What Do Players Think About Counter Strike 2?

After months (and for some years) of waiting, Counter Strike 2 is finally out. Valve released its latest product at the end of Septembet, an event that the gaming community has been eagerly awaiting. Everyone was excited to see where Source 2 could take this beloved title that has been a part of our lives for over a decade.

Well, now the game has been available for over a month, so it’s high time to see what gamers think of it.

What Actually Is Counter Strike 2?

We all know and love Counter Strike Global Offensive, but ever since its developer, Valve, introduced a new game engine, Source 2, in 2015, everyone has been waiting for the game to be ported to it. Seeing how well the transformation worked for games like Half-Life and Dota, it was hard not to think about what it could do to CS:GO. However, despite immense pressure from gamers, the company did not make any announcements…. That is, until March 2023.

At the end of March, Valve announced that it was planning to port its most popular title to Source 2. What’s more, it was reported that this would not happen in the form of a simple update, but rather an entirely new game, namely Counter Strike 2.

Although the game was originally scheduled for release as early as summer 2023, there was no news about its premiere for months on end. In fact, Valve was conducting limited beta tests to gather valuable feedback so that the company could make the necessary changes to its precious new product, but at one point it seemed that this phase would never end, and players would never actually get to play the final product. Fortunately, everything changed in September, when the company published a cryptic message on its Twitter/X account.

Exactly one week later, Counter Strike 2 was finally released.

What New Features Has Counter Strike 2 Introduced?

It should be noted that CS2 was heralded as the largest technical leap in Counter Strike’s history, which is why everyone was expecting it so much. When announcing the product, Valve emphasized that the game would look much better than CS:GO and that the new features introduced would fundamentally reshape the entire game experience.

But what exactly were they talking about?

Graphics

First of all, Source 2 is a completely different story from Source 1 especially when it comes to visual capabilities. 

Those who have previously played games that run on this engine are well aware of the number of improvements it can provide, especially when it comes to graphics. Therefore, the visual side of CS2 is a big leap from the original Counter Strike. Many weapons look completely different, with colors being more vibrant and designs more detailed (at least in most cases). Maps tend to appear much more realistic, and the lighting used on them adds a whole new dimension to the game, one that players haven’t experienced before. Some locations, such as Nuke, for example, have gained a whole different feel in the new game, and while not all of them have changed so drastically, it’s still impressive how the switch has worked wonders in their overall perception.

Smoke Grenades

One of the main points of Valve’s initial announcement was the issue of smoke grenades. In fact, if you’ve played CSGO even a little, we’re sure you’re familiar with the issue. 

In the previous game, whenever someone fired a smoke grenade, it was accompanied by quite a spectacle. The fumes could go through walls, they kept jamming, and they didn’t even fulfill their purpose of making you invisible to other players, because as soon as someone shot through it, holes appeared that blew away all your cover. This thing was almost useless, and on top of that, very annoying. However, in CS2, the developers focused on fixing this problem, not only making the fumes look more realistic, but also much more interactive. This finally made them usable.

Tick Rate

When Valve announced the release of Counter Strike 2, the company boasted an improved tick rate, which had actually been a big problem in previous installments of CS. However, if you’re not that into games, you may be a bit confused by the concept itself, which is why we’re here to help you out.

Tick rate is basically the frequency at which servers record information happening in the game, i.e. actions taking place on maps and during matches. Well, for years it was quite obvious that the one used in CS:GO was not enough, and many players experienced problems during gameplay. But now the company has introduced a sub-tick rate, which is supposed to be much more efficient and ensure that no information is lost during matches.

Legs

Okay, it may not be a monumental change to the game, but we felt it had already become such a big meme in the community that we couldn’t pass it up. Well, Valve has decided that one of the primary modifications they will make in CS2 will be the addition of legs to agents. Yes, you read that right. Now, when you look down in the game, you’ll be able to see your character’s legs. Isn’t that great? 

Of course, Counter Strike 2 has introduced many more changes, but it would take at least one full article to describe them all. What we recommend most is to check the game out for yourself and see all the changes with your own eyes!

What Happened to Global Offensive?

Of course, if you’ve been playing Counter Strike for a long time, you might be wondering what happened to Global Offensive after the release of CS2.

Well, the truth is that CS:GO is no more and people had to say goodbye to it. However, before you start to panic, let us calm you down. There is no need to worry, as all your inventory and achievements from the previous game will be safely transferred to Source 2. What’s more, Valve, as a nod to its long-time users, immediately assured that all Global Offensive owners, will get access to CS2 in the form of a free upgrade. So, it comes out that you lose nothing and, on the contrary, only gain. 

What’s more, if you have already built up quite an extensive inventory in CS:GO, it might be a good idea to sell CS2 skins on SkinCashier and make room for new items. Now that so many new users have joined the CS:GO community, the weapon finishes economy will only flourish and you may actually make some decent money on it.

Counter Strike 2 Review

In order to get a comprehensive Counter Strike 2 review, it is necessary to look at this issue from multiple angles, that is, from the perspective of a casual player, a professional, and a critic. 

What Are the Player Reviews?

When it comes to recent reviews written by players, unfortunately, these come off the weakest. Yes, everyone agrees on the fact that the visual sphere has improved significantly, however, there seems to be a general opinion that the… that’s it.

In fact, Valve announced great changes regarding gameplay, and it turned out that the final product (despite months of beta-testing) has many bugs and glitches that significantly affect the player-experience. People seem disappointed that despite so much anticipation, the final version of the game seems to be very underdeveloped, and the problems with CS:GO don’t seem to have been fixed at all . And while quite a few users seem willing to still give CS2 a chance to improve, the general consensus is that the game is a major disappointment. 

“…No innovations, not huge work showed at start. I hope they work a bit more because the game is already 10 years behind. This looks more like a content, graphic improvement, and an update for CS GO. It shouldn’t be called CS2” – Google user

“…It hasn’t improved one step in 20 years, it’s a story of failure.” – Metacritic user

“…As someone who actually played CS for 2 decades since the 1.6 days, this game is absolutely horrendous. Yes, it now has very pretty graphics and lots of attention to detail visually, but who cares about that? This is supposed to be a competitive game, but everything that has been asked by the community for these 2 past decades has been flat out ignored by Valve in CS2. “ – Google user

What Do Pros Think?

The feedback from professional players seems to be a bit more varied than that from casual users, but is still rather disappointing. First, many popular eSports gamers seem to be disappointed with the promised sub tick-rate. Although it was supposed to be much better than that of CS:GO, it still seems slow and underdeveloped. Sasha (s1mpleO) from Natus Vincere even said that while it was supposed to be an improvement over 64, it’s more like 16.

Russel van Dulken (Twistzz) of FazeClan gave a more detailed review on his X account, pointing out both the xnegative and positive sides of the new system. He suggested that the sound needed a lot more work, but the overall game was still enjoyable.

How Did the Critics Rate the Game?

The critics seem to be the most favorable when it comes to their assessment of CS2, as most of them gave rather positive reviews. However, it is still the lowest rated installment of CS on Metacritic. 

Also, it should be pointed out how big the gap is between this rating and the user score.

Most critics seem to agree that while the game has been a positive development to the franchise, it still needs a lot of fine-tuning. They do, however, seem forgiving of the fact that, like Global Offensive, CS2 is sure to receive a number more upgrades and patches that will make it as worthwhile as CS:GO. 

Conclusions

Counter Strike 2 is a new beginning for the series, and while as of now the product may be far from perfect, it is certain that many more changes will be made to make it capable of meeting players’ expectations. If you still want to try CS2, read all the reviews to know what’s in store for you. Remember, however, that the most important thing is what you think about the game, not anyone else.