Counter Strike keeps to its roots and brings it to the Xbox.
As soon as you pick up the Counter Strike box for the Xbox you'll automatically notice on the back of the box "The #1 online PC action game in the world" There is good reason for this too. Counter Strike maybe a simple premise for gaming, but it involves teamwork and it brings the best of two worlds. Good VS. Evil. Which is Counter Terrorist VS. Terrorists.
Let me get this off my chest, There is no single player. The only single player there is to be had is playing VS. Bots, which can get old. But this does help you get you back on your game on an off night. There is also no split screen multiplayer. The only thing that comes close to it is the System Link. This game is meant to be played online verse others on Xbox Live. People still play this game after six years of it being out. The Xbox 360 being able to play this game helps this. Also if you're new to the Counter Strike world they have two quick tutorials. That should get you on the right track.
If you don't know how Counter Strike works this is how. "Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter in which players join either the terrorist or counter-terrorist team. Each team attempts to complete their mission objective and/or eliminate the opposing team. Each round starts with the two teams spawning simultaneously, usually at opposite ends of the map from each other. Each player generally starts with $800 (although this amount can be modified), Players are generally given a few seconds before the round begins (known as "freeze time") to prepare and buy equipment, during which they cannot attack, be attacked, or walk/move. They can return to the buy area within a set amount of time (90 seconds is the default) to buy more equipment (some neutral "buy zones" can be used by both teams). Once the round has ended, surviving players retain their equipment for use in the next round; players who were killed begin the next round with the basic default starting equipment."
You might be wondering, "How do I get money to buy my weapons?" This is how. If you kill an enemy you get $300 dollars. If you kill all enemies you get $3000 (Hostage-Rescue) or $3250 (Demolition). Got that so far? Wait there is more! Counter Terrorists get money if the do certain things like contact the hostages and such. If you contact a hostage you get $150 dollars. If you rescue a hostage you get $1000 dollars. If you rescue all hostages you get $2500 dollars. If you defuse the bomb you'll get $3250 dollars. But all this isn't limited to the Counter Terrorists. The Terrorists can also get money for doing stuff like detonating the bomb. If you stop a hostage rescue you get $2000 dollars. If you detonate a bomb you'll get $3500 dollars. If you're on either side you need to make sure you don't shoot the hostages. If you shoot the hostages you'll lose a chunk of your money.
The controls are quite simple. The left analog stick makes you move. It also brings up your buy menu. You bring up you buy menu by clicking the left analog stick in. The right analog stick lets you look around. The left trigger makes you crouch. The right trigger makes you fire your weapon. The X button makes you reload. The X button also lets you set up the bomb and defuse the bomb and such. The Y button is to cycle through your weapons. The B button is for alternative fire. This ranges from you changing your weapon to burst fire or some weapons come with silencers, which can be applied, to your weapon with the B button. The A button is to jump. If you jump and crouch at the same time you'll do a crouch jump that'll make you jump higher. If you click in the left analog stick you can look around faster. The term used with it is "Fast look". The Black button lets you cycle through grenades. (The black button on the Xbox 360 controller is the right bumper.) The White button lets you drop your weapon for a quick pick up. (The White button on the Xbox 360 controller is the left bumper). The Start button is for the in-game menu.
The Xbox version of Counter Strike has sixteen plus maps. Seven of them are exclusive to the Xbox. There are also two free downloadable maps over Xbox Live. Both maps are a must download. Did I mention they are FREE? You'll also be able to get your hands on twenty-two weapons. Like AK-47s and Glocks. For some reason all the names of the weapons are changed. The AK-47 is called CV-47, while the Glock is called 9x19 mm. Go figure?
Another thing you'll notice on the back of the box is the "Xbox Live helps ensure a competitive and cheat free environment." Which is somewhat true. There are still glitches. Such as people being able to get into spaces that they shouldn't, such as ceilings. You also may run into some people that use mouse and keyboards. It doesn't happen all that often but it will happen. But this is where things make the Counter Strike community great. If someone is cheating most hosts don't even hesitate to kick the cheater out of the match.
But online is where it's at. It's basically single player. But the bots are replaced with humans. Most matches are lag free. It's also pretty easy to just jump right into a game. So this game can be a deep experience or a pick up game. The online supports up to 16 players. This game also has leader boards if you're into that kind of thing. One thing I noticed while playing it on the Xbox 360 is that the load time are about 5 seconds longer.
Since this game is now only $10.00 or less at stores, why not pick it up for a good online experience? I promise you there is fun to be had with this version of Counter Strike.