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Counter-Strike 2 review - despite everything, it's still you

The Eurogamer review of Counter-Strike 2 from Will Judd, covering the game's gameplay and technical evolution from 2012…

While competitive matches were also key to predecessor Global Offensive's appeal - alongside its lucrative market of weapon skins- it also delivered a huge variety of alternative game modes made by enterprising modders, each with their own maps, objectives and flavours. It's clear that competitive play remains the focus here, with less clutter than other shooters and carefully chosen colours to ensure player models stand out from their environments, but the changes plus VFX and UI tweaks result in a game that feels fresher, brighter and up to modern FPS standards. Along with the gameplay innovations and technical improvements, you can point to more controversial changes, like the nebulous subtick networking model, the removal of less-played modes like Demolition and Danger Zone, the flattening of the custom server scene, the connectivity issues, the often hostile playerbase and inscrutable mechanics that greet newcomers.

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