S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Over Chernobyl (PC) Preview
Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 12.12.2006
A first person shooter/sci fi thriller that looks to be a must have!
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow over Chernobyl is a first person shooter that has been in development for quite some time and always keeps getting delayed. Now THQ has set the game to be released in the early months of 2007 and as always, we are here to bring you the juicy details.
Shadow over Chernobyl takes place in the titular Chernobyl, the exclusion zone where the world's worst nuclear disaster took place. The game wont model the area just like it is in real life and it wont follow the real story of the incident like it really happened, instead it puts the sci fi touch on it. The game adds a second explosion that happened in the area in April 2006, which creates new and strange forms of energy emanating from the center of the zone. After initial investigators fail to return, the area is closed and the army is deployed. By 2008 everything seems to be under control, but suddenly mutant creatures start appearing near the border and the area is closed down again. Public interest in Chernobyl grows to an all time high and soon reporters and scavengers begin to find ways to elude security and venture into the zone in search of the truth. That and strange, powerful relics with mysterious powers. This also leads to scientists and private corporations finding ways to enter the zone. Within all this chaos, you begin the game.
The title S.T.A.L.K.E.R. comes from the word "stalker"(of course) which is the way scavengers are identified in the game. You play one of this stalkers, who wakes up sick after being rescued and has no previous recollections of his life. In other words, you don't even know what caused the traumatic experience that made you forget all your memories. The game sets you up to explore the free-roaming world of Chernobyl while finding clues about who you are.
The game also displays a very realistic A.I. with the NPC Stalkers. In the short term, they seemed interested in finding artifacts to sell, but in the long term, these characters displayed real-life human needs. Non-playable characters automatically communicated with each other, rested, ate food, and showed basic survival needs by killing nearby enemies. In this case, enemies are the monsters that have mutated thanks to the second explosion, but stalkers also have to contend with the army that patrols the area. Somewhere in the middle are the groups of traders and bandits, who have little interest in fighting but exist to control the movement of artifacts and their value. The engine controls up to 1,000 characters at once, between enemies and stalkers and this leads to massive firefights and other non-scripted sequences that guarantee an unique experience. As numbers in both camps dwindle, the engine will migrate characters from other areas to create a balance. It is truly a joy to behold as humans empty clips on monsters while they run for cover or sheltered zones and monsters focus on those humans that are trapped, injured, or have no chance of escaping and feast on them. Very realistic behaviors.
The game's story has seven different endings depending on how many secondary missions you make and even how much you trade and kill. To get one of the "true" or "better" endings, you will need to spend 40 to 60 hours! Finally, like must first person shooters, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will feature a multiplayer component.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. looks to be quite a game with revolutionary A.I., great graphics and a creepy atmosphere reminiscent of F.E.A.R. We will see if THQ sticks to the release date this time.
