Valve may not be celebrating any special occasions - like SEGA's "Company of Heroes 2" celebrating its 5th anniversary - but the video game company is giving away free access to one of its most classic games along with an unexpected update. "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" going free-to-play today is definitely a welcome surprise for any gamer, but its new battle royale mode needs some extra attention for any fan of the franchise.
According to PC Gamer, "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" fans can now enjoy its latest game mode called "Danger Zone" - a battle royale setup with its own twist. Players will be able to enjoy three different setups for "Danger Zone" with its 16-player free-for-all at the top of the list. "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" players who want to enjoy "Danger Zone" with their friends can also join the 18-player duos and trios setup for the new game mode.
The new "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" game mode has some significant differences from the original team death-match gameplay that the franchise is known for. Valve's official announcement page for the new "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" game mode mentions that players are given specialized tablets from which they can access many of "Danger Zone's" features.
Armed with only a knife, players must make use of the specialized tablet for intel that can help them avoid or hunt down other "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" players or locate caches for equipment or money that they can use to upgrade their arsenal. Some of "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's" original mechanics are also able to make it into "Danger Zone" with the rescue of hostages one of the significant ways players can gain a cash boost to stay ahead of the competition.
Considering the smaller player count per session, "Danger Zone" players can expect shorter wait times in-between rounds. Valve mentions that rounds in "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's" new game mode typically last around 10 minutes ensuring that any player taken out of the fight can easily get back to playing.
Valve's decision to make "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" free-to-play does have its perks for gamers who already bought their copy of the game prior to its public unveiling. Players who already own "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" are tagged as Prime players who can experience exclusive Prime player item drops, weapon cases, and souvenirs as they re-experience the game. In addition, Prime players will get priority matchmaking against other Prime players.
Fans of "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" who have not returned to the game for quite a while because of the availability of more recent video game releases should take the time to re-explore a Valve classic through the Steam platform. Hopefully, the latest game mode is exciting enough of an experience to warrant a growth in the "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" community.
