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Next week, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be unleashed on the masses, marking not only the first Counter-Strike release in eight years, but the first time the series will launch on consoles. As we inch towards the impending release, Valve has revealed a new "Cinematic" trailer.

To the dismay of some gamers, the trailer is comprised entirely of CG footage - though let's be honest, fans are probably quite familiar with Counter-Strike gameplay by now. The footage might not be indicative of Counter-Strike Global Offensive's graphics, though it does share some characteristics with the Source engine, which the game was built on. Character animations are similar to those of past titles, making us wonder if the the trailer was crafted with Valve's Source Filmmaker.

Even if there is no gameplay in the trailer, Counter-Strike fans will be quick to catch some nods to previous titles. As the camera pans to the terrorists, players can see one character holding the "dual elite" pistols - though Valve did miss out on an opportunity to include the staple "fire in the hole" phrase when the Counter-Terrorists throw a flashbang.

Valve also announced that it has been working closely with the mod team at Plague Fest to ensure the popular Zombie Mod would be ready when CS:GO goes live. For the unfamiliar, Zombie Mod starts one player off as a zombie, with the goal being to infect other players. The game ends when either all the zombies have been killed, or all the humans have been infected. The Zombie Mod has become a mainstay of the Counter-Strike franchise, and has inspired similar modes in other titles - such as "Infected" in Call of Duty.

On the Counter-Strike blog, Valve stated that  it was important "to make sure it [Counter-Strike: GO] was as moddable and extensible as any CS game," promising that "this is just one of many mods that will be available to CS:GO in the coming months." Valve has long had a healthy relationship with gamers, and this announcement should earn the company even more good PR - especially with DICE's reluctance to enable mod support in Battlefield 3.

Will you be picking up Counter-Strike: GO? Which platform will you play on?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launches August 21, 2012 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyMole.

Source: Counter-Strike Blog, GameTrailers