CS 2 is the Biggest Technical Leap in Counter-Strike History; Valve Lists New Features, Fans Review

Source: Valve Corporation.

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Premiere of Counter-Strike 2 has been slightly delayed, but the latest incarnation of one of the most popular shooters on the market is finally available to all players. However, has the debut of CS 2 live up to gamers' expectations?

CS 2 at a glance

The game was released in the form of an update for CSGO, but that doesn't mean it's "just" a big update to the existing game. We have mentioned the changes that were tested during the beta several times, and Valve assures that CS 2 is "the biggest technical leap in the history of Counter-Strike".

Of course, the most important modification is the audiovisual overhaul after the switch to the Source 2 engine, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Volumetric smoke (which, by the way, has already been significantly changed during the beta), the lack of so-called skyboxes (which in CSGO could block grenades), shorter tournament matches (12 instead of 15 rounds), the ability to return purchased equipment during the buying phase, rebuilt maps - these and other new features generated a lot of interest long before the release.

Valve also released two lists of changes: one for the premiere release of CS 2 and the other for a minor update with bug fixes. This first update also added a new soundtrack and penalties for the "party" when one member's account is detected and permanently banned for cheating in the game.

Changes for the better (and worse?)

Many of the changes were warmly welcomed by the players, including those not mentioned in the official announcements - for example, the ability to choose weekly rewards (via Reddit). Of course, there are fans who found CS 2 to be inferior game to its predecessor, but it's hard to say whether these are legitimate accusations or the result of being used to CSGO (which, by the way, some of these Internet users admit).

CS 2 has already divided gamers. Source: Valve Corporation.

Unfortunately, we can forget about a direct comparison, due to the removal of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from Steam (via Reddit).

1. In theory CSGO is still available as a beta of its follow up, albeit without official servers and an item drop system. In the "Properties" of Counter-Strike 2 we go to the "Beta" section and select "csgo_demo_viewer - 1.38.7.9".
2. Perhaps this would not be a big problem if it were not for one issue. CS 2 is missing content from the previous version of the game. Many maps are absent (including those for Wing, Train and Cbble modes), and Valve has not been tempted to add new arenas. Of course, mods for CSGO from Steam Workshop and achievements (but not hours lost in the previous version of the game) have been removed.

Probably some of these shortcomings will be remedied in time (maybe even along with achievements), but for now Valve has not addressed these reports. Some people are also pointing out (via X/Twitter) that it may have to do with a desire to clean up the code so that its old lines don't cause problems for the developers later (which has already happened, judging by other comments).

Nevertheless, gamers are complaining that the company should either hold off the debut, or not repeat the mistake of Overwatch and leave the previous installment. It's better to hold off at least a few days with assessing the other changes, so that players have time to figure out the new CS. Another thing is that some "pros" have already managed to express their opinion (via Reddit).

Not all fans welcomed the debut of CS 2 with enthusiasm.Source: Steam.

Counter-Strike 2 - PC system requirements

We also learned the game's minimum requirements:

1. Operating system: Windows 10 or later
2. Processor: Intel Core i5-750 or better
3. Memory: 8 GB RAM
4. Graphics card: at least 1 GB VRAM, supporting Shader Model 5.0 and compatible with DirectX 11
5. DirectX: version 11
6. Disk space: 85 GB of available space