Recent reviews by Extree

The game didn't live up to expectations; the plot is too confusing, and there are too many flashy scenes, which really detracts from the enjoyment. The webbing doesn't work logically, which also impacts the gameplay. I understand that there are two spiders in the story, but it would have been much more enjoyable to play through the game solo without switching characters.

You know, the best part is, just getting through the flight is worry-free and you can DRINK AND DRIVE. That's all the fun of this game xD

What can I say about the game? The graphics are excellent, but there's only one thing that's scary. Both in the game and in real life, drones are terrifying. And the game's most important chant is @Don't shoot

What can I say about this game... (A 4000-Hour Veteran's Lament)

Let's start in order. This game, Counter-Strike 2, is a complex beast. On the surface, it's the pinnacle of competitive shooters, but after you peel back the layers, you find a frustrating, time-sinking, and often infuriating experience that has become less and less the game I fell in love with.

First of all, the game becomes the very game that you want to play less and less with each passing year. Why? Because the core issues never get fixed, only painted over with new shiny stickers and weapon cases. There are more and more competitors to this game—titles like Valorant, which, while different, offer a polished experience, consistent updates, and a functional anti-cheat. They make you realize how stagnant things have become here. You log in, and it's the same maps, the same bugs, the same feeling of fighting against your own team and the game's mechanics as much as the enemy.

Next, we go to the economy. If you want to get beautiful skins, I advise you to immediately have your savings from dinners, since they are not just "not very cheap," they are astronomically priced. We're talking about digital pixels that can cost more than a real-life car. The entire skin economy is a massive, unregulated casino designed to prey on FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and gambling addictions. You open a case, you see the red glow... your heart stops... and it's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Stattrak™ Gut Knife in a hidden finish that's worth three cents. You spend hundreds, thousands, chasing a virtual dragon that will never pay out. And for what? So you can have a slightly different-looking AK-47 that you'll barely notice in the heat of a clutch situation? It's a genius, yet predatory, system that has made Valve billions while players scrape together their lunch money for a chance at a Dream.

Now, let's talk about the social experience, or the complete lack thereof. Kicking teammates should happen wisely, because if you neglect this, you will get banned for a certain number of days, and these moments are not even discussed in any way. The system is completely automated and brain-dead. You get a griefer on your team—a guy who blocks you, flashes you, steals the bomb, and screams obscenities into the mic. Your team, understandably, votes to kick him. But sometimes, the vote fails. Sometimes, he has a friend. So you suffer for 30 minutes, report him, and hope the Overwatch system works (it's slow). Or, you decide to fight back and team damage him? Boom. You get a 30-minute cooldown for "excessive team damage." The griefer gets off scot-free. The system protects the trolls and punishes the reactors. It's a justice system designed by someone who has never actually played their own game.

And speaking of shooting, shooting at your friends? Get ready for the fact that you can also get a lock in competitive mode. You're in a 1v1 situation, your friend is defusing, you throw a molotov, he moves, you panic spray, and one bullet accidentally hits him. Instead of the game understanding it was a clear accident in the chaos of the moment, you are instantly slapped with a competitive cooldown. No questions asked. No context considered. It's a zero-tolerance policy in a game that is built on chaos and human error. This lack of nuance is one of the most insulting parts of the entire experience.

Further, there is also plenty of variety of game content, since you can use this game to play FACIET, ESEA, ESL, PGL, MAJOR, BLAST tournaments. The competitive scene is massive, I'll give it that. It's the heart and soul of CS. BUT—and this is a massive "but"—unfortunately, you must have super intelligence, god-like reflexes, and no social life to get to these tournaments from these operators. The path to pro is a gauntlet of unimaginable stress, toxicity, and luck. You must also have an invite to FPL-C or just FPL and have 5000 elo plus at the same time, which requires you to treat the game not as a hobby, but as a full-time, unpaid job. You will grind for thousands of hours, dealing with smurfs, cheaters, and toxic teammates, all for a minuscule chance of being noticed. The ecosystem is a pyramid scheme where only the absolute top 0.001% see any real reward, while the rest of us are the cannon fodder that makes their highlight reels possible.

And let's not forget the cheating problem. It's not just the obvious spinbotters anymore. It's the closet cheaters—the guys with a seemingly legitimate account, a private profile, and a "gut feeling" that's a little too good. They have soft aim that looks like good crosshair placement, wallhacks that look like game sense. You can't prove it, but you know. And the VAC system is a sleeping giant that wakes up once a year to ban a wave of accounts, only for them to be replaced by new ones the next day. Trust Factor? My "good" Trust Factor just means I get matched with cheaters who have spent more money on their accounts.