Counter-Strike hits the arcades
Namco in apparent lapse of concentration
Gamers.com are reporting on the somewhat bizarre idea that Namco has developed an arcade version of online tactical shooter, Counter-Strike. Yes.
The company has started a new chain of Ledzone arcade centres that focus on LAN gaming in a bid to boost the popularity of games such as Counter-Strike, already popular in the West and Korea.
A custom version of the game has even been developed, entitled Counter-Strike Neo, with a simplified interface and tutorial modes to ease in new players. The arcade model is based around two-on-two matches, but can facilitate larger games if needs be. It's likely that players will be charged about 100 yen for about 20-30 minutes play, which is pretty much the standard for arcade games in Japan.
Namco is also hoping that they'll be able to use the facilities to host games for the Cyberathlete Professional League in the future.