Counter-Strike review

Do you think video games are too easy? Miss the bygone days of blurry textures and lower triangle counts than a snack-sized bag of Doritos? Do you hate yourself? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Counter-Strike might be for you!

Created as a mod for the original Half-Life, Valve’s Counter-Strike has evolved into a titan of competitive esports, delighting fans since its release in 2000. Most players have since moved on to the 2012 sequel Counter -Strike: Global Offensive. But the original version, known as Counter-Strike 1.6, still has an active player base that relives the glory days. For Counter-Strike fans, this journey through memory offers some unique insights into the history of the series. But new players should definitely steer clear of this rough relic.

Game

Valve has created multiple versions and iterations of CS since the game’s debut. But the rock solid gameplay itself remains largely intact. Terrorists and counter-terrorists in teams of five compete to complete objectives in different game modes. Bomb Defusing, CS’s first game mode, instructs terrorists to plant a bomb on one of two bomb sites. Meanwhile, the counter-terrorists try to stop them and defuse the bomb. In the hostage rescue, the roles are reversed with the terrorists defending the hostages while the counter-terrorists try to save them. When all members of a team die or complete their objective, the round ends. The winning team earns one point, first playing to sixteen points.

Economy

Instead of a more modern or class-based loading system, teams receive money based on their performance in the last round. They use it to buy weapons and equipment. Managing your team’s economy offers another level of depth and strategy. Create an ebb and flow to the rounds. Wait a minute, your squad can afford fully equipped gear. But next round, you might just have the money for the guns.

Rifles offer clear advantages, with the AK-47 delivering one-shot headshots even against enemies with full armor. This incredibly low time to kill makes each round extremely volatile. Counter-Strike prioritizes positioning and strategy rather than run-and-gun arcade action like Call of Duty. Laser precision pistols promote aiming skill. But moving or jumping makes it difficult to hit the wide side of a de_train. Spraying and praying also reduces accuracy. But each pistol has its own recoil pattern. This means experienced gamers can check their aim even when downloading a clip.

The sum of these specific game mechanics makes a Counter-Strike game look more like chess than a first-person shooter. But only if chess made your heart beat with stress. You don’t play Counter-Strike just for fun. Instead, CS requires determination and commitment to improve.

Motivation

Unlike other titles in the series, Counter-Strike 1.6 offers no shining gold star to win a game, no loot, and no XP. The only reason to play and win is to play and win. It’s a concept that seems incredibly foreign in this gaming-as-a-service market. There is a sense of accomplishment unmatched with personal progression, from initially feeling like the first child allowed to join the counterterrorism unit to being a trained killer who dispatches an entire squad with just five bullets.

Of course, most of the time you will be the victims of a massacre, especially in CS 1.6. The game does not have a dedicated matchmaking or ranking system. People who still play today probably haven’t stopped since 1999. So finding a fair match using the server’s browser can be a real challenge. Not to mention the number of servers not operating by standard CS rules, bringing tons of community-created mods and maps into the equation.

Regardless, like someone who wasted I devoted more than 1000 hours of free time in high school to CS: GO, eventually regained my orientation and started fighting with the best of them. I found myself wishing that some of CS 1.6’s exclusive mechanics were present in CS: GO, like the madness that is wallbanging:

Final verdict

However, for the best Counter-Strike experience there is really no reason to upgrade to 1.6 outside of nostalgia. While there are other options with their own quirks such as Counter Strike: Source’s bunny hopping, Counter Strike: Global Offensive takes the crown with the highest number of players, matchmaking and dedicated servers, huge tournaments, constant updates and radically better graphics all for the low, low price of free.

Hopefully, my thesis dissertation on basic Counter-Strike gameplay inspired you to take the game back, as it offers a sense of personal satisfaction with victory that few games can bring. Counter-Strike is certainly not a game for the faint of heart, but for those who put the time and effort into improvement, your patience will be rewarded. Don’t worry about Counter-Strike 1.6 unless your graphics card is a three of clubs.