Counter-Strike: Condition Zero had alot of potential, but with nothing really new added, there's not much to play.

User Rating: 6.8 | Counter-Strike: Condition Zero PC
Counter-Strike has been around for quite a while, and it is now one of the most popular online multi-player games out there. Using the same engine as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, for those who do not know what it is, is a realistic terrorist type game. You go about and defuse bombs, rescue hostages, and even try to assassinate a VIP. But since that is the original Counter-Strike, more focus will be toward the single-player counterpart, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. After numerous delays, is Counter-Strike: Condition Zero all it's cracked up to be? Counter-Strike: Condition Zero obviously revolves around it's single player feature. Basically, there's actually 2 single-player games that you can play once you pop in the disc. There's a regular Counter-Strike single-player, and a "Deleted Scenes" single-player, which was scratched quite a while ago, but now it's available to play as an extra. Turtle Rock Studios is a new developer, and they helped develop the regular, brand-new version of the single-player. They had also created the first ever CS Bot, which was actually something very nice. But for the first entry of development for Turtle Rock, their single-player campaign is mediocre at best, but from what Turtle Rock has accomplished with their bot, they can surely do better with their single-player. As for the new single-player, to say, it's extremely short. If you're a veteran CS player, it is possible to get through the whole single-player in one sitting. There is really no story involved...just you and your computer controlled buddies causing havoc against the Terrorists, and from that, we move on to the A.I. As a good thing, the A.I. is actually quite eminent. They actually know where to shoot, and they use special techniques that online players in the original CS would never. If they hear footsteps, they try to be silent and walk around to see what's causing the noise. They'll try to run away if a gang of enemies are going after him, and they'll hide and shoot whenever necessary. It was really outstanding how they acted with my teammates and enemies, and they knew exactly what to do in that specific level. But, of course, they are not perfect. If in a de_ map (defusing bomb map) and the bomb is planted, the bots will just stand there next to the bomb waiting for you to come and defuse the bomb. Even if your next to the bomb or way across the map, the bots will not defuse the bomb. You will have to unambiguously just kill yourself, as that's the only way for them to defuse the bomb. Even at that, the A.I. is pretty much one of the few things going right for Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. They handle hostages very well, and even use them as decoys to protect their own selves. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, evidently, has some pretty neat graphics. They have been updated, so they look nice. Of course, comparing it to today's game graphics, they aren't as well done. But for a game like Counter-Strike, the improvement of the graphics is quite well done. The weapon models look real nice, and you can really see the detail within them. Obviously, Counter-Strike has been all about sound, and definitely Counter-Strike: Condition Zero does not disappoint here. All of the sounds of the guns are as realistic as they can get, and they sound clear and manifest enough to hear over and over again. The sound of crickets, and guns blazing from far away are nice little touches that went very well. Of course, Counter-Strike is definitely all about it's multi-player. But for those who already have the original CS, there is no reason to really be enthralled by the multi-player in Condition Zero. There's no new stuff here, only with a few level updates such as cs_militia. Everything else in the multi-player is the same old and inveterating stuff you would find in the original CS. As an added bonus, you'll be able to play the Deleted Scenes single-player of Condition Zero, and for an added feature, it's extremely well done. Clear missions and extremely fun gameplay are one of the few things in Deleted Scenes. But since it's in the same game as the other weak single-player, Deleted Scenes doesn't really "balance" out the weak portions of the game good enough. If you can, you should try Deleted Scenes, because it's definitely something worth experiencing. In the end, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero doesn't boast anything relatively new. You got the same old maps, same old weapons, and the same old missions and objectives (excluding Deleted Scenes). The game's graphics is good, the sound is terrific, and even the Deleted Scenes bonus is something worth checking out. But all of that combined still doesn't hold up to something that has been around for quite some time. If your new to the CS world, this is a game worth getting practice off of. But as for the CS veterans, which there are plenty of, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero will not astound you like you did when you first played CS. Simply put, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is a game that should of been released a long time ago.