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(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Post-post apocalypse
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Pack your Geiger counter(Image credit: GSC Game World)Check out our Stalker 2 preview to see what we made of three hours in The Zone
Pack your Geiger counter
(Image credit: GSC Game World)Check out our Stalker 2 preview to see what we made of three hours in The Zone
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Check out our Stalker 2 preview to see what we made of three hours in The Zone
Bocharov says it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what “clicks with you” in other post-apocalyptic games, which means newcomers may get into Stalker for completely different reasons. “For some it will be enjoying the gunplay, or the freedom,” he explains. “For some people, obviously, it will be way too difficult […] We’ll have a story mode, but it can be like this! But for those who it clicks with, I think it’ll be for the atmosphere.”
Having spent most of my Stalker 2 preview aimlessly wandering The Zone, it’s hard to argue with that assessment. There’s something special about picking through somewhere so openly hostile, appreciating the beauty of rural Ukraine whilst vigilantly looking for the next bandit, anomaly, or mutant that wants you dead. From a practical standpoint, The Zone feels equally busy. The first town I visit, a community of stalkers and occupying Warden soldiers, is dense with things to do, from taking odd jobs from the bartender to wading into inter-factional politics. It’s chunkier than anything I’ve seen in the past trilogy, and although I assumed this would be The Zone’s central hub, Bocharov bursts my bubble. “It’s just one of them,” he says, grinning. “I don’t think that’s thebiggesthub, sorry!”
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
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Ultimately, I think this encapsulates what will make or break Stalker 2 for a lot of prospective fans. It’s immersion at all costs, regardless of whether that makes things awkward – sometimes even frustrating – at times. Personally, I can’t wait to become The Zone’s biggest tourist, plotting out elaborate journeys and adventures for a chance at coming away from them with a new story to tell. It’s also fair to assume that some players won’t enjoy meticulously walking around a field of anomalies, rather than just warping to their objective on the map. And that’s fine – each to their own! But if the rest of this map is anything like the segment I’ve explored, I sincerely hope The Zone can awaken more Stalker sickos when it launches on November 20.
Stalker 2 will be enjoyable to new and returning players, because even its protagonist doesn’t know what’s going on
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3
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4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”