CS:Go has a competitor. After all these years as the most popular FPS (first person shooting) game Valve’s title has been challenged by Riot Games Valorant. the hype around Valorant is real and the game is quickly challenging o be the most popular FPS game out there. Some have even called it as a “CS:Go killer”.
Looking at both the games briefly it seems that both are actually the same. One can easily transit from CS:Go to Valorant with ease. So we decided to see whether CS:Go’s title of most popular FPS is in danger or not.
1. Servers and anticheat:-
Riot has promised that game will be easily accessible to players around the world. Low PC requirements, the game will be ready to play for anyone having 30+ fps(frames per second). Since 30 fps is not desirable for many the game will be available at 60+ fps too. there will be advantage to players who play on higher PC versions with the game running more smoothly.
Riot has also promised to develop a much anti-cheat system, but its effectiveness is yet to be seen. Cs:Go has been notoriously known for its cheaters and hackers with Valve failing to develop a substantial anti cheat regulation for the game.
Another thing which Riot has promised is that of a 128 tick server, which Valve has failed to do so. Providing a 128 tick server will tempt the fans to Valorant for a smoother gaming experience. Click here to check out Riot’s guideline for playing Valorant
If Riot manages to pull off a decent anti cheat we could see a large CS player base shifting to Valorant. On the other side if Valve propose a new anti cheat code out of the blue CS:Go could remain as the most popular FPS.
2. Gameplay :-
Gameplay of Valorant and CS:Go have some major similarities. Valorant matches are also played in a 5 v 5 format where attackers have to plant spike (bomb in CS:Go). Valorant matches though are 25 rounds long (firs to 13 wins) with CS clocking in at 30. Additionally, there are three sites to plant the spike as compared to 2 of CS:Go.
Valorant is also based on the economy with players having to buy weapons if they get killed in the previous round. So we can expect a lot of saves as seen in CS. Shooting mechanics are also similar to counter strike with each weapon having its unique spray pattern which can be mastered over time. The accuracy decreases when you are moving forcing players to stand and peek.
All weapons in Valorant have scope unlike CS:Go but scoping a weapon results in a random spray pattern. Player movements are very slow in Valorant making the game more tactical rather than based on skill.
Since the gameplay is so similar many CS:Go veterans may find it easy in Valorant. Many CS pros have shifted to Valorant already with Cloud 9’s Tenz and Swag being the first pro players to shift to new game. Teams like Orgless have disbanded their CS:Go roster and plan to compete in Valorant based competitions.
3. Characters :-
There are a host of different characters available to select from in Valorant. Each character comes in with their own set of capabilities complied with an ultimate ability that charges over time. Most of these abilities have resemblance to utilities in CS. Some capture the essence of flashbang, smoke grenade, molotovs while others have nothing to do with CS. Teleporting, healer and casting poisonous clouds are some of the other abilities
Most of these abilities are used as utility in rounds while some abilities have the potential to change the tide of the match. But on the positive side these abilities or ultimates aren’t available every round.
4. Weapons :-
There are six different categories of weapons available in Valorant : sidearm, SMGs, rifles, shotguns, snipers and heavy. The “Frenzy” in sidearm is analogous to CZ-75 in CS while the “Shreiff” has a one tap headshot potential just like the Desert Eagle. The “Operator” sniper is similar to the big green AWP in counter strike.
The buy menu is similar to that of Counter Strike with some modifications. You can buy for your teammates rather than them asking you for a drop. Also , if you buy a wrong weapon you can resell the weapon and get back your full money.
You also need to buy a shield at the beginning of every round, which is similar to that buying a Kevlar in CS. Valorant has two types of shield: light (kevlar) and heavy (kevlar + helmet).
Our judgement:-
Both Counter Strike and Valorant are similar to the core. Valorant on one side has more to offer in terms of characters and the abilities while the game play is quite slow and much more tactical than CS:Go.
CS:Go too has its shortcoming when we talk about anti cheat and servers. While Riot games have promised to dedicate resources to anti cheat and provide better servers; all of CS:Go player base can’t change to Valorant.
Valorant did break viewership records when its closed beta was released but at the same time CS:Go recorded its highest player base in early April.
Since Valorant has been released, Valve on its part has been modifying changes CS. It finally nerfed the Kreig, changed parts of Vertigo and recently added a 1 v 1 mode on its map pool.
Once Valorant is released pubically it will be successful given Riot’s effort in marketing the game as a better alternative to other FPS. But will it be a CS:Go killer? No! I think Valorant will make CS:Go better and both of them can co-exist in the same arena and be successful. Valorant will force Valve to look at some of highly disputed topics and force them to solve it. While on the other hand CS:Go will serve as a benchmark for Valorant and Riot can take inspiration from Valve on how to run a game successfully.
Both these games can exist like Dota 2 and League of Legends exist.
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