SunPhares500
What Keeps Counter-Strike Ticking
Counter-Strike (CS for short) first arrived on the PC gaming scene back in 1999, a totally free mod from the critically acclaimed Half-Life. The concept was relatively easy: an initial person shooter (FPS) pitting two teams of human players on a multiplayer network against each other, each time attempting to wipe each other out (though which was never the only method to win).
Inside a journey spanning greater than a decade, Counter-Strike and it is simple but effective concept came a long way. Today, it is the gold standard for multiplayer FPS games, a benchmark they invariably become measured up against.
Many reasons exist for this apart from CS as being a great game. The sheer momentum generated with a mod will go beyond all of the promotion money can buy, as crowds of players attract more crowds. Nevertheless, CS obviously did something to remain at the top genre inside a rapidly growing market that is constantly providing the newest thing.
Realism
No more plasma guns, health packs or absurd rocket jumps. It just doesn't happen this way in the real world: you take out of ammo in a bad time, take one bullet within the head and die from it. Counter-Strike concentrated on providing a believable Terrorist vs. Counter-Terrorist experience, even though you knew you had been returning to life to fight the next round.
Realism has its own pitfalls too. People tend to approach the gaming with predetermined expectations based on the setting, meaning that, inside a military shooter, if the AK-47 doesn't sound the same as a real AK-47, some gun expert is going to let you know, and anyone who cares to pay attention, about it.
Objectives and Teamwork
Objectives really are a big a part of Counter-Strike, and teamwork is easily the most efficient way to attain those objectives. Earlier games had objectives, but none were as well-suited to the theme because the ones in CS, where you planting (or diffusing) bombs and rescuing hostages.
Community
Since it started out as a free mod, and continues to ship with the source code, CS receives immense support from community members. Take for instance, the big number of well balanced maps for the game, particularly for bomb/defuse scenarios.
PC Friendly
while graphics have improved through the years, CS was and continues to remain friendly to low-end machines. This not just shows dedication to reaching out to the biggest possible number of gamers, but also the developers' belief that eye-candy graphics can only have a game so far-what keeps people returning is solid game play.
Pace
There is no dilly-dally. Within seconds of spawning, you are in a vicious firefight with the enemy. Every corner you creep around is a potential death trap. Attacks happen at breakneck speed and well-placed ambushes do away with large groups of enemies within minutes.
