The Translation

By Alex McLain

Counter-Strike is coming to the Xbox. We’ve heard this, we’re happy about it, but we wonder about it as well. Ports, remakes, and general transitions from one platform to the other can result in any number of problems. Whether it’s the user interface (U.I.) or the control scheme, it takes a lot of careful planning for games to travel well from the PC to the Xbox. This question of translation is the focus of this X-Factor. I think I can put some of your concerns to rest.

What’s Up with the U.I.?
The most significant change the U.I. has seen is the transformation of the “purchasing screen.” Before each round of action, you have the opportunity to purchase weapons and equipment. (You also earn money to buy more expensive items by winning rounds and killing opponents.)

Time for a little shopping spree.

In Counter-Strike™ for Xbox, the purchasing screen now sports a pie-shaped menu containing the following options:

SMG (Submachine gun.)
Rifles (Think assault and sniper rifles.)
Heavy (Shotguns and heavier machine guns.)
Pistols
Equipment (Grenades, armor, specialist equipment, etc.)

Each of these categories takes up a wedge of the pie. You simple press the Left Analog Stick in the direction of the category you want to select and press the A button. This will take you to the category’s submenu, which looks very much like the first, with each piece of equipment or weaponry occupying a wedge of the submenu’s pie interface.

Guns, check. Grenades, check.

Once again, you simply press in the direction of the equipment or weapon you want and press A to purchase it. Your remaining cash is displayed in the bottom right corner, so it’s easy to keep track of how much you had to spend. You can buy primary and secondary ammo by pressing the left trigger button for secondary (your sidearm) ammo and the right trigger button for primary (your main weapon) ammo.

WASDF R0X0R3Z (“Leet” Speak)
Mouse and keyboard control isn’t my bag, but there are those that swear (with scary fanaticism) that it’s the only way to go. That being said, there has been some concern about how well the Xbox controller could handle the load. It turns out the controller works with elegant ease. It took mere moments of play before I’d memorized the button mapping and was pulling off my tactical action maneuvers with twitch-like reflexes. After all, you don’t have time to think in combat. It’s all about instinct, and the translation to the Xbox controller is more than tight enough to handle any obstacles in your way. I have yet to toss away my controller in disgust and blame it for my failure. My deaths are my fault, and my successes are my glory. In the end, that’s all you can ask for. However, for those who require specifics, here are some of the more interesting ways controls are handled on the Xbox:

Right Trigger fires your weapon.
Left Trigger crouches (also tightens your crosshairs for more accuracy).
A Button jumps.
B Button toggles to the secondary firing type for your weapon (e.g. switching to sniper scope).
Pressing down on the Right Analog Stick will perform a direct 180-degree turn.
Pressing different directions on the D-Pad will give orders to your teammates.

No worries. I’m in complete control.

For those who are fretting about direct control over movement of your character, you need worry no longer. Counter-Strike for Xbox employs a very Halo-like dual analog control system. The Left Analog Stick takes care of running forward, back, left, and right, and the Right Analog Stick takes care of your aiming. Hey, if it ain’t broke, then leave it alone!

Counter-Strike for Xbox is coming, and it’s not going about it with any subtlety. This blazing fast, teeth-grindingly intense effort will wallop you upside the noggin with its addictive, realistic, and hectic gameplay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to slap the controller out of my office-mate’s hands and get back to it.