Counter-Strike 2 showmatch sees star players voice familiar concerns about the new engine

Today’s broadcast of ESL Pro League Season 17 began with a showmatch between some of the best and brightest of the pros and commentators on station in Malta before the segue into the grand finals of the prestigious event. The matchup featured some incredible highlights and notable observations from the veteran participants, who carved out a decent amount of time on the desk segment to discuss their experiences in detail.

Heroic’s in-game leader, CadiaN, said that “there’s good things and less good things, but overall it’s a positive experience for sure,” which served as a good summary of what the participants had to say about the current state of CS2. Not everyone was a fan of the new smokes – especially because the smokes don’t pop (or get extinguished) instantly, even if its tactical potential and the added utility of the HE grenades were seen as a definite plus.

Related: S1mple, shroud, and other personalities can’t wait for Counter-Strike 2

The flashbangs could also use a bit of adjustment in the eyes of the players – but mainly because of their ears. The loud bang persists too long, in their opinion, and its impact is too significant even when they’ve otherwise turned away from the nade: losing sound for so long is extremely detrimental in a game of Counter-Strike.

The most common complaints were about feedback – it was tough to tell when they got a kill or when they themselves were low on health. There’s also the fact that the HUD is less customizable than it’s ever been before, and with many elements located in brand new locations on the screen, like your health total and money amount,

“It feels a little bit rough,” said cadiaN later in the discussion. Right now, when you press W after opening the buy menu, your character just stops, and you can’t hold right click to double-zoom on the AWP: the people on the desk agreed that these little issues definitely need sorting out before the game goes live.

“The game still needs a bit of tweaking before we play tournaments on it, let’s just say it that way” – that’s what Snappi had to say, albeit with a smile, adding that it was a fun experience to play even in its current state.

The game’s definitely good enough to generate highlights, as evidenced by commentator Harry “JustHarry” Russell’s clutch:

This was just one crumb of the massive amounts of feedback Valve’s soliciting about CS2 by way of the limited test that is currently underway. With the new game slated for a summer 2023 release, there is more than enough time to iron out the remaining kinks in a way that satisfies pros and amateurs alike.

The broadcast then continued with the grand final of the Pro League, featuring FaZe Clan and Cloud9. If FaZe triumph in the best-of-five affair, they claim the Intel Grand Slam for an additional million dollars.