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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl

A controversial but rich background is guaranteed...

Have you ever fancied doing battle in the ruins of a place ravaged by nuclear disaster? No, not like the made up environs of games like Fallout, but a real city that suffered real loss? A city that the developers have bravely/insanely entered themselves so they can take reams of digital photos and videos to get the realism of the setting just right? If so, welcome to one of the more adventurous games pencilled in for release this year; S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. Setting: well, Chernobyl.

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• game info

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  • Publisher:

    THQ

    Developer:

    GSC Game World

    Release Date:

    23 March 2007

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Setting your game where one of the world's worst man-made disasters took place requires some balls, not to mention a lesser sense of good taste than some might have. But if you can use the possibilities that this background provides to make a highly engrossing and enjoyable FPS then, hell, why not? It's not as if gamers are adverse to a little controversy during their mission to find gaming bliss. Over 60% of the world seen in S.T.A.L.K.E.R is authentic, with the team reproducing 30sq km of the area around the infamous sarcophagus that now covers the accident site. For the purpose of the game the disaster occurred in 2006. The game is set ten years later, when the first expeditions re-enter the Zone to see what has happened in the intervening years. They find all sorts of mutated life, from poisoned frogs to swirling mists hiding deformed vegetation. They find a world where natural life has reclaimed the land from the influence of humans, but it is a life that has been altered by nuclear mutations. But the nuclear effect cannot explain all the anomalies, all the horrible deformations that are observed. Something else is at work, and it is up to you to find out what that something is. You are a stalker, a freelance scavenger of sorts, entering into the forbidden territory, interacting with other stalkers and the various NPCs scattered around the land. There are many other stalkers forming groups and territories which you will have to deal with and navigate through. It is claimed that the game world will run along happily on its own, and will change according to the actions of all its inhabitants, not just your own.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a free-form game. The levels and maps combine to form a global map which the player is almost completely free to explore. From the ruins of the houses and tower blocks, to the foreboding abandoned bases and laboratories, the look of Soviet era Ukraine has been meticulously recreated. The developers have worked hard to create an immersive and believable world, one where the terrain and environments behave in such a realistic way that the player is drawn into exploring every nook and cranny. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is somewhat similar to Morrowind with its massive game world and myriad of NPCs. Indeed, the developers claim it is like an RPG without any of the levelling-up and stats. Rather it relies on the player increasing their real skills, gaining power from increased knowledge of their surroundings and by augmenting their abilities with scavenged or traded equipment. A bold claim indeed, it should be interesting to see how well it works, not to mention whether or not they can avoid the trap that Morrowind set for itself by being too directionless; too freeform.

The X-ray technology tools the developers created allow them to render both expansive open spaces and claustrophobic interiors with equal grace and ease. Motion-captured animations give realistic life to the Zone's inhabitants, while a myriad of pleasing environmental effects breath life into the desolation. The dynamic night and day cycle really has to be seen in action to be appreciated. The lengthening of building's shadows as the day closes develops into an eerie moonlit night-time where god knows what is slavering round the next corner. You will be able to interact with the terrain in satisfying ways, too, i.e., blow it up.

The enemy AI is being designed to harass and surprise the player, presenting them with the kind of challenges they may not have experienced before. Well, I certainly have never had to deal with blind dogs which can see through walls or dwarves in a setting otherwise bereft of fantasy trappings. The AI characters will also be able to use the terrain to their advantage; using their telekinetic powers to hurl tables and chairs at you is one example given. The various NPCs and factions in the game will also respond to you according to your reputation. This is influenced by the way you have reacted to situations on the past, so you will have to keep your diplomacy 101 manual handy at all times.

There will be plenty of drivable vehicles in the game, so rally cross fans should be able to let off a little steam amongst all the decay and death. It's not known whether you will get to fly the MiL helicopter, but the APC looks like being enough fun all on its own. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. also promises to pack an almighty arsenal, with a meaty looking chaingun and a tasty update to the Druganov sniper rifle causing particular mouths to water. Combined with lots of equipment there should be enough objects to muck around with to keep players happy. Realism is a priority for the developers, so we should hopefully have something that could be viewed as a cross between the fantastic Operation Flashpoint and Morrowind. With an estimated play time of 30-40 hours S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be good value for money, especially as a player could spend another 40 hours exploring the gameworld in its entirety.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is shaping up to be yet another tasty title from an ex-Soviet bloc country. Whatever it is that makes these formerly closed nations so adept at coding good games let's hope an increased exposure to Western business practices doesn't wreck things. And let's hope that they hire some good translators and voice actors so the immersiveness of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn't spoilt by an unintentionally comedic story. Oh, and the facial textures need some work, as they currently look like their owners have an angry case of constipation. These things aside, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl gives every impression of being a landmark title. Hunt it down sometime later on this year.

1. This game is gonna rock... very nice preview

   X3nTium Thursday, 11 March 2004, 15:35:5

2. release.this.game.already.

   i think i'm itching to play this more than D3 and HL2.

   lament Thursday, 11 March 2004, 21:53:11

3. True not only does it sound cool and feels like a fallout in 3d game, it has full on multiplayer COOP, im not sure how many people but they say upto 64players tho I dunno if thats for COOP or teammatch,.

   If it works like Freelancer did then it could well be 64 COOP WOOT.. I will probably die at the keyboard with this game.. well least tell OFP2 comes out :)

   PRiME Thursday, 11 March 2004, 22:39:54

4. You can get real screenshots (ie decent resolution without two layers of spam) here: http://www.stalker-game.com/index_eng.html

   APerson Friday, 12 March 2004, 01:28:21

5. The images are from official press releases. Not much we can do about that.

   The "spam" is to cover the cost of delivering this type of content to over 400,000 users a month. Your lucky you didn't have to play 'Hunt the close button' with an intrusive flash popover - like most gaming sites.

   Jason Friday, 12 March 2004, 03:57:38

6. Thanks for the tip-off there. It goes to show that you shouldn't make last-minute additions when drunk and liable to confusing Stalker and Soldner.

   Sam Friday, 12 March 2004, 11:24:38

7. Nice preview, glad to see this game is getting the attention it deserves.

   If the gameplay comes through, this game promises to be a blockbuster hit for the gaming world. It has my vote.

   Badllama Saturday, 13 March 2004, 02:35:26

8. I agree with lament.. I am more excited about this game than Doom 3 and Half Life 2. It will be interesting to see something of this magnitude from a foreign production team as well!

   another person Sunday, 14 March 2004, 13:20:31

9. Can you use a nuclear bomb or misslie in this game? if so i'm gonna get it.

   gooliwok Thursday, 8 April 2004, 14:59:40

10. For me this is the most anticipated game. It features real places & authentic landscapes, it is inspired by one of my favorite books by Strugatski bros, it has real vehicles and weaponry etc. etc. I was born and live in Ukraine and know much about the catastrophe. They say it affected my generation's health. Painful to see not everything goes well with this project.

    p.s. One should certainly see the screens at www.stalker-game.com.

    [Misspelling correction: not Druganov, but Dragunov]

    ice_freezer Thursday, 17 February 2005, 02:56:11