S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at Your Door: PC review (4/5)

Platform: PC
Genre: Sci-fi First Person Shooter
Developer: GSC Game World
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: Mar 20, 2007

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadows of Chernobyl is an ambitious FPS set in a fictional account of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster which finds you playing as the Marked One, one of many gunmen referred to as stalkers who are looking to benefit from and simply survive the hostile wasteland surrounding the mysterious area known as The Zone. The Zone has been the source of many strange and unexplained happenings since the disaster occurred and has also attracted various militant factions looking to find ways to exploit the area for their own gain. Your character also has the handicap of being amnesiac so much of the main story line revolves around trying to piece together exactly why you’re there and ultimately has you trying to solve the strange goings on in the heart of The Zone.

You are quickly thrown into an environment with an eerily oppressive feeling that is pleasantly reminiscent of the atmosphere created in the classic Fallout games. The graphics engine, while slightly dated, does a good job of representing the desolate and rough terrain you would expect to find in a post apocalyptic war zone which often feels like a ghost-town in between firefights. You will find yourself investigating both rugged natural terrains and half demolished structures that, if not for the bad guys, feels nearly abandoned. The environments do an excellent job of portraying the bleakness and devastation of nuclear disaster while creating an interesting dynamic of urban-exploration and survival gameplay as you explore open-ended areas where bandits or other enemies can always be lurking around the next corner.

Much of this atmosphere is also achieved thanks to good use of ambient sounds such as high winds, thunderstorms, distant gunfire and the shrieks of mutated beasts who are often just out of sight to further immerse you into the world and to also produce a sometimes ominous foreboding feeling of horror-suspense. There is also a large amount of voice acting in the game from the various NPCs you will encounter but unfortunately it was not in English so I was unable to fully appreciate it. The lighting in the game also has a large affect on the overall mood of the game and features a realistic night and day cycle which can often make or break your decision to investigate some of the creepier locales you’ll encounter. And when you do decide to get gutsy and do some nighttime searching, you’ll find that your flashlight, while very well done and realistic, will do little to calm your nerves and will have you playing the game more Resident Evil than Serious Sam
at times.

One of the more ambitious elements of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the attempt to give the player large open-ended areas to explore and a side quest system to use as motivation to do so. This gameplay design, while a welcome cross-genre interjection of RPG related features, falls short for the most part. The NPCs who provide the objective based quests rarely offer anything more than money or commonly found items as a reward. Unfortunately, money is largely unimportant in the game as there are not many worthwhile items to purchase, and on top of that, you will have an easier time finding the more powerful weapons and ammo just by playing through the main story line anyways. The side-quests are also your standard fetch and delivery missions which might have you questioning why you would bother to have RPG elements if you were only going to use one of the most generic examples of that genre.

While the open-ended element of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a little disappointing, the meat and potatoes of the game-play can be found in the shooting mechanics. The weapons in the game, especially early on, are very realistic in terms of accuracy and keep you from being able to use your pistol like a railgun from long distances. This means that until you obtain stronger and more accurate firepower you will be forced into engaging your enemies at short to medium distances in order to take them out. This goes a long way into making the gun battles an exciting and challenging right from the start. Eventually you will find bigger and badder weapons, which is extremely satisfying, but will still find that your accuracy is realistic to the point of not making the game too easy.

Another aspect that will keep you on your toes is the enemy AI, albeit for mixed reasons. On the positive side, the AI does a good job of using intelligent tactics such as using cover, staying mobile, flanking your position and not rushing blindly into lines of fire to keep things realistic. Unfortunately they also seem to possess super sight and a wall-hacking radar which gives the game very little in the way of stealth. Rarely will you be able to get the drop on an enemy as a reward for being sneaky. It’s also a little irritating to find yourself being shot at while hidden behind a wall or bush only to find that the person shooting you is behind a wall or bush himself. This becomes more of an issue later in the game where the enemies have stronger and more accurate weapons themselves.

Ultimately S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fails to fully realize the open-ended world it tried to create. The team at GSC Game World managed to create a game full of optional content but unfortunately they were unable to give you any meaningful reason to bother playing through it. The open-ended features are fairly transparent and the side-quests options might further obscure a main story that is already lacking to begin with. The game also has some bugs and design flaws that are disappointing for a project that was first announced in 2001. That being said, it still accomplishes a fascinating blend of FPS, exploration, and survival-horror elements in a unique package that makes it worth playing despite its flaws and has you hoping for a sequel where this innovative mix of concepts can be fully realized. If you play it for what it is, and not what it isn’t, you’ll find a great game lurking in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Additional Information
Official US website: www.stalker-game.com/en/