I’ve died twice, while trying to clear out a small warehouse about 30 minutes into a battle with an enemy. Stalker 2. This time, I will do better. Rushing in was not an option. I sneaked to the side, waited until the two enemy stalkers turned, and then BAM! After their deaths, a game of cat and mouse ensued between me and their allies. Wounded but victorious, my rewards were ammo and supplies, a broken gun that wasn’t worth my time, and a scathing criticism from a sullen guy. Yes, it’s definitely a Stalker.
This could paint a depressing, even unpleasant, picture for GSC Game World’s upcoming first-person shooter. The truth is, this game will turn some of you away quickly because it’s dedicated to getting Tone Stalker’s rights. Those who can stick it out will find an especially rewarding game here, one that quickly plunges you into a terrifying world where the morally right choice isn’t always the right one, Survival trumps everything.
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Can you forgive some opacity for the sake of immersion and an overall more rewarding survival experience? If the answer is no, I think you’re going to have a hard time in STALKER 2, as this clue was taught in the preview version I played, which brought a lot of friction to everything it touched .
This operation is a perfect example. Ammunition is limited and guns hurt people. They are hurt. If you’re caught, even by just a few enemies, you’ll die quickly, so you’ll have to slow down. Sometimes a fight might not be worth having, and the game isn’t shy about letting you engage in it. Within the first 15 minutes, you’re introduced to the Stalker’s savage nature, and it doesn’t let up.
I like this very much. Having to really think about what I should do, encountering side quests, having to seriously consider whether I should bother – it’s immersive, it’s desperate, and it’s awesome. In one mission, Stalker tasks you with grabbing his brother’s body from a land filled with anomalies that can kill you instantly. I had very few healing items and it looked painful, so I walked away. Elsewhere, I handed a precious family relic to an NPC instead of the quest giver I was supposed to return to, and got a broken gun that I couldn’t even afford to repair. Whether you like it or not, STALKER 2 is very good at adapting you to its world.
GSC Game World takes players back to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, painting a picture of a parallel universe Ukraine that was destroyed and pillaged. Desolate roads connect crumbling settlements together, and the acrid smoke rising from burning trees conjures up visions of dangerous decay. This is a depressing game. It’s not “fun” to look around STALKER 2, but you’ll find yourself exploring out of a morbid curiosity and necessity. You can’t sit around town all day, sooner or later you need to push yourself into a world that clearly doesn’t want you there. GSC World has lived up to the standards set by the earlier and much-loved entries in the series, and even surpassed it in some ways.
I was initially apprehensive about this preview because I had previously played STALKER 2 during the Summer Games Festival. I really didn’t like it at the time and when I went through the tutorial again I still thought it was a bit boring. Thankfully though, STALKER 2 does come into its own when the world is open and you’re free to explore, but in terms of entry and first impressions, it could be a little better. Once you beat the 30-minute level, though, there’s some real gold waiting for you. I don’t think anyone has ever felt it OK When they first deployed, right?
STALKER 2 is not without its problems. Preview builds are buggy, with glitches ranging from Bethesda-level weirdness to more serious power-killers. I got a quest giver stuck in combat mode even though I killed the guy who shot him. I crashed the game by selling my backup gun too quickly. I’m told the developers are working on this issue. Considering half the team is now working away from Ukraine while the war is going on around them, I can sympathize with that and I can forgive these glitches – but it’s probably worth keeping in mind as the full release approaches.
Fans of STALKER will know what they’re in for here, but to the uninitiated who’s not familiar with the series, I’d have a hard time explaining what you’re in for here. I guess you could explain it this way: Fallout 3 or 4 was a “weird” bomber jacket covered in patches and enamel pins, while STALKER 2 was a weathered leather jacket. Stitched up in the torn area, it had various stains and concealed a well-used hip flask.
STALKER 2 has some bruises on it, it’s not the prettiest thing in the world, and there are times when you think it’s barely patched together, but, damn, it’s cool.
There’s no doubt that gun-toting, survival-oriented hardcore gamers are the ones to watch.
This preview is based on the Stalker 2 preview from GSC’s global offices. Travel and accommodation are paid for by the publisher.
