Counter-Strike creator's tactical FPS is dirt cheap right now, but not for long

All the way back in 1999, Minh 'Gooseman' Le co-created the Half-Life mod Counter-Strike. A quarter of a decade later, the multiplayer shooter has become one of the biggest games in the world, and continually pulls in well over one million concurrent players every single day. Now under the control of Valve, there's simply no stopping it. Even after all this time, though, Le isn't done with the FPS genre. That's why they launched Alpha Response last year, and with a brand-new sale, now's the time to give the tactical shooter a go. If you're a fan of old-school Rainbow Six, Ready or Not, and SWAT, it's perfect for you.

Unlike Counter-Strike, Alpha Response is actually a PvE experience. Either alone or with a squad, you take up arms as a global police initiative tasked with eliminating criminal gangs. Whether they've taken a hostage or planted a bomb, you'll always need to be on your toes. The guns are loud, the action is fast, and tactics are key to success - it's a hardened shooter at its finest.

Levels in Alpha Response take place across massive, detailed environments. You'll weave indoors into deep metro stations, cross packed city streets, and must constantly keep an eye out for civilians in need of protection. Each crisis comes right after the last, meaning you need to dart across town and be ready for a gunfight to break out at any moment. If you want to read the words of someone who adores everything Alpha Response does, my colleague Ed just couldn't stop waxing lyrical about the experience, calling it one of our best FPS games of the year.

As of Sunday July 6, the team at Ultimo Ratio Games has even updated Alpha Response. There's a new flying drone that'll circle you before firing flash grenades, which is sure to put up a fight. Enemy AI has also been improved; they'll now throw fewer grenades, clump into groups less, and be more accurate shots. You own weapon recoil and spread has been tweaked, and fresh footstep sounds should bring you right into the experience.

With the sale, Alpha Response is also enjoying its highest Steam Early Access peak yet. The game has a new concurrent high of 985 players according to SteamDB, and I hope to see it climb even higher.

You can grab Alpha Response on Steam right now at 51% off, so expect to pay $9.79 / £8.20 until Thursday July 10. Just go here.

We've also got all the best multiplayer games and co-op games, if you want more to play with friends.

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