Counter Strike: Source

     Reviewed By: Colonel Link
     VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

Overall Rating:
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Christian Rating: 3 of 5 (average)
Gameplay: 5 of 5 (excellent)
Violence: 2 of 5 (heavy)
Adult Content: 5 of 5 (none)

Counter Strike: Source is a remake of the most popular online action game ever. The original Counter-Strike was first released as a free mod to all owners of Half Life; and later as a separate game. Counter-Strike: Source is the same game, but with improved graphics and physics using the new Source engine.

Story: The game is pure multiplayer, with no single player campaign and so story.

Graphics: Although a little dated by todays standards, the game still looks beautiful on any computer that can run it at even medium settings. The player models are extremely detailed, and the environments look simply stunning. The physics are also very well implemented, with bodies flying when hit by explosions, or jerking when a bullet hits them. An example of physics improving the game is when a player is hiding behind a cabinet, you can throw a grenade at him, and the cabinet will go flying, sometimes actually killing a player in the vicinity.

Gameplay: Two teams–the terrorists and the counterterrorist–battle it out in a series of fast-paced rounds to see who will win a match. The easiest way to win a round is to simply eliminate the other team, but there are other routes to victory, depending on the map. For example, counterterrorist can attempt to rescue hostages and deliver them to safety, while terrorists can plant bombs and protect them until they explode. Your success can influence your success in future rounds, as there’s a monetary reward for your team’s performance, which you can use to purchase realistic weapons and equipment for the next round.

Sound: Equally stunning. Everyone weapon sounds different, bullets of lesser caliber make a small thud sound when hitting a body, where as more powerful ones will sound very realistic. You can even hear bullet casing bouncing on the ground.

Violence: The whole point of the game is to kill the player on the enemy team, and as you might expect, there will be blood. When an enemy is hit, blood will spurt from the wound, and onto the floor and walls near them. Still, unlike other games of the genre, the blood is very mild, and not realistic at all. There is also an option to turn it off: type “violence_hblood 0″ in the developers console (activated with the ~ key).

Language: Since the game is an online game, language all depends on who you play with. So, if you are on a server that “bans” language, chances are you won’t hear (or see) anything. However, on other servers, chances are, you will.

Sexual Content: Players have the ability to “spray” (paint an image), and I have heard that there can be sexual related one’s.

Spiritual Content: None.

Bottom Line:
Counter-Strike: Source is an exciting, well-balanced game of tactical combat. It’s also a highly social game. Finding a game isn’t a problem, either, as Valve released Counter-Strike: Source more than a month before Half-Life 2, and there are hundreds of servers and thousands of players online at any given time during the day. Meanwhile, the standard built-in server browser can get you online in seconds, and you can sort by number of players, ping, and map.

Admittedly, for a beginner, Counter-Strike: Source can be a daunting experience. It’s easy to feel like an outsider, as an entire culture has evolved around the game, and most of the players online know what they’re doing, which can be intimidating. On the other hand, Counter-Strike: Source is relatively easy to pick up, and it doesn’t take too long to become proficient at it, though it will take far longer to reach the skill level of the better players online.

The game is extremely addicting and you will get hundreds of hours out of it. Because of the content, I recommend the game for anyone over 15.

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Year of Release — 2004