Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

A top-tier tactics game that will probably share the long-tailed legacy of its predecessors.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a solid update to a classic shooter.

The core of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a reminder that quality can be permanent rather than fleeting, and the new additions give us new reasons to take interest and - hopefully - another way in for people who are ready for something different.

It retains CS' spirit as a competitive game driven by careful tactics, cooperation, and individual heroics alike. It's still a game about positioning, timing, and, say, thinking critically about how much footstep noise you're generating. GO preserves CS' purity in that regard--it remains one of the only modern shooters without unlockable content, ironsights, unlockables, or an emphasis on things like secondary firing modes.

CS:GO, mechanically, holds up as one of the best shooters you can play, but offers few reasons to move over from the previous versions.

It may lack some of the community niceties, beloved maps (Assault, anyone?), and little features of past games, but Global Offensive delivers on the promise of a faithful, polished, and better looking Counter-Strike for whoever wants it.

Arguably one of the most iconic FPS titles of its generation.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the same robust tactical shooter as its predecessors, but it doesn't feel like a full-on sequel.

Every time I launched CS:GO this week, I couldn't help but feel like it was a step backwards in my gaming evolution. It's new, but it's entirely familiar as well. The learning curve is shallow and I know I'm probably going to enjoy it before I even start.

CS:GO represents a great return of the series and manages to satisfy the demands of the most avid fans, marrying the most successful elements of both 1.6 and Source.