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csx in san francisco
full article (polls, links, images, and text) @ http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/articles.php/article_175/
csx in san francisco
full article (polls, links, images, and text) @ http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/articles.php/article_175/
After arriving in San Francisco, we were led into a large room in the W hotel and given free reign to play with a final version of Counter-Strike for the Xbox (CSX). The setup was amazing—ten widescreen TVs, ten Xboxes with Counter-Strike, and ten individual large couches for us to get comfortable on.
It took some time for all of us to get completely acclimated with the shift from PC to console. The control takes some getting used to when you've been playing with the keyboard and mouse, but it's a very quick learning period. It's been said before, but if you've played the Xbox version of Halo (or any similar FPS on the console) then you'll be a quick learner.
Other web nerds were in attendance, including a few Xbox site people. Their Halo skill definitely showed through, as many of them were able to pick up and enjoy CSX without much hassle. Dave "moto" Geffon—one of the best PC players—had a bit of trouble getting used to the controls, but eventually was one of the best at the event. It seemed that good CS for PC skills will teach you the tactics and the game, while good Halo skills will teach you to aim. Finally, if you work at GameSpot you're probably going to be good no matter what. With these three qualifiers, most people should have an enjoyable time picking up and learning CSX.
After several hours of Counter-Strike enjoyment, we left the hotel to enjoy a night on the town in San Francisco. The next day, we woke up to breakfast and more Counter-Strike. We were told of an impending "tournament" of sorts—five of us would compete against the other five for a few choice prizes, including an autographed copy of a Counter-Strike poster, not to mention bragging rights. Before the tournament, I had a chance to interview Counter-Strike Co-creator Jess Cliffe, which we posted last week (http://csnation.net/articles.php/interview_173/).
The Game
The Xbox version of Counter-Strike features a number of improvements, not the least of which is a very nice graphical update. The game still runs on a modified HL1 engine; however, the levels now feature 32-bit textures and a slew of updated visual and weather effects to go along with them. More than just a pretty face, some new additions have a definite effect on gameplay. Walk from a bright outdoor area into a dark tunnel and your screen will need time to adjust to the new light levels. Get too close to a flashbang or HE grenade and while you may avoid damage, your ears will ring for a few seconds, long enough for an enemy to get a jump on you while you can't hear a thing but a faint buzz.
Frame rates are constant with no slowdown evident, even in nasty firefights with smoke grenades and weapon effects all around. Since all Xbox users will have the same hardware, and all Xbox Live users will be on broadband, players are ensured that their only barometer will be skill.
Upon playing, it's obvious how much time was spent refining the control. Halo got the general gist of console FPS control down. Counter-Strike adapts it perfectly to suit its gameplay. For instance, with crouching being so integral to Counter-Strike, having it be a hard-to-reach button in the middle of combat simply wouldn't do. Instead, the left trigger serves as the crouch button while the right trigger fires, making it easily accessible and tactically useful.
Also of note are the pie-menu buying screens. We discussed them in a previous article (http://csnation.net/articles.php/e3preview_147/2/), but they really stand out in terms of their ease of use and quickness. With a little practice, selecting weapons and equipment is nearly as fast as with the text-based buy menus on the PC, and ages better than the VGUI weapons selection. In addition, rounds are bought on a per clip basis, instead of all at once. Those who wish to be economical with their purchases can do so without any additional scripting. If you just want to fill your clips to the brim, the satisfying nature of pressing the trigger buttons (left for secondary, right for primary rounds) is a surprisingly engaging way to start each round.
The multitude of radio commands have been forced to be pared down to four: Follow Me, Report In, Hold this Position, and Need Backup. Bots will respond to your commands as entered via the D-pad. It can be a little difficult to reach the white "drop weapons" button in the middle of a firefight, but the black button grenade selection seems to be easier to manage on the "S-type" controllers we used.
Speaking of bots, they were very fun to play with. They weren't complete geniuses but they certainly weren't pushovers, either. They do coordinate with each other and take time to exploit certain areas of the map, but they're not unbeatable super-bots who can see the entire level at once. Single-Player gameplay is not the same as Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/view.php/czinfo/). It is essentially off-line Counter-Strike utilizing these bots. It can be fun for a while and a good way to build up your skills, but as with the PC version of CS, the focus is solely on online play.
Each of the 20 maps (7 of which are exclusive to the Xbox) features a custom skin for each side, so you don't actually choose your skin like on the PC version. On the other hand, the skins are tailored for each map, and they are much more detailed than the standard PC models.
The Tournament
As we prepared for the tournament, we were given our team names and rosters. Five on each team. Rizzuh and I (asspennies) were on Team SAS, while the other team, Dev Gru, featured moto—leader of the stellar Team 3D—and bozer from CSCentral. We thought that the odds were stacked against us, but we had a feeling that the power of CS-Nation would prevail. Actually, we had a feeling that we'd lose horribly.
The tournament began with Team Dev Gru as Terrorists, and Team SAS as Counter-Terrorists on Dust2. Team Dev Gru quickly stormed Bombsite B in the first round. Team SAS had expected the tactic and was ready at the bombsite, waiting. Their tactical thinking did not pay off, however, as they were quickly slaughtered by Team Dev Gru. Things did not look good for the SAS.
After losing the next round, Team SAS fought back and began to turn the tide, eventually battling to a 3-3 tie. From there, SAS stormed Team Dev Gru, taking a commanding lead. Although they lost their last round, Team SAS was ahead of Team Dev Gru at the conclusion of the first half, 8-5.
With a decided 3 round advantage, Team SAS went on the offensive in the second half as terrorists, quickly winning the first three rounds. After Team Dev Gru fought back and won the fourth round, some had to wonder if the tide would again turn, this time in Dev Gru's favor. It did not.
Team SAS won the next three rounds, finishing the second match with a score of 6-1, winning perhaps the first ever Counter-Strike Xbox tournament. We're still waiting for our CompUSA and NVIDIA sponsorship deals.
The End
Don't expect to be having many Counter-Strike Xbox LAN parties unless you've got a lot of room and are particularly well funded. Counter-Strike for the Xbox does not feature a split-screen multiplayer mode, which means that a LAN setting would be forced to have a TV, an Xbox, and a copy of Counter-Strike for each player. While it's true that an Xbox, a TV, and a copy of the game will typically run you less than the price of a well stocked computer, the ultimate portability of such a system leaves something to be desired.
Fortunately, Counter-Strike features Xbox's online service, Xbox Live. For a yearly fee, broadband users can connect to other players of various online games around the world. Hosting or playing in online game is a matter of a few clicks of the controller, and finding games tailored to your liking is simple and fast.
I found myself really enjoying Counter-Strike for the Xbox, so much so that I really can't wait for it to be released. And it's not only because I found a way to play Counter-Strike in which I didn't totally suck. It's essentially another strata of online play; there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had.
One thing is absolutely certain: this is not some watered-down console copy. This is Counter-Strike, from the feel of the game to the tension and excitement. Skeptical PC users may pass and wary console users may wonder, but if any game has a chance of grabbing on to the audience Counter-Strike has enjoyed on the PC, it's Counter-Strike for the Xbox.
The Pictures
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22768 caption: Guarding the roof in Vostok, one of the new maps for CSX | image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22769 caption: Taking aim |
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22770 caption: Say hello to my little friend | image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22758 caption: It's amazing, a game in which asspennies doesn't suck! |
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22760 caption: In San Francisco, some people actually have an N-Gage! | image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22759 caption: EVERYONE is excited about the Counter-Strike Xbox tournament! |
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22767 caption: Dave "moto" Geffen of Team 3D contemplates what to do with his hostages | image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22766 caption: rizzuh is killed by bozer from CS Central, but he'll be back! |
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22763 caption: The winners, Sean Gilmour from xboxlivewire, Nick "Kraft" Kraftor from Xboxaddict.com, Ryan MacDonald from Gamespot, rizzuh and asspennies | image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22762 caption: The hard luck losers, including CS-Central's bozer and Team3D's moto |
image: http://csnation.totalgamingnetwork.com/image.php?id=22782 caption: Couches, couches everywhere! | |