Initially Half-Life, Counter-Strike is a
modification made by two designers; Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. The game features
a First Person Shooter (FPS) where you can either be a terrorist or a
counter-terrorist.
Both teams have objectives to follow to
secure a victory. Terrorists bomb, assassinate, and take hostages while
counter-terrorists defuse bombs and rescue hostages. When the round is won, a
point is gained contributing to the overall scores to secure victory.
The developers released the first beta
version of the game in June 1999. The modification gained so much popularity
that they released other beta versions. Valve Software helped out in the
alteration from the release of the fourth beta.
They bought the intellectual property
rights in April 2000 and hired both Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. Minh Le chose to
modify Half-Life because it had the type of realistic theme setting that he had
imagined. The game was changed and updated according to the feedback they got
from the gaming community.
The Evolution of Counter-Strike.
The first release was Counter-Strike:
Condition Zero in 2004. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios and used the
same engine as Half-Life. Inclusions to the game included two game modes for a
single player and bonus levels. This game was considered a failure due to the
many setbacks and little excitement from its fans.
At the end of the same year,
Counter-Strike: Source was released to the public using the Valve Source game
engine. New introductions included novel game elements such as maps, guns, and
items. This version was initially released as a beta to the Valve Cyber Café
Program, and its original release included a version for Windows. OSX and Linux
consequently received a port in 2010 and 2013.
A recent addition to the game is
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was released in 2012 becoming the most
popular and longest-running game in the franchise. The game is available on
Windows, OSX, Linux, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Developers included new additions
such as the map, Dust II, which became the most popular. Modern graphics and
character models made the game look updated and sophisticated. Updated versions
of the game still maintained the traditional modes of bomb-defusing and weapon
spray.
An update for Counter-Strike: Global
Offensive was released on August 2013 called the "Arms Deal." The
update included cases that had up to 20 skins, each with its form of rarity.
Each case cost about $2.49, and the skins were bought in the market place. The
cases were so famous because you could make real money off of them. You could
either unbox a knife worth thousands of dollars, or a skin worth less than a
dollar. It was all down to your luck during selection.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has
released a new operation called Shattered Web. Operations contain new missions,
maps, rewards, and collectable coins. Completed tasks receive rewards such as
skin, graffiti and new player skins. Missions in the operations are simple
challenges, but, some can be full-blown missions. Operations are one of the
reasons why the game's popularity is still growing.
