Counter Strike Global Offensive Review

Now to all of you who think that this game is like Call of Duty or Battlefield you are in for a very rude awakening when it comes to Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The game throws out many of the neat little innovations made in the last  8 years of first person shooters. But this does not mean it's a bad game by any means. Full Review after the Jump.






Let me tell you first of my experience with Counter Strike, I was but an innocent schoolboy in a private international school with computers that were probably used to calculate bombing runs back in World War II. Every computer lesson was a huge bore but at the last 30 minutes of class our teacher who knew of our boredom let us play Counter Strike on the computer. There we were, 30 of us just playing a game of Counter Strike after a hard day's schooling and it was a very pleasant memory of my school days.

Nearly a decade has passed since I touched Counter Strike and having been raised by other shooters like Halo, Resistance, Call of Duty and Battlefield going back to Counter Strike felt like I needed to be reeducated in the first person shooter department.

Most of the guns with the exception of those equipped with scopes can't be aimed by looking down the sights, you can't go prone, you can't quickscope, there are no grenade launchers, perks and killstreaks. Essentially this game is not that different than the version I played nearly 10 years ago. But the thing is, I really do like this game and it's not just because it reminds of an older and simpler generation of gaming but also it means that the core mechanics of team based first person shooting that is teamwork, thoughtful strategy and being conservative during fire fights is thrust upon the player. If you go into a hostile room alone with guns blazing with your AK-47 you will be put down faster than a copy of Twilight. This slow paced and strategic based gun play maybe a turn off to some but I urge you to hear me out.

Oh crap...I left the stove on again didn't I? 

Most of the game is team based  with the terrorists on one side and the counter terrorists on the other with each time having up to 5 players. The game does support bots but there is no splitscreen multiplayer in the game which is a huge wasted opportunity. The game has three basic modes, the first being the staple of Counter Strike, the search and destroy mode where the terrorists try to plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites while the counter terrorists try to stop them. The second is hostage rescue where the terrorists have to protect a bunch of hostages against the counter terrorists who need to take the hostages away from the hostile zone into a rescue site. The game is won either by completing the objectives or killing the entire opposing team.

Rob and Michael were not enjoying their slumber party

The final mode is Arsenal Mode which itself is split into two modes which are Arms Race and Demolition. Arms Race basically involves players having a preset list of weapons to go through, every time they make a kill against an enemy player they will be promoted to the next gun of the list. Once the player has gone through the complete list he or she will win the game. Respawns are instantaneous resulting in some prolonged and heavy skirmishes. Arms Race is also the only mode that does not require you to work as a team.

Demolition also has a preset list of weapons where the player gets promoted through kills but unlike Arms Race it's team objective based and new weapons are only cycled at the beginning of every round rather than being given immediately after the kill.

All these game modes are hugely fun for three important reasons. The maps are suited so well for every game type, the Search and Destroy maps are large and open with plenty of objects that can be used for cover resulting in well spaced fire fights meanwhile the Arsenal Mode maps are smaller resulting in more skirmishes where you are only a couple of feet away from your enemy. Secondly the game's focus on teamwork is something that has to be commended, the game will punish you dearly if you were to breakaway from your team and it will reward you if you stick together to finish off objectives. Finally the game's seemingly archaic mechanics force the player to rely on his or her own individual skill and their ability to work as a team to achieve the objective, as mentioned before there are no perks or killstreaks so if you want to kill your enemy you have to do so with wit, your gun and trigger finger.

Uhh hey guys...I need backup here...guys?...GUYS?!?!!

The gun selection in the game is decent, you have your sniper rifles, submachine guns, shotguns and light machine guns to give the player great choice in different circumstances. The gun mechanics are something that I would have asked Valve to have changed, I would have liked to be able to go prone or aim down the iron sights of my gun because the fact is that when it comes to long range engagements the only guns that have a chance of hitting the enemy are guns with scopes and this is one area of the game that can give one player an unfair advantage over another.

The graphics are above average looking at best, the Source engine is showing its age but is by no means a horrible looking game. I have not seen any graphical blemishes of any sort while playing the game and the framerate is stable even in the most intense of firefights.

The game is old school and that means it should be taken lightly, just because it does not have any modern features it compensates for tried and true mechanics. Everything about the game from its maps to its modes to its gameplay are strong and hugely fun but I can understand how it will alienate some gamers. I for one feel that certain concessions should have been made like the ability to aim down the sights. I also feel that this game would have benefited from a few more game modes like Capture the Flag. I would have also liked split screen multiplayer and more maps. However in an ironic twist this game can actually lay claim to be unique, by rejecting many of the recent developments  made by other first person shooter games Counter Strike: Global Offensive feels like a breath of fresh air...albeit fresh air that has not been breathed since the early 2000s but fresh nonetheless.

Counter Strike Global Offensive
Developer: Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Platforms : PC, PS3 and Xbox 360
Platform Used For Review: Xbox 360
My Purchase Date of the Game: August 23rd 2012