counter-strike global offensive
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Valve announces a $1 million 'CS:GO' art contest
Design a killer weapon skin, and you might earn a cool $100,000.
Fraud forces Valve to kill ‘CS:GO’ loot box key trading
Valve's policy of allowing Counter Strike: Global Offensive players to buy and re-sell keys to access in-game loot boxes is no more. The company has announced that the marketplace has apparently been taken over by large fraud networks as a way of laundering money. On the CS:GO blog, an unnamed staffer wrote that "nearly all key purchases that end up being traded or sold on the marketplace are believed to be fraud-sourced."
Twitch streamer banned for shady betting on 'Counter-Strike'
Recently, some high-profile video game streamers have been exposed as owning third-party gambling sites where players can bet on the outcome of matches for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive — an obvious conflict of interest. Last week, Twitch announced that anyone violating a game's terms of service would be prohibited from broadcasting, and they've followed up by banning a prominent streamer who had 1.3 million followers.
Terrorists invade Gone Home in new Counter-Strike map
If you felt that critical darling Gone Home featured too little gameplay and not nearly enough gunplay, today's your lucky day: A Counter-Strike fan going by the name of "Nipper" has recreated Gone Home's idyllic suburban location within Valve's beloved first-person shooter. Designed for up to 32 players (but recommended for far fewer), cs_gonehome essentially transplants the tenets of Counter-Strike into the meticulously detailed home that served as the setting for Gone Home. Each new round sees players purchasing weaponry and gear before setting out to hunt down the opposing faction, while hostages are spawned at random each time the game resets itself. Despite this, many commenters on Steam are quick to point out that the design of the Gone Home house doesn't lend itself well to Counter-Strike's gameplay. Complaints range from a lack of lighting in the cellar, to too many areas in which campers can hide and narrow corridors that make Counter-Strike's most overpowered guns even more effective. "There are several ways in which the map doesn't work all the well in [Counter-Strike], but that's hardly the point, I think," writes Steam user Space Hamlet before describing the map as "a fascinating intersection of the design of two games." [Image: Valve]
Counter-Strike: GO lets community police itself with Overwatch
Valve has introduced a new community discipline program for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that it calls "Overwatch," designed to let players govern themselves when it comes to problem behavior. Overwatch will deputize some players as "investigators" (based on stats like wins and hours played), who are then given a replay of a match from a reported player, and asked to rule on whether "the suspect" was cheating, griefing, or if there's "insufficient evidence" to rule. Once a collective verdict is reached, Valve will then determine if a ban needs to be given, and investigators will be rewarded if their judgments all agree. The process sounds very much like League of Legends' Tribunal program, which Riot Games has been using recently to try and cure that game of toxic player behavior. Valve says the system is currently in beta, and that it will be adding test cases to make sure the program works correctly. Eventually, however, the plan is to make Overwatch completely driven by the community.
Steam: Borderlands 2 for $13.59, Mass Effect 1 and 2 for $10, CS:GO F2P weekend
"Hear ye, hear ye," the Newellville town crier bellowed out across the crowded, bustling market. "It is by royal decree, that for the 24 hours proceeding forthwith, respectable denizens of His Highness' Great Sovereign Nation of Valve may acquire the first two entries in the Mass Effect series of merrymaking programmes for $9.99." "Ad interim," the crier continued, "patrons may avail themselves of substantial discounts on select digital comestibles found within the Royal Steam Marketplace, making it possible to obtain a single issuance of Borderlands 2 for $13.59, or four for $40.79, until May 20. In addition, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be free for interested parties through 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday. Should customers enjoy the experience, a 50 percent abatement will be applied to the purchase price."
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map makers rewarded with cash in Operation Payback
Operation Payback is a new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive promotion from Valve to compensate prominent map makers, running from now until July 31 on Steam. Seven of the top-voted maps are gathered here, playable on dedicated servers through the purchase of a pass on sale now for $3, normally $6.Purchasing a pass not only gives you access to these maps on official servers, it also allows you to drag your friends without passes along into Operation Payback matches. Or you can simply leave them to their Super Mareo Bruhs.We're not sure how the revenue-sharing aspect of Operation Payback breaks down, so we've inquired with Valve for the necessary info. Valve says Operation Payback is the first in "an ongoing series of limited-time updates."
Mod lets you play 'Super Mareo Bruhs' inside Counter-strike
Behold, the Sourcemod Entertainment System, a custom-made plugin for Counter-Strike: GO that allows players to play "Super Mareo Bruhs" inside cs_office. With real controllers, cartridges, and a working power switch, the SMES is just like the real thing. With more flashbangs.
Counter-Strike GO is half-price on Xbox Live today
After a stash of on-sale games in yesterday's deal, today's Xbox Live Countdown to 2013 sale is suffering with the old post-Xmas-Day hangover. It's managed to drag itself on to the couch, but it's only brought a half-price Counter-Strike Global Offensive with it before dozing into a drooling slumber on the arm rest.Nonetheless, the XBLA version of Counter-Strike GO can be yours for 600 MSP today. Back in August, Xav gave the PC version 4 out of 5 stars in his review, praising it for extending the Counter-Strike legacy of "simpler multiplayer action."
Counter-Strike: GO update is live with matchmaking fixes, new maps
That major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update is now live on Steam, bringing with it two new maps: Monastery and Vertigo, as seen above.The update also brings with it two new features, the first of which replaces the current competitive matchmaking system, "join in progress," with a queued matchmaking mode. The second feature allows players who disconnect from a match to rejoin or abandon it from the main menu, with abandonment resulting in a cooldown period during which the player can't enter another competitive match.Other fixes include lowering p90, SMG and Bizon kill awards from 300 percent to 200 percent, streamlining the reload animation, fixing a hardware performance exploit, lowering grenade bounce and tons more, all outlined after the break direct from Valve.
Counter-Strike Global Offensive getting 'major update' Monday
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will receive a sizable update on Monday, according to a recent developer blog. The update will include a revised matchmaking system for Classic Competitive mode and number of bug fixes.Valve will also release two new maps for the game with the update: Monastery and Vertigo, the latter seen in the above image recently tweeted by the Counter-Strike team. Valve has not specified which platforms the update pertains to, but we're guessing the Steam version is on that list.
Counter-Strike Global Offensive review: Come at the king, you best not miss
At a certain point, developer Valve became the new Capcom and Counter-Strike became its Street Fighter 2. Rather than take the series in a completely new direction, Valve has decided instead to make adjustments to Counter-Strike over time and release it in various versions across multiple platforms over the years.What has worked in the past – and works again here – is that these adjustments never bump up against the franchise's key element: the simple culture of good versus evil. It's terrorists versus counter-terrorists, and that's it. There's a simplicity to the formula that modern multiplayer shooters have recoiled from. Today, it's all about progression of the individual player, which often pushes them away from what should be a team-oriented experience. Counter-Strike has always nailed the team dynamic, because going it alone is a much riskier proposition when a single spawn is in the balance.There are certainly some new elements in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but they are based on classic components found in Counter-Strike's culture.%Gallery-134634%
Free-to-play Arctic Combat 'borrows' one of Counter-Strike's maps
The new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a few old Counter-Strike maps included, and that's just fine, given that it's all in the same franchise. But Webzen's free-to-play shooter Arctic Combat has apparently taken some inspiration from Valve's classic as well. PC Gamer notes in the video above that the "Sand Storm" map, included with the game, bears a striking similarity to de_dust2, a map that any CS player will immediately recognize. As PC Gamer says, a few of the dimensions are off and a few crates have been moved, but from that opening spawn ramp down to the middle chokepoint and the side hallway, there's no question this is a very familiar map. Arctic Combat is currently in closed beta, though once Valve catches word of this, you might not see "Sand Storm" playable any longer.
August XBL deals: Assassin's Creed: Revelations DLC, Rockstar sale
This week Xbox Live Arcade sees the launch of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure HD and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Mass Effect 3's Leviathan DLC is set to drop next Tuesday, August 28. Xbox Live's deal of the week for August 21 - 27 includes Skydrift and its DLC, Deadblock and a map pack, and a smattering of other games for 50 percent off.Next week, August 28 - September 3, Xbox Live will host a half-off sale for a batch of Assassin's Creed: Revelations DLC: the Ancestors Character Pack, Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack, The Lost Archive, Codex, Eagle and Piece of Eden, each at half off.A Rockstar publisher sale will hit Xbox Live August 28 - September 3, with an offering of unknown items for "up to" 50 percent off. Left 4 Dead, Metal Gear Solid HD, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Ratatouille will all come to Games on Demand on August 21.
PSN Tuesday: Counter-Strike: GO, Metal Gear, Jojo, Way of the Samurai 4
Counter-Strike is updated for the modern era today on PSN. It's joined by Retro/Grade, NISA's Legasista, Way of the Samurai 4, whose trailer you absolutely must see, and a few somewhat less drastic remakes and updates than Counter-Strike: GO!Said refreshes include Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, separated out from the HD Collection and released digitally, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure HD, and Gungrave: Overdose, which isn't actually updated at all – it's a PS2 Classic. The ability to download it and play it on PS3 is new.
Full Counter-Strike: Global Offensive trailer uses more ammo
In case you missed the Source Filmmaker-based teaser trailer for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, we have the extended version right here. The game is heading to PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 this coming Tuesday, August 21.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive cinematic teaser opens fire
If this cinematic teaser for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is any indication, both sides will shed a lot of blood when Valve's game launches on August 21.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gets zombie mod ready for launch
When Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launches next week, it's bringing brain-loving zombies with it. In collaboration with a mod team at Plaguefest.com, Valve has revealed that a Zombie Mod for CS:GO will be available alongside the game's launch – specifically for PC – on August 21."It was important to us as we developed CS:GO to make sure it was as moddable and extensible as any CS game," a blog post on the official Counter-Strike site noted earlier today. "So this is just one of the many mods that will be available in the coming months."Though the post was light on details, it did add that lovers of CS:GO and movies should tune into GameTrailers TV tonight on Spike TV at 1am ET/10pm PT. It's probably Counter-Strike related, but we're still holding out hope for Gabe Newell's home movies.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive discounted during Steam pre-order
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 10 percent off on Steam until August 21, which also happens to be the game's release date. The game is currently $13.49, instead of the standard $15, which is what it'll be at launch on PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360 (where it'll be 1200 MS Points)Since the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive software development kit, launching a few months after the game, isn't likely to play nice with consoles, it may be best to get the game on PC. Stretch that investment as far as it'll go.[Thanks, Dero]
'PSN Play' launches Sound Shapes, CS: GO, Papo & Yo, and The Expendables 2 across August [update: release dates!]
Sony is gearing up for its second annual big summer digital launch promotion, which we're dubbing "PSN Play 2: Digital Sale-a-roo." Between July 24 and August 27, the following four games will launch on the PlayStation Network: Papo & Yo, Sound Shapes, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and The Expendables 2 Videogame (yes, we recognize that one of those is potentially less thrilling than the other three).Moreover, if you buy any combination of those games, you'll get some virtual bucks back to spend on PSN. The more you buy, you the more you get back (two games gets $3, all the way up to all four getting $10 back). And if you're a PlayStation Plus member, things get even better – each game is reduced by 20 percent just because.Update: Sony announced the dates of all the PSN Play games in a press release (after the break). The promotion begins with The Expendables 2 on July 31. Sound Shapes follows on the previously announced date of August 7, then it's Papo & Yo on August 14 and Counter-Strike on August 21. Pre-orders for each game will be available before release, granting exclusive PS3 themes.
