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Counter-Strike Source Rated, Explained, Compared
Thanks to Gotfrag for its extremely comprehensive review of Valve's Counter-Strike: Source PC team-based FPS, following its recent debut for select cybercafes, and, as of Wednesday, "extended to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero; and ATI Fulfillment Coupon holders." GotFrag points to physics improvements as a particular highlight ("If your teammates are dead, finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died"), before concluding: "While many changes are worthless eye candy to those who play seriously, the improved graphics and game play presentation will assist Counter-Strike in becoming more spectator friendly." Eurogamer also has hands-on comments on the "subtle and generally benign" gameplay alterations.
Counter-Strike Source Review
By: Jason Coene, last updated August 15 2004 at 9:28 PM EDT
The rumors are spreading, and people are getting anxious to get their hands on Counter-Strike: Source. Many people have ventured to their local LAN centers, which often aren't all that local; just to get first impressions for the new game. What's new? What's changed? Is it still playable? Could it actually be an improvement over 1.6? We'll tell you...
First Impressions
The Source Engine
Years in the making, and the official platform for Half-Life 2, the Source engine is what Valve is hoping will set the bar in computer gaming. Gone are the days of flat and scripted environments, stiff models, and half-hearted special effects. The new version of Counter-Strike is based on the Source engine, and that's why it's called Counter-Strike: Source (or CS:Source).
This review will focus primarily on the changes made to the actual game itself, and secondly the changes that have been introduced as byproducts to the adoption of the Source engine. We'll spare you the details that don't matter - you'll get plenty of those when you play the game, starting August 18th for CZ owners.
Living Environments
The first time you get into a game, you'll be amazed at how well the environments have been put together. Barrels aside ramps and corners take the place of the typical boxes and crates. Bottles and cans line the alleys in Dust, which before was a sandstorm figure in the middle of nowhere, and now oozes Middle Eastern architecture and war-torn background ambience.
Bomb A in Dust is no longer wide open with the same old boxes, but instead a wasteland of interactive and static objects for defense, offense, hiding and baiting. Counter-Strike Source has introduced dynamic environments to the most popular first person shooter, and all that we can say is... thanks Valve! Not only do the interactive objects in Source leave a lasting impression and improve the overall player experience, but they add to the dynamic experience of actually playing. Barrels can be rolled into position, they can be shot at realistic angles to slide or tip them. Tires can be rolled. Whiskey flasks can be kicked and shot into pieces.
Environmental Effects
Valve has stepped up the realism once again. Half-life was one of the first games to feature wall "types". Some walls are cement, others plaster, wood, sand, etc. Different objects had unique sounds and "breakaway" particles associated with them. The Source engine has increased this capability in several ways.
If you've seen the Matrix (who hasn't, right?), you're familiar with the office building scene where Neo and Trinity blast away a lower level filled with pillars. The walls, the floors, and the pillars themselves were made of marble. Source doesn't go so far as to allow you to actually chip away at walls, however it makes you feel like it's so during a firefight. Clipping walls as you trace a player behind them will give you the feeling that you're actually doing damage to the structure. Bullet impressions stay, and look very realistic.
When you chop away at a sandy wall, it will spew dust. Tiled floors will reflect the lighting, including shadows cast by objects and players. Not only are the effects visually impressive, but they improve the overall atmosphere and realism of the game.
New Physics System
The talk of the town, people have been perhaps most impressed with the improvement in physics in the latest games, including Far Cry, Doom 3 and now Half-Life 2 (or Source games). I've seen them all, and Source has the most impressive physics system yet. Players slump in realistic positions when dead, barrels take gun impact in a fashion that can only be described as lifelike, and objects move with absolute freedom. When you push a tire down a hill, it rolls exactly as you'd expect.
Additionally, as you get into firefights, your guns fly all over. It's almost comical. When you hit the "drop weapon" key,
I saw it played last night, it had MUCH improved physics and gameplay. Previously I, along with many of my friends had put it out of mind because it was considered a "n00b" game to anyone with real gaming talent. Now it's got real recoil, a semi-interactive environment and lots of fancy effects. Even the flashbang got upgraded to a "real" flashbang, not only blinding you but also disorienting your sounds where all you hear is a ringing noise (mostly true, it disorients your senses). You can even throw crap on top of the bomb to help prevent counter terrorists from defusing it. Smoke grenades actually make people's models harder to see, not just deploy smoke in the area (think a small amount of invisibility almost), and entering the smoke not only blocks your visions slightly, the gamma lowers on your screen so it looks darker, and GRADUALLY to make it more realistic. Anyhow there was quite a bit added, it makes me drool in anticipation for HL2 :)
This is just a beta for CS: Source. They're only letting in people who bought Condition Zero before the deadline (a few days ago) or bought an ATI card that came with the "free Half-Life 2" coupon. As for the final (non-beta) CS: Source, to my knowledge it's not clear yet if it'll be given free to all original CS owners, or if it will be included with HL2. I'm hoping they won't try to charge extra for it for people who already have HL1 or 2.
"Source", btw, is the game engine. It's not a standalone program you'll be downloading separately.
Source is the 3D engine used for half-life 2. Currently, Condition Zero players are being allowed to download the beta version.
Do not buy Condition Zero. The game is a terrible flop. This entire CS:Source release is just an attempt by Valve to cash in on the pre-game hype surrounding the HL2 launch (hype created, in part, by willful lies [HL2 was going to be released last year] on Valve's part). Last week, after the CS:S beta was announced for Condition Zero owners, Valve's own Steam product starting forcing users to view ads featuring Condition Zero. In a nutshell, the CS:S release is just a pathetic attempt to try and sell Condition Zero (and maybe make up for the insane prices levied to cyber cafes). The CS release is just another shameless money grab by the gaming world's newest corporate monster.
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
CS:s is the multiplayer part of HL2. There is no free upgrade from any previous versions of CS because this is a NEW game (not a mod). In order to own and play CS:s you must own a copy of HL2 (and have steam... yuck)