Vavle took something good and made it better. However, It is still the same game.
User Rating: 9.4 | Counter-Strike: Source PC
Many people (including myself) remember playing the old Counter-Strike Betas many years ago. Since then Counter-Strike has gone from version to version improving such things as bugs, adding weapons, adding sounds, adding models, adding just about everything but never straying to far from the original gameplay. That is what made CS what it is; the gameplay. So...how does this new Counter strike fair? Very well in fact. One mistake a person should never make however, is considering CS: Source to be a new game in itself. CS:source is more like Counter-Strike version 1.7. Do not expect any new weapons or gameplay elements or you will be dissapointed. This review is based soley on judging the new CS Source as an update and nothing more. CS: source, as many people already know, is literally the original CS on the new Vavle source engine. A new engine means better graphics, physics, and ragdolls. You will see poly bumbmapping as well as pixel shader effects that were non-existent in the previous Counter-Strike. Model detail is greatly improved as is texture detail. What is great is that even if you have a low end computer you can still run CS:Source smoothly with graphics that are clearly better than the previous version of Counter-Strike. I also enjoy the new weapon models, which are very well done. Light will reflect and shimmer off all things that have a luster to it such as cars, many other objects, and your weapons as well. The one thing that dissapointed me was the use of large dust clouds in the De_dust and De_dust 2 (popular CS maps). I suppose dust adds to the realism factor but to me it seemed to make things hazier and less clear (In a negative kind of way). That sort of thing however, Is purely opinion. Counter Strike Source now incorporates physics into the game. There are barrels, tires, cans, boxes, bottles, and many more physical objects strewn throughout your favorite classic maps. These objects are all interactible by shooting them (including corpses and fallen weapons). There are some problems however, with the player's interaction with these objects that cause you to bounce back or clip through several objetcs. All in all it does not add much or take away anything from the actual gameplay and certainly is not a great nessecity. You will notice that the player models now use realistic ragdolls which does add to the CS:Source experience. Grenades ,while unrealistic in nature, send your oppenents hurling through the air and crashing into a pile of rubbish providing for a humorous moment. All killed enemies will react as you would expect them to. Enemies no longer have two or three death animations followed by a 2D sprite for blood. This new sort of gameplay provides for an overall effect of smoothness and fluidity (something the original lacked). The general feel of the game has not changed much. One thing that can be noted however, is that aiming, moving, and shooting has become (as mentioned before) smoother, silkier, and more fluid. Think of CS:source as fine silk compared to the rough polyester of the original. The reasons for this new sense of silkiness would be hard to explain but undenyable that it is there. All in all this game is still the great classic that it used to be but simply with a facelift. Some newcomers have a problem getting into CS:source because, CS is an old game that has produced many veterans making the gameplay very one-sided. There is no need to buy CS:source since it comes with Half-Life 2. OVERALL: great game. 
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