- View topic - CS:S Review By 1up.com - - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

Perhaps one of the most overused phrase among entertainment journalists is: "unless you've been in a cave..." Watch for it! It shows up anywhere someone hopes to make a case for how well-known something has become. For example: "Unless you've been living in a cave, you should know that Huggies is now 20% more absorbent." (The second most overused device is pointing out the devices that others use.)

Anyway, suffice it to say Counter-Strike is well-known and much beloved. The game is about terrorists vs. counter-terrorists in a variety of online multiplayer maps. Terrorists are out to plant bombs and detain prisoners. Counter-terrorists must stop them and rescue those hostages. And all the while, the two teams will be killing each other in the streets.

Originally, the game was a grassroots mod project, forged upon the original Half-Life. From these humble beginnings, it quickly became the most popular online shooter ever. Two of the game's principal designers went on to join the ranks of Half-Life designer Valve and have helped update Counter-Strike to make use of Half-Life 2's famous Source graphics engine.

Counter Strike: Source is, essentially, a visually-stunning port of the original: all the classic maps with the exact same game play. There are a variety of realistic weapons you can buy at the beginning of the round. Weapons fire with the touch of imprecision that reality mandates. And you only have one life, with no re-spawns. After one breezy round when the victorious team has been decided, another round starts up.

The game looks more beautiful than ever, with structures that feel weighty and solid and little visual touches throughout. The flash-bangs look fantastic. First, there's a blurry distortion as the screen melts into two blurred out of focus shots that slowly blend back together. The ringing and blindness! Rag doll physics now govern the death animations, so watch for keen and gruesome deaths. Great stuff.

The online network filter works excellently; finding a good, smooth running game is easier than ever. While HL2's Havoc physics have been integrated into CS:S, the game does not utilize them in the key gameplay. Cover cannot be destroyed. Nor will you be able to chuck boxes and guns at your opponents. You can crouch, but unlike most military games, you can not go prone. Admittedly, with the fast pace of the game, there is little reason for that option besides sniping. Prone would probably be too much of an advantage and alter the game's balance too drastically. Also, some of the newer but mostly inconsequential additions to the game from recent upgrades aren't here, like blast shields.

Counter Strike, continues to maintain its sharp learning curve. You either know the flow of the game or you'll look confused and awkward to everyone else. A novice will probably be verbally hazed. It's nigh-impossible to avoid and makes me wish that noobs could have some kind of single-player training.

The much-maligned Condition Zero and the Xbox version of Counter Strike actually include bots to let you brush up on your own before you face the fray. If you bought the game off Steam, you will have access to the entire backlog of Valve's products including Condition Zero. Individual experiences with Steam varies heavily, but since this game was made available before Half-Life 2's release, getting in and playing should be no problem.

It's hard to argue against free. Counter Strike: Source is included with both retail boxes of Half-Life 2 and any version of the Steam-purchased Halflife 2. If I had to pay for this as a separate product, I'd be miffed. Perhaps later, there will be a complete reinvention and overhaul; but as a free upgrade for one of the greatest online games ever created, it's definitely worthwhile.
_________________