Critical Ops, Android's answer to Counter Strike, is now in open beta

Critical Ops, a team-based shooter which borrows heavily from the Counter-Strike series, has now entered a free beta in the Google Play Store.

The game features short, 5v5 rounds where you must eliminate all of your opponents or plant/defuse a bomb (depending on which team you choose) to win. Getting kills and winning the round will provide you with extra money so that you can purchase better equipment in subsequent games, increasing your chances of victory.

There have been a number of titles that have tried to capture the Counter-Strike formula on Android but this is probably the closest yet (aside from the direct ports of the original). I had a brief test play and it has a lot going for it: it’s quick to load and put me straight into a game. It’s easy to learn, it has an in-game chat feature and the backgrounds look really good. Plus, the core gameplay is lifted straight from CS which means that, while you shouldn’t expect any surprises, it’s faithful to a tried-and-tested formula.

Better still, Critical Ops has support for Android TV and a controller so you don’t even need to play on a smartphone screen. If you’re interested, you can download it now from Google Play.

What are your thoughts on Android shooters? Give us your thoughts in the comments.