In a world full of competitive shooters, Counter-Strike always stands out. Games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor may pride themselves on their online games, but Valve's super competitive shooter thrives on it. It's tough, it's visceral, it's unforgiving -- but at the same time, it's a bit dated. Enter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, an updated and cleaned up version of the perennial shooter.

Global Offensive, or GO as it's come to been known does a lot of things right, and long-standing fans of the franchise are going to dig the new interface and updated maps, but you'll have to wonder how long it will keep fans happy as it can be looked at as little more than a refresh.

"...player communication and strategy becomes essential..."

For the uninitiated, Counter-Strike doesn't play by the same rules as your typical competitive first-person-shooter. Playing a game like Call of Duty, death is not a permanent thing, you'll respawn in a matter of minutes, not so in Counter-Strike -- if you do, you're done until the next round. As a result, player communication and strategy becomes essential, and players will get used to the feeling of being killed -- especially the first few times you play. While this may make a few players (especially those more used to other first-person-shooters) shy away from a game like Counter-Strike, it gives those players who are looking to delve some time to the game.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive doesn't really do a lot new, and at times you have to wonder if the sole purpose of the game was to merely renew the game for those still playing the more outdated version. Still though, the allure of Counter-Strike is still here -- and it still holds strong. It's incredibly fun and rewarding to take down an enemy (or a bunch of them if you get really good) because you know that unlike other games, you know you didn't just get lucky. There's something about out-planning and out-thinking your enemy rather than merely out gunning them.

"Many of the classic maps have been updated..."

That's not to say that there's nothing new here -- in fact, there's a decent amount of content exclusive to GO. Many of the classic maps have been updated to give a bit of a more even playing field to those who may be experiencing Counter-Strike for the first time. One minor gripe though -- these maps are noticeably smaller than those found in previous iterations of the franchise, so some of the strategies that worked before may not work this go-round.

Global Offensive also adds the element of fire to the Counter-Strike formula, which tends to be hit or miss in most matches we've played. Since it's tough to put weapons like molotovs in a spot where it can do substantial damage to your opponents, fire is normally used as a distraction or as a means to put an end to an oncoming rush by your opponent.  These weapons are sure to become more useful as people get more used to them, but they're not a must-have for the new game.

You kind of have to know what you're getting before you even boot up Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. If you're looking for a Call of Duty style shooter where you can ease your way in and get lucky from time to time, look elsewhere -- but if you're in the market for a shooter that takes to master and will put you through the ringer--Global Offensive is for you. Valve has another winner on their hands; even if it's not all that new.