Counter-Strike 2 is finally here, but given how controversial it's proven to be, it's no surprise fans are getting their fix elsewhere. Cue Classic Offensive, a long-running fan project that's now going standalone. The Steam page describes it as a "community remake of [the original] Counter-Strike for Global Offensive", bringing back that old-school charm with a modern lick of paint.

The mod itself is nearly seven years old now, but it has significantly changed in scope. "Shortly after release, the mod took off and we managed to grow a team of very talented people, got Steam Greenlit a few months later, then got the attention of FaceIt, where they've hosted services for our mod, and reached the second position on their platform.

"Since then, we've decided to overhaul the mod entirely to bring it closer to CS:GO's standards and get rid of the placeholder assets. We've been hard working to remake classic weapons, animations, maps, sounds, and even bring back old game modes."

Started adding screenshots to the store page.

We recorded our last playtest and each player took a few screenshots. pic.twitter.com/uDoLoYZwQu

— ZooL (@ZooL_Smith) November 7, 2023

The mod pulls its aesthetic from the 1999-2004 era of Counter-Strike (mostly ignoring Source and Condition Zero), which means that we have the old-school CT starting pistol, the return of the original Scout, and maps styled on the classic layouts. There's also the return of all the original sound effects, like the thundering clap of the AWP and the iconic rattle of the AK-47. Things were loud back then.

And to stay in line with the old CS, there are no skins. "Features from CS:GO are kept when they fit our goals, can't be removed, or offer quality-of-life improvements," the team wrote on the mod page. "However, pointless weapon and agent skin-oriented features are removed entirely or adapted to fit our needs."

There won't be skins or any sort of microtransactions in Classic Offensive.

The remake also implements classic death animations, better bunnyhopping, and new key artwork (by Decepticoin). The Steam page isn't live yet, and the team still does not have the license to the first Source engine despite years of hounding Valve, but it's shaping up to be a faithful nostalgia trip through the original Counter-Strike.

The mod even uses Black Mesa assets, which is incredibly fitting given how Counter-Strike began life as a Half-Life mod. Two fan-made remakes working in tandem to capture the original spirit of the game, right as Valve itself pushes forward with a new modern take on the series that utilises its newest engine. There's something for everyone. Now we just need Sven Co-Op for Black Mesa, eh?

Posted: Nov 12, 2023 2:36 pm
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/counter-strike-fansremake-original-game-in-global-offensive/