So with the release of Counter-Strike 2 and the removal of CS:GO I figured it's time to review the game.

Let's preface this with that the game isn't bad and is still largely Counter-Strike at it's heart. But there have been good and bad changes to CS2 from CS:GO.

The Good:
- Changes to the server tic infrastructure system in game is a big change that has had a large effect on hit detection. Several guns have become competitive.
- The graphical upgrade speaks for itself. It's like a fresh coat of paint on what was there without losing the feeling.
- The changes to smoke grenades are a big deal and change things tactically.

The In-between:
- Changing the load out and limiting what guns you have access to is a intriguing choice. CT players can bring both M4's now at the cost of alternate options.
- There have been tweaks to maps. This is both good and bad. Some boxes and objects can be shot through more easily now. There are new hiding/play/ambush spots while existing ones were removed.
- The new buy menu is nice but tracking how much money you have has been an issue. I like where it's gone but it needs more tweaking.
- There's been some debate that weapon spray patterns have changed. I haven't exactly seen it but have noticed with the hit detection changes weapons feel different.
- Unsure how I feel about the ranking changes. Each map under the regular comp mode has it's own "ranking" you earn after 10 wins. Otherwise premier is the "primary" mode now with it's own CS rank number which is different from the existing Silver to Global Elite system used before.

The Bad:
- The new UI is.... bad. That's it it's just bad. It's far harder to determine damage done to each opponent then before.
- The loss of content from CS:GO is pretty significant. Many maps are not in competitive rotation. It's various alternate modes are gone.
- Most skins were transferred over but some skins got hit negatively in the change. I'm not even talking about a value perspective but an actual visual perspective.
- A host of bugs and other issues have plagued the game on it's official launch.

As it stands now it appears rather then keeping CS2 in a "expanded beta test" to really refine the game they pushed it out quickly and forced it on everyone. The game definitely needs work and I wouldn't consider it a proper sequel to CS:GO. I hate to say it but it's very similar to Overwatch 2 in that it's more like CS:GO 1.5 and not CS2. I expect things will change over time but it hasn't been a great start. So I wouldn't recommend playing the game right now until they fix some of the bigger issues.

So with the release of Counter-Strike 2 and the removal of CS:GO I figured it's time to review the game. Let's preface this with that the game isn't bad and is still largely Counter-Strike at it's heart. But there have been good and bad changes to CS2 from CS:GO. The Good: - Changes to the server tic infrastructure system in game is a big change that has had a large effect on hit detection. Several guns have become competitive. - The graphical upgrade speaks for itself. It's like a fresh coat of paint on what was there without losing the feeling. - The changes to smoke grenades are a big deal and change things tactically. The In-between: - Changing the load out and limiting what guns you have access to is a intriguing choice. CT players can bring both M4's now at the cost of alternate options. - There have been tweaks to maps. This is both good and bad. Some boxes and objects can be shot through more easily now. There are new hiding/play/ambush spots while existing ones were removed. - The new buy menu is nice but tracking how much money you have has been an issue. I like where it's gone but it needs more tweaking. - There's been some debate that weapon spray patterns have changed. I haven't exactly seen it but have noticed with the hit detection changes weapons feel different. - Unsure how I feel about the ranking changes. Each map under the regular comp mode has it's own "ranking" you earn after 10 wins. Otherwise premier is the "primary" mode now with it's own CS rank number which is different from the existing Silver to Global Elite system used before. The Bad: - The new UI is.... bad. That's it it's just bad. It's far harder to determine damage done to each opponent then before. - The loss of content from CS:GO is pretty significant. Many maps are not in competitive rotation. It's various alternate modes are gone. - Most skins were transferred over but some skins got hit negatively in the change. I'm not even talking about a value perspective but an actual visual perspective. - A host of bugs and other issues have plagued the game on it's official launch. As it stands now it appears rather then keeping CS2 in a "expanded beta test" to really refine the game they pushed it out quickly and forced it on everyone. The game definitely needs work and I wouldn't consider it a proper sequel to CS:GO. I hate to say it but it's very similar to Overwatch 2 in that it's more like CS:GO 1.5 and not CS2. I expect things will change over time but it hasn't been a great start. So I wouldn't recommend playing the game right now until they fix some of the bigger issues.