How the Community is Reacting to the Release
The highly anticipated release of Counter-Strike 2 has elicited mixed feelings from both casual players and the competitive gaming scene as it currently holds mixed reviews on Steam. As the successor to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players had every right to expect an improved and better game from this beloved first-person shooter franchise.
On the one hand, players are excited for the new installment of the series which could provide a boost to the eSports scene and bring in a much needed breath of fresh air with improved graphics, gunplay, and technical capabilities due to the game running on Valve's Source 2 Engine.
CS2 is not ready yet for competition, but oh boy it feels nice to play new game
- @G2NiKo
On the other hand, many professional players and content creators have expressed uncertainty about the game's seemingly rushed release. As there are still bugs and technical issues impacting gameplay, it leaves much to be desired from the staple in the multiplayer first-person shooter scene.
They basically released no NEW content with the launch.
And I guess to not divide the audience they completely removed CS:GO, so the only game we’re left with is the seemingly rushed CS2.
Very weird how all of the hype for the last few weeks lead up to… basically nothing.
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Did the Game Have a Rushed Release?
Upon its release, players quickly encountered bugs that hindered performance. Valve was prompt in addressing and patching these issues. A notable instance is humorously demonstrated in a video by 3kliksphilip, where a player peeks around a corner dubbed 'The Michael Jackson peak'.
Disappointingly, the game launched with 64 tick-rate servers, frustrating many players, as 128 tick-rate servers had become the norm for professional and competitive players, albeit through third-party services.
Valve, for f*cks sake, just swap over 128 tick and be done with this. Yes, we understand some players don't have PCs that can take advantage of it. But I find it hard to believe that these players are complaining that their hardware is so bad that they are at a disadvantage.
Apart from the technical bugs and issues, the game also surprisingly launched with only 4 gamemodes that include Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Wingman. Players were left wondering whether Valve scrapped Arms Race, Demolition and Danger Zone or were simply in a time crunch to release the game this summer as per their announcement earlier this year.
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Is This Becoming a Common Practice in the Gaming Industry?
Increasingly, game developers seem to be pushing out unpolished games in an effort to stay relevant. Unfortunately, this leaves playerbase with a bittersweet taste in the end.
Valve's legacy with the Counter-Strike franchise makes it disheartening to see a release solely focused on the competitive aspects of the game, leaving behind the community-oriented part of the series. Counter-Strike is renowned for its creative community maps, gamemodes, and servers.
However, the charm of the game is somewhat hidden behind a bland, standardized first-person shooter with a sterile aesthetic.
As a tactical shooter, Counter-Strike has never shied away from its charmingly simple and fun gameplay, serving as a canvas for talented players to provide new ways of enjoying the game. Hopefully, Valve does not forsake the enjoyable aspects of Counter-Strike, as a competitive scene alone might not be enough to keep regular players from shifting to other games on the market.
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