Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is the full-fledged second installment of an extremely popular shooter series dating back to 2000. It was developed by Valve, the owners of the franchise, and published as a free update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Mechanics

Counter-Strike 2makes use of the first-person perspective (FPP). The game is heavily influenced by the series' previous installments. Players are divided into two teams - terrorists and special forces - competing against each other, trying to fulfill objectives determined by the current game mode (such as eliminating all foes, rescuing hostages or disarming bombs). Success on the battlefield is rewarded with money, which players can spend on better equipment. Speaking of equipment - all items acquired in CS:GO can be imported here.

The game features a variety of different maps. Stages known from the previous installments were divided into three types, reflecting the extent of changes made to them. Flagship maps, such as Dust II, remained nearly completely unchanged, only receiving better lighting and character visibility. Others, like Nuke, have been improved, received new lighting and use a new rendering system. Last ones, like Overpass, were refreshed thoroughly and built anew from scratch.

The list of novelties does not end there. Smoke grenades were modified, as now they're volumetric objects that react to gunfire and interact with the environment. This means the realistically spreading smoke can be dispersed with gunfire or other grenades, which seasoned players can take advantage of. More changes were also made to "tick rate", the frequency of server updates, which from now on doesn't affect shooting, movement or grenade throws.

Game modes

Although Counter-Strike 2 can be played solo, the series always revolved around multiplayer, and this installment is no different. Singleplayer can thus be considered a sort of tutorial to actual, multiplayer gameplay.

Technical aspects

Counter-Strike 2 runs on Source 2, which has resulted in the visuals being heavily revamped. Textures, lighting and particle effects, as well as water physics, weapon appearance and explosions have all been improved. The game is also more gory than its predecessor due to realistic blood splatter from wounds. The interface was improved as well, while the soundtrack has been created anew from scratch. Thanks to the tools provided to the community, fans can create their own maps and items or modify already existing ones.