CS Xbox Retrospective

[CSN NewsBot]

You remember Counter-Strike for the Xbox, right? Sure you do! The good folks over at Ritual Entertainment certainly remember it. In fact, they've even gone so far as to fashion a very nice article that talks about the development of the game and the challenges faced in unleashing CS onto the console world.

With the undoubted success of Counter-Strike on the PC, Microsoft and Valve Software decided that it was the perfect game to showcase Xbox's online capabilities. All they needed now was a studio to take on the challenge of developing the console version of the hugely popular PC franchise. Steve Nix reveals how the Tribe got involved: "During the summer of 2002, we had a team becoming available. That timing really worked out as Valve was looking for a veteran developer for Condition Zero and also for a console version of Counter-Strike on the Xbox. A few meetings both in Dallas and Seattle led to a fairly quick agreement between Ritual and Valve and we were able to dive into development with a lot of momentum and enthusiasm."

It's a really interesting read. The CS Xbox Retrospective is just one part in an ongoing look back at Ten Years of Ritual Entertainment. A special thanks to Ritual's Steve “badman� Hessel for bringing this article to our attention.

[RP]

Very good read, some really interesting stuff.

I really like the way they did the buy menu, tbh I wish they would do something simillar to the PC.

High sales numbers also resulted in the game being re-released as part of the 'Xbox Classics' and later the 'Best Of' range of titles...

I was very suprised to hear that it was actually a success (if not a big success) - altough I don't have a console, you usually hear about popular games, but I never heard a word about it since the release.

[peagle]

Surprised he didn't mention the map-specific player models, which I would say was the coolest new feature, and something they should implement in CS:S.

Only a few Counter-Strike gamers on the PC were taking advantage of using headsets in the game to co-ordinate team play and add an extra strategical element to each round.

Woah there with the generalizations, I'd say mics have been pretty common in CS for many years.

[Deletable_Man]

peagle wrote..

Woah there with the generalizations, I'd say mics have been pretty common in CS for many years.

Agreed. I can't remember a time when I wasn't blasted by high pitched flamery in every server.

[elitefusion861]

I just want Source on 360, and cross-platform online.

[Syx]

Am I teh only one who bought it? I think I played it for 3 hours and put it on the shelf. It was just Condition Zero on the xbrick.

[entRo]

elitefusion861 wrote..

I just want Source on 360, and cross-platform online.

It'd probably be a failure because it'd just be ridiculously impossible for 360 players to compete with PC players.

[Zips]

entRo wrote..

It'd probably be a failure because it'd just be ridiculously impossible for 360 players to compete with PC players.

Why? You can use a keyboard an mouse with most consoles now.

[Gpig]

Zips wrote..

Why? You can use a keyboard an mouse with most consoles now.

Except nobody that plays CS competitively uses mouse accel, and if you used a keyboard/mouse combo for the 360 you wouldn't be able to turn it off. You need accel for using a thumbstick, and since a keyboard and mouse wouldn't be officially supported, accel would always be on.



For Quake and games like that, where you're firing projectiles and movement is extremely important, mouse accel might be fine.

[Helkite]

Too bad there isn't even an offline split-screen mode -- at this point I'd actually be willing to plunk down the ten bucks so my friends had something else to play at parties aside from Halo 2.



More and more developers are forgetting the offline crowds, and that's a shame. Fighting against/with nameless, faceless people online will never have the intimacy of fighting against/with your friend downing a beer right next to you.

[[CyW]-=BigBear=-]

Zips wrote..

Why? You can use a keyboard an mouse with most consoles now.

Not with the Xbox 360.. Only console that supports it is the PS3.. Sony went totally PC this time because it also runs Linux, and you can even browse the internet on it..



As for PC v console in FPS games, we'll see what happens when MS releases Shadowrun.. That's the 1st game that's cross-platform via Xbox Live Anywhere, so PC and Xbox 360 gamers can play with and against eachother.. Personally I also think mouse+keyboard is unbeatable for FPS games, but we'll have to wait and see to be sure.. They probably used some "tricks" to balance things.. If those tricks reduce speed and accuracy for PC gamers you can ask yourself the question how many PC gamers accept that and will play the game, not that many I think.. But we'll see..