For a teenager in the early 2000s, Counter-Strike wasn’t just a game. It was an initiation into the world of competitive online gaming. Revisiting it through Counter-Strike II over twenty years later, feels like reconnecting with an old friend who’s sporting a sleek, modern makeover.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike started out as a mod for the classic Half-Life. In the game, players play as one of two teams: Terrorists or Counter Terrorists. In the most basic game mode it is a straight death match: whichever team is wiped out first, loses. A typical game would last less than 5 or 10 minutes, but you would usually play a number of games in a single session.
The beauty of Counter-Strike wasn’t in death match, however. It came with a couple of interesting game modes. In Hostage the Counter Terrorists would need to rescue hostages from the Terrorists. In Assassination, the Counter Terrorists would need to escort a VIP from point A to point B before the Terrorists kill them.
The most popular game mode was Bomb Defuse, in which the Terrorists would need to plant a bomb. Once planted, Counter Terrorists would have a small window in which they could defuse the bomb. This mode was interesting because initially the CTs would be on defense, trying to prevent the Terrorists from reaching a bomb site. Once the bomb was planted, however, this would flip, leading to the Terrorists having to defend the bomb site and prevent the bomb from being defused.
The game also used real-world weapons based on weapons used in conflicts at the time. Personally, it’s the first FPS I played that used realistic weapons, and may have been an early inspiration into modern day military sim franchises like Operation Flashpoint and Call of Duty.
The mod team was eventually hired by Valve in the year 2000, and an official version was made. Several other versions would be released as time went on, including Condition Zero that had a single-player campaign, Source which would use Valve’s new Source Engine, and Global Offensive which also used the same engine.
In 2023 Valve launched Counter-Strike 2, which would take advantage of the Source 2 Engine. This is now the most popular version of the game played today, and is the version I’ve been playing over the last week.
Counter-Strike 2
Revisiting Counter-Strike 2 after so many years felt like stepping back into a familiar yet altered battlefield. The GUI felt cluttered, with flashy promotions for the Premium package overshadowing the straightforward Play button. It took me longer than expected to navigate to a match, which can be a frustrating start for a newcomer to the game.
I used to excel at this game, but diving back in now, I realize how much has changed, or more likely how much I have forgotten. The first thing I notice is that I cannot turn the mouse sensitivity as high as I’m used to. I have it on maximum, but it still feels slow when I play the game. I tried to find a way to turn it even higher, but every post I found on this subject was filled with responses asking why it needed to be higher. The limited mouse sensitivity may cater to newer players seeking consistency, but for older veterans, it feels restrictive, limiting the twitch-based precision that defined earlier versions of the game.
The second thing I noticed is that using right-click to aim isn’t available on all weapons. This was how Counter-Strike worked originally, but I had forgotten. Aiming was only available on weapons with a scope. With other weapons you “aim” by slowing your movement and/or crouching. It was this mechanic that separated the newbs from the l337s back in the day, just as it does now.
I tried “deagling” for my first few rounds. This was a challenge many players would do where you use only the Desert Eagle pistol and aim for one-shot kills. It required mastery of the aim mechanic and skill at leading opponents for that head shot. Skilled players would be able to pull off head shot after head shot, and I was one of them.
Alas, the skills I had as a teenager aren’t as polished as they used to be. I experimented with other weapons and was able to get some decent kills and help win a game or two, but it’s clear that I am one of the weaker players today.
Dust II
Once I finally found it I see that they use playlists, as many modern FPS games do. Having worked on Call of Duty for a few years I was familiar with how these work. I chose the default playlist, which is Dust II on a loop. Dust II is a Bomb Defuse map, meaning we would be trying to plant or defuse bombs.
I actually worked with Dave Johnston, the designer of the original de_dust2, in Bromley back in the early days of my career. He was part of Fireteam, an Online Service that spawned out of Splash Damage. We asked him what he thought of the changes being made to his map for Counter-Strike 2, and he said he didn’t mind – it was the community’s map now.
As to the changes to Dust II from the original map, I can say I’m a fan. There are a couple of new corridors where the main firefights always start, and plenty of opportunities for stealth and camping. While counter-terrorists maintain an advantage when camping, but this can be countered by smart use of grenades by the terrorists. It’s not the classic version of the map, but it maintains the same feel while bringing something fresh to the table.
After playing Dust II for a while, I decided to try out some of the other game modes. At this point I had Casual Deathmatch and Hostage playlists available. These are both fun modes, with more variety on maps. I still think Bomb Defuse is the most fun, but it can be nice to just play a simple death match and not have to worry about other mechanics.
Modernisation Through Monetisation
Counter-Strike 2 is free, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t trying to make money. More serious players can buy a premium package that opens up a new game mode, as well as some type of progression mechanics. There are also skins available for purchase. I’m generally not interested in things like this as I’d rather just play the game.
While skins and progression mechanics are par for the course in modern free-to-play games, Counter-Strike 2 manages to keep these elements unobtrusive for casual players. For me, I’m having enough fun playing this updated version of the game, and I love that it’s free. But serious players who want to play on a more competitive level may want to spend more money on the experience.
Counter-Strike 2 recaptures the magic of my teenage gaming marathons while modernizing the experience for a new generation. Whether you’re chasing nostalgia or sharpening your skills against today’s sharpshooters, it’s clear Counter-Strike remains a cornerstone of competitive FPS gaming.
