STALKER Call of Pripyat

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Platform: PC

Once again we are drawn back into the bleak waste land that surrounds Chernobyl shortly after the events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl, ravished and occupied by all unfortunate enough to be there. The mutants roam free, packs of stalkers have flooded into the area after the news of Strelok opening the path to the centre of the zone and this time the military want a piece of the action and claim it for their own benefit.

As usual with all S.T.A.L.K.E.R games you are normally dumped into the zone not knowing where you are and what you are doing until you get to your first checkpoint and introduced to your first NPC. Call of Pripyat however gives you a five minute slideshow at the start of the game with a gruff Russian voice explaining to you what has happened and why you are there. This may seem out of place for fans of the game that are used to being a lone stalker, this time around you are an undercover secret service agent, Alexander Degtyaryov, who has been sent into the zone to investigate five crashed military helicopters that disappeared without warning after being sent to scout the centre of the zone.

The Zone feels as desolate as it should, this being an area that was decimated by a nuclear blast destroying and mutating all in its path. You get the sense of isolation throughout the game just as you did at points in Shadow of Chernobyl adding to the tension of the surroundings. The slightest noise, scream, beep from your radar or the rustle of tall grass will easily unsettle you and make you think twice about diving in head first. You constantly feel as if you are about to be set upon whilst in reality you could be the only living thing within miles of your immediate position but when that moment comes you instantly become alert and on edge wondering what has you in their sights, especially when the all too familiar, chilling soundtrack cuts in to break the silence.

Within minutes of starting your mission you come across the new layout of the game. The abundant side quests and missions are still there but this time around they have a purpose although the main story this time seems to have no substantial premise on your progress. It never fully unfolds or resolves any of the main stories unanswered questions with focus now being aimed firmly on your actions during the game. No longer are you sent on side quests to run half way across the map, shoot and collect items and then run back to your original starting point. Your decision at that moment in time will dictate rest of the game and how it progresses.

One aspect of this game that will stand out instantly to any S.T.A.L.K.E.R fan is that the game feels smaller, area wise, compared to the original and in some respect, Clear Sky. The map in the game isn’t split into distinct areas or cities or labs etc. The map is still big but only split into three parts so you don’t feel as if you are travelling any great distances. This is where NPC’s come into their own at times, if you see any stalkers randomly walking in small groups always talk to them, you will soon be thankful that you did as stalkers will take you where they are going so you can cut out a lot of the leg work. They will generally take you to where you want to be after questioning them about the location you want to go to.

By today’s standards, the game and engine look dated, but this doesn’t matter one bit as this is the charm of S.T.A.L.K.E.R itself, it somehow belongs and fitting with the zone and the visual representation of decay, abandonment and bleak nature of the zone. If you are a fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games you would probably expect this already, but the engine is refined and it works out the box without a single hiccup or bug in place, or none that I have come across as yet, this is a new trait for the franchise if anyone has had experience with the previous games you would know about the patch and bug issue’s that plagued them, thankfully Call of Pripyat doesn’t suffer the same ill fate.

This instalment of S.T.A.L.K.E.R is pretty much what every fan of the franchise has been crying out for. All that was right from Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, combined together and refined with the broken mechanics from both firmly cut and left out of this game. The tension, suspense, outright fear of the unknown is still ever present along with the harsh realisation of isolation. The blood gurgling screams of stalkers meeting their demise on the horizon still ring out between the cracks of lightning, the mutants howl and the rain pours down.

I would firmly recommend buying this game. It has it faults and it may not be the best FPS/RPG out there on the market by some standards but you can’t beat the atmosphere of the game, it draws you in and spits you out the other side wanting more whilst firmly putting you in your place and proving once again, the zone is its own entity and you need to respect it.

8/10

Nice review. This has now launched.

http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=22632

Anyone else wants to write a review, feel free.