Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Review
And then the counter-terrorists are de-fusing the bombs saving the hostages and killing the terrorists. Super simple skill-based game. No real perks or XP-based progression. Just the knowledge that you are more skilled than other people. If you kill some people, brilliant. You've earn yourself some money and if your team wins more money. At the start of every game you have the option to buy bigger and better weapons.
Unlike other FPS, in CS:GO if you die, you die. Well at least until the next round. I did manage to make a few cups of tea during my first few rounds. And as someone who's used to just re-spawning I felt slightly hated by my team-mates as I ran willingly into gun-fire. Ooooops. Think Leroy Jenkins but not as a joke. Sorry guys.
For those 12-year veterans, my friends tell me there's no new maps. They're just shinier. Dust, Italy, Nuke, Train, Dust 2, Aztec, Office and Inferno. However, there are new modes: Arms Race and Demolition. A throw back to Call of Duty: Black Ops' Wager Match which started life as a CS mod. Or so I'm told. So basically, kill equals new weapon. Arms Race is a frantic free-for-all with the winner being whoever can score a kill with every weapon the quickest.
I don't think I'm good enough for Demolition yet. You start with a gun and then every round you get another one. The maps are a lot smaller and it makes the pacing of the rounds a lot quicker. You have to think on your feet pretty quickly and being new to it, and everyone being tons better than I am I panicked and stopped before I lost the will to play anymore. I'm sure loads of people will love it. It fast-paced and skill based.
I'm usually a full-time button basher and only a part-time this button does X Y and Z but the controls where easy enough. Any harden CoD or Battlefield player will be right at home. Although after speaking to my brother who's been playing CS since the beginning the controls have been finely tuned to a keyboard and mouse. After a few rounds and getting to grips with the unusual powerful kick-back from weapons and what felt like an inconstant hit detection I soon managed to at least kill some people.
Being dead for about 40% of my first gaming playing experience I did get to take in lots of lovely CGI scenery. It's beautiful. Even at 30fps. There are some stunning effects. It's quite nice that weathers included as well. Play it and you'll understand.
I have to admit, I was slightly terrified of the thought of stepping into the world of CS. My brother used to shout some pretty offensive stuff to people over it. But I think the move over to console, and the arms-race and demolition mode made are a nice way to learn how the game works. Yes I was pretty bad for the first twenty minutes or so while I picked it up and I died. A lot. But it's refreshing to see a totally skill based simple game. Point, shoot, kill. But don't take too long. As a virgin CSer I did enjoy being deflowered by Global Offensive. The overall look of the game is fantastic, controls are reasonably easy to pick up and it's accessible to newbs, just be prepared for the abuse every so often. For veterans, it handles like 1.6 with improvements learnt from source.
8/10
Review By Lucy Jane Pullinger
​​I have a confession to make. Until now, I've never played CS. Which means I have been destroyed by veteran CS players for the last few hours. Luckily the offline bots are a bit more forgiving.
I was never really a PC gamer, or an online gamer for that matter. I like to shoot things and be done with it, switching it on and off as I please. CS:GO has given me the chance to get more aquatinted with the world of online multiplayer platform games.
It's the video game version of boy meets girl. You've got your terrorists and then on the other side of the map there's your counter terrorists. The terrorists are doing what they do best; killing hostages, planting bombs and killing the counter-terrorists.
