Edit 2021: After I stopped collection and took a LONG break from CS:GO it's still an amazing game and experience with friends. Love what Valve did with the MM system so far and hope they keep working on content for this game <3

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a tactical fist person shooter (fps). I my self prefer CS:GO over 1.6 and Source because of the competitive element that they put in the game (pubbs). Not saying that you couldn't skrim in 1.6 and Source, the matchmaking is just a step in the right direction.

The Overwatch feature is a great idea to make the community help with the hacking and griefing problem that you might bump into from time to time.

CS:GO is also difrent in the way that you can have skins in game that everyone can see. I didn't really know what to think about it when Valve put the skins in the game, but I can't but love them. I don't really want to admit how much I've spent on skins, keys and crates... but GABE!... you sure know how to make money... So more into the skins on the guns. You can get drops in game, any game and you are limited to 2 drops per day and 4 drops per week or at least at the time I was writing this (18.12.2013). You can also buy keys (2.49$) for the crates that drop in game and then there is also the good old market place. It might save you a couple of bucks if you just buy them there, then you get the wepons you want and don't have to take the risk og getting "bad" skins, that is if you don't have a lot of money to spend. They have adopted some ideas from Tf2 (it's there game so they can do what ever they want...) and the have put StatTrak on some weapons where you can follow how many players you have killed with that particular weapon. The StatTrak Counter only counts real people not BOTs.

They now have there own servers and the normal deticated once you love and know from 1.6 and Source, Where you can fight Zombies, Surf, sharpen your skills on Aim maps and many other wonderfull things. They also have modes such as "Arms Race" (gun gmae), demolition (basically one site plant with a GG twist) and much more. Then we come to the competitive side of the game that I've been playing a lot of resently. I can't but love it, how they use the matchmaking to make equals battle it out... (not always succesful but everyone has bad days and good days in CS). I would though like it if they would make it so if someone leaves or wasn't able to connect that it would be safe for the other players to leave, like they did in Dota 2. I have lost too many games because some rage quits or just DC's. I my self have DC'd a couple of time due to bad internet and that probably costed my teamates the game.
Other wise the competitive community is good atm. there will come the time where you will end up with a horrible team, but if you don't like joining a game with random strangers then you can always make/join a clan or a team to play with.

The maps are mostly the same but they have changed some of them like Dust, Mirage, Aztec and more. The have also had community made maps like the "Operation Bravo" and "Operation Payback" packs. With both bomb and hostage oriented maps. Basically they've made some tweaks and fixes for the competitive play.

But in short, the game is amazing for anyone that loves stategy, fps and commpetitive play. The game is also for the casual players that just want to shoot somthing and have some fun. The game is everything I wanted and more :) 4,5/5. They could though adobt the safe leaving feature if someone RQ or DC's from the game like in Dota 2. Amazing job Valve.

Edit 2013: Volvo need fix game & stop take money from poor people Kappa