mac.iLounge

Even more than the Mac App Store, Valve’s Steam platform has been the driving force behind “real” gaming on the Mac since it launched in May 2010. Steam quickly brought a collection of popular titles to OS X from the Windows world, proving that Apple’s computers can indeed be legitimate gaming machines. The most recent big release is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ($15), the latest chapter in the popular first-person military shooter franchise, and this isn’t just a port of an old game: Valve is releasing the Mac version on the same day as it premieres on Windows.

Granted, Global Offensive isn’t a totally new take on the series, but rather “expand(s) upon the team-based action gameplay” of the series with new maps, characters, and weapons. It also brings in new gameplay modes alongside matchmaking and leaderboards. Fans of the franchise will find the download a no-brainer, and for $15, this is a reasonably inexpensive way for new players to find out what all the Counter-Strike fuss has been about.