Valve's new game, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), has replaced its predecessor, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), catching the gaming community by storm. Launched on Steam, the sequel operates on Valve's latest Source 2 engine, showcasing enhanced lighting, materials, and mapmaking tools. Despite these advancements, the game's debut is facing mixed reactions from players and professionals alike.
CS2 offers an array of new features, including revamped maps, visual effects, and a new ranking system named 'CS Rating.' The game also introduces a "tickless" server architecture and reworked audio settings. Notably, CS2 preserves some of the touchstone maps like Dust 2, while adding fresh battlegrounds like Mirage, Overpass, and Ancient to its competitive map pool.
CS:GO 2 on Steam
Early feedback from pro players has been cautious. Héjja "kezziwow" Kászandrá stated, "It's not competitive-ready at all, I still rather play CS:GO." Sebastian "volt" Maloș also remarked that CS2 needs further improvements to be a good one-to-one replacement for CS:GO.
However, the new game isn't all praise and high hopes. Since its launch on September 28th, CS2 has been met with a surge of negative reviews on Steam. While some gamers appreciate the updates, many point out that the game suffers from optimization issues and bugs. According to Steam's data, the game garnered approximately 11,000 positive and 9,991 negative reviews on its launch day. This resulted in a daily approval rating oscillating around the 52-53% mark, a steep drop from its prior predominantly positive reviews.
CS:GO 2 is getting praises and whippings at the same time
Although previous Counter-Strike versions remain available, the automatic switch to CS2 has ignited debates over players' lack of choice in the transition, reminiscent of controversial trends seen with Overwatch 2. Despite the polarized opinions, CS2 has peaked at 1,265,615 concurrent players, indicating the sequel might still pack a punch in the competitive gaming scene.
With CS2 still in its nascent stages, the gaming world waits to see whether Valve's gamble pays off or leaves players yearning for the days of CS:GO.