been updated in GO and thus the game will require a slightly better machine to play on over previous versions. The changes bring in new models and new aesthetics to the maps which include new lighting and new textures. Overall the graphic style is quite nice and if running with a high MSAA or Texture Filtering the game will look quite crisp. At the moment the game has not been optimized for high frames per second performance and many graphics cards are still not supported but Valve have said this is usually one of the last things they do in their development phase. To give you some examples my old 8800gts would just play the game on low settings but would crash on terrorists side of the map de_train. So with some optimization tweaks I am sure even a card as old as that could run this game be it on low settings and with a frame rate between 50-80 fps which should be fine for most users. With my new machine I can run the game maxed and still get over 300 fps on average. See below for some screenshots of the the map dust 2 on full settings
There are a few graphical issues that some people are still giving feedback to valve about. The game features a sort of de-satured look on some maps which some old school players do not like, myself included. There is a sort of shadow vignette around the sides of the screen which is just about noticeable but is not very intrusive which in my opinion makes the game look a little cinematic rather than a game. There is another issue which is the "fog" on most maps see below.
Which can hinder visibility and can make determining if a character is friendly or foe more difficult. Many people did not like this and Valve introduced the "SE" maps which were aimed towards competitive play but in my opinion will become the default maps because of their increased visibility, see below.
Other graphical changes are the models for the characters and guns. Each map will have a default character for it so the counter terrorists will look similar to their real life counter parts for that region. See below for some examples of both terrorist models and counter terrorists models.
The guns have had changes too and their positioning on the screen has been moved also. The guns seem to take up a little more space on the screen, the most notable being the desert eagle pistol which takes up quite a bit of the screen. The main issue I have with the models is that some either are too big example the desert eagle or too small example the he grenade which looks like a small apple. Some of the classic guns have changed, the scout sniper rifle and galil rifle being the most notable. In previous versions the galil looked similar to an ak47 but now it looks more like a baby m4a1. The scout also looks very similar to the awp sniper rifle and thus can confuse new comers between the two which have different characteristics. The awp being a one shot kill sniper and the scout being a two shot but one head shot kill weapon. This means for new comers the mistake could potentially cost a round.
See below for some examples of the weapons.
Deagle
Ak47
Awp
Galil
Scout
Audio
At the moment positional audio which plays a big part in the counter strike franchise is a little off and can be a little hard to hear if an enemy is close or far away. However Valve has said there is a big audio update planned for the coming weeks which should improve the audio.
The gun sounds have changed slightly too. The deagle seems to lack the punch it used to have in previous versions and the bass behind it is lacking. The awp and scout snipers sound very similar and the awp seems to have lost its intimidating sound that was present in previous versions. In previous versions when an awp was fired you knew straight away it was an awp where as with this version the awp and scout sound similar and can make it hard to distinguish which is being used by the opposition.
I am still reserving judgement on the sound quality in global offensive until the update comes out but as of now 19/06/2012 the sound and positional audio are not ready.
Gameplay
If you are unfamiliar with the counter strike franchise the game is a first person shooter and is an arena based game. The standard mode consists of maps with two bomb sites. A terrorist force is playing against a counter terrorist force. The aim of the terrorists is to either kill all of the other team or plant and explode a bomb at one of the bombsites. The aim of the counter terrorists is to either kill all of the opposing team or stop the bomb from exploding. There is a time limit to each round and the counter terrorists need time to defuse the bomb. The standard game consists of 5v5 gameplay but community servers will support more players and may or may not have their own restrictions to gameplay.
The game also has a money system which is very much a crucial part of the game. Guns cost money and if you die the next round you will need to purchase new weapons. Examples of cost are the desert eagle is $800, the awp sniper rifle is $4750. The price of the weapon is suppose to reflect its power so the desert eagle is the most powerful pistol thus it is the most expensive pistol.
Gaining money can be done by a number of ways. Winning rounds will get you a cash bonus for your team. Planting the bomb as terrorists gets your team a cash bonus. Individual efforts get you money too. So each kill will give you money. In previous versions you had a static kill reward which was $300. In GO you get a different amount depending on what weapon you use. If you kill someone with an awp sniper rifle you get $50 but if you kill someone with a glock pistol you get $300. Managing your money and buying as a team is part of the game as much as shooting heads.
Game Feel
One of the biggest areas of an fps for me is how it feels and with GO being a counter strike the feel is quite good but it is not there yet. The movement can feel a little impresice at times and the character while jumping can feel as if you have lead boots on. The guns feel quite nice but the visual feedback the gun gives you is a little lacking compared to older Counter Strikes and with the addition of tracer rounds the guns are quite hard to get a consistant feel with. The recoil system is a slight blend of 1.6 and source versions with it being slightly more towards source. Overall the game feels good but comparing it to older versions something seems a little off. However that said there is still plenty of time left before release for these to be tweaked.
Guns and grenades
GO offers some new weapons and some older weapons have waved goodbye. The usp pistol for ct's has been replaced by the P2000. The Mp5 sub machine gun beloved by both 1.6 players and source players has been taken out and replaced with the PP-Bizon and MP7. There is a second LMG in the form of the Negev and additional shotguns in the form of a sawed-off, Xm1014 and nova. There is also a one shot tazer called the xm-27 which has one shot but if connected will kill instantly. New grenades also feature in the game such as the molotov which when thrown on the ground spreads fire out around a given area for a few seconds. It is possible to die in the molotov even if entered with full Hp. There is also the addition of the "decoy" grenade which once thrown makes random sounds and shows up on the radar as an enemy player to the other team. See below for Molotov and Decoys in game.
Molotov
Decoy
Game Modes
This version of CS sees the introduction of the classic "gun game" mod to the game for the first time all be it under a new name now called "Arms race". This sees the player start off with an smg and progress through shotguns, rifles, machine guns and pistols until the golden knife round. The aim is to get a kill with the current weapon and then you are given a new weapon instantly and until you reach the golden knife. The golden knife is the last level and if you get the first kill with it you win.
GO also sees the introduction of "Demolition" mode which is a mode that blends both arms race and the classic CS gameplay. You are on a small map which has one bombsite and you start off with a gun. The aim is to race through the guns like arms race but you do not get a new weapon instantly but rather at the beginning of the next round. You can also win by exploding the bomb or defusing like in classic CS.
Classic casual mode and Classic competitive mode are based on the old school CS gameplay of 5v5 arena shooting with bomb defuse. The two modes offer differences however. In casual mode friendly fire is off and team collision is off also. You get more money per kill and it is best of 10 rounds to win. You also do not need to worry about buying defuse kits or armor as they are given to you each round. In competitive mode you have friendly fire and team collision. You also have the dynamic money system and it is based on best of 30 rounds. Armor and defuse kits need to be bought at the beginning of each round and thus money management becomes more evident in this mode.
Maps
GO offers the usual maps from previous CS's such as Dust, Dust 2, Nuke, Train, Inferno, Aztec, Office and Italy for the classic modes. There is also the se versions of most of the above maps which removes some visual clutter and the "fog" in game. Each map has been updated and remade for go with some changes.
There is also new maps for arms race and demolition modes. Baggage and shoots are the arms race maps available at the moment. Demolition mode has the maps Lake, Bank, Sugarcane, St marc, Short train and safe house.
Baggage
Shoots
Bank
De_dust
Dust has been altered slightly with the addition of a stairs from the lower tunnels to the upper walkways. Other than that it has been mostly cosmetic changes.
De_dust 2
Dust 2 sees mostly visual changes but some boxes have been moved and sizes teaked.
De_Nuke
Nuke sees some of the biggest changes with the upper bombsite and lower bombsite having new obstacles and cover. The back steps have been removed and toxic barrels on lower site have been removed.
De_Train
Train also sees some major changes with the movement of the outer bombsite train and the removal of being able to sit under the trains. The inner site has now much less trains and cover also.
De_inferno
Inferno seems to just have had a cosmetic change much like dust 2 but the banana walkway has been altered to a more confined space but with more cover.
De_aztec
Aztec has been pretty much left alone also apart from visual differences much like inferno and dust 2.
Release and Price
Currently the game is still in the beta phase but Valve announced at E3 that the game is set for a full release on the 21 August this year and will carry a price tag of $15. It is not yet sure if the usual steam 1:1 ratio for dollars to euros will carry over but even if it does the game is still very cheap.
Platforms
The game is set for release on Ps3, Xbox, PC and Mac via steam. Cross platform play has been ruled out however.
Conclusion
In my opinion for the price Global Offensive is worth picking up even if it is released with bugs and minor gameplay annoyances Valve have said they will continually update the game after release to polish any issues. If you are a die hard CS fan however you may find yourself back playing either source or 1.6 quite quickly. That said the game has potential and with a little tweaking to a few key areas the game could be quite successful and with the price tag as I already said it is a bargain. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
Score 8/10
Lastly there is now chickens on De_Inferno
