Counter Strike: Global Offensive

[Neon Ignition]

Coming early next year for PC, Mac (via Steam), PSN and XBL

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-12-counter-strike-global-offensive-official

Valve has announced the title which will have new maps, characters and weapons plus new modes. No screens as yet, just one promo image

[Kit]

Finally! Great news.

I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

[Adam]

I wonder how a modern take on CS will work, I don't see it being a MW3/BF3 killer without rank and unlock systems. It was the gameplay that kept people playing the original CS and they've not been able to capture that feeling with CS:S IMO. I think it'll be a tough job for Valve.

[H-Man]

Not having a rank and unlock system is an attraction for many. Arcady gameplay without ironsights and a focus on competitive play is another. MW3 and BF3 don't interest me at all. CS: GO does

[Malc]

Damn, I just bought a spanking new PC partly for CS:Source, and now they release it on consoles anyway!

[Synthesthesia]

To be fair I don't think Counter strike will be that great on consoles.. At least I can't imagine playing CS:S on a controller anyway, and usually I'm all for playing games on console. I'd like to be proved wrong however, Valve .

[mekanor]

Woo! The original and CSS are amazing. I popped into CSS to grab the summer sale achievement and ended up playing for hours. Very much looking forward to this.

[speedlolita]

Not having a rank and unlock system is an attraction for many. Arcady gameplay without ironsights and a focus on competitive play is another. MW3 and BF3 don't interest me at all. CS: GO does

If they leave CS intact I'll be very happy. All modern FPS cater for the 12 years olds that play them on consoles which ruins my PC experience. It's the reason I still only play CS:Source.

[Harry]

Finally! Great news.

I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

What do you mean "Finally"? Half-Life 3 isn't out yet.

What engine is this game using?

[Adam]

It's using an updated source engine apparently.

Someone claiming to have gone to Valve to help share feedback on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive started up an IAmA thread on Reddit. Below are the choice responses as pulled from the thread.

Ammo is free in current build
Molotov grenades added (Creates fire blanket that slows players a little) (tester said he quite enjoyed using them, to his surprise)
Decoy nade added (players weapon firing sounds)
Armor is free in current build, possibly subject to change for competitive mode
Money system was given an overhaul, often not enough money was given and players had to save for 3-4 rounds (mainly a problem in competitive CS)
Dust 2 is changed only slightly from CS: Source
Dust and Aztec have been given drastic overhauls to make them more viable for 5v5 gameplay
Deagle is "about as powerful as in Source"
No ironsights
You still run faster with a knife out
Valve is serious about making CS:GO a "good competitive game"
There are competitive and casual modes
Recoil is "more random" but randomized in a circle instead of a square (Recoil will be changed they say)
UI is far from finished
Will include matchmaking and ranking system
The "feel" is a lot closer to Source than CS1.6
Nade physics similar to Source, damage values still being tweaked
Can play on your own servers, but supposedly if you want to use the built-in ranking system you'll have to play on Valve servers
Presumably won't be free since there "are no hats"

http://csnation.net/

[speedlolita]

Not sure about that molotov..

A weapon addition? *hiss*

Nah it might work I guess, we'll see.

[Harry]

So it's like this generation's version of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero?

Think I'll pass and wait for the silver package with Half-Life 3 and the real sequel.

[Kit]

I like the idea of the molotovs. They?re damn enjoyable to throw in L4D, and I?m sure CS will benefit from the extra tactical element; I imagine they?ll be very useful on maps like cs_office.

Colour me optimistic.

[Adam]

Kotaku's hour with CS:GO

On the Xbox 360, players will use a game pad. On the PS3, players can use the game controller, the PlayStation Move motion controller or even a mouse and keyboard. PS3, Mac and PC players will be match-made against each other, clumped by skill, regardless of input device or platform.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive will feature eight new weapons and seven classic maps.

Weapons:
Decoy Grenade
Molotov
IMI Negev
Taser
Tec-9
Mag-7
Sawed-Off
PP-Bizon

Classic Maps:
dust
dust2
aztec
nuke
inferno
italy
office

Wow! Should be some videos later today

And here's the IGN preview with vids: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/119/1190745p1.html

[Supergoal]

The match making between systems is a great idea, as it is in Portal 2. I wider audience can only mean more fun.