Valve show us what they can do again
User Rating: 9.1 | Counter-Strike: Source PC
The original Counter Strike series based on the Half Life Engine is exceptional even by today's standards. The gameplay features have kept people returning day after day to play again and again. Counter Strike Source takes the best parts of the entire series, smacks it with new graphics and sound engines, and produces a game that is truly fun that will bring in a new generation of Counter Strike players. Graphics: What else can most say except "WOW!" This game is absolutely beautiful. The textures of everything from the water to guns is amazing. Direct X 9c is used to the extreme. Partical effects, excellent bump mapping, and various other details make one's jaw drop while playing. Ragdolls and realistic deaths are overly wilcome to Counter Stirke and make the game feel much more life-like. I must say i am going to miss the bodies falling through walls as they are shot, however. Nice aditions like the reflections of the map in the scope and the reflections off the floor make this add to the overall graphic superiority of the Source Engine. The Engine itself is probably the most stable and versitile engine out on the market. There is no drop never a drop in framrate even when there is 30+ people, all shooting, on the screen. On top of this, the engine can be scaled down to meet any computer's hardware, allowing a person with his brand new gaming system to play with his bestfriend who has a 3 year old laptop. However, as commendable as the Source Engine is it is not perfect. The shodows are not the best on the market. Don't get me wrong, they are good, but they could be better. The shadows in Farcry and Doom 3 are far superior to that of the Source Engine thus far. In some cases shadows appear in places they should not such as within another shadow or away from light sources. As far as complaints, this is the only one that I can find. Sound: One can't stress enough about how good the sound is on Counter Strike: Source. With complete EAX support, this game delivers some of the best sound heard on any game. All guns sound crisp and distinct. The sound of THE beefy shotgun nearly sends you through the roof with wet pants while a Glock is barely enough to get your attention. The Surround effects are unriveled. When a grenade goes off and it sends guns and bottles flying everywhere, one feels as if they are actually in a battle zone. Simply unbelievable. Gameplay: Anybody who has played Counter Strike knows that the gameplay is the most attrative feature and Source is no exception. Source has incorporated the best parts of its predecessors. For example: The ability to pick up the grenades of fallen foes. As simple as this trifle feature may sound, it can make the difference between life and death. When almost taken out by a previous foes it's nice to be able to pick up his grenades that may give you an edge in the next battle. The ability for voice chat has aslo been kept, but is unfortunately still noisy since only 2 people on the whole game seem to have a decent mic. But i guess that is hardly valve's fault. The gameplay is much the same as any other version of Counter Strike; hard as hell. Remember, there are guys on the game that have been playing for 5 years plus. But once one gets the hang of killing fellow players the gameplay is more addictive than any other game. The gameplay basically consists of running around, shooting people, throwing grenades, while trying not to be shot or grenaded yourself. There are basic objectives such as preventing the terrorists from bombing a location or rescuing hostages, but everybody on the map is usually dead before any of these objectives can be met. The more people you kill or the more objectives you complete, equals more money for you and thus better weapons so you can kill more efficiently. The game is very fast paced, partially due to the increase of the movement speed, and thus keeps the player glued to the screen constantly. With the addition of more destructable environments, the gameplay is much more realistic than Source's predacessors. Basically, just prepare to spend hours apon hours playing with bloodshot eyes and surching for more caffine to stay up and play longer. Value: This is an acceptional games by all means. The gamesplay is so engrossing that it satisfies almost every need for more. Unfortunately for Value, this is the weakest protion of Counter Strike: Source. The game will most likely keep you playing for weeks, no doubt, but it lacks one major thing: a single player mode. Counter Strike: Condition Zero's single player mode may have left some players out in the cold, but it was something that was at least useful. For the die hard fans, it was yet another way of enjoying the Counter Strike World. For the beginners, it was an excellent way of learning how the guns worked and let them master the art of assassination. It may have not been the most engrossing single player, squad based game ever to see the light of day, but it was a very useful tool, and was a platform from which valve could construct a new single player mode. Unfortunately, valve did not construct a new singleplayer for source and thus leaves an empty spot in an otherwise neraly flawless game. Tilt: This game is F@#&ing fun!!!! Final thoughts: Counter Strike: Source is a must have for any fan of PC gaming. It is engrossing in a way that few games are, it is lushious and beautiful, and most importantly fun. It is almost a no-brainer to get it since it comes with Half Life 2. So take my advise: GET THIS GAME. And be prepared to spend many sleepless nights at your computer. 
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