Valve has always had a glowing reputation for delivering amazing game sales on Steam and this latest one is no different. They have a series of offers to tempt you with, all with the focus on CS: GO which launches on August 21 worldwide on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

It is the PC version that we’re focusing on though, as you have the opportunity to play the game one week before everyone else if you decide to pre-order it before release. To make the deal even sweeter, Valve is offering a 10% discount on top, meaning that you only pay $13.49 instead of an already ultra cheap $14.99.

Pre-ordering will get you access into the final beta for the game which lands on August 14 and it is a no brainer for us if you are a well seasoned CS veteran from 1.6. That’s the first deal out of the way, but there’s more from Valve. They are also offering the Counter-Strike: Complete package which will score you all of the CS games in Valve’s library.

This includes CS 1.6, CS: Condition Zero, CS: Source and CS: Global Offensive. The price for this lovely package – a mere $18.69 after a whopping 66% discount from Valve. This crazy deal is only available for a limited time only though and currently has 17 hours remaining according to the Steam store.

It’s time to put down Modern Warfare 3 folks and play a real man’s first person shooter. Let us know if you plan to pick up CS: GO, or if you’ve already been heavily involved in the long beta testing.

The closed beta is still underway as we speak and we’re guessing that many die hard 1.6 players have already had the chance to preview Global Offensive with such a long beta window. We played the game at Eurogamer last year and loved what we saw, especially given that the graphics shown on the console versions were on par with that of PC.

So the big date that you all need to write down is August 21 and that relates to multiple platforms as well. The game will be releasing on this date for the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and also Mac users too. If you don’t know already, Global Offensive is an enhanced take on the original Counter-Strike 1.6 game that is still one of the most popular online shooters today. The game will feature updated map classics such as de_dust2 and de_dust1, while there will also be brand new maps for you to enjoy as well.

Global Offensive will also debut a few new weapons as well, most notably the molotov cocktail. The PS3 version of the game was originally shaping up to be something special after Valve announced that it would come with cross-platform support with the PC version. However, that plan has now been scrapped so you may want to stick with the PC version if you want to own the definitive version of the game with the quickest support from Valve post-release.

One pleasing aspect that will definitely surprise you is Valve’s pricing strategy. Some of you would probably be willing to pay full price for this, but Valve has announced that the game will be available for as little as $15! That price relates to the PS3, PC and Mac versions, while Xbox 360 owners can buy Global Offensive for just 1200 Microsoft Points – cheaper than Bethesda’s upcoming Dawnguard expansion for Skyrim.

Of course there are some groans that this isn’t really a ‘completely’ new Counter-Strike game, but rather a small update to the existing CS 1.6 game – but for $15 who is going to argue with Valve here? That is a fantastic price for a brand new game and one which current CS players will be delighted to pay out. The main mission for Valve will be to introduce brand new players to the CS franchise with Global Offensive. Don’t forget that this is a digital release only, so the hard work starts now to make this as appealing as possible on console.

Will you be paying $15 for Counter-Strike Global Offensive? We are really enjoying the beta at the moment, so it is a complete no-brainer for us.

You may remember last year when Valve touted the ability for PS3 players to play alongside PC and Mac players simultaneously on the same server. It was a feature that we were really looking forward to trying out, but for now it seems it looks like Valve has decided to keep the platforms separate, as noted by Joystiq.

The reason for this is that they plan to add frequent updates to the PC and Mac versions of the game after launch, and they wouldn’t be able to do this as frequently as they like, with the game essentially tied to the PS3 version of Global Offensive. PC players are going to be delighted about this of course, but it may just kill off the interest that PS3 gamers had in picking this up.

The multiplayer beta is ongoing as we speak, with a release still scheduled for sometime this Summer on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. For those of you who are wondering, the cross platform features in Portal 2 between PC and PS3 are still operating right now, so it will be interesting to see if the PS3 version of the game still ships with some kind of Steam functionality, or if it is being removed full stop.

On the other hand, there is a bit debate on whether cross platform play would have worked from the start anyway, given that PS3 players may have been at a disadvantage to PC players using the traditional keyboard and mouse combo. The PS3 game will still have support for K&M, but using this in a living room environment is obviously different to sitting down on a desk and playing.

What a shame, we have been bigging up the cross-platform features of the PS3 for a while now and Counter-Strike Global Offensive was going to be one of the highlights – PC it is then. Give us your reaction to this.

Unfortunately, if you don’t have a beta key there’s no other way of entering the beta at the moment as Valve has said that they want to keep the first beta test low key until eventually opening up the beta to more and more users in the month to come.

As a result, we know a lot of you are desperate for a beta key to get in, but we do have a few gameplay videos from the beta already to show you, giving you an example of how different Global Offensive looks to Counter-Strike: Source and 1.6.

CS: GO is meant to be an amalgamation of both games, and if you watch the video you’ll see that that is fairly spot on. The core gameplay is obviously the same, but you’ll see that there are new locations added to the traditional de_dust and de_dust2 maps that are available in the beta, while there’s a brand new interface and little gameplay tweaks such as displaying the MVP after the end of each round.

Two videos we have to show you gives you an introduction to how the AWP differs in CS:GO, compared to how the weapon handles in say 1.6 or CS: source. The map takes place on de_dust, but we’ve added another video below to show off some detailed gameplay on de_dust2 as well – there’s only two maps on the beta for now, hopefully Valve will decide to add more before the full game releases next year, inferno or nuke would be nice.

Don’t forget that Counter-Strike Global Offensive is also coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 next year, but at the moment this beta is strictly PC only. If you have managed to obtain a key and have already had a good play of the game, let us know your first impressions. Is CS: GO better than 1.6 and Source in your opinion?

How soon you ask? Well starting from today Wednesday November 30th if a recent Tweet by Valve is to be believed. Previously, the company said that the beta had been delayed so that they could iron out a few balancing issues, but thankfully it looks like those problems have been sorted out and everyone can finally start playing.

Valve has stated that the beta will be going live at some point today, in the afternoon according to a CS:GO Twitter account that Valve has set up. There’s no specific release time yet, so if you do have a beta key you should keep checking the Steam store to see if the client has become available. For those that are wondering, there will be no pre-load available on Steam as the CS: GO beta is just a small client containing two maps only – de_dust2 and de_dust, while there’s just one player skin to choose from as well – either Seal Team 6 (CT) or Elite Krew (T).

The all important question that remains now though, is do you have a key? Unfortunately, the only way into the beta at the moment is by obtaining a code which Valve handed out at PAX or Eurogamer. However, as we told you here, we were promised more beta keys by Valve so we’ll bringing you details on how to get one as soon as we can.

Has the beta appeared on the Steam Store for you, or are you patiently waiting with your key to get in? As soon as it does go live, we’ll be having a little play ourselves and we’ll be bringing you our first impressions shortly afterwards. Hopefully there won’t be able more delays and the beta is actually going live later on today.

We’ve got our key, do you have yours?

Let’s start with the launch date, if you already have a beta key you can begin playing the beta on November 30, however don’t worry if you don’t have a key as eventually it will become an open beta where everyone can play it. This news was revealed on Twitter and it has also been confirmed that the beta is PC only.

When we attended this year’s EuroGamer Expo we managed to get some hands on time with Global Offensive and we were very impressed with it, visually it was by no means up their with CoD or Battlefield, however anyone who plays CS knows it’s all about gameplay. After playing the game at the Expo we were given some beta keys, obviously we are going to be testing out the beta ourself – however we still have two going spare (and we have been promised more by Valve).

So how can you stand a chance of winning yourself this key? Well it is very simple, but you do need a Google+ account (get one here). Once you are logged in all you have to do is click on this link and click share, share it with your circles and you will be in with a chance of winning a beta key.

At the moment we only have two keys, but we have been in touch with Valve and they have promised us more. We will not be doing a separate giveaway for other keys, so when they are emailed across to us we will randomly pick people who followed the giveaway instructions which we told you about in the previous paragraph. To prove we are not messing you about here are the two cards which the keys are printed on:

We will randomly select winners of the keys the day before the beta launch (November 29), so get on Google+ and click share on this post!

You can see the video at the end of this post, as this is a downloadable title do not be put off by the mediocre graphics, instead remember why millions of people are still playing Counter-Strike around the world – we are told that CS: GO will ensure match balance and if you want to do well it’s about skill, you won’t get unrealistic rewards for camping, nor will you unlock better weapon attachments as you progress (see our previous article).

The video shows the first-ever match between Europe and America, the first round is a taser round, whichever team wins chooses which side they play as – prior to this knife-only rounds decided this. Early on we get to see a great new spectator view, also we get to see just how powerful and accurate the desert eagle (deagle) is, apparently each gun in CS: GO has its own unique spraying pattern, so this is something which the pros will be attempting to master.

During the video the commentators talk about the CS: GO beta, no date is given, but they do say it will arrive “in the next month”. Getting hold of beta keys should be easy (we have some to give away), Valve is keen to stress that you must not pay for a key as they are free, initially limited keys will be handed out to ensure that servers can cope with the demand, then more keys will be given out.

At the end of the match (which Europe won) one of the pro gamers talks about his first-impressions with CS: GO, on the whole he was impressed, but suggested that it needs to be more clear when you kill someone, also he suggests that weapon balance is slightly out (auto snipers are too strong) and smoke grenades are too effective, that said he was a fan of the flash grenades. He goes on to say that Global Offensive should attract more gamers to Counter-Strike, as it is hard convincing current-gen gamers to try out CS 1.6 and CSS.

Perhaps his biggest complaint related to the game’s sound, the pro suggested that it is hard to determine which sort of weapon you are being shot at with, obviously you may learn the sounds of particular guns the more you play CS: GO, but to his trained ear the AK sounded “nothing like an AK”.

Remember the video can be seen below, are you impressed by what you have seen?

Recently MediaKick.org spoke to Valve’s Chet Falisek regarding the upcoming release, here we found out some interesting information regarding the game and how it will compete with likes of Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3.

Let’s start with what interests us the most, balance, CS: GO will feature a match-making and rank system which is based on skill, this means that you will only face people of the same skill level as you, this should allow for realistic battles, rather than seasoned pros meeting noobs in an unbalanced game. When asked how Global Offensive will most modern-day shooter Chet said:

If you want a pure competition of skill, where it is you versus the other guy, this series is the one to play. There are pro-leagues that use the game for competitions, because it has good clean matches where the man with the most skill wins. When you die here, it isn’t because someone is exploiting a glitch or someone has put in so many man hours into the multiplayer that he has unlocked a lot of perks, it is how good you are at that moment of time.

Towards the end of the Q&A we heard something very promising from Chet, to summarize he basically said that all of the ideas the dev team have between now and its release will go into the game, rather than leave it out and charge for it as DLC at a later date – we wish more game developers took this unselfish stance – do you?

Do you think the match-making / rank system will set a new standard for other first-person shooters to follow?

The game was available in playable format at the Expo at Earl’s Court in London last week, despite the fact that the game is destined for a release sometime in 2012 and has yet to be given any sort of solid release date either. I spent a good while with the game during the Expo and I can tell you that I was very impressed with what I saw. Valve had the console version of the game on show, the PS3 version to be specific, so I was glad to address a few of the immediate worries I had with the game.

As a die-hard Counter-Strike fan and a regular player of CS 1.6 a few years ago, I was a bit worried on how Valve would be implementing the control system on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, given the fact that aiming is a core feature of the regular PC version and requires a strict learning curve with the mouse, keyboard and sensitivity in order to get to a decent level on the game.

From the time I spent with the game, I can say that the aiming is pretty good in Global Offensive on console, and it’s definitely not in the same barrier as Call of Duty for example, i.e just point and spray your whole clip into an enemy until the die. Just like the PC versions of Counter-Strike, you actually have to aim in order to take down your opponent, and the system on Global Operations on console follows the same formula.

However, I’m not sure if it was just me, but it did seem like an enemy could take quite a fair amount of damage before they went down, even firing close range at the body with an AK47 – one of the most powerful weapons previously on CS 1.6. Whether this is a result of Valve’s balancing tweaks for the new game, or just me being a bad aim remains to be seen, I only had maybe 30-40 minutes with the game in all.

One thing I did like in Global Offensive is the new buy system, which now takes the form of a visual wheel, as opposed to the menu layout in 1.6. The wheel takes a bit of getting used to, but after a few rounds you’ll find that you can buy your favorite gear very quickly, ensuring that you can leave spawn at the first opportunity, obviously letting you get to those tactical positions before the enemy.

The level available to play was de_dust and overall, the graphics were looking very nice – think of Counter-Strike Condition Zero and CS: Source visuals mixed into one, but with much more detailed textures and player models.

If I had one criticism to note, I would say that the crosshair is significantly different to the one featured on CS 1.6 for example, and it’s something which veteran players may not enjoy using. Having said that, we’re yet to see how the PC version handles in comparison, so there may just be a simple console command to switch to a more familiar crosshair which players will enjoy a lot more. Again, this could be Valve’s idea of balancing the game between console and PC because don’t forget, Global Offensive on PS3 is cross platform, meaning that you’ll be able to play online with PC and Mac players at the same time – a mouth-watering feature that other developers should take note of.

In conclusion, Global Offensive definitely took me by surprise and we can’t wait to try out the game further when Valve open the beta for the game some time next month. We have picked up a few beta keys from Valve at the event, so we have some to giveaway to those who are interested. If you are looking for an alternative online FPS to Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is your answer. Let me know if you have any questions about the game below.

Currently no specific date has been set, but we can confirm that the CS: GO beta for PC will kick off sometime during October, sadly there is no sign of a beta for PS3 or Xbox 360 just yet – but we do know that people who want to play the PC beta will need to install Steam and have a beta key.

Below you can see a couple of cards which Valve staff handed to us during the expo, each has a Counter Strike: Global Offensive beta key printed on the rear – we have been promised more and we will soon be handing out beta keys to some of our lucky readers.

On the rear of the card it clearly states that to redeem your beta access you must download Steam from here (if you don’t already have it installed) and then install it on your PC, once installed create or log in with a Steam account and once in check out the Games menu – here you should be able to select “Activate a Product on Steam”, this is where you enter your beta key, it’s that simple!

One thing which hasn’t been confirmed just yet is the exact date that the beta will start, all we know is that it will start something in October – with Battlefield 3′s beta kicking off in late September it will be interesting to see how popular the CS: GO beta is – we got some hands on time with the PS3 version of the game and despite witnessing a few minor bugs we were more impressed than we thought we would be – in fact it exceeded our highest expectations, especially after posting this video back in late August – yes visually it is no BF3 or MW3, but in terms of gameplay it was great fun.

Stay tuned if you want to find out more about our hands on time with Counter Strike: Global Offensive, or if you want to get your hands on a Counter Strike: Global Offensive beta key for PC. It may be worth Following Product-Reviews on Twitter, Liking Product-Reviews on Facebook or adding me to a Circle on Google+ – as soon as we get the codes we will announce the giveaway!