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Games

Counter-Strike 2 or Global Offensive: Is It Worth the Upgrade?

Credit: Steam

Back in September 2023, the guys from Valve surprised many of us through a free upgrade to Counter-Strike 2 for those who have Counter-Strike: Global Offensive installed on their gaming rigs. The famous American developer and publisher has raised the stakes even more by granting a set of exciting gameplay and graphics tweaks for the good old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But as expected, not everybody was delighted by the move.

CS: GO is 12 years old, but even so, it accumulated an impressive number of fans in a relatively short amount of time. That’s because CS: GO is practically CS 1.6 on steroids: more maps, better graphics, a bunch of new weapons, and a few other gameplay tweaks. CS: GO rapidly became a phenomenon by taking advantage of the enormous legacy of the iconic Counter-Strike 1.6 that came out in the year 2000.

With Counter-Strike 2 now being available as a free upgrade for those who already have CS: GO installed, is it really worth grabbing the new game? Let’s try to find out!

CS 2 has better graphics, but there’s a catch

As expected, the guys from Valve improved the graphics of the older CS: GO and released it in the form of CS 2. In other words, CS 2 is more like a modern adaptation of the legendary Counter-Strike universe, as the graphics definitely look better. But that comes at a big price in the case of those who don’t have much storage space on their computers, as you know what they say that you cannot have them all in life: CS 2 requires 85GB of free storage space, while CS: GO can only work with 30GB.

While there’s no denying that CS2 looks better than CS: GO when it comes to graphics, the former also requires more storage space and a more powerful PC configuration overall. This means that upgrading to CS2 is not a wise move if your PC cannot run it smoothly enough. And yes, online games such as Counter-Strike definitely need to be run smoothly if you want to compete with others.

CS: GO is more stable

Don’t be surprised if you run into some nasty bugs and errors when you run CS2 for the first time. The game is not exactly stable, which means that it surely can have the potential of making you pull your hair out, especially if you dive directly into online matches in which you need a very stable game and internet connection. It’s best to play against bots when you run CS2 for the first time, a move that can surely save you a lot of mental health and precious objects that you may have around you and that you could consider breaking.

On the other hand, CS: GO is a more stable game, considering that the guys from Valve had a lot of time to update it during the 12 years the game has since it came out. CS: GO is a legend, and it’s pretty difficult to find any annoying bugs that can ruin your gaming experience.

Conclusion

Switching to CS2 is definitely worth it if you want to benefit from a better-looking and more immersive Counter-Strike game. CS2 also brings some exciting gameplay improvements besides the looks. On the other hand, it’s not worth upgrading to CS2 if your PC is not capable of running demanding graphics at smooth speeds.

Feel free to tell us your own opinion regarding the “CS2 vs. CS:GO” debate! The comment section awaits you!

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Games

Gaming Without Steam: What Are the Advantages?

Photo by Hamed Taha on Unsplash

If you’re also never willing to ditch Steam when you want to run your favorite games, you will probably reconsider your decision after reading this article. We are not here to say that the Steam platform is useless, however, but we just want to pinpoint a few possible advantages.

Running a game like Counter-Strike 2 isn’t possible without having Steam installed on your computer, so if you’re a fan of the game, we’re clearly not saying that you should get rid of it and your Steam app from your PC! However, let’s check out a few potential benefits of running video games without Steam:

Privacy and data control

Running games without Steam may offer you greater privacy and control over your personal data. It’s understandable why you may be willing to prefer avoiding digital platforms that require account registration or collecting too much user data, as it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a conspiracy theorist.

If, instead, you choose to buy games from alternative platforms or even purchase physical copies, you can have greater control over your gaming experience and personal information. Too bad it becomes harder and harder to find games for PC on DVDs nowadays!

Offline play and ownership

Steam is known for offering features such as remote installation and cloud saves. On the other hand, playing games without having Steam installed and running can assure you a more traditional approach to both game ownership and offline play. Some players prefer physical copies of games or digital copies free of DRM that can be installed without having to rely on an internet connection or third-party platform.

For instance, a game such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is very beloved among Dragon Ball fans, and you can play it without having to install Steam or other third-party app. You don’t even have to wait for any updates, as the game is 17 years old.

No more annoying updates

Running games without Steam, especially some very old ones, will get you rid of those very frustrating moments when you first need to wait for a bulky update to install before the game itself launches. Such updates can even take half an hour, and they will most likely also take away your desire to play the game anymore.

A lot of modern games nowadays are frequently updated by their developers, which is why you will have to frequently run into big updates that take forever to install.

More diversity regarding platforms and online stores

If you finally make the big step of ditching your Steam app from your laptop/desktop PC, you need to know that you will thus have the freedom to explore a wider variety of platforms and even digital distribution stores. In other words, you will have the chance to explore Epic Games Store, Origin, GOG, Uplay, and more. Each of these platforms may have its own list of unique features that can help you out.

Competition and pricing

Competition among digital distribution platforms can cause competitive pricing and better deals in the case of consumers. Gaming without Steam can allow you to take advantage of discounts and promotions offered by various stores. And who on Earth doesn’t like to save some dough, right?

There’s much greater flexibility when it comes to gaming without Steam, not to mention the fact that, thus, a gamer can have control over his gaming experience. He can even explore alternative platforms.

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Games

GTA Trilogy or the Original Games: Which Ones Are the Best?

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As we are all waiting for news regarding the highly-anticipated game GTA 6, we need to keep in mind that Rockstar keeps giving attention to older titles of the beloved Grand Theft Auto series as well. Probably all hardcore gamers who are now in their ’30s or even ’40s have played GTA Vice City, GTA III, or GTA San Andreas decades ago. That’s because those games have been insanely successful and influential for the video game industry.

There’s no wonder why the guys from Rockstar Games decided to remaster the famous trilogy: GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas. They did so and released the remastered trilogy in 2021, but guess what? The fans weren’t nearly as impressed as expected and for good reasons. The three remastered games indeed have much more modern graphics, but you know what they say that looks aren’t everything. Therefore, the million-dollar-question is this: are the remastered games worth playing or not? Let’s find out!

Tons of bugs in the GTA Trilogy

All three of the remastered GTA games, meaning GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas, are teeming with bugs and errors. The internet is loaded with complaints and videos exposing the numerous errors that the remastered versions of the legendary GTA games have. This can only mean that people will stick with the original ones if they want to relive the nostalgia of playing old GTA games.

Nobody should care enough about the graphics to be willing to neglect the sheer quality of the game, and boy, oh boy, does the remastered GTA trilogy lack quality!

Simplified missions

Here’s one thing we like about the old GTA games a lot: the missions were a lot harder compared to the newest GTA games, such as GTA 5. While we spent numerous hours trying to untangle the mystery at a specific mission and pulled our hair out, guess what? That was part of those games’ charm! On the other hand, Rockstar has reckoned that it would be a good idea to simplify a lot of the missions of the old GTA games as they create the remastered versions. While such a move may be comforting to some gamers, most of the old-school fans of the iconic Grand Theft Auto franchise cannot appreciate such a decision.

The legendary “All we had to do is follow the damn train, CJ!” line has its charm because that specific mission in GTA San Andreas was extremely hard. In fact, a lot of the missions from GTA SA were hard, which is one of the reasons we love that game so much. It would have been a lot better if Rockstar never simplified that mission.

Conclusion

Usually in life, nothing beats the original, and that simple principle applies here as well. This means that in our book, the original GTA games are far better than GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, which came out in 2021. GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas have the merit of being the first GTA games to make the transition from a 2D to a 3D environment, not to mention the extremely fun and addicting gameplay.

What’s your take on the subject? Feel free to tell us in a comment below if you think it is worth it to play GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition or not!

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Tech

The Smartphones of the Future: The Out-of-This-World Shapes That Our Beloved Gadgets May Have in the Near Future

Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash

Regardless of how much we love our smartphones, we all need to admit that the vast majority of them look pretty much the same. Otherwise, we have good reasons to love our smartphones, considering that these gadgets are capable of numerous tasks such as waking us up in the morning, showing us the calendar, giving us the opportunity to take notes, taking photos, recording videos, scrolling through social media, and so on and so forth. 

Of course, some smartphones have the volume buttons placed in different places, as well as the ports for headphones and chargers and so on and so forth. Smartphones are a huge trend now in 2024, considering that it’s very hard to find a person who doesn’t have one. Whether we’re talking about elders, adults, teenagers, children, or even toddlers, they all have smartphones these days. But soon enough, in just a few years, we may all witness a radical change in the appearance of smartphones, not to mention that they will probably be a lot more powerful than they already are. Let’s speak about some of those possible changes, shall we?

Foldable and rollable displays

Perhaps each of us has to admit that one of the most interesting developments in smartphone design is the emergence of foldable and rollable displays. Considering the advancements in flexible OLED technology, manufacturers have begun experimenting with devices that can transition between a compact form factor and a larger display that looks more like a tablet. How about imagining a smartphone that falls out into a full-sized screen for exciting multimedia experiences and then falls back into a normal size that would make the device fit very well into a pocket? In a similar way, rollable displays offer the possibility for devices to expand or retract, adapting to the needs of the user. 

Holographic and transparent designs:

It’s true that this point holographic and transparent smartphones sound more like science fiction scenarios, but recent advances in augmented reality as well as transparent display technology are bringing that concept. How about imagining a smartphone that projects holographic images and interactive virtual elements into the world we all see today? Transparent smartphones, on the other hand, could offer us a glimpse into the inner mechanisms of the device, showing its components to anyone who is curious enough to look. 

Curved and wraparound displays:

While curved displays have already made their Mark in the smartphone industry, if we look ahead, we can realize that designers are exploring the possibilities of wrap-around displays that extend beyond the front-facing surface of the device. Such wraparound screens could incorporate secondary displays on the sides or back of the smartphone, providing extra functionality such as quick access to notifications, interactive controls, and shortcuts. Such scenarios come true in the near future, and we believe that the odds are pretty high they will redefine how we interact with our smartphones,

Could we even imagine our life without a smartphone? Could we live without one? Smartphones these days are even more popular than computers such as laptops or desktop PCs and a lot of folks all there are seriously addicted to these portable devices. We should be the ones owning smartphones not vice versa.

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Games

EA FC and FIFA: What EA Needs to Fix for Its Football Simulation Series

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

EA Sports The FIFA football simulation game series has gathered an impressive amount of fans across the world in the last decades. However, you know what they say that there’s no such thing as perfection in life and that even applies to the FIFA series. Those games are available for a wide range of platforms, from desktop PCs to consoles. But even so, a lot of the fans are disappointed by the latest installments of the series, claiming that the dies from EA Sports have a lot of problems to fix.

 When it comes to football simulation video games, it’s almost impossible to choose between FIFA and PES. That’s because you cannot possibly be objective in such a comparison. A lot of people have their own views on the subject as well as their own preferences. Probably only a nonfootball fan could make a better comparison between those two series.

Even so, what’s for sure is that the FIFA series has a lot of problems, and if we can realistically hope for EA Sports to solve any of those problems, we need to lend them a hand by pointing them out for them. Surely, there are a lot of guys from that company who take a look at what people speak online and at what the fans think about FIFA video games. Without further ado, let’s get into detail:

The gameplay needs improvements

A lot of FIFA players have been complaining about the gameplay of the games from the series that came out in the latest years. The difficulty levels are not accurate enough, and the campaign mode has a lot of flaws. The game crashes when you’re expecting it the least, the transfers are a mess, and the examples could continue forever. In short, the gameplay aspect of the FIFA series needs a lot of attention and fixes. The only ones who can do so are the guys from EA Sports. 

 If we take a look at Metacritic, we can rapidly conclude that each one of the FIFA games released in the latest years, including EA FC 24, has been receiving disastrous ratings from the fans. This is one of the best arguments that the FIFA game series has been through a lot of trouble in recent years, meaning that the gameplay needs a lot of fixes. 

 Of course, in the end, it’s okay to be a fan of FIFA, considering that the series still has a lot of fun stuff to offer to defend. The series has licenses for all the teams and players from the major football leagues in the world as well as from countries that are not so great when it comes to football, such as the USA, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Australia, and so on. If we take a look at PES, for instance,  that football simulation games series doesn’t have all the licenses for its teams and players. That’s one of the biggest complaints the vans have when it comes to the Pro Evolution Soccer series.

 Since 2024, the guys from EA Sports have decided to change the name of their football simulation video game series to just EA Sports FC by giving up the FIFA Mark. That’s because there have been some misunderstandings between them and FIFA.  While some people have trouble understanding that EA FC 24 is still the continuation of the original FIFA series, most of the fans have complied with the change. However, the real question is this:  when will esports bring us a good FIFA game again? Please make FIFA great again!

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