"Has potential, but ultimately falls WELL short"

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (referred to as just STALKER from now on) is a game that has had a very tumultuous 6 year development cycle, and it definitely shows.

STALKER is best described as an RPG/FPS (think Oblivion, in a present day setting with mutants and the like). The game takes place in an area surrounding Chernobyl called "The Zone", after a second nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in 2006 (20 years after the first). The Zone has been quarantined by the government, and no one is allowed in or out.

However, as time passes, people manage to slip into The Zone and find rare artifacts created by the highly-radioactive Zone and sell them. This profession becomes widespread and known as "Stalker".

That's where you come in... you're a Stalker with amnesia and one mission on your PDA: "Find and kill Strelok".

Graphics
A mixed bag. Environments for the most part are very good looking. The HDR lighting is pretty impressive, and the shadows in this game are FANTASTIC.

Unfortunately, character and creature models are severely lacking (looking like something out of Unreal 2). It seems as though they've been using the same models for the 6 years the game has been in development!

Graphics: 7

Sound
In short: very good. The vast array of weapons available all sound spot-on, and the ambient effects throughout the game are very well done. Lightning, rain, the sounds of the anomalies (see Gameplay section for more on anomalies), the creatures... they all sound great.

HOWEVER, while all the sounds in the game are great, they DO tend to get a little on the annoying side. The most annoying aspect being repetition. In the wilderness, I've heard the same monster cries at least one hundred times, the same chatter in camps, etc.

All in all, it's still pretty good.

Sound: 9

Gameplay
This is where the game falls apart. The game suffers from a "just finished" feel, as if there was no real beta testing of the game. It's a buggy game that is almost a chore to play through.

If you've played either Morrowind or Oblivion, then you have a good idea of how the game plays. You're given missions by people in the world, there's a wide-open world for you to explore, and there is an overarching storyline that you should follow IF you wish to "complete" the game.

There's an inventory system in STALKER, as well. It's a mix of Resident Evil and Oblivion's inventory system: there's a limit to how much you can carry based on the space you can see in your inventory (Resident Evil), and there's also a limit based on the weight of your items (Oblivion).

However, that is where similarities end. The fighting aspect of the gameplay is something reminiscent to most recent FPSes. However, it's not done as well. The guns in this game, for the most part, are awful. I've never seen guns this bad at accuracy since Half-Life 2's pistol. Fortunately, later in the game the guns get much better, but not by much.

Missions are a chore, seeing as how the "wide-open" world of STALKER isn't wide-open at all. The Zone is separated into about 7 or 8 zones that require you to load before the next "level" or "zone". It's still a pretty big world, but what's the reason for this? To top things off, there is NO fast travel option whatsoever, nor any mode of transport other than on foot. Even worse, the missions in this game are pointless. You don't get much in rewards other than money and an occasional (useless) artifact.

Also spread throughout the world are what are called "anomalies". These are freaks of nature spawned by the second Chernobyl explosion. Think of them as mines. You walk into them, something bad is going to happen. There's lightning anomalies, fire anomalies, tornado anomalies (the best to watch), and few others. For the most part, they're nothing more than a nuisance, but once in a while they're cool to watch.

Another element borrowed is the PDA (Doom 3). However, unlike Doom 3's, the PDA in STALKER is nothing short of AWFUL. It's the most clunky piece of crap I've ever used in a videogame. It barely works, rarely points you in the right direction, and is just horrible.

In the end... gameplay is pretty bad. They decided to cut out all the wrong things from the game (vehicles, RPG elements to increase your inventory, better guns, and overall a game that doesn't run like crap), and it shows. What's left is playable, but only after a plethora of crashes, stuttering, and tons and tons of bugs.

Gameplay: 4

Story
Your character ("Marked One")suffers from amnesia, and you only have one mission on your PDA: Find and kill Strelok.

As your journey through The Zone continues, you will be getting more and more insight into who this Strelok is and where he can be. It's quite obvious where the story is going, though (Spoiler: think Knights of the Old Republic).

There's more to it (I.E. What is The Zone?), but believe me, it's not worth your time.

Story: 2

As I said, this game had potential. It's unfortunate that throughout all these years of development, that they decided to cut out elements that would've more than likely been a huge help for this game (vehicles, more RPG elements, etc.).

The fact that the game is as unpolished as unpolished can be doesn't help, either. Still, the story is pretty damn bad and even if the game was perfect (aside from the story)... it'd still be a lacking experience, overall. 6 years for this?

In that case, keep Duke Nukem Forever. I've got better games to spend my time on.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 04/05/07