It isn't as pretty as Source, but this may be the best version of Counter-strike to buy.
There are actually 2 totally different Condition Zeros. There is the newer game that was released by Turtle Rock studios and then there are the deleted scenes. While the new game (the one officially released by Valve) is just a set of goals within most of the maps made for the game (playing with and against the new bots), the deleted scenes is more like a standard first-person shooter, with a series of unconnected missions, but with full VO and scripted events. This version was the one originally made by Ritual before the game was taken away from them. These offer a good diversion, but don’t really differentiate themselves from a normal FPS. Also, the game is far less realistic. You normally play as a one man army against huge numbers of enemies, and you eventually have to defeat a helicopter with a sniper rifle on an open rooftop. Its easy to see why Valve was unhappy enough with this work to take the project away.
Counter-strike is fairly simple, at least in concept. Terrorists and counter-terrorists (hereby known as Ts and CTs) fight each other in 5 minute rounds (which can be altered depending on the map and personal preference). Either the Ts are trying to set a bomb in a target zone which the CTs have to defuse or prevent from being laid all together, or the Ts have hostages which need to be rescued by CTs. Players have to buy weapons when they die, using money earned by killing, planting bombs, defusing bombs, rescuing hostages or winning a round. While easy to grasp, this is easier said than done. In single player on easy mode the enemies are so dumb my brother could play (though of course, your team mates are as well), while normal mode should offer only moderate challenge. Things change in hard and very hard mode. Of course, any online game is going to be harder, since a lot of people play this game every day. This makes CZ a better introduction than the original game, since it does include the one player mode, allowing you to train a bit before going into the big wide world. This won’t train you for the huge amount of slang that the players have come up with. If you want to play, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with terms such as deagle, hostie noob, nub, noobie, noob cannon…the list goes on. This isn’t that different from any other online game, but this game is especially popular which means that people have spent more time creating terminologies and overall culture.
CZ is an interesting midpoint between the original and Source. It is better than CS1.6 in every way. The graphics are much better, It includes BOT AI, the maps have been tweaked slightly, as have the weapons (for the better). It also has some advantages over source. For one, any computer should run CZ, while Source still requires a newer PC (and don‘t bother playing on anything that doesn‘t run perfectly. You want every frame you can get, and slowdown coupled with lag would be unplayable). It is also more challenging for a few reasons that I won‘t go into here, which ultimately makes the game more worthwhile. In fact, unless you really want dynamic weapon buying, or a few radar tricks, there is little reason to play Source over CZ. Most features that were added to Source from 1.6. Were first tested and released in CZ, including BOTs and new map configurations, as well as a huge number of different settings.
The online experience in CZ is probably the best of the three. This is largely because only the really dedicated ever bought it. Most of the people who would come in and start being unpleasant are either still playing 1.6 or upgraded their machines and started playing Source. That’s not to say that the game is perfect. People still swear a lot and there will usually be some guy who has to be kicked because he doesn’t follow server rules. Also, unless you really like a few maps it can be hard to find players. There are a few really popular maps, and some user-created maps that exist for kicks (such as Wal-Mart or Super Mario 64) but after that its just a matter of luck whether or not there will be someone to play with on the map you want. And don’t think that you’ll be going back to the single player, because the on-line experience is far more rewarding, especially if you have a microphone.
Overall, counter-strike is insanely addictive and if your going to buy a copy of the game (which all gamers should at some point), this is the one that will benefit most people. It is good to introduce yourself to the game through single-player, It has the same basic features as Source without the high system requirements, and the players are on the whole more dedicated to the game. Of course, this version has the least players of the 3 (though not a small number by any means) and odds are your friends won’t have this version. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide for yourself what game meets your needs.