One of the most popular games of all time is finally back. In this review you will see that Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO) still carries the elements that have made it a phenomenon in the lan houses and that promises to cause nostalgia in its legion of fans.
New look of CS:GO
The look of Counter Strike: Global Offensive is much more real than the previous version. Since the scenarios are the same, Valve’s idea of rebuilding the old classic worked perfectly. That way, those fans who love the classics and those who love modern graphics, can feel comfortable.
The characters are also more realistic. Both the clothes and the armament – which is now hung on the character – give a new game air to fans of the series. Light and shadows have also been improved, now the graphics look more realistic. A curious fact is that your own shadow can reveal the place where you are hiding. Even the puddles of blood – which were a heap of pixels – gave way to a very realistic rounded shape.
And in a comparison between the versions for PCs and consoles (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) it is difficult to notice a big difference between the graphics. However, with further analysis, it is possible to note that PCs still have a small advantage.
A more agile CS
The gameplay that popularized the franchise remains intact. The aiming system continues to be limited to rifles only, jumps are still limited and crouching is one of the best ways to fool and surprise your enemies.
Unlike previous Counter Strike, you do not have to search for a server to start combat, simply access the Quick Match option that automatically sends you to an available room.
The downside to this is that you can not choose the desired matches and maps. In other words, you simply fall into a game already rolling and with the scenarios already determined by other players. In these cases, the ideal is to create a match and invite your friends.
Keyboard and mouse on the consoles
Counter Strike has always been a popular franchise on PCs, and we can not say that it was exclusive to the consoles, as Xbox received a version of the game in 2004 – which turned out to be not a hit. But Valve decided to bet their chip on the consoles of the current generation and released versions via DLC from Global Offensive for Xbox 360 and PS3.
The limitations frustrate a little
If you’re a long-time fan of the franchise, you know that Counter Strike has never had multiple game modes or support for up to 64 players in a single game. With this, there is nothing to be disappointed in Global Offensive. But if you’ve grown up with games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, running into a game that has only four game modes and ten players per room can be very frustrating.
Another negative fact is the few offline and single player options. There are still players who prefer to play alone until they have some experience. CS: GO even has a way in which you can set up a game full of bots (players controlled by the “machine”), ideal for training your skills.
Conclusion
Counter Strike: Global Offensive is the return of the classic with a renewed look. For the old fans of the franchise, there is nothing to complain about, because Valve managed to put practically the same game a bit more agile and with fewer bugs. But if you are adept at more robust games like CoD and Battlefield, CS GO may cause you some frustration due to the limitations of the game.