Adam Hall
Publisher: Microsoft | Developer: Valve Software | Price: £39.99 Inc VAT.
Counter-Strike, Camper-Strike, Hacker-Strike, AWPer-Strike, whatever you want to call it, CS is undeniably, and rather inexplicably, the best online team-based shooter Half-life modification you can play. Combining a tantalising array of maps with a breathtaking assortment of weapons that would have Rambo throwing his teddy in the corner of the room, the game of Terrorist verses Counter-Terrorist is an unprecedented and intensely spiritual experience that’s been dominating the online games sections of magazines, websites and forums for god knows how long!
The only problem with it though, is that you have to have a PC and (preferably) a broadband Internet connection to play it. Well, at least you used to!
The boundaries have finally been broken and Counter-Strike has made the once unthinkable leap to another platform, but the true element of mystery here is does the game play as well as the PC version? Unfortunately, such an element is of minimal predictability. So it looks like those who are interested will have to conform to the old method and read the review. Preferably this one!
Gameplay
If you’ve played the PC version of CS you’ll be aware of how it works, but for those less fortunate individuals, here’s a quick run-down. There’s a map. A terrain. A habitat. A level that you have to play within. There are two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, each of who have to induce the demise of the opposite team to win outright, but there’s other ways of reigning supreme. For CTs your main objective is to either defuse the bomb or rescue the hostages from a specific location in the map and in opposite
When you initially start the game you’ll have nothing but a knife, a handgun and 800 dollars to buy whatever you want with that you think will keep your arse void of holes or critical wounds. As the game progresses, depending on which team wins; your money will increase massively (or slightly) opening a world of wonderful and deadly weapons at your disposal. Repeat until bored.
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The PC version is hectic at times to say the least. Grenades fly, people die followed by the obligatory ‘WTF?’ (What the f***?) and bullets whistle past your ears as you unload your clip into some punk who was trying to bust you from behind with a sniper rifle. The excitement flows plentifully from every orifice in your body as you control your little digital representation, and although this element is still present in the Xbox conversion, it’s substantially toned down. The concept is easily grasped, but the game itself is by no means easy to play on higher difficulty levels.
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Before I start on the denouncements, though, let’s have a little praise.
Keeping it simple, the single player bots in CSX are very impressive. Focusing on a lone bot running around trying to complete the required task, some very simple, but ‘taken for granted’ moves are executed and integrated seamlessly. Things like checking camp spots is something that, if seen on the internet, would be ignored as the player goes and makes tea, but for artificial intelligence to implement such spatial awareness is friggin’ exciting and makes the single player game that much more enjoyable. It makes the player a lot more comfortable to know that if there’s bullets drilling their way into their chest, a team mate will do something about it if they’re around rather than running around aimlessly into walls and shooting everything but the opposing force.