The moment all Counter-Strike fans have been waiting for came this March: the moment Global Offensive fans have been waiting for. After months of frenzied speculation and trademark-like discoveries, Valve has announced that Counter-Strike 2 is due for release this summer.

Since the announcement, limited testing of Counter-Strike 2 has taken place, with Valve switching between a small number of maps and features while tweaking the game for general release. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this is that Valve is intentionally cutting players with cheat and griefing convictions when distributing access. Wingman in particular is a welcome addition, first added to CS:GO in 2017, that not only makes teaming up easier, but also provides a more bite-sized experience.

The new maps are Overpass (added to all modes) and Vertigo (deathmatch and casual only for now), and their arrival removes the gorgeous Nuke and Office. This is because this new version of Nuke makes me want to work in a fictional power plant.

The big reworking here was in Overpass, where I took a quick look around. The hallway interiors and playpark are gorgeous and the new level details are immediately apparent, and while the layout has not changed significantly, there are some notable adjustments to the bang spots and sight lines on some of the walls. The layout has changed significantly, but there are some notable adjustments to some wall bang spots and sight lines. Most of the time, however, I spent five minutes gawking at the water at the bottom of the level. To make an ace in the hole on defense!

"We are excited to ship our first overhauled map, de_overpass, alongside de_vertigo, for Counter-Strike 2 Limited testing," said the CS2 developer account. "Vertigo is playable in casual and deathmatch modes; Overpass is casual, deathmatch, competitive, and wingman (new!). ) and is playable in both."

Alongside this, there are plenty of miscellaneous fixes, and it's nice to see the halftime countdown back:

Valve has yet to announce when Counter-Strike 2 will launch, but the recent Paris Major was CS:GO's last official competitive event Counter-Strike 2's limited testing has had a lot to get excited about, from big mechanical changes like smoke physics to silly things like being able to inspect grenades (there was even a reference to Half-Life). Valve is clearly referencing a competitor. But that competitor knows what Valve has been saying all along with this game: the only Counter-Strike killer is Counter-Strike 2. As for Valorant and its ilk, another one bites the dust.