An in-depth look at the new CS and how it improves the classic shooter.
Let's be honest here. The Counter-Strike series, at least graphically, is in desperate need of an extreme makeover. Counter-Strike: Source still looks like a game that came out during the Half-Life 2 era (largely because it is a game from the Half-Life 2 era), while Counter-Strike: 1.6, well, let's just say you can probably run that dinosaur on a Pentium processor powered by a potato and a couple of AA batteries.
But while Counter-Strike certainly needs a visual revamp, most fans would agree that the gameplay doesn't need tweaking. Why? Because Valve has fine-tuned both CS: 1.6 and CS: Source to perfection over many, many years. Both games arguably represent the epitome of what a tactical, competitive multiplayer FPS should play like, and both continue to be wildly popular today. As the saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
More Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Videos
Well, Valve has heard this plea from fans, and has made it abundantly clear that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive -- the first CS release in seven years -- will not be the equivalent of Counter-Strike 2. Instead, CS: GO is a continuation of the series we love, and the gameplay will remain largely unchanged. This means CS: GO will not be adopting the current elements of other FPSs. There will be no regenerative health, no iron sights, no instant spawns, no kill-streaks, no vehicles, no quick knife button and no god-awful airstrikes that kill every player on the map three times over. In other words, CS: GO is Counter-Strike, pure and simple.
But there are some changes, both major and minor. Here's a list of what we know will be different so far...
