News
19 CommentsValve unveils Steam Trading Cards for players to earn and trade for rewards
By Dave Tach on May 15, 2013 05.15.13
Valve unveiled a beta program for Steam Trading Cards today, which users can earn, trade and cash in for rewards, according to a press release from the company. Participating players will earn game-specific trading cards and turn them in for rewards like game badges, profile backgrounds, emoticons, coupons and more through the Steam Trading Cards program. "Up to half" a game's card set will be available from playing the game. The other half is "earned through your collecting prowess." Players who "craft" their cards into game badges, which appear on user profiles, can also "level up" their badges by collecting the set of cards again. Games supporting the Steam Trading Cards at its beta launch include Don't Starve, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Portal 2...
News
8 CommentsValve launches Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 'Operation Payback' with seven fan-made maps
By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 25, 2013 04.25.13
As part of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's "Operation Payback," Valve will add seven top-voted community-made maps to its official dedicated servers from now until July 31, the developer announced today. Players can get unlimited access to those maps on official servers by buying a pass that rewards those map makers with real money. Operation Payback is the first in an ongoing initiative by Valve to acknowledge CS:GO's "popular and prolific" community map creators. The pass, which comes with a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, is on offer for $2.99 for a limited time and will allow users to bring a friend into any Operation Payback map. The maps include Library, Motel, Seaside, Favela, Thunder, Downtown and Museum. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is available on Windows PC and Mac,...
Deals
0 CommentsFighting games, Counter-Strike: GO and more marked down on XBLM
By Griffin McElroy on Apr 09, 2013 04.09.13
The current and upcoming Deals of the Week for Xbox Live Marketplace have been posted by company spokesperson Major Nelson, revealing sales on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Prince of Persia Classic and several downloadable fighting games. The current round of offers is highlighted by a 50 percent discount on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) and Prince of Persia Classic for 400 Microsoft Points ($5). Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Marvel vs. Capcom Origins and the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection are all half-off as well; all their prices, along with the other discounted games this week, can be found on Major Nelson's blog. Next week, Gotham City Impostors and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light are both half-off at 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), while G...
News
6 CommentsCounter-Strike: Global Offensive gets a new version of Militia, revamped hostage rescue
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 21, 2013 03.21.13
Valve issued an update to first-person shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive today that brings profound changes to the game's venerable Militia map and hostage gameplay in an attempt to bring balance to the struggle between terrorists and counter-terrorists. Unlike previous iterations of Milita, the CS:GO version of the map features only two hostages. Counter-terrorist players need only rescue one. The catch is that CTs must now pick up and physically carry a hostage to the rescue point, slowing their movement speed in the process. Valve details further rule changes to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's version of Militia on its official blog. A full change log of bug fixes and tweaks — which includes an overhauled menu for the game — can be viewed on Steam. Counter-Strike:...
News
5 CommentsDanish eSports team signs sponsorship deal with Adidas
By Dave Tach on Mar 08, 2013 03.08.13
The Copenhagen Wolves, an eSports team headquartered in Denmark, signed an agreement with sports apparel and footware maker Adidas today, according to a post on the Wolves' official website. The partnership will allow the Wolves, who compete in League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, to wear and sell its official apparel on Adidas-branded t-shirts, hoodies, bags and more. Those items are expected to go on sale "in the coming week" through the Wolves' official website. Sponsorships in the eSports ecosystem are commonplace. In the stateside scene, Team Dignitas is sponsored by Intel, Western Digital and Creative among others, while Couter Logic Gaming is sponsored by Razer, GGWP Apparel and more. The Copenhagen Wolves recently took on the pan-European team Fnatic — s...
News
12 CommentsMontreal Transit threatens to bring lawsuit against Counter-Strike map creators
By Emily Gera on Feb 19, 2013 02.19.13
French-Canadian transit company, The Societe de Transport de Montreal, is threatening the makers of a Counter-Strike map set in one of its subway stations with a lawsuit, stating the map will "create panic" among those who use the real-world train system, Journal de Montreal reports. The map was designed by Diego Liatis and a group of friends who took it upon themselves to re-create Montreal's Berri-UQAM station. According to Liatis, he later received a later from the transportation company stating it does not want its "copyrights metro network" to appear in the video game and is considering legal action if the map, currently in-development for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is released. "[The STM] told me that they feared the game could create panic among the city's public transit...
News
0 CommentsValve launches CS:GO Maps Workshop for easy map management
By Dave Tach on Feb 07, 2013 02.07.13
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's just-launched Maps Workshop is available today on Steam to make finding and managing community created maps easier in Valve's objective-based online first-person shooter, according to a post on the game's official blog. CS:GO players can use the Maps Browser, which is part of the Steam Workshop, to vote for and subscribe to their favorites. Anyone running a server can also use the Maps Workshop to find the most popular maps in the community. The Browser will automatically download and update maps whenever they're changed. Mapmakers can upload their creations now, and the post encourage cartographers to "publish early and publish often." Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Windows PC and Mac is on sale through the weekend on Steam, where you can p...
News
6 CommentsCounter-Strike: Global Offensive update adds Deathmatch mode, sweeping balance changes
By Michael McWhertor on Jan 23, 2013 01.23.13
Valve released a substantial update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive today, making "significant" changes to weapon balance and gun recoil based on feedback from pro players. The update also introduces a new Deathmatch mode and kicks off a private beta for Steam Workshop support. On the official Counter-Strike blog, Valve writes of "global changes to recoil that affect all weapons" and specific adjustments to rifles, pistols and the P90 submachine gun. Certain pricing adjustments have also been made, according to a lengthy changelog, with cheaper Molotov cocktails for the Terrorists and restrictions on two pistols. The new Deathmatch mode is available on classic maps, Demolition maps and Arms Race maps. Valve writes that Deathmatch is a "useful way to learn a new map" and practice...
Deals
0 CommentsCounter-Strike: Global Offensive half price on Xbox Live today
By Samit Sarkar on Dec 26, 2012 12.26.12
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valve's 2012 objective-based multiplayer shooter, is available for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), a 50 percent discount, today on Xbox Live Arcade. It's the only deal for the ninth day of Microsoft's "Countdown to 2013" promotion, although the first episode of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead is currently available free on Xbox Live through Dec. 31. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launched this past August, and is also available on PlayStation Network, Windows and Mac.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive free-to-play this weekend on Steam
By Griffin McElroy on Nov 01, 2012 11.01.12
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is free to anyone to play on Steam this weekend until Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, Valve announced on the game's official blog today. The latest entry in the hardcore competitive shooter franchise normally costs buyers $14.99, but folks who've straddled the fence since the game's launch this past August can make up their minds with as much free combat as they can handle until the Sunday deadline. If that's enough to sell you, you'll be able to purchase the game for the discounted price of $9.99 until Monday, Nov. 5. For a brief rundown on what's new in Global Offensive, as well as a few helpful tips for prospective players, check out the game's official blog.
