Counter-Strike (series)

''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games, in which opposing teams attempt to complete various objectives. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, ''Counter-Strike''. It was initially released as a modification ("mod") for ''Half-Life'' that was designed by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe before the rights to the mod's intellectual property were acquired by Valve, the developers of ''Half-Life'', who then turned ''Counter-Strike'' into a retail product released in 2000.

The original ''Counter-Strike'' was followed by '' Counter-Strike: Condition Zero'', developed by Turtle Rock Studios and released in March 2004. A previous version of ''Condition Zero'' that was developed by Ritual Entertainment was released alongside it as ''Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes''. Eight months later, Valve released '' Counter-Strike: Source'', a remake of the original ''Counter-Strike'' and the first in the series to run on Valve's then-newly created Source engine. The fourth game in the main series, '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', was released by Valve in 2012 for Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Hidden Path Entertainment, who worked on ''Counter-Strike: Source'' post-release, helped to develop the game alongside Valve. ''Counter-Strike 2'' was announced in March 2023 and publicly released on September 27, 2023, as a replacement for ''Global Offensive''.

There have been several third-party spin-off titles created for Asian markets over the years. These include the ''Counter-Strike Online'' series, ''Counter-Strike Neo'', and ''Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio''.

Gameplay

''Counter-Strike'' is an objective-based, multiplayer tactical first-person shooter. Two opposing teams—the Terrorists and the Counter Terrorists—compete in game modes to complete objectives, such as securing a location to plant or defuse a bomb and rescuing or guarding hostages. At the end of each round, players are rewarded based on their individual performance with in-game currency to spend on more powerful weapons in subsequent rounds. Winning rounds results in more money than losing and completing objectives such as killing enemy players gives cash bonuses. Uncooperative actions, such as killing teammates, result in a penalty.

Main series

''Counter-Strike''

Originally a modification for ''Half-Life'', the development team was hired by Valve in 2000, when the company acquired the rights to ''Counter-Strike''.

The game received a port to Xbox in 2003. It was also ported to OS X and Linux in the form of a beta in January 2013. A full release was published in April 2013.

''Condition Zero''

''Counter-Strike'' was followed up with ''Counter-Strike: Condition Zero'', developed by Turtle Rock Studios and released in 2004. It used the ''Half-Life'' GoldSrc engine, similarly to its predecessor. Besides the multiplayer mode, it also included a single-player mode with a "full" campaign and bonus levels. The game received mixed reviews in contrast to its predecessor and was quickly followed with a further entry to the series titled '' Counter-Strike: Source''.

''Source''

''Counter-Strike: Source'' was the first game publicly released by Valve to run on the Source engine. ''Counter-Strike: Source'' was initially released as a beta to members of the Valve Cyber Café Program on August 11, 2004. On August 18, 2004, the beta was released to owners of '' Counter-Strike: Condition Zero'' and to those who had bought ATI Radeon video cards bundled with a ''Half-Life 2'' voucher. While the original release only included a version for Microsoft Windows, the game eventually received a port to OS X on June 23, 2010, with a Linux port afterwards in 2013.

''Global Offensive''

''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' was the fourth release in the main, Valve-developed ''Counter-Strike'' series in 2012. Much like ''Counter-Strike: Source'' the game runs on the Source engine. It was available for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and is backwards compatible on the Xbox One console.

''Counter-Strike 2''

On March 22, 2023, Valve announced ''Counter-Strike 2'', which utilizes the Source 2 game engine. It was originally announced as a free upgrade to ''Global Offensive'' with a summer 2023 release date. On September 1, 2023, it was released as a limited beta, and the game replaced ''Global Offensive'' on September 27.

Spin-offs

''Neo''

''Counter-Strike Neo'' (stylized NEO) is a Japanese arcade adaptation of ''Counter-Strike'' published by Namco for Linux-based machines. The game is set in a futuristic version of ''Counter-Strike'', with characters featuring anime-like designs. A selection of single-player missions, mini-games, and seasonal events were added to prolong the players' interest on the game.

''Online'' series

''Counter-Strike Online'' is a free-to-play spin-off available in much of eastern Asia. It was developed by Nexon, with oversight from Valve. It uses a micropayment model that is managed by a custom version of the Steam back-end. Announced in 2012 and aimed at the Asian gaming market, a sequel titled ''Counter-Strike Online 2'' was developed by Nexon on the Source game engine and released in 2013.

''Nexon: Studio''

In August 2014, Nexon announced ''Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies'', a free-to-play, zombie-themed spin-off, developed on the GoldSrc game engine. On September 23, 2014, an open beta was released on Steam. The game launched on October 7, 2014, featuring 50 maps and 20 game modes. The game features both player versus player modes such as team deathmatch, hostage rescue, and bomb defusal, alongside player versus environment modes such as cooperative campaign missions and base defending. Reception from critics was generally negative, with criticism aimed at the game's poor user interface, microtransactions, and dated graphics. On October 30, 2019, ''Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies'' was renamed to ''Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio''.

Competitive play

''Counter-Strike'' has over 20 years of competitive play beginning with the original ''Counter-Strike''. The first major tournament was hosted in 2001 at the Cyberathlete Professional League which, along with World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup, were among the largest tournaments for the ''Counter-Strike'' series up to 2007. Since 2013, the Valve-sponsored ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' Major Championships have become the most prestigious tournaments in the franchise's history, featuring prize pools of around $1,000,000.

Reception

''Counter-Strike'' is considered one of the most influential first person shooters in history. The series has a large competitive community and has become synonymous with first person shooters. , the ''Counter-Strike'' franchise has sold over 25 million units. Because of its popularity, ''Counter-Strike'' has attracted considerable academic attention. Researchers have used data from ''Counter-Strike'', among others, to examine the mood of players, performance of obese players, and performance changes since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

References

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Valve Corporation franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1999