Counter-Strike is a 2000 tactical first-person shooter video game originally developed by Valve Software and published by Sierra Studios for Windows platforms. It is the first installment in the Counter-Strike series.
In late 2003, the game was ported to the Xbox.
Gameplay
Counter-Strike is team-based and involves two playable teams: the Terrorists (T) and Counter-Terrorists (CT). Both teams spawn simultaneously in groups of four. Each player begins with $800, with which they can buy equipment for the match. They also spawn with two magazines of ammo, a knife, and a handgun whose model varies depending on which team the player is on: a Heckler & Koch USP for the CT or a Glock 18c for the T.
Players are allowed a few seconds before the round starts to purchase equipment, but not move. They can purchase equipment from their team's buy zones.
When players are killed, they become spectators for the rest of the round.
At the end of each round, players receive money for the next round: $3,500 for winning, $1,500 for losing, and $300 for killing an enemy, up to $16,000 maximum. Players can lose money by killing a teammate or a hostage.
Depending on the map, there are three possible objectives on top of eliminating all enemy team members:
- Bomb defusal
- Hostage rescue
- Assassination
Multiplayer
Online worked by a user starting an option like a quick match, where the game automatically searched for any server with a game in progress, or one could use the OptiMatch option which allowed the player to specify options which included player count, map and player types (human or bot) for the server search. Xbox Live also featured a leaderboard where players could check their rankings against other players around the globe. Microsoft discontinued support for Xbox Live on the original Xbox on April 15, 2010. The game can be played now online via the Xbox Live replacement Insignia.
Hosting a dedicated server allows up to 16 players to join the game, but the hosting console will be unable to play. If hosting a regular server, the hosting console can also join the game, but the number of players is limited to ten.
DLC
Counter-Strike got DLC via Xbox Live. These include two new maps: Office & Inferno. Each map is 4 blocks big.
Reception
Counter-Strike received highly favorable reviews from critics, with a 73% rating from GameRankings and a 74/100 from Metacritic. In 2003, the game was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time.
The Xbox version sold 1.5 million copies in total.[Citation needed]