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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

What Counter-Strike 1.6 Did Better Than CS: Global Offensive

Image by Lucas Luquinhas from Pixabay

Counter-Strike 1.6 is almost a quarter of a century old. While most gamers nowadays, especially the young ones, might not be impressed by what the game has to offer because of its obsolete graphics, the internet cafes of the early ’00s were flooded with people playing CS 1.6. In fact, we could say that this game has influenced numerous other top-rated shooters from nowadays.

Later on, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive came along, a much more modern-looking version of the initial game, while new maps and weapons were also added. At its launch back in 2012, CS: GO looked like CS 1.6 on steroids, and it wasn’t long until the newer game became insanely popular. However, not few are those CS players who claim that the older CS 1.6 was better, at least in some areas, and let’s see what they mean by that:

The movement mechanics

Plenty of gamers prefer to have the movement mechanics from 1.6 instead of those available in CS: GO. That’s because, according to them, bunny hopping and other movement techniques felt smoother and more natural in the older game, allowing for more skillful and fluid movement around the map.

Weapon balancing

There are plenty of debates among the fans regarding weapon balancing between the two games. Some believe that the weapons available in CS 1.6 were balanced in a better way, as each of the guns had its own purpose. As for CS: GO, there are some complaints about certain weapons dominating the meta.

Customization and community

The Counter-Strike 1.6 community stands out for being pretty vibrant, while the game also has numerous mods, custom maps, as well as community servers. It’s also true that CS: GO has a strong community, but some players have the feeling that 1.6 had more diverse and creative custom content to offer, fostering a greater sense of involvement from the community.

The nostalgia factor

Here’s a fact: Without CS 1.6, there wouldn’t have been any CS: GO or CS 2. In other words, the nostalgia factor surrounding CS 1.6 is perfectly justified. Many players are more attached to CS 1.6 because of the nostalgia factor, as they’ve been playing it in internet cafes for over two decades ago when those venues were teeming with CS 1.6 players. At that time, there weren’t nearly as many shooter games around as they are today, and it was only reasonable that CS 1.6 would leave a much deeper mark in the hearts of the fans than CS: GO or CS 2 ever will.

According to some stats, during the peak popularity of Counter-Strike 1.6, there were more than 12 thousand daily players. While in 2024, the popularity of the game is nowhere near its peak times, people still join the servers to play against others online. In other words, CS 1.6 is still alive.

As for the latest Counter-Strike 2, the game that came out back in September 2023 as a free update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it has already managed to piss some people off. The new game has been pretty buggy at launch, while it demands a lot more storage space than its predecessor. CS 2 demands 85GB, while CS: GO was able to run on just 15 GB.

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Games News Tech

Valve Revealed New Changes To Come To Steam In 2019

In a report Valve released yesterday, the company presented the many changes it implemented in Steam in 2018. But it did not stop on the past, and Valve revealed new changes that would come to Steam in 2019. If everything goes as planned, this years would be the best one for the popular platform which now has to come up with many improvements to attract publishers and customers since Epic Games Store launched.

According to Valve, in 2018, Steam had 47 million daily active users and 90 million monthly active users. The company added that the implementation of a “moderation team,” which went through 113,290 reported posts, “most of which were resolved in less than a day,” was a significant achievement, as Valve reported.

Also, the “game review team processed 46,200 review requests, played 11,111 games (or DLCs), and examined 17,448 store pages,” Valve stated. Besides, Valve’s team answered to more than 44 million help tickets, which is a great improvement since the Steam support team has been known for its latency.

Valve Revealed New Changes To Come To Steam In 2019

In addition to presenting all the improvements implemented in 2018, Valve also revealed new changes that would come to Steam in 2019. According to Valve, there will be eight significant enhancement that would come to Steam.

As Valve reported, three of the new changes in Steam in 2019 would be improved store discoverability including a new algorithmic recommendation engine and new broadcasting and curating features. Also, a reworked Steam library based on the tech behind the new Steam chat, a new events system, Steam TV support for all games, an expanded Steam Trust system to identify cheaters, and a Steam PC cafe program would also be added.

In addition to all those changes, Valve is preparing the roll out of Steam China and the launch of a new Steam Chat mobile app.

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