Counter Strike review

I'm a little CSed out for now, so I figure it's a good a time as any to actually give an objective (hateful) review.

Pros:

Obviously, the best bunch of weapons in any game or mod, ever. Each weapon has a distinct personality, and have all been rendered realistically. The scenarios are inventive, Counter Terrorists can rescue hostages, defuse a bomb, guide a VIP through Terrorist infested landscapes, or hunt down the Terrorists themselves. The two teams are made of a colorful group of player models: CTs have Navy SEALs, German's GSG9, SAS, and the French GIGN. While the T's models are less discriptive, they are similarly as colorful, with an arctic, guerilla, urban camo, and then some cool looking unshaven guy with mirror shades.

As the mod has progressed though the beta versions, it has changed dramatically. The first beta of CS was unplayable, with dense maps that showcased the only scenario at the time, hostage rescue, which was an impossible feat due to frightfully poor map design. Their modeller was the only real groundbreaker, a guy who was formerly a part of the Action Q2 team, a lackluster Quake 2 mod with a few good ideas.

By the time beta 3 rolled around, CS was a hit. With beta 4, defusion maps were introduced, opening up a world that had not been explored in CS up until then: scenarios that could be accomplished without simply defeating the enemy team. To this day, CS is the most popular game in online gaming, played by tens of thousands of players, with around 3000 servers.

The appeal to CS is not the models though, it's the gameplay. The thrill of two teams hunting each other through maze-like maps is great, and working together with your team is just about a thousand times more fun than most teamplay mods. The map objectives are always well laid out, and usually have more than 5 passageways in each direction. With each new version, CS gets more interesting.

Cons:

Unfortunatly, a great deal of the current CS maps are simply a style of team deathmatch with great weapons. Almost all the servers run a cavalcade of maps where the objective is second to simply finishing off the enemy team. Playing the assasination maps, where the CTs must protect a VIP, simply becomes a giant bore, as the Ts simply move in to an unprotected VIP and finish the round. And you would think that playing the old, obsolete maps of the first beta would be below the people at CS, but not so.

9 out of 10 of the hostage rescue maps only have 2 entrances to the Terrorist base, the first being just a big open area and the second usually being a door that can easily be covered by the Terrorist team. For the defusion maps, both teams simply rush each other until the round is over. The Terrorist team only plants the bomb as an afterthought, usually. And it's usually planted by one person, alone. The rest of the team either doesn't bother trying to protect it, or simply run past the site once.

Most servers won't even play the more open hostage rescue maps, like 747. And most players will not stand to play backalley, opting to vote in another rushathon defusion map that involves tiny particles of dander.

Additionally, the variaty of play in CS is limited as compared to other mods. The different player models have no bearing on how the game is played, and once you have mastered every weapon, you'll probably be out of reasons to keep playing. Also, the CS team doesn't support any custom maps at all, so the mod only comes with about 14 different maps.

Overall: While CS's team are made up of pros, the level design seems to be made of people who do not play the mod very often. The game is good for a few months as you discover the maps, but then gets tired.

Review by:
Josh Cable

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