Counter-Strike
- October 31, 2003 00:00 AM PST
New Xbox hands-on info on the hot multiplayer PC shootout.
Go, Go, Go!If you�ve played any online multiplayer PC games in the past two years, chances are you�ve come into contact with the phenomenon known as Counter-Strike. The insanely popular team-based military shooter finally arrives on a console this year�fittingly, the lucky console in question is the online-ready Xbox. Counter-Strike�s team aspect helped elevate it above other deathmatch-style shooters on the PC, and Microsoft is banking on that same magic to draw people to its Xbox Live online service.
Follow Me
Counter-Strike�s simple premise has you joining a terrorist or counterterrorist team and attempting to carry out your objective. Some missions require terrorists to guard hostages and counterterrorists to go in and rescue them, while other scenarios involve the former attempting to plant a bomb and the latter trying to prevent or defuse it. Working in concert with team members is absolutely crucial to success, so voice support via Xbox Live is a welcome boon. Other Xbox-exclusive features include graphically revamped characters, two new teams, 20 character skin variants, and seven new maps�along with 13 original ones that have received visual upgrades. Cool technical tweaks include 480p display support for a sharper picture and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound support.
Perhaps the coolest feature is the ability to use your Xbox as a customizable, dedicated server to host multiplayer games. Even if you don�t choose to go that route, your friends can notify you of a current online match with the Xbox Live Aware feature.
Enemies Spotted
A current preview version exhibited marked control improvements over GamePro�s previous hands-on time during the E3 show this past May. The button layout was identical to that of Halo, and the aiming was just as precise. The voice support worked great through a LAN-based system link, but play over the Xbox Live service was not yet functioning. Still, you can expect frenetic shootouts when Counter-Strike locks and loads this November.
