Counter-Strike, the team-based multiplayer mod for Valve's Half-Life, has been the darling of the online shooter crowd since its debut as a free download. Sierra's adoption of the product as a retail product only increased the penetration of the game, which puts you in the shoes of terrorists and counter-terrorists in a variety of more or less realistic combat situations. At any given time, the number of Counter-Strike players online far exceeds those playing Quake III and Unreal Tournament—combined.
Aye, but there's the rub. Counter-Strike is multiplayer only. If you can't play online, and don't have a handy LAN and a bunch of friends available, you're out of luck. The counter-terrorist theme is popular, as Rainbow Six, Soldier of Fortune, and many more games have shown, but many gamers have been frozen out of the Counter-Strike experience by poor or non-existent Internet connections—or lousy multiplayer shooter skills. That's going to change with the release of Gearbox Software's Condition Zero.
News source: CG Online
