S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - Spoiler-Free

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl attempts to be a free-roaming FPS/RPG hybrid and for the most part pulls it off nicely in an amazing world based on an original idea. In 1986, the Chernobyl meltdown was a terrible tragedy that cost the U.S.S.R. many lives and a small fortune. To this day, it is a radioactive wasteland that is silent and devoid of life.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you play in an alternate reality where there was yet another meltdown in 1989 that caused quite a bit of mutation among the wildlife and created some strange anomolies in the landscape that have tremendous amounts of radiation and some bad effects. The game is loosely based on a book called "Roadside Picnic" by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. A movie in 1979 titled "Stalker" was vaguely based on that book.

The main premise is that people enter the area around Chernobyl and look for "Artifacts", these are strange items created in the anomolies that can give the possessor a boost in various stats or be sold and traded around the area. The entire area is cordoned off by the Ukranian military and they don't appreciate the "Stalkers" who are there looking for artifacts. They will shoot on sight most of the time and only a few of them can be bargained with.

I don't want to spoil the main story so I won't elaborate too much on that in this review. You play as "The Marked One". You wake up with amnesia in the middle of the zone and begin some missions to find out what exactly is going on. The game is fairly open-ended. You can follow the main storyline or do odd jobs and just explore. It is the standard FPS view where you look through the character's eyes. You have a geiger counter and you will suffer greatly if you aren't protected against radiation in certain areas. It's best to avoid the radioactive hot spots until you are prepared.

The Characters

There are many factions in the game that you will interact with and fight. Some of them you can join and most of them have a pretty good memory so if you run around killing their friends they won't be very forgiving. There are bandits who attack you and the other factions randomly. The Military who don't like the fact that people are in their area in the first place. The Freedom and The Duty, two opposing factions vying for control and Scientists who appreciate help when they can get it. Mercenaries also dot the landscape and try to control strategic points. You will run into some other odd groups as well that will either want you dead or want your help.

The Wildlife

Wandering the area are many different types of animals that have been exposed to great amounts of radiation. There are blind dogs that run in packs and are very smart. If you come across one or two of them, they might run away. If you stumble into a pack of them however, they just might decide to circle you and rip you to shreds. Pseudodogs are similar to the blind dogs but are very large and much more aggressive. In addition to these, there are psychic beings called Controllers, Poltergeists, Snorks, and many more. I won't get into much detail to avoid spoilers.

The Items

The weaponry is mostly what you could find at your local gun and pawn shop. There are pistols, rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and some futuristic stuff. Everyone has their own type of preferred weapon type so find what works and stick with it. There is armor you can buy or find in hidden caches as well. You have your average assortment of bandages to stop bleeding, medkits to heal your health, and food. If you don't eat every once in a while you will die. The artifacts you collect have a number of benefits. Some will help deflect bullets, some will increase the distance you can run, and others will help resist various types of attacks such as bites/scratches and environmental hazards. Unfortunately, after a few hours, if you mess around a lot it is easy to amass quite a fortune in cash and there isn't a whole lot to buy. Some modifications by fans help in this area.

My Opinion

I have heard about this game for around 5 years now and followed it in development. A great deal of features was left out of the finished product such as vehicles, sleeping (there is still night and day), and more. Luckily, this game is open for modifications and there are tons of them currently out and being developed. Much like Oblivion, the fans will contribute a ton of content and will help the game grow and get better. The fighting is very cool as weapons are all different, the ballistics are based on real life so you really have to get a feel for where your shots are going to go. The enemies are quite smart and will flank you, sneak up behind you, and do anything they can to stay alive. Ammunition is scarce for many weapons and you will run out at the worst possible time. Weapons might jam, your armor might wear out, there are tons of ways to get yourself in trouble.

Overall, I highly recommend this game as it's not your typical FPS where you go from point A to point B shooting everything in sight. It is a wonderful change of pace and an imaginative setting. I wish more games would come out with as much freedom as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.