CS 2 ( Counter Strike 2 )

 https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/

Counter-Strike 2 is a 2023 free-to-play tactical first-person shooter developed and published by Valve. It’s the fifth game in the Counter-Strike series, built as an updated version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from 2012. Announced on March 22, 2023, it launched on September 27, 2023, for Windows and Linux, replacing Global Offensive on Steam.

Like its predecessor, Counter-Strike 2 pits two teams, Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists, against each other in objective-based game modes, with additional modes that diverge from this setup. The game brings major technical upgrades over Global Offensive, including a shift from the Source engine to Source 2, enhanced graphics, and a new "sub-tick" server architecture. Many maps from Global Offensive were revamped to leverage Source 2’s capabilities, with some receiving complete overhauls.

Upon release, Counter-Strike 2 earned generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its gunplay and updated maps. However, player reception was mixed, leading to thousands of negative Steam reviews, making it one of Valve’s lowest-rated titles. Criticism focused on performance issues, the removal of features from Global Offensive, and the lack of macOS support, which Global Offensive had.

Gameplay

Counter-Strike 2 is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter where two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, compete to complete various objectives. The game features two main round-based scenarios: bomb defusal and hostage rescue, with bomb defusal being the primary mode. New features include volumetric "smoke physics," where smoke from grenades expands to fill spaces and can be altered in real time by gunshots or hand grenades. The weapon loadout system was revised, allowing players to bring only five pistols, five mid-tier weapons (like submachine guns and shotguns), and five rifles into a match, totaling fifteen weapons.

In standard bomb defusal matches, each team has five players, and eliminated players don’t respawn until the next round. The Terrorist team aims to plant a bomb at one of two bombsites and defend it until it explodes, or eliminate the Counter-Terrorists. The Counter-Terrorists win by running out the round timer, killing all Terrorists, or defusing the bomb. In hostage rescue, Counter-Terrorists try to rescue NPC hostages defended by the Terrorists. Players can buy weapons and equipment at the start of each round, and a standard match ends when a team wins thirteen rounds.

The game offers two main matchmaking modes: Competitive and Premier. Competitive continues Global Offensive’s matchmaking system, letting players choose any map, with ranks now determined per map. Premier uses a seven-map pool with a voting and banning system and a new numerical rating system based on performance, replacing Global Offensive’s eighteen skill ranks.

Additional modes include Wingman, Casual, Deathmatch, and Arms Race. Wingman is a bomb defusal mode with two players per team, one bombsite, and matches ending after nine rounds. Casual is a bomb defusal mode with more players and no ranking system. Deathmatch focuses on achieving the most kills with no map objectives. Arms Race has no money system; players get new weapons after kills, with weapons becoming progressively harder to use, and the first player to get kills with all weapons, including a final knife kill, wins.

Development

Valve developed Counter-Strike 2 using the Source 2 engine as an update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Various elements of Global Offensive were upgraded to use Source 2’s features. It’s the first new Counter-Strike game in over a decade. Alongside the engine change, a new "sub-tick" server architecture was developed for better synchronization with player inputs. The Valve Studio Orchestra created a new soundtrack, released digitally by Ipecac Recordings on November 1, 2023.

Many Global Offensive maps were upgraded for Source 2, with improved lighting and physically based materials. Valve grouped maps into three categories for reconstruction: "Touchstone" for maps with unchanged layouts (like Dust II), "Upgrades" for maps with major graphical enhancements (like Nuke), and "Overhauls" for maps rebuilt from scratch (like Inferno). All cosmetic items from Global Offensive, including weapon skins, knives, and gloves, were carried over to Counter-Strike 2.