I’m, sadly, a little bit of a hypocrite in relation to videogames—particularly ones like Stalker. In my coronary heart, I do know that environment has treasured little to do with graphical constancy, {that a} expert artist could make a deeply immersive sport with naught however a number of pixels, some shillings, cardboard, and elbow grease.
But there is a purpose I’ve by no means correctly sunk my enamel into Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl regardless of all of the reward it is gotten—and I’ve to confess it has quite a bit to do with presentation. The sport by no means regarded unhealthy for its time, and its immersive environment is rightfully lauded—however its visuals have had a brief half life. It was developed within the X-Ray engine, nevertheless it provides me a source-engine scent that is not possible to disconnect from my misspent youth in Garry’s Mod.
This is a private failing. However, after sitting down and taking part in a hands-on demo of the sport at Gamescom, I’m joyful to report that developer GSC Game World has excelled within the areas it was already robust at, and is on its technique to create a sport that rivals the primary’s legendary texture with all the brand new fashionable toys within the studio’s toolbox.
The quick session I loved adopted Skif, a downright surly fellow, returning to the zone with an artefact and a thirst for solutions. As uninitiated to the franchise as I’m, the finer particulars blissfully drifted previous my head as I used to be promptly (and appropriately) shoved by way of a dank, pitch-black sewer that taught me the fundamentals of motion earlier than being given a route, a set of broad open fields with deserted farmhouses in them, and several other areas to scan.
In an interview I’d later do with the studio’s technical producer Evgeniy Kulik, I’m reassured that “all areas you might discover within the sport, from the massive ones to the smallest villages, are made all by hand”—and I can really feel it right here. I nervously crouch-crawl into some deserted buildings with my flashlight off, and whereas many are desolate, I’m simply as shocked by what number of present indicators of life. Bodies are sometimes slumped over by lived-in vignettes, collections of things designed to try to make this localised apocalypse homely.
In phrases of gameplay, I discovered few complaints whilst a newcomer—most mechanics are self-explanatory, and I had a unbelievable little bout of fight with an invisible mutant whereby I needed to flip, fireplace, and preemptively shoot based mostly on the factor’s footsteps given my restricted visibility.
What was principally going by way of my thoughts, nonetheless, was an appreciation for simply how far the studio itself has come within the 16 years because the first sport. Not simply by way of its harrowing real-life struggles—take a look at builds being leaked, an energetic conflict, and a brand new workplace away from stated conflict struggling a hearth—however by way of what I’m seeing, listening to, and feeling as I slink nervously by way of the underbrush.
Comparing notes to PC Gamer’s personal Phil Savage, who performed a demo eventually yr’s Gamescom, I get the sense I’ve had a much more relaxed expertise. That’s both as a result of I performed like a whole scaredy-cat, or as a result of GSC Game World is, by this level, expertly proficient at build up and releasing pressure.
In one section, I arrive to determine contact with a bunker solely to seek out out everybody inside’s been killed—I slink round corners, cautiously seek for a laptop computer, and await no matter butchered everybody to leap out at me—maybe, if I’m fortunate, with an ‘ooga booga’. Stalker 2 resists this urge, nonetheless, and it simply made me much more nervous. This is a trick I think about the complete sport’s going to make use of with merciless effectivity, in spite of everything, the monsters you’ll be able to’t see are essentially the most scary.
The modernisations of Stalker 2 would possibly genuinely be the factor that will get me on board with the collection and—optimistically—shedding my hypocrisy like a lot irradiated flesh, motivating me to return and provides the primary video games a correct strive. After all, if I can survive a one-on-one duel with a rusty assault rifle in opposition to a mutant with in-built cloaking expertise, I can in all probability deal with the unique recipe (he stated, with immeasurable hubris). Stalker 2 plans to launch November 20.
