The recently announced Counter-Strike 2 shooter will bring a fresh look at a number of the most iconic maps in the series, including such as Nuke and Dust 2.
Announced yesterday (March 22), Counter-Strike 2 is a free update for Counter—Strike: Global Offensive, which introduces a number of significant changes to the series.
Ahead of the summer launch, Valve announced that while some Counter-Strike maps have been completely redesigned on the Source 2 engine, others have received minor updates or visual changes.
Valve reported that the most iconic card in the series—Dust 2—was labeled as a Touchstone card, meaning it was given “lighting and character reading enhancements,” but nothing else.
Meanwhile, the likes of Nuke have been reimagined with “new Source 2 lighting, including a physically based rendering system that creates realistic materials, lighting, and reflections.”
Finally, Valve used Overpass as an example of a map that was completely redesigned — meaning it was rebuilt from scratch in Source 2.
You can see a parallel comparison of each card here, and the video below shows them in action and describes how Valve approached each change.
As for what else is in Counter-Strike 2, Valve shared that “every system, every element of content and every part of the CS experience” will be redesigned.
These alterations include new dynamic smoke grenades, as well as significant changes that make the tickrate of servers unimportant for movement and shooting. In addition, “important gameplay visuals” such as directional blood splashes and bullet hits have been redesigned to make it easier to get information.
Finally, the Source 2 update will also bring a redesigned and rebalanced sound, as well as a new windshield display (HUD).
Limited game tests for Counter-Strike 2 are currently ongoing.
As for other gaming news, Arkane’s director stated that the PS5 version of Redfall was canceled when Microsoft acquired the studio.
