Upon originally discovering CounterStrike, way back in 2005, the immensely popular PC FPS title was already in full swing, boasting tens of thousands of servers, with hundreds of thousands of avid gamers playing daily. What an exciting time to get into the world of online games.
Most PC gamers will happily agree (or at the very least, accept) that Counter Strike, and too Counter Strike:Source, are two of the best, all round, actively played FPS titles in the history of PC gaming. You’ve got to question though, is the series beginning to show it’s age?
From a graphical perspective, the original gaming phenomenon of CounterStrike 1.6 is dead in the water. Yup, those graphics looked a little dated even when they first arrived, and now in 2010, considering the series has by now spanned two decades, gamers need just that little bit more. Most of those ‘hardcore game buff’ types will scream at you until they’re blue in the face that to real gamers, “graphics don’t matter!”, but we all know deep down on some level that they do. Pretty things are.. Well they’re pretty, and pretty is good. There’s a reason we don’t play Half Life 1 anymore, and it’s not just because Half Life 2 is most definitely better. Who wants to play with an ageing dog, when there’s a two week old puppy bounding about? I know it’s a poor analogy, but I also know I’m right.
As time has shown us, natural progression to a new gaming engine coupled with incredible popularity led to the development of CounterStrike Source (CSS) which, as I mentioned previously, is one of the most actively played titles on PC today. It might surprise some readers to discover that CSS is in fact now approaching 6 years of age, and I’m sure the majority would agree that although game graphics have developed significantly over time, CSS “don’t look half bad!”, all things considered.
Perhaps it is for this reason alone that VALVe (the development team behind the CounterStrike series) are reluctant to release a sequel. The fact that CSS, and to a lesser degree Counter Strike 1.6, still have such an avid following could go some way to show that a sequel isn’t needed. Alternatively, perhaps the fact that a newer, more improved source engine has not yet been released could be the primary factor. If VALVe ever get round to producing a Half Life 3, this could indeed bring with it a Counter Strike: What-Have-You.
It’s also important to note that CSS was never intended to be released as a stand alone game, a potential explanation behind the lack of new content. Counter-Strike Source was originally intended to be bundled with Half Life 2, providing gamers of the time with not only a fantastic multiplayer element found in CSS, but also the episodic continuation continuation of the Half Life story, all for one price. Either way, due to it’s popularity and success, CounterStrike Source is now available as a stand alone title, purchasable from the Steam Network for under £10 – Bargain. With regards to its roots, I’m not sure whether it’s to do with rising piracy rates within the gaming community, or whether game developers just aren’t the generous types these days, but what was once a common occurance of smaller sub-games bundled within purchases has dwindled rather spectacularly over the past few years. In 2010, you should consider yourself lucky to even grab yourself a free code for some DLC bundled with your game.
Although we are yet to be treated to fourth CounterStrike installment, there have been numerous attempts by third-parties to cash in on the gaming-phenomenon. There have been literally dozens of attempts to copy the winning game play of CounterStrike, in fact, some third-party developers have downright stolen the maps ! Not mentioning any names; ‘Cross Fire’.
Is there a future for the series, or has the overwhelming success of the Call of Duty series finished off CounterStrike for good? Honestly, I’m not sure. I guess only time will tell.
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