COUNTER-STRIKE: SOURCE REVIEW (PC)

Steven Carruthers

Publisher: Vivendi Universal | Developer: Valve | ETA: Out Now (Online) | Price: £39.99 Inc VAT.

Once upon a time there was a game mod called Counter-Strike, which took the world of online gaming by storm. Over the past few years it’s become even more popular than the game it was based on (namely Half-Life) and is arguably the most played online shooter in history. With the sequel to Half-Life in the making, Counter-Strike’s developers at Valve decided to remake the aging classic for the modern technological age, taking advantage of its big brother’s brand spanking new “Source” game engine.

Gameplay

After a good few years of being popular, most games just get old and are filed away in the good memories archive. Not Counter-Strike though. Despite its out-of-date graphics, physics and sound, good old Counter-Strike is still huge, with a massive fan-base all over the world. It’s fairly safe to say that this monstrous popularity is down to one thing, something which never gets outdated. Gameplay.

It seems that Valve have very wisely opted to change as little as possible concerning the way in which the game actually plays, avoiding causing upset amongst the ranks of the game’s die hard fans. A lot of people have been playing CS for years and if stripped of the ability to jump, or being allowed to pickup health packs scattered about the level could possibly lead to a surge of phone calls to the Samaritans. As the old saying goes “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”.

The game works just as the original did; players are split into two teams (terrorists and counter-terrorists) who then face off against each other. Objectives include saving/guarding hostages and planting/diffusing bombs, but in most cases it seems that killing each other is the main goal. There are no deathmatch, capture the flag or other standard game types which may be a daunting prospect for new players. CS has retained its fast paced, almost arcade style of play in this remake, and each match usually only lasts a matter of minutes. This could be reduced to only a few seconds if your team does not cooperate. Counter-Strike has always encouraged team-work and communication over singular acts of heroism, and CS: Source is no different. You need to use the voice commands (controlled via the keyboard) or a headset to ensure that your team follows orders and adheres to strategic plans.

One of the main differences between this game (along with the original) and other multiplayer shooters is that players earn money each round depending on how well their team performs. These funds can then be used to purchase items such as weapons, ammunition and even armour at the beginning of a round. This quite original style of play works well, but can sometimes lead to one team having a huge advantage in terms of equipment should they win a few rounds in succession. This system is difficult to get to grips with initially but long-time players swear by it.

Despite the fundamental gameplay of the first game being painstakingly recreated in this version, there are a few interesting new features bolted on, none of which have any significant impact on the way in which the game actually plays. Firstly, thanks to the new “Havok” physics engine, items such as barrels, filing cabinets and even drinks machines can be pushed over or rolled down slopes. They even react realistically to bullet impacts and explosions. The Havok engine is being used to great extent in Half-Life 2 but in CS: Source it plays a far more cosmetic role. It’s certainly interesting to roll barrels down a hill and pray that one of them will hit an unsuspecting member of the opposition, but it bears no real relevance to the game and can’t be used to any great advantage (believe me, I’ve tried). This area of the new physics system is simply a novelty (albeit it a welcome one) and I for one am pleased that Valve haven’t let it interfere with how this classic game is played.

Posted by LNorton at November 08, 2004 04:21 PM