Indie developer deploys Unity 3D-based Counter-Strike clone on Android

Back when Gordon Freeman was a sprightly newcomer to the PC scene, there was a game called Counter-Strike.

A team-based military FPS, Counter-Strike began life as a Half-Life mod, before being developed by Valve and turned into a highly popular franchise of its own.

And in this world of hardcore fandom and open-source engines, it seems that mod begets mod.

Last week, an unofficial mobile version of Counter-Strike 1.6 appeared on the XDA developers forums, designed to work on the Android platform. Not so much a port as a rebuild, Counter-Strike Portable has been knocked up by an indie developer using the Unity3D engine.

Featuring several classic Counter-Strike maps and even assets from the original game, Counter-Strike Portable is as close as Android owners are likely to get to experiencing the classic FPS on their mobile devices.

There are currently two versions available: the 5-series app for Android 2.0+, and the 6-series version for Android 2.3+. Expect a few bugs, however, as the game is still being tweaked on a regular basis.

Although unfinished, this build can apparently cope with over 600 players online, and even supports cross-platform play with the Flash and Facebook versions.

Time will tell as to whether Valve embraces this particular fan-made offering or decides enough is enough and sends in the suits.

In the meantime, have a cheeky peek at the video below to see the Android version of Counter-Strike Portable in action.

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