Master the Maps

By J.N. Cobb

Counter-Strike™ for Xbox is taking no prisoners on Xbox Live. The game is just as fast and furious as it ever was, so you’ll need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the basics. After that’s done, you’ll definitely want to explore each of the maps. We’ve done the legwork for you on a number of the game’s wildest arenas, but this article is going to focus on Chateau and Miami.

Defending Chateau Site A.

Chateau
The Chateau is a large stone manor that has seen better days. It has big holes in the walls and floor. This Demolition mission has an interior and an exterior bomb site. Site A, the courtyard, is outside, but surrounded by the Chateau itself, which offers lots of windows for snipers to lurk behind. Site B, the atrium, is a small square room with numerous windows and doors and a balcony overhead. Keeping track of all that high ground is tough, but you’ll need to control the balcony if you want to win.

Ambush Site B from above.

Counter-Terrorists
The counter-terrorists spawn just outside the broken Chateau. Follow the signs through the building, and get at least one member of your team in position above each bomb site (inside a window near A or on the balcony over B). If the Terrorists don’t spot you, let them begin planting the bomb before you strike. It’s less noble, but more effective to cap someone when they’re not looking. Both bomb sites are potential shooting galleries once a firefight starts, so make sure you have a weapon with a high rate of fire or one that does lethal damage in one or two shots.

Terrorists
The terrorists have a slight advantage in that they spawn very close to Site A, so make use of it. Get to the site, and plant the bomb as far from the target marker as possible to confound the counter-terrorists. (Near the hedges is especially good). Use smoke grenades or flash-bangs once the enemy enters the area—if they can’t spot the bomb, they can’t defuse it. At Site B, always take the high ground, and remember that you can shoot away the large urns for a better angle on the room below. Once the bomb is planted at B, consider stationing someone among the giant wine casks in the room outside the atrium. They provide excellent cover as you protect the main route to the site.

Miami street fighting.

Miami
Miami is a claustrophobic Hostage Rescue mission inside a bank. The key is to find the hostages among the mazelike hallways, while keeping an eye on the numerous ventilation shafts along the walls and ceiling. Ignore these shafts at your peril—some of them lead to the best ambush spots on the map.

Counter-Terrorists
The counter-terrorists start outside the bank, near the rescue zone. If you stay on the street, the terrorists eventually do come out to fight, but you’ll be no closer to rescuing the innocents inside. To do that, go in, turn right, turn left at the corner, go straight through the office, and then go left until you pass a T-intersection. The next door on the right has two hostages, and the door after that leads to the vault and two more hostages. Remember: Hostages will not follow you through shafts, so you’ll need to lead them through the main hallways only.

Terrorists
The terrorists spawn inside, in a server room. To get to the hostages and lay an ambush, go out, then left, then right. The first office on the right has two hostages, and the next door on the right leads to the vault. If you’re feeling especially tricky, turn left out of the server room and then left again, making your way to the men’s room. Take the ventilation shaft through, and then circle around past the front door. Continue through the hallway and through a wide, open room, and then exit out the back and turn right. Go forward till you find a ladder, then up and through the vents. This will take you straight to the vault, where you’ll be positioned high above the hostages in a sweet sniping spot. Wait for the good guys to arrive. Then, start shooting!

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