Michael McGhee brings a detailed review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

After many months of waiting a lucky few people managed to get their hands on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at 11PM on Thursday evening. It has been billed as the game that can bring two warring factions together after seven years of fighting and although the developers have stated that this is not a definitive CS:2, they are keen to see their game usher in a new era for competitive FPS titles. The running battles that have taken place down the years between both the 1.6 and the CS:S community are the internet equivalent to the constant aggression displayed on the Gaza strip and no matter how many level headed people try and bring the communities together and make them see the dispute through each others eyes it's just not going to happen. 1.6 players vehemently oppose the switch to CS:S that many of us would love to see and most CS:S players see a switch to 1.6 as a backwards step, like trading their I-Pad for a GameBoy.

It's a dispute that can never be settled and so for both communities to finally come together there needs to be a middle ground. Valve believe that they can create that and with the help of professional players from each community they appear to be getting closer. The main worry for myself and many other fans of the genre is that should Global Offensive fail to take off as a competitive title it will further splinter the already broken scene, hastening the abatement of team based FPS titles in e-sports. The genre has endured a rapid decline since the inexplicable - at least in this gamers eyes - rise in popularity of the RTS and MOBA disciplines. It's safe to say that should CS:GO fail as an e-sport, the genre will fail as an e-sport. You can therefor understand my trepidation as I booted up the game for the first time.

It's become common place for us to bring in-depth reviews of the latest major CS-related announcements; we did so for CSPromod and we did so for the initial - and huge - CS:S update which pretty much killed CSPromod stone dead. In my time writing game reviews for another of Heaven Media's websites I prided myself on being honest and to the point; if a game was bad, I'd say it was bad; if it was the best game I'd played in years I'd say it was the best game I'd played in years. It has been a staple of my work and that won't be changing for my review of Global Offensive, the only problem is that for the first time ever I really want to be writing a good review. I want to be confident in saying that this game will unite both communities, to talk about its merits as a competitive title and to breath some much needed positivity into a criminally pessimistic scene.

I should point out that on top of this in-depth written review Jack Mason will be bringing you a video review of the game, the first two-parts of which have already been released on our Youtube Channel.

*Please Note:* This is a very early beta build of the game and there are plenty of changes still to be made.

Michael McGhee brings a detailed review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

First Impressions:

The first thing you'll spot when launching the game is the Hidden Path logo. The development company that was tasked with fixing CS:S - a mammoth job on its own - have been given the green light to oversee the development and creation of Global Offensive. It can only be a good thing given the companies reputation and during their time working on CS:S they have been nothing but receptive of the competitive community. The happiness felt when Hidden Path flashes onto the screen is fleeting though and is instead replaced by a collective sigh from each and every veteran of the CS genre. Since the games inception well over 10 years ago CS players have prided themselves on being the elite FPS players who care not for the production value of a Hollywood movie.

We play CS because it is the defining team-based FPS title on the market, mainly due to its simplicity; you launch the game, connect to a server and start shooting at things. This obviously doesn't appeal to the vast majority of modern day gamers who have been poisoned by the Call of Duty's and Battlefields and Valve have acted accordingly by making it more intriguing to the youngsters among us. So they give us music, rubbish dramatic music with drums and strings which sounds like segment from a Top Gear episode, the only thing missing is Clarkson making a quip about lorry drivers or ranting about people on strike. The menu looks and feels slick though and the traditional Counter-Terrorist background returns, this time it's a different model though.

The new HUD is dazzling and much improved from the standard CS:S one, with all of the information needed displayed and and laid out in a way that it doesn't interfere with the game. One thing that does seem to interfere though - and this will strike a cord with all CS players - is the size of the weapon models. The AK47 and deagle in particular both look incredibly bulky and take up a considerable chunk of the screen, space that could be used much better. A problem for many 1.6 players is that CS:GO is much more graphically demanding than its older brother and running it on some older machines will be incredibly difficult. My computer normally runs CS:S - in match conditions - at around 300 FPS constant, on CS:GO however it's much less, often dropping below 100 FPS - especially when molotovs are used.

The notoriously hard to please CS community will be less than happy with the new sound effects, including updated gun sounds and grenade explosions. They do help to create a hugely immersive game though and listening to the newly introduced grenade sound should be enough to win over any detractors. Given that this is still early beta the buy menu for the PC version has yet to be implemented, which means for now players will have to make do with the console buy menu which isn't ideal. One thing which should be pointed out and is a stupid idea is that at the end of a round the screen will turn grey and blurry for any surviving members of the losing team, making models indistinguishable from the backdrop. Although it may look cool it will make saving weapons at the end of a round almost impossible, which isn't good!

Michael McGhee brings a detailed review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

On The Server:

In the beta version of the game the only way to play online is by clicking on "Quick Match", this will automatically assign you to a random public server with casual mode enabled. At the moment the only map available for online play is de_dust, however de_dust2 can be played on a local or private server. Valve have stated that they have been working on a Matchmaking System which will be implemented later on in the beta and which will match up players of equal skill in a 5v5 setting. They have developed their own ELO system to measure the aptitude of players regardless of achievements or playing time.

Once you do join up to a server there are two modes of play available, Casual Mode and Competitive Mode. The former of the two will be used on most public servers and is catered towards new players or those with a limited grasp of the game. They will start off with more cash, friendly fire will be switched off, they will automatically begin the round with armour and when dead they can spectate anyone. For those players looking for something a bit more challenging they can choose to play Competitive Mode, which is much less forgiving and much tougher for newer players. It's basically match settings, with $800 start cash, lower round time and friendly fire switched on, the great part is that it automatically sets up the match, allowing 15 rounds before automatically switching both teams and playing another 15 rounds.

The scoreboard has changed dramatically also, for starters players' scores are saved over the course of the entire match and not just the half; which means the end of the fabled 20-bomb and half time screenshot. As mentioned earlier the only maps available in this version of the beta are de_dust and de_dust2, both maps have been revamped with the former undergoing some significant changes in order to make it more balanced for competitive play; whether the changes have the desired effect remains to be seen but from what I can tell it's still going to be heavily CT sided. de_dust2 has merely had some decoration to bring it up to date, and although it looks nice a major problem I would constantly come across was vision.

In order to keep up with the likes of CoD and BF, Valve have decided to go all-out on the graphics front and as such everything seems exaggerated. When looking into the distance on de_dust2 it's like there's a sandstorm going on, obscuring vision almost entirely at times. It may look pretty but when it comes to competitive play it's another needless effect which will only hinder the games chances of making it as an e-sport. It's one of many needless changes that Valve/Hidden Path have made to the game which will only cause problems for competitive players, such as limiting Flashbang grenades to one per player, adding a blurriness to the AWP when zoomed in or limiting defuse kits to 2 per team.

On the games beta release the movement was vastly different to that of 1.6 or CS:S and more akin to Left4Dead or Portal. Thankfully a swift update from the developers has rectified that and the game feels much more fluid than it did before, although there are still some adjustments that will need to be made. Crouching and walking with AWP doesn't appear to slow you down whilst trying to strafe-jump, or jump continually is impossible, with the physics bringing you grinding to a half after the first jump. Model size seems completely fine and the new-look Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist models look awesome, however I'll still miss that green jumper wearing, goatee rocking bringer of pain that has been a regular of the CS series for years.

Another thing that should be addressed is the colours which at the moment seem very washed out and "real". The difference between CT and T models is minimal from distance, coupled with the extreme amount of dust it can make playing quite frustrating.

Michael McGhee brings a detailed review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Weapons:

Perhaps the most important part of Counter-Strike is the weapons and their recoil patterns. The difficult-to-control nature of assault rifles make the title what it is and it's the reason people either love or hate the game. In CS 1.6 the developers found the perfect balance with consistent and predictable recoil patterns, allowing players to master them and in turn master the game. CS:S was a step into the unknown - quite literally - with completely remodeled recoil patterns for each gun which would seem almost completely random at times. It was the main reason that 1.6 players chose to stick to their game instead of switching and only recently have Hidden Path began to fix it. Needless to say the weapon performance and consistency will be the thing that makes or breaks CS:GO, and as of yet they're still a long way off.

The ever dependable AK47 - used by some of the poorest people in the harshest conditions around the world due to its reliability - is brilliantly frustrating to use. Taking aim and firing at someone at distance is as accurate as you could hope for, however when spraying down more than one enemy it turns into a game of chance and you either kill them all or fail to register a hit. Unlike in its predecessors CS:GO makes it incredibly difficult to control a fully automatic spray with any weapon let alone the beyond powerful AK. The newly introduced M4A4, a direct replacement for the now defunct M4A1 has similar issues with regards to spraying and really needs to be tested more thoroughly by the time the game is released.

Given that it's an early beta build the developers have yet to implement the silencer on the M4A4 which - when they do get round to it - should change the recoil pattern even more. The desert eagle seems to suffer from the same problems as the two assault rifle and whilst the first bullet is incredibly accurate, attempting to pick off two or three people with a single deagle clip is a very difficult task thanks to the harsh recoil of the weapon. Another weapon which will need to be re-worked is the AWP sniper rifle, the staple of any Counter-Strike title. Valve had added a motion blur which comes into effect when moving whilst scoped in which frankly looks ridiculous and seems to be included with console players in mind. An issue when holding angles or peeking with the AWP is the movement, which has still to be properly fixed and makes it very difficult to face opponents continually without being left exposed.

The weapon itself seems to be incredibly overpowered, even more so than on CS:S which will have the vast majority of 1.6 players reeling. There seems to be no dip in movement speed when zoomed in with the weapon which makes for some fun exchanges with the opposing team as you zip around the map with the big green gun. As expected it's frighteningly accurate whilst there has yet to be a delay included, which means instant-zoom and instant-death for your opponents. Right now the seemingly random recoil at range and the few movement issues mean that the game isn't quite ready for competitive play. Still, each of these weapons show potential and with some ironing out the game will begin to feel more like Counter-Strike, something which is currently missing.

Michael McGhee brings a detailed review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Grenades:

With the new titles comes a whole range of new items to play with. The old grenade models have been updated whilst the sound effects and damage output have also changed significantly. During a match last night I noticed on a number of occasions that a single grenade could bring an end to the round if it hits on the right place, not unlike Call of Duty. This must be changed if Valve hopes to entice players from the other CS titles because, although being realistic the changes it will bring to competitive play are beyond huge and it makes attacking a bombsite through a choke point incredibly difficult.

The new animation when grenades explode is cool and looks a whole lot better than the standard 'fire and smoke' in CS of old. Flashbangs haven't changed much from CS:S and the after-burn effect that annoyed so many 1.6 players remains. The only noticeable difference with flashbangs is that turning away from it actually works, unlike in CS:S. As mentioned earlier players can only carry one flashbang at a time, a pointless and stupid decision by Valve and one that should be changed, or a cvar implemented that can change it. Smoke grenades are very similar to that of CS:S but there are some problems with them on Global Offensive. Firstly when standing inside the smoke it's possible to see out of it clearly enough to spot enemies running around. Secondly when looking directly into a smoke, if an enemy passes by your crosshair his name will flash up in red, which pretty much defeats the point in even having a smoke grenade.

Now is where things get a bit interesting as Valve have introduced two completely new grenades into the game. The first, and most expensive one is the Molotov Cocktail, a petrol filled glass bottle that will smash on impact, spreading flames across the affected area which will lick the feet of those standing on top. The damage output from Molotov Cocktails is huge which means they will have players scrambling for an exit once hit, allowing you to position yourself or teammates in such a way that they can easily pick off the fleeing enemy. The good news for players is that the damage taken from the grenade stops as soon as they leave the affected area, however standing in the flames for the duration - 8 seconds to be exact - will cause untold damage.

For the moment the Molotov seems very overpowered and some changes will need to be implemented before they can be used in competitive play, either limiting the amount each team can have or reducing the effects of them dramatically. When they have been altered though they add a whole new tactical element to the game and should make for some fun spectating. The second new grenade to be included in the game is the Decoy Grenade, which does pretty much as it says on the tin. Launching a decoy grenade in an area where enemies are present is supposed to disorient them enough to flank or push them without being mown down. The grenade will play a sound which sounds like gun-fire and will appear as an enemy dot on the radar of your opposition.

It will be interesting to see the weapon in use but for any smart players it shouldn't be too game breaking. In the three days I've been playing I've only seen one person laid to waste by a Decoy Grenade and that was TLR manager Chef, who panicked and opened fire on the device before being dispatched of from behind.

Summary:

Going into this review I was worried that it would be incredibly negative, especially from the videos and "show-matches" that I'd seen the the build up to the beta being released. From my experience the game looked nothing like Counter-Strike and it was missing some of the key aspects that make the title so popular - and so good. After playing though my opinion has changed dramatically and I genuinely feel like it has potential as a competitive title. It's clear that Valve have created the game with console players in mind and for it to be a successful PC title, and a successful e-sport there needs to be some significant changes implemented, not least of all the unnecessary clutter and graphical 'improvements' such as smoke and fog.

The game is in the very early beta stages and with constant feedback coming from professional players in both CS scenes it's only going to improve. Although it may look like the latest incarnation of Battlefield or CoD it still retains the feel of a Counter-Strike game, with some time and dedication from the community and from Valve it really could be the next big thing. Let's just hope that when Valve increase the size of the closed beta the game is given a chance by the notoriously stubborn players who populate the other members of the CS family, we kind of need it to.