Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Developer(s)	Valve Corporation Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Valve Corporation
Series	Counter-Strike
Engine	Source
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Mac OS X PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA 21 August 2012 EU 21 August 2012
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	8.5
Media/distribution	Digital download
System requirements Windows OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750 processor or better Memory: 1GB XP / 2GB Vista Hard Disk Space: At least 7.6GB of Space Video Card: Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for Pixel Shader 3.0        .Mac OS X OS: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or higher Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or better) Memory: 2GB RAM Hard Disk Space: At least 7.6GB of Space Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better / NVidia 8600M or better

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an online first-person shooter developed by Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment, who also maintained Counter-Strike: Source after its release. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike franchise, excluding Counter-Strike Neo and Counter-Strike Online.
Global Offensive was released on 21 August 2012 and made available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. It features classic content, such as old maps, as well as brand new maps, characters and game modes. It supports matchmaking and leaderboards. An Elo rating system prioritizes matching players by skill.Cross-platform multiplayer was planned between Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and PlayStation 3 players,but was ultimately limited to PC and Mac due to the differences in update frequency between the systems. The PlayStation 3 version will offer three control methods, which include using either the DualShock 3 controller, PlayStation Move or USB keyboard/mouse.

Gameplay

In-game screenshot of the terrorist team.

Like the previous games in the series, Global Offensive is an objective based multiplayer first person shooter. Each player joins either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist team and attempts to complete objectives or eliminate the enemy team. The game operates in short rounds that end when all players on one side are dead or an objective is completed. Once a player dies they must wait until the round ends to respawn in most game modes. Players purchase weapons and equipment at the beginning of every round with money awarded based on their performance. Completing objectives or killing enemies earns the player money while negative actions, like killing a teammate or hostage, takes money away from the player. In addition, when a round ends all players receive some amount of money, with players on the winning team receiving substantially more.
Global Offensive features Bomb Defusal, Hostage Rescue, and two new game modes called Arms Race and Demolition. These new modes are collectively referred to as "Arsenal mode" and are based on the popular gungame mod for Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source. Unlike other game modes Arms Race is a deathmatch-based mode where each player is rewarded for each kill with a new weapon, with the first player to get a kill with every weapon in a predetermined set winning the game. Demolition is a round based mode that removes weapon and equipment purchasing, instead challenging players by giving a set of progressively weaker weapons for each kill.

Global Offensive adds new weapons and equipment not seen in previous installments, most notably the Molotov cocktail which temporarily covers a small area in fire, making it impossible to pass through without taking damage.

Development

 
Global Offensive began as a port of Counter-Strike: Source to the Xbox 360 by Hidden Path Entertainment. During the development Valve saw the opportunity to turn the port into a full game and expand on Counter-Strike's gameplay. Global Offensive began development in March 2010and was revealed on August 12, 2011.
The closed beta started on November 30, 2011, and was initially restricted to around ten thousand people who received a key at events Valve attended to showcase Global Offensive. After issues such as client and server stability were addressed the beta was opened up to progressively more and more people (approximately 100,000 beta keys were given out as of 4 July 2012), until the beta became open for anybody to join and play. Before the public beta Valve invited professional Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source players to playtest the game and give feedback.
At E3 2012 Valve announced that Global Offensive would be released August 21, 2012 on all platforms, with an open beta starting roughly a month before that.

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