I think it can be said without a shadow of a doubt that Counter-Strike defined what an online FPS (first-person shooter) is supposed to be.

While true there were several other FPSes out there, CS was the one that took to the internet by storm. It was originally released in 1999 as a Half-Life modification, i.e. “mod”.

It is really difficult to describe the CS online community and what it was like. Back in the day, yes I was direct in the thick of it all. I even rented my own gaming server at one point (to the tune of almost $80 a month) because I was so involved in the game. No, I never achieved ‘pro’ level, but I ran a damn good 16-slot (i.e. up to 16 players can connect concurrently) public server. It was entertaining, fun and the guys that connected to it really appreciated how I set it all up.

The way CS works is that there are two teams, the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. How the game is played depends on the map loaded. Traditional maps are either “Assassination”, “Hostage Rescue” or “Bomb Defusal”. I could go into great detail as to how each of those are played, but that would take forvever to explain.

CS is not a game where you can just jump in and start shooting everyone in sight, because you’ll get stomped in short order. Teamwork with good strategy is absolutely required to play correctly. You also have to have very quick reflexes because it’s all played in real-time.

With a really good game going, all the things that make for a great gaming experience are there. There’s a lot of tension and excitement. When your team wins or you get that perfect “headshot” to defeat the other team, you’re on cloud 9.

And when you get killed, yeah, you get angry. Some got so angry that, well.. just see for yourself:

Is Counter-Strike still popular today? Yes, and in fact Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be released this month on the 12th!

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