S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl - Australian Preview (Preview)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

01/06/2004 11:27:04

With the March release of Far Cry, it’s fair to say that the next generation of PC software is finally upon us. Following on from the tropical island exploits of Jack Carver is Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Medal of Honour Pacific Assault and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the latter looking set to give the bigger name titles a good run for their money. Australian GamePro got their greedy hands on an early build of the title and can confirm apprehensive PC owner’s that all expectations have been met – it’s time to get excited.

As the sub-title suggests, the game unfolds in a 30km2 region surrounding the former Soviet Union’s most infamous landmark, Chernobyl. 20 years after the 1986 reactor explosion, a second rocks the area, this time far more powerful. For four years no rescue team can get within cooee of the dishevelled ruin and the military cordon it off, label it ‘The Zone’ and bar any public incursion onto the site. Are they hiding something? Do they have the situation under control? What’s going on behind closed doors? Valid questions that spring immediately to gamer’s minds, but questions our hero couldn’t give a toss about.

That’s because he is a Stalker and a thief, albeit one with more mettle than a platoon of navy seals. He makes incursions into The Zone seeking objects that have been transformed by radioactivity and given anomalous powers – items that fetch a hefty sum on the black market. But The Zone is not the type of environment you would invite your girlfriend to for a romantic first date. It’s now 2010 and after years of radioactive abuse, the region and its unfortunate inhabitants have been reduced to the type of circus freaks you’d usually. But any poking you do here should be with the pointy of end of a sharp knife as mutated life-forms, the surrounding military and competing Stalkers indulge in an anarchistic free-for-all. If you slip up you’ll end up dead, or even worse, dinner.

In fact it’s the way these three separate factions interact that represent one of S.T.A.L.K.E.R’s most impressive traits. You are literally stepping into a world that would quite happily function without you. Competing Stalkers will go about their business within The Zone and should your paths cross, you can ambush them and take their stash. Just prey that another Stalker hasn’t caught sight of you and is readying an ambush of his own. The games impressive X-ray engine runs a life-simulation system where the world not only rotates independent of your character, but NPC’s rarely appear in identical locations. For example, the first time you head down a street you may be attacked by mutant dogs. The second occasion there may be no dogs at all, perhaps because a rival Stalker has gained their attention. It provides an every changing world and with eight possible endings, a world with almost unlimited replayability.

An important component of this is the AI and it looks to be one of the sharpest in gaming history. Rather than running in predictable single file straight into your stream of gunfire, they will use the terrain to their advantage, engage ambushes and attack in packs. They will also approach you in different ways according to your reputation. If your a reputed bad ass, lesser enemies will run, or recruit some mates to help in the attack. The longer and more successful your gaming hours, the greater your reputation. This will not only help in combat, but also in trade. There are various way points throughout the map where you can meet black-market representatives. Here you can sell, trade or buy new weapons, equipment and even vehicles. Vehicles can then be used to traverse the map with greater speed and, we hope, mow down large groups of mutant scum.

Gaming World have promised plenty of multiplayer options in the finished product, although at this stage nothing is in place. Given the gargantuan playing arena and the whopping arsenal (there are 30 weapons to acquire, all with upgrades such as optics and silencer) it’s an arena PC gamers should be salivating to enter. Being the future and all, these won’t be ordinary armaments, with gravitational weapons, psychotropic weapons, telekinesis and telepathy playing large rolls. With so much fire-power on hand, vivid rag-doll physics were essential and, thankfully, supplied with grace. In fact, the X-Ray engine is one impressive beast. In one instance a barrel was knocked over during a fire-fight. After the melee, it could still be seen slowly rolling down the hill.

If nothing else, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is unflinchingly original and captures an imaginary world with realistic precision. During our time at the crease, we experienced a free-roaming world where we could interact with the ‘natives’ and the environment on our own terms, restricted only by the location of desired objects and places of trade. With an electric atmosphere, this could be the post-apocalyptic alternative to the lush life of Far Cry. And as for those questions about military cover-ups and the like, well maybe our hero is a little interested, after all...