If I can get subjective here for a moment, I'd like to raise that Valve really dropped the ball with the launch of Counter-Strike 2. Killing off its most popular game and replacing it with a shinier, shallower copy was something Blizzard got criticism for and still does to this day. Valve got a free pass, but it seems finally the Steam owner is capitulating and giving us access to some form of our old favourite Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
A new Steam page has been made for the formerly dead shooter, and you can install Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from it entirely for free. If you're thinking this is Valve shooting itself in the foot, as it's only going to divide CS players, then it's worth pointing out that you can't just hop on and search for a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive match as quickly as you would one for CS2. Only community servers are available at the time of writing, giving us an essentially neutered version of the original experience.
Still, it seems to have impressed the fans who remain loyal to their beloved CS:GO. Already, the game has garnered over 5,000 reviews, sitting at an Overwhelmingly Positive rating right now. "Just woke up from a 3-year coma. So glad to finally play my favorite game again! Can't wait to hop on Cobblestone and Cache. Surely Valve hasn't deleted half the content and replaced it with a buggy sequel, right?" writes one reviewer.
"Great game, terrible for my sleep schedule. Amazing memories, questionable teammates, and unforgettable moments. I miss you," wrote another.
It's clear people still have a great fondness for CS:GO, but whether Valve will capitalise on that is another story entirely. At least it's back in some form.
