Counter Strike usually shortened to CS by gamers was developed by Valve Corporation based on a Half-Life
modification and was later expanded into a series that currently contains the following: Counter-Strike:
Condition Zero, Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Anthology and Counter-Strike on Xbox. The goal of
the game is to complete your objective (defuse a bomb or escort a VIP from a point to another) or by simply
eliminating your opponents. Using the same engine as Half-Life, Counter Strike is currently available for the
Xbox or PC.
Pros
Having a PG-13 rating, Counter-Strike can be played by children 13 and up - as long as their parents allow
them, of course. Another strong point of the game is the fact that even now, 8 years after the release of the
last version (1.6), there are a lot of people playing it, so it's really easy to find a popular server close to you, no
matter where you are. Its system requirements are really low, with a recommended setup that only asks for a
800 MHz processor, 128 MB of memory and a 32 MB graphics card when playing it on a Windows machine.
Obviously, you'll also need a connection to the Internet, speakers, mouse and keyboard... but that is a no-
brainer, after all.
Cons
As far as we can tell, Counter-Strike has a few major drawbacks, especially the fact that its engine is outdated
and, since there has been no official update for such a long time, there are a lot of hacks available for it, so
most chances are that, sooner or later, you'll end up facing cheaters that will ruin your gaming experience. At
last, you should also keep in mind that there are a lot of better similar games available so, if you don't hang on
to a computer built a decade ago, you basically have no reason to bother with this one - better take Quake III
for a spin if you're in the mood for a shooter of those old days!
Summary
Despite its age and all the other drawbacks you may think of, Counter-Strike will remain around for a long
time - being able to play a game that can be quite entertaining using a computer that should have been
thrown away a few years ago is more than enough to keep a lot of people playing it. After all, there's no any
special skill required - you start with $800, two ammo mags, a pistol and, obviously, a knife that can be used
to humiliate noobs. After a few seconds that allow you to buy some gear and get ready for the slaughter,
everyone can move out and run to be the first one to draw blood... or the first one to fall - sometimes it's all
about skill, sometimes luck has its share of the deal. Luck or not, Counter-Strike deserves a high rating for its
ability to survive for so long, if not for anything else.
Counter Strike is licensed as freeware. Follow the link and free download Counter Strike server 1 now.
Counter Strike is licensed as freeware. Follow the link and free download Counter Strike server 2 now.
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