Buzz
The game will harness the power of the Source 2 engine, bringing players stunning graphics and realistic physics effects.
On March 22, 2023, Valve officially unveils Counter-Strike 2. However, the latest version of the 20-year-old title has yet to reach all players.
The Counter-Strike 2 development team will consider various factors to allow a Steam account to participate in the testing phase, such as playtime on the official Counter-Strike: Global Offensive servers, trust factor, and Steam account quality. The game will officially launch this summer, so until then, gamers still have the opportunity to be invited to play Counter-Strike 2 during the Limited Testing Phase.
According to Valve's official announcement, Counter-Strike 2 will be a free update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - the version used in major tournaments and boasting a record 1.4 million concurrent online players.
Leveraging the power of the Source 2 engine, previously used to update Dota 2 in 2015, Counter-Strike 2 will enhance gameplay in various ways. And not just updating the foundation of the game, Valve will also update how their servers operate.
Here are 3 short videos accurately describing what Counter-Strike 2 players will receive this summer.
On the official website of Counter-Strike 2, Valve provides additional information to help players shape their future experiences. Here, players learn more about the graphics and sound effects of Counter-Strike 2, alongside the highly anticipated aspect: skins collected over the past 10 years since Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was launched.
Renowned for its valuable items that can reach billions of VND, CS:GO attracts players and virtual item enthusiasts alike. Due to their extremely high market value, gamers are very interested in how these items will differ when transitioning from CSGO to Counter-Strike 2.
Valve asserts that all CSGO player items will be retained, and they may even be enhanced graphically thanks to the power of the Source 2 engine. Essentially, your skins will look more beautiful due to realistic surfaces and new lighting effects.
With the Source 2 foundation, Counter-Strike 2 not only looks stunning, but gameplay-related elements also undergo significant changes. Elements like water, explosions, fire, smoke, bullet trails, or physics interactions are elevated to new heights. Some notable factors include:
Visual factors that can impact gameplay
Counter-Strike 2 graphics are designed so players can quickly discern what they're observing. This allows both casual gamers and professional players to quickly assess the situation and make decisions.
Some improvements that Counter-Strike 2 boasts include observable bullet impact points from a distance, blood spurts from characters will depend on bullet direction, blood splatter on walls will dry over time, etc.
Environmental effects
Leveraging the power of Source 2, Valve has been able to enhance the explosion effects of grenades, Molotov cocktails, and the detonation effects of the C4.
UI Enhancements
The interface of Counter-Strike 2 has been improved, providing a modern feel while quickly delivering game status. Previously, or more specifically, for the past 20 years, Counter-Strike players have still had to glance at the top right corner of the screen to confirm whether they have defeated an opponent or not, but the image below shows that this habit will soon be a thing of the past.
Not only graphics, but sound is also enhanced
The Counter-Strike 2 update will reflect the sound of the virtual world more realistically, clearly, and according to Valve's assertion, more accurately reflect the game state.
Sound is a crucial part of the Counter-Strike game series as it depicts countless actions of the characters. When accurate information can determine victory or defeat, even the slightest sounds can decide the outcome of a match.
The sound of footsteps, gunfire, reloading, or even the sound of each item interacting with the environment (like the deafening thud of a grenade hitting a surface vastly different from the sound a smoke bomb makes upon impact), are all extremely useful.
This will be evident when players directly experience the game.
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The above are just a few elements tested during the Beta Test of Counter-Strike 2. From now until summer, Valve will continue inviting more players to experience the new game, while also testing other essential features such as item trading, community servers, map design mechanics, etc.
For years, a slew of games have been released and thought to be 'CSGO killers,' but it turns out the only one capable of dethroning Counter-Strike is... a more perfect version of Counter-Strike. Valve has always been a developer with heart, and with a months-long testing period, Counter-Strike 2 is sure to be much more polished on its official release date.
