Genre: First-person multiplayer shooter
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment & Valve Corporation
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Plattforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac
Release date: 21. August 2012 (worldwide)/ 22. August on Xbox Live
Distribution: Digital download
Prices:
Steam: Pre-order: $13.49/12.59€/£10.79 Normal: $14.99/13.99€/£11.99
Xbox Live: probably 1200msp/$15
PSN:$14.99/ $11.99 for PS Plus until next Tuesday.
System requirements:
OS: Windows® 7/Vista/XP
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 processor or better
Memory: 1GB XP / 2GB Vista Hard Disk Space: At least 7.6GB of Space
Video Card: Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for Pixel Shader 3.0
Mac:
OS: MacOS X 10.6.6 or higher
Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or better)
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: At least 7.6GB of Space
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better / NVidia 8600M or better
What is this?
It's Counter-Strike!
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.
CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."
What's the goal?
For those who don't know: Counter-Strike:GO pits two teams against each other: Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists.
Traditionally, there are two kind of maps, Defusal and Hostage rescue. In a defusal map, the Terrorists (Ts) have to plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites and get it to detonate to win, while the Counter-Terrorists (CTs) have to do everything to prevent that.
In Hostage rescue maps, the CTs have to rescue four hostages and escort them to a rescue zone, while the Ts try to prevent that. If one team manages to kill every player of the other team, they win as well.
CS:GO also intruduces Arms Race and Demolition Maps as variations of the popular GunGame mod for Counter-Strike 1.6 and Source. Here players are awarded a new weapon with every kill they get. While demolition still has the planting and defusing of the bomb as a goal, Arms Race basically is a Team Deathmatch of Ts and CTs.
What's so special about Counter-Strike?
There is no character progression. There are no perks. There are no unlocks.
Everyone has access to the same weapons (with some differences between CTs and Ts), which you need to buy at the beginning of each round with the money you get from killing enemies and completing objectives. That's it! Winning or loosing depends on your skill with the weapon of your choice. And of course, your team. CS:GO is a team based shooter, and unless you are a CS god against a team of first-timers you can't win most of the rounds by yourselves.
Why is there another version of CS?
CS:GO is kind of a love child of 1.6 and Source. The graphics were modernized for todays standards and the movement and recoil patterns for all the weapons have been completely reworked, as well as the hitboxes and maps. Hidden Path Entertainment took the feedback from pro CS players and the community seriously and implemented changes more often than not (though some things, like the silencers are STILL missing). The goal was do provide a definite version of Counter-Strike for both the 1.6 and Source players. If this goal will be met is yet to be seen but many agree that it feels really good right now and has the potential to get even better with upcoming patches.
Maps?
There will be 16 maps at launch, 8 classics and 8 new ones for the new modes. Here is the list:
- de_aztec (Defusal)
- de_dust (Defusal)
- de_dust2 (Defusal)
- de_inferno (Defusal)
- de_nuke (Defusal)
- de_train (Defusal)
- cs_italy (Hostage rescue)
- cs_office (Hostage rescue)
There are also 8 new maps for the new Arsenal game mode, two of which are for Arms Race mode whilst the other six will be Demolition mode maps.
- Baggage (Arms Race)
- Shoots (Arms Race)
- Shorttrain (Demolition)
- Bank (Demolition)
- Lake (Demolition)
- Safehouse (Demolition)
- Sugarcane (Demolition)
PS3 has M/Kb support?! That sucks, I won't be able to compete!
Relax, they implemented a matchmaking system that takes into account whether you are using the controller, Move or Mouse & Keyboard and matches you to players with the same setup.
Media & Links
The official (and awesome) CS:GO cinema trailer
Some screenshots:
360 Gameplay:
CS:GO on the STEAM Store
The official developer Blog
Reviews
9/10 Eurogamer
Modern military shooters have become a disposable cliché, full of ideas and maps that we will forget in less than a year, whether it's in the bouncy, power-up-heavy arcade instakill frenzies of Call of Duty or Battlefield's Black Hawk Down-infused cross-country running. The core of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a reminder that quality can be permanent rather than fleeting, and the new additions give us new reasons to take interest and - hopefully - another way in for people who are ready for something different.
Config stuff:
Create a file called autoexec.cfg and put it in this folder:
...\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\csgo\cfg
Also add -exec configname to your launch options as it doesn't auto-run the config for some reason. (thanks to Ikuu)
Set snd_headphone_pan_exponent and snd_headphone_pan_radial_weight to 2 (GldSrc) in the console for 1.6 like sound. (thanks to JaseC) Seriously, if you don't have a 5.1 setup, do this and enjoy sound that is actually useful!
GAF Servers (?)
Mumble for the server:
Address: 85.236.100.59
Port: 12587
CS Gaf Steam Group
EU CS GAF Group
Excuse the crappy OT, I haven't made many of these before. Just let me know if I should add/change something. Enjoy!