My first impression of Counter-Strike: Source or CS: Source for short or CS:S for shorter was simply breathtaking. Visually this game will annihilate most console games. CS: Source was released last year for the PC as the Half-Life 2 multiplayer component and still has stunning graphics to rival current PC games. The only down side to all this graphic beauty is that you will need a pretty decent video card. I won’t tell you what I am using for a graphics card because its pretty bad but there is an upgrade on the way. I have seen the screenshots of hi-res pictures and have bumped up my settings to the maximum to see it first hand. It was amazing but on my current setup was laggy and choppy beyond belief. Graphics are great and all but the game play can make or break a game. For example look at Super Mario Bros. 3 (my favorite game of all time) at today’s graphic standards it could not hold a candlestick to a graphic giant such as CS:S but its game play still trumps all in replay value. So does CS:S hold up in the game play area? Do you think I would be wasting my time on a review if it did not? This game is fast pace and open ended with customization. I was hooked instantly and apparently others were and will be with over ten thousand servers available with players obliterating each other 24 hours a day. First thing you do in CS:S after loading the game is find a server. Once you find a server you have to choose a side, do you want to be Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist? Next big decision for any beginning CS:S player is the weapons menu. This can be a dizzying affair with all the weapon combos and different items. Some servers start the player with $800 dollars and other with $16,000. If you are lucky to get $16,000 pick any weapon you want but make sure you get a Kevlar vest and helmet. This is equivalent to armor in other games and you will need it for your first and returning game play. If you are stuck with a server with only $800 then your best bet again is to get the Kevlar vest. Each time you die and you will be dying a lot just pick a different weapon after each round to get familiar with the different types of weapons and their use. After a while you will become comfortable with which weapon to choose fast. Selecting with speed is key because players will be coming to annihilate you at your spawning ground. One quick way I have found and still use is pressing the “B” key to bring up your menu and the “R” key to purchase your previous selected weapon setup. Obviously you have to pick everything from your gun to your vest to your grenades the first time entering a server but after that those two keys will save your life every round. Now as far as strategies go, this is a very gray area for CS:S because you can have a strategy of staying with your team or go your own way and try to kill everyone on your own. From my short but enjoyable time I have come to see CS:S players of having two distinctive types and have invented the following names for each group. The first one I that is seen a lot is the “Run And Gun” type or “RAG”. The RAGs load up their weapon and rush the opposing team with or without their team. The second type would be the “Wait And Bait” type or “WAB”. The WABs load up their weapon usually an awp rifle and let all the RAGs come to them. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. But the key to both working well are headshots as they will eliminate your enemy with one shot with a Kevlar or not, so protect your headpiece. The next spot CS:S is very strong in are maps. From the official maps such as de_dust (one of my personal favorites) to custom maps such as de_mario with castles, pipes and all. You will never run out of a variety of maps to discovery and play. Some maps are large and allow for players to duck and hide and found new things to camp on. While other maps are compact and force players to fight it out. Well if you have not figured it out yet I really enjoy playing CS:S. Maybe it is discovering a first person shooter that I like or the multiplayer element of fragging noobies like me and pros together. I just can not get enough of this game it is seriously becoming an addiction. The first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have a problem, right? So go buy Half-Life 2 with CS:S included and become a CS:S junkie with me because I need more people to conquer. You have been warned.
