STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl Preview

Killer in the Dark

Lets turn the clock all the way back to E3 2004 for a few moments. Games like Doom 3, Half-Life 2, Splinter Cell 3 and Black & White 2 fought for the limelight. In a corner, publisher THQ stood under the shadows but still optimistic about the future of their new game which they called ‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R : Shadow of Chernobyl’. It’s been over a year since then and even E3 2005 has gone by but the developers at GSC Game World are still working hard on it. Slated for an October release this year after much delay already, the game will have a hard time competing with the other FPS that may turn up around then. A lot has changed in 2005. The other FPS games that stood alongside S.T.A.L.K.E.R in E3 2004 already have expansion packs released or announced. The Doom 3 engine has also had major overhauls to make it look even better. Half-Life 2’s Source engine will be updated with HDR bloom lighting and other intense effects. It does make one wonder whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R will see success in 2005 with stuff they announced last year but then, this is no ordinary first person shooter.

Nuke Clear

A quick recap of the game : S.T.A.L.K.E.R : Shadows of Chernobyl is set in and around an isolated Chernobyl from the real world, the place of the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the world since Hiroshima. The year is around 2012. The game will add a second meltdown which leaves the area covered by a thick sheet of radiation. Any person who watches television or plays games knows radiation leads to mutation and therefore, the ‘zone’ is swarming with mutants. You play the role of a stalker whose job is to infiltrate the zone and comb the radiated area for artifacts. You are by no means alone as you face some serious competition from rival stalkers as well as those pesky mutant monsters and the Ukrainian military force. S.T.A.L.K.E.R is not scripted which means that each player could have very different personal experiences.

TOXIC

While searching for artifacts, players also face danger from ‘Blowouts’ or radiation waves that conceal the area. These ‘Blowouts’ occur frequently and randomly radiate more objects which you can collect as artifacts. However, a player caught in one of these should immediately duck for cover, unless he or she is suicidal. After retrieving a few of these artifacts, you can sell them to underground dealers as well as scientists for some cash which you can use to upgrade your equipment and attire in order to go back for the bigger ones. After all, walking through a highly exposed area will cause a lot more than a mere sun tan. S.T.A.L.K.E.R aims for realistic gameplay which has not really been experienced before by players. Weapons, accessories, equipment and vehicles depreciate with course of time. Not to mention your own physical self, unless you take care of the body by eating food regularly or taking naps. Similarly, weapons and other things will need upgrades and repairs from time to time. Upkeep is important in this game.

As mentioned earlier, scripting in the game is minimal. Instead, all the characters and enemies seem to have emotions and minds of their own. The way they react to different situations is quite impressive. The mutants also require nourishment and afternoon siestas. The A.I is reminiscent of Far Cry at times. Take one human enemy down and the others quickly scramble for cover and use tactics to flush you out or put a bullet through your head. They even radio for help at times and set up defenses. This increases the re-playability factor by several notches. Play through the game a second time and your enemies, in all probability will react differently.

Big Green Monstas

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, you are given the choice to join Stalker factions which are similar to guilds in online role playing games. This could help you complete certain missions more efficiently. Alternatively, it could also get enemy factions to try and retrieve your head as a trophy. Discretion is required when joining one of these groups. All of the stalkers in the game are more or less the equal to each other : you can’t find any guys with special abilities like superhuman strength or the ability to fly. You will all have similar missions and you may actually end up losing to an NPC stalker who just happens to be looking for the same thing that you are.

Coming to the game engine and the visuals, it seems that the developers have put in a lot of work. As mentioned earlier, competing against titles using an updated Doom 3 engine and against Source engine games with newly added HDR capabilities requires a massive effort. S.T.A.L.K.E.R and the X-Ray engine do not disappoint. The game looks fantastic and the physics are very realistic. Bullets ricochet off walls, disturbing water causes ripples or splashes, explosions provide nearby objects with wings, muzzle fire and flashes from weapons look like they should, night skies look great. Some character models are sub par but the environment is highly detailed. In fact the game resembles Half-Life 2 in a lot of ways.

The Stalker Club

S.T.A.L.K.E.R will also feature a seemingly strong multiplayer which includes deathmatch. During the matches, players may also see day/night cycles. Similar to Counter-Strike, stalkers must buy weaponry and equipment. This can be found in the single-player too. The more people you kill, the more money you earn which of course, enables you to buy bigger and better guns. A few of the rifles that have been seen are Kalashnikovs and G36 assault rifles. These weapons can be upgraded after purchasing accessories like scopes, grenades launchers. The guns have recoil patters so blasting out an entire clip on full automatic mode will only have you shooting at the skies. Also, ricocheting bullets in multiplayer can be quite deadly.

Overall, the game has a lot of plus points. It appears to be quite a solid package. The huge delay and postponement of release dates could affect things slightly but the great graphics and the unique gameplay may be enough to make this game a winner.

Ashwath Ravee