Fire in the Hole! Counter-Strike Online is Finally Here

After months of keen anticipation, Counter-Strike Online, the first English online version of the world’s most popular First-Person Shooter (FPS) worldwide is finally available to its legions of fans in Southeast Asia.

After a successful Closed Beta Test, IAH Games is launching the Open Beta Test (OBT) today. Counter-Strike Online, a Free-to-Play online FPS game , represents a fresh reboot of the legendary FPS classic Counter-Strike, but with exciting new features that are set to appeal to both die-hard Counter-Strike fans as well as new players of the game.

New additions to the franchise include online game elements such as character leveling and leaderboard rankings. These allow players to witness their game characters grow the more they play the game, a feature absent in previous Counter-Strike games. By merging these online game elements while retaining the polished feel of the classic Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike Online opens itself to the scores of gamers who have never tried the game.

“The Counter-Strike franchise has a fervent following which has been cultivated over the last ten years. We believe that Counter-Strike Online is the best iteration of Counter-Strike yet and that it will satisfy gamers’ craving for a high quality first person shooter game as well as a decidedly unique online game,†said Kim Dong-Sun, Director of the Counter-Strike Online team at NEXON Corporation, which developed the game.

“This is the biggest leap of advancement Counter-Strike fans in Southeast Asia shall see, and one that we believe they have been eagerly waiting for. With online games having captivated the gaming world in the past decade, adding online game elements to Counter-Strike was a natural progression,†said Luke Cunico, General Manager, Counter-Strike Online, IAH Games.

New highlights of Counter-Strike Online available in OBT include classic fan-favourite maps such as Dust and Aztec, but also three never-seen before maps – Tunnel, Rex Laboratory and Camouflage. Gamers also get to see their characters develop as they play the game, as levelling up will see them gain in-game rewards and higher game ranks.

Other new features include a clan system that allows clans to challenge each other, a ranking system and the ability to purchase items such as new weapons, item boosts and character skins.

Counter-Strike Online is scheduled to launch with all its full features on 27 October 2010. To commemorate the occasion, IAH Games will be holding a Halloween-themed Counter-Strike Online tournament at Virtualand@Bugis Junction on 30 October 2010.

Counter-Strike Online is a tactical First Person Shooter that pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds. Each round is won by either completing the mission objective or eliminating the opposing force.

Counter-Strike was originally developed as a modification for the popular FPS, Half-Life, back in 2000. It then developed into a series and the franchise has sold more than nine million copies worldwide since its first release 10 years ago.

For more information and access to the game client, please visit Counter-Strike Online Singapore