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Review by Antz
Never before has a multiplayer game blended all the elements
of true competition and sweat-soaked-shirt anxiety as well a Counter-Strike
(CS). You probably already know CS as one of the most popular
modifications for Half-Life. It's been available for download
for over a year, at least in beta form. But unless you've got
a super fast Internet connection at your house, you may not have
played it yet as the nearly 100 megabyte download may be daunting
for those of you not fortunate enough to have a high-speed connection.
Thankfully CS has turned into a full-blown retail game and, while
the two versions of CS are identical, it certainly worth shelling
out £10 for this stellar title...plus you get a few more
multiplayer goodies in the retail package to boot.
Let me start off by saying that the Counter-Strike pack is a stand-alone
product. You don't need the original Half-Life to play this game.
In the retail package you get a full version of CS as well as
Team Fortress Classic, Opposing Force multiplayer, and the Wanted,
Redemption and Firearms mods. The entire pack is overflowing with
multiplayer fun, but, of course, the real focus of the retail
release is Counter-Strike.
There is a single-player component to CS and, while it provides
a good primer, this mod is all about online action. You basically
play a game of cat and mouse, with the mouse being a terrorist
group and the cat a squad of counter-terrorists. As a terrorist,
you're goal is to plant a bomb at a specific location or hold
a group of hostages. As a counter-terrorist, it's your duty to
defuse said bomb or rescue the ill-fated hostages. Taking out
all players on the opposing side will also assure your victory.
CS is an action lover's dream, with games lasting only four or
five minutes (if that in some cases) because, unlike Half-Life,
one shot to the head can mean instant death. CS is the perfect
mix between fast-action and realistic damage. You can't just absorb
bullet after bullet and expect to walk away. Working as a team
is a must and, while you're in the game, taking the lone wolf
approach will often get you killed...and fast.
Visually the game will not disappoint. While the Half-Life engine
isn't the prettiest beast out there, there is plenty of animation
that creates a smooth look and feel, and the gun models are some
of the most realistic looking of any shooter available. The environmental
textures look realistic enough and complement the provided camouflage
well enough for you to be hidden, but not be invisible. As in
real life, the distinguishable difference between good guy and
bad guy is a little difficult, but the balance to this is if you
can't tell who it is then you probably won't be able to hit him
with your gun. Now, if you've purchased sniper rifle, you should
have plenty of scope magnification to tell the difference between
terrorist or counter-terrorist, but otherwise you may be taking
out a team member from afar.
Not surprisingly, the user interface is very Half-Life-esque.
Gamers who have played Half-Life or any of the other mods for
the game will have no trouble with the menu system. Even for the
first time user the interface is easy to use or fumble through.
The only thing that even slightly tripped us up in the interface
is the "Update" on the server page. First-time users
may be confused into thinking this meant update my version of
CS. Not true, it actually means update the list of game servers.
But the rest of the interface is easy to understand and even easier
to navigate.
Just about the only aspect of this game that we could make negative
comments about is the sound. Sure, the realistic guns sounds are
spot on, we just wish the same amount of attention to detail was
given to the rest of the sound in the game. Some levels have lighting
and thunder. When the thunder crashes it sounds a little wimpy.
We were hoping for some deeper bass and clearer sounding claps
from the lightning. In most of the level the user can go inside
or out side of buildings, the sound of their footsteps should
also change to reflect what type of surface they are walking on.
The sound of footsteps getting closer and closer could also have
been improved. As it stands now, it's hard to tell how far down
the hallway or street a bad guy is from you by sound alone.
So how long does the magic last? Well we've been playing this
game for over a year now and we still can't get enough of it.
Are we tired of it? Hell no! We're still surprised by how fun
this game is. This game actually made some of us squeal like little
school-girls after getting sniped from an unexpected angle on
high. On the other hand some of us were drawn to stand up and
scream obscenities at the monitor. I guess we'll just have to
get them next time!
In a nutshell, if you're looking for the next step in online
first person shooters, then look no further. CS is fast paced,
intense, and satisfying--this game will not disappoint. This is
truly one of the best mods for one of the all time greatest first
person shooters ever, and the retail package of CS is simply bursting
with multiplayer goodness. If you like to play shooters online,
get this pack!
Review by Antz
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