to be punishing, to leave you begging for mercy, and never let up. It has always been

one of the most challenging games to get into, because the first hundred matches will leave

you absolutely demolished. Don’t think because you are good at Call of Duty, means you can

jump right into Counter-Strike and be a pro. Two completely different beasts my friend.

There are no perks or kill streak rewards here, just your own skill. And for its latest

release, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, very little about all this has change, if

any at all.

The game is an online experience. Sure you can play offline with bots, but that is just

practicing for the real fun online. Players are grouped in two separate teams, Terrorists

and Counter-Terrorists, depending on their skill. You then have to work together with

your team to accomplish a goal. In Defusal, Terrorists need to plant a bomb and defend

it until it goes boom while Counter-Terrorists need to find it and defuse it. In Hostage,

Counter-Terrorists need to rescue hostages the Terrorists have while the Terrorists need

to hold onto them. Whichever game mode you play, teamwork is a must. When you die, you

have to wait until the next round. Also the winning team is rewarded with more money to

buy weapons and armor with, so the winning side definitely gets an advantage.

But if these don’t suit your fancy, you can play the two other modes. Arms Race has

you starting off with a weapon and switching to another with each kill. And Demolition

sees you getting new weapons depending on how you play. Each mode is fast, focusing

more on short but fast games with multiple rounds. Which is a good time to think about

your mistakes, and also strategize for the next round.

But the number one most important thing about online shooters are the controls and how they

feel. Counter-Strike was, is, and will be, designed to be played with a mouse and keyboard.

If you are unfamiliar and playing with an analog controller, it will be tough and strange.

On the PS3, the game completely supports usb mouse and keyboard controls, and even move

controls, go figure.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive keeps the series alive and kicking. Everything feels

great and plays even better. It doesn’t feel like most modern shooters, and because

of that I am grateful. It is a challenge to learn but the fruits of the labor are ever

so sweet.