Counter-Strike 2 update brings back Arms Race, the bestest best FPS mode

The latest Counter-Strike 2 update re-introduces Arms Race, a beloved multiplayer mode from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in which players level up and are handed new guns as they moider each other, with victory going to the player who levels all the way up and performs a final knifekill.

I've played many variations of this mode - which was originally a mod, Gun Game - over the years in other games, and it's always a laugh, for the simple reason that it can be tuned to allow less proficient FPS players to catch up with their brethren, by introducing less powerful or harder-to-master weapons at certain levels as "speed bumps".

I am, of course, a less proficient FPS player. I am also a child of chaos, who is more interested in silly antics than victory. As such, the Gun Game/Arms Race variants I enjoy most are those that randomise the weapon running order - wantonly screwing with the balance, and spawning endgame duels where one player is, for example, armed with a selection of boutique perfume samples and the other is armed with the Death Star.

The more down-to-earth wildcard scenario is when you charge into a tiny bunker firing sawed-off shotguns, but then the kill ticker advances a notch and suddenly one player is wielding a sniper rifle with a six-second reload, and the others are trying to make do with AA launchers. If you're lagging behind in Counter-Strike 2 Arm Race, you can steal kills from other players with your knife or nowadays, the Zeus taser before reaching the max level.

That's not all she wrote as regards the latest Counter-Strike 2 update. It introduces the maps Baggage and Shoots, together with a bevy of new stickers (which can now be custom positioned on guns), a music kit, additional flourishes such as smoke grenades casting shadows, and various gameplay tweaks. Silencers can now be reattached, even if you've turned off the option to detach them, player pings are no longer blocked by invisible walls, and there's a "refund all" button on the Buy menu.

The cosmetic addition that most amuses me is the introduction of end-of-match animations for defeated players. These all feel like variations on "oh shucks", mind you. The overall vibe is of suburban dads trying to hide/theatrically exaggerating their disappointment about their kid's third-place Sports Day finish. I don't see any "heated gamer moments" in there. Somebody smash a keyboard, already!

You can read the full Counter-Strike 2 patch notes here.