Counter Strike Global Offensive - Team-Based Combat for the Modern Era

Tactical combat from the original source.

A Modern Classic

Counter Strike is one of those games that sharply divide the gaming world. If you played the original, you got in on the tactical shooter craze before it moved to consoles or came anywhere near the mainstream. If you didn't, you were forever locked outside a world of inside jokes and dense jargon. Counter Strike: Global Offensive is an update to the original game that updates its predecessor's look but has a very similar heart.

Going Old School

At its core, Counter-Strike: GO is just more Counter-Strike. That's not a bad thing for those who loved the original game, but it's an important distinction. Most sequels pay at least some lip service towards trying to modernize the original or at least tap into the current zeitgeist; Counter-Strike GO has no desire to be anything but a prettier version of Counter-Strike.

How you feel about GO will largely depend on how you felt about Counter-Strike.

If you loved the original Counter-Strike, the concept here is solid. It takes the original game, adds a few more modes, and makes it playable on modern machines. If you didn't play the original or you didn't enjoy the first iteration of the game, you're going to find the concept of this game hopelessly dated. There is, unfortunately, not much of a middle ground to find.

A Blast from the Past

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released in 2012. At the time, it was a good looking game - maybe not the best in the world, but certainly not bad. Today, it looks like a game from 2012. It's not so bad that it will hurt your eyes, but it certainly isn't going to win any awards.

The sound design, however, is still amazing. Counter-Strike's soundscape is arguably as important as the visual component, so it's nice to see that it still works as intended. GO's litany of audio effects will quickly become important tools to anyone who takes the time to excel at this game.

Old and New

Global Offensive's default game mode, Bomb Scenario, is pretty much lifted from the original game. Teams are divided into Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, with the former trying to place and detonate a bomb while the latter tries to stop them. It's a tried and true formula that still works today, even if it is showing its age. The tactical planning and quick deaths in this mode are still incredible many years after their first iteration was released.

....Danger Zone is a little more divisive.

The worst part about Danger Zone is that it's called a Battle Royale. In reality, though, it's more of a last-man-standing death-match. It's got more in common with old-school death-matches with a maximum of eighteen players than it does with games like Fortnite. Purists might not love this mode, but a tactical death-match that requires players to be strategic where they spawn and how they receive weapons is a neat twist on the formula.

Re-imagining an Original

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an incredibly entertaining game if you love Counter-Strike and a bizarre throwback if you don't. The new modes aren't likely to win over many fans, but those who love classic shooters will still find quite a bit to like here. Global Offensive was a great game for bringing Counter-Strike into the 2010's - now it's time to see how well it survives in the 2020's.

TL/DR

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a throwback to old-school tactical shooters, though it is beginning to show its age