Are you ready for an in-your-face, skateboard-shreddin', rollercoaster of a ride through a post nuclear wasteland?! Well, you've probably picked up the wrong game. What STALKER represents is an excellent blend of first person shooting mixed with light rpg elements, all set in the desolate environment surrounding the infamous Chernobyl Power Plant post nuclear meltdown. As a result, the wildlife has become horribly mutated and hostile, and the terrain has become controlled by three rival factions, all constantly battling for territory while collecting artifacts that are worth thousands for their own profit. Where does the player fit in through all of this? You're given control of The Marked One, an amnesiac (I've never seen THAT in a game before!) protagonist (or antagonist, depending on how you play the game) that's only got one memory left, which is the primary motivation for completing the game. Does it hold up over time? Is it worth going back to a game that was originally supposed to be released in 2004, and then got delayed 3 years for more than just gameplay?
Gameplay - 8/10
For those of you who are looking for something a bit different in your first person shooters, this might be exactly what you've spent so much time searching for. One of the many aspects that separate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. from the competition is the freedom you have in the world. While the storyline might not be the most compelling thing ever, once you get a quest from a citizen such as retrieving an item, fighting back an offensive move from a rival faction, to just exploring new locations, you're quickly thrown into the world to handle it however you want to. Then again, maybe you just don't like the way a certain city looks. If that's you, you can easily just kill everyone in a town: the choice is completely up to you. For those of you who do decide to follow the narrative, much of the major points in the story are told through cutscenes in the middle of a mission, each one giving you somewhat of an insight as to what might have caused you to lose your memory in the first place. All of this is fine and dandy, but the way its developer has created the world is simply amazing. While many games are content to settle with a few weird creatures here or there, then constantly coming across bombed out cities for creating a ghastly atmosphere, Shadow of Chernobyl takes it one step further by occasionally allowing you to stumble across various anomalies in the world, from some that give you a nasty dose of radiation which is fatal if not treated quickly, to others that summon some sort of a radioactive tornado, you'll quickly start to learn that the environment might just be a bigger foe than any enemy you'll find in game, or it could be your best friend once you master setting traps so your enemies walk through them. While there are tons of enemies wandering around, you'll find yourself entering settlements, all populated with fellow mercenaries that have a different perspective on you based on your actions in the world. Weapons, armor, and certain anomalies all have various attributes on them, with the most unfortunate being their actual status, which deteriorates with use. Fortunately, the further you get in the game, the more powerful the weapons you find. Don't plan on taking everything you see with you though, since you're ultimately restricted by having a weight limit. Once you pass that weight, you're unable to run and jump, and if you continue to pick up items beyond that point, you'll find yourself over encumbered and unable to move. All of this is good and well, but there's one major downfall in this title. STALKER doesn't exactly have the most compelling story, so many people find themselves drawn more into the world than the events and characters taking place inside of it. It's worth pointing out that the game does feature several endings, but the biggest complaint I have with the title arises with the last section of gameplay. Without giving away any spoilers, it almost feels like STALKER's developers were worried about players zooming through a large portion of the game, and as a result, when you're progressing through the very last few areas, you've basically got to worry about a very strict time clock that if it runs out, you die, while being pushed through environments that are full of enemies that don't feel difficult, they just feel incredibly cheap. If you make yourself stop playing before you reach this point, once you're sucked in to this digital version of an alternate world Chernobyl, you'll probably be wondering why this only got an 8, but for those who actually press on to the very end, you're going to find yourself constantly in situations where you're wanting to eat your monitor.
Sound - 6/10
Unfortunately, especially compared to games that were released around the same time, such as Doom 3, Half Life 2, and even Far Cry, the sound in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn’t all that impressive. Most of this can be directly attributed to the fact that you’re wandering around a desolate environment, meaning you’re mostly just going to be listening to the wind or your footsteps, but its minimalism is also sort of a downfall. The weapon sound effects don’t seem to really vary much between the different guns you can pick up in each class, but you are able to distinguish the sound between a rifle and a sniper rifle. In the games defense, using surround sound or a decent set of headphones allows you to pinpoint exactly where your enemy is, which is useful for when you’re aiming at someone and hear a mob of rabid dogs approaching behind you, or locating some of the harder to see enemies in the run down factories. The voice acting is pretty well done and never feels out of place, but I don’t really understand Russian, so I’ve got absolutely no clue what most NPC’s are really saying. Speaking in a language relative to the location does help to provide extra immersion and really give you that feel of wandering around the ruins of Chernobyl, and the guns don’t necessarily sound weak, but I really feel like they could have possibly done more somehow.
Graphics - 7/10
When the game was first announced back in 2002 or 2003, I definitely remember flipping through magazines and looking at various gaming websites and being completely blown away by the fidelity of visuals, especially considering the games 2004 release. But then… that didn’t actually happen. Shadow of Chernobyl kind of just disappeared and was rumored to have become vaporware, which made it seem like gamers everywhere would just have to dream of what the title would have been like. Had it met it’s 2004/2005 release date, it’s direct competition would have just been Half Life 2, but due to the halt in development and the fact that it wasn’t released until 2007 without really any graphical upgrades aside from lighting effects definitely makes this title look a bit dated, even beside other games from the time period this was supposed to come out. On the plus side, they really did manage to capture the actual look of Chernobyl, even including landmarks from the actual location. The enemy design is pretty unique for the various mutated creatures you encounter, but the generic mercenaries are just that: generic. Many of the special effects you’ll see look pretty nice, and even though the visuals aren’t all that great, they do run at a steady framerate and it still looks decent, just not up to the standards set for the time which is almost inexcusable because of the extra few years they had to work on enhancing the tech.
Overall - 7/10
One of the biggest problems everyone has with STALKER is the first hour or so of playing. It’s hard in the beginning to accept that your weapons, while governed largely by the players on skill, are still statistic based, meaning that while you might be aiming right at someone, you’re likely to not hit them with the first few shots until you come across better weapons. The game looks similar to every other first person shooter, but it’s a lot more of a slow paced, tactical experience requiring the player to use cover wisely while constantly keep an eye on their flanks. Once you’re finally adjusted, you’ll quickly finding yourself losing track of time as you start exploring the amazing environments and taking on countless quests. While the storyline suffers from AHS, or amnesiac hero syndrome, the gameplay makes up for it and the atmosphere of certain areas is incredible. Unfortunately, the experience is almost completely ruined because of the very last hour of gameplay, but with all the quests to embark on and places to visit, it kind of balances out. The graphics and audio suffice, but could have been improved if they used the extra development time a bit better. For the price it’s at now, it’s a great deal if you’re looking for a slightly different experience and if it does actually click with you, you’ll love it and find yourself wishing there were more games that captured that same atmosphere from this game, but there’s also a pretty big chance that you might be completely turned off by the RPG elements.
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