counter strike 1.6 vs counter strike source

When reviewing the game from a players perspective it is necessary to analyze a few key component that make up a good online first person shooter. In my opinion they are:

- Gameplay

Undoubtably, counter strike 1.6 has better gameplay. It is faster and more intense unlike source which makes me feel removed from the game. I can't really explain this difference, I think in large part it is due a newer engine which is more about fancy physics and graphics rather than gameplay.

Skill

When you look at the history of counter strike 1.6 and it's previous versions, it becomes clear that counter strike in its original form as a mod was aimed at college students and hard core gamers. The release of counter strike under steam initally created better leagues and brought counter strike to the gaming mainstream. However, the advent of Half Life 2 and the new Source engine was aimed at teens much younger, which although generally being the crux of the gaming community, led to a decrease in skill, especially on public servers. The divide between experienced players on 1.6 and new players, is exponentially larger than the that of the divide between source players.

community

The counter strike 1.6 and source community really depends on where you are located and how you play. Personally I prefer to play at lan, and my local one is dominated by counter strike 1.5 as the players there prefer this over 1.6. According to steam statistics in the first part of 2008, 1.6 is a lot more popular on a world scale, however in most developed countries, 1.6 is dying off and there arent many new players to the game. What is interesting to note is that call of duty 4, 5 and 5, have taken away from the amount of people playing counter strike source, whilst 1.6 stats have remained steady during the most part of 2009.

Counter strike stats