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Things level out slightly as you progress, but I never felt certain that I’d come out of an encounter alive a good thing in many people’s eyes, but boy is it frustrating at times. This in turn makes large encounters incredibly tough, particularly early on when you’re running around with what might as well be a spud gun. It doesn’t help that enemies seem invincible during hit animations, meaning you must wait for them to stand tall again before going in for the kill. Firing weapons is perhaps the game’s biggest weakness they feel weedy and often lack the precision of enemies who are using the exact same tools. certainly isn’t going to win any awards for its gunplay. It’s this atmosphere that’ll keep you hooked as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. You’re always left waiting… dreading what’s coming next. After this single event you’ll be expecting an onslaught, but that’s not the case. You’ll have been playing mutant-free for a good while, only to be suddenly startled. You’ll see lots of mutated animals roaming the grasslands, but you know they’re around and become used to them – it’s the guys that leap out from nowhere that freak you out. It’s the mutants that really send shivers down your spine, and the fact that they crop up so rarely simply adds to the often unbearable tension. These human enemies cause you problems, but they’re no different to enemies in your standard FPS.
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Green quite obviously indicates safety, meaning such a character will be friendly, while red means hostility and every chance that they’ll shoot you on sight. How they react to you depends on their hostility rating, with a simple ‘green, yellow, red’ system informing you of their feelings. Things aren’t taken to hardcore RPG levels but there’s a definite sense that you need to do all you can to survive – looting items from corpses included.Īs you wander the land in search of items and people on your objectives list (handily detailed on your PDA) you’ll encounter numerous other stalkers. Being in such close proximity to radiation (signalled by bleeps on your Geiger counter) isn’t good for your health, so it’s important to keep stock of the essential medicine, as well as food to keep your strength up. Should you be carrying more than you can handle, your character will be unable to move, so you’re often forced to discard surplus items or trade them. You’re given an RPG-like inventory system, complete with weight restriction and numerous non-weapon items.
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A storyline does run throughout, but numerous side missions serve as a way to prolong the game and to add background information to the mysterious goings on. The game revolves around you receiving new missions from various NPCs, allowing you to earn money, items and new info. Nuclear disasters have turned the area into a barren wilderness, filled with artefact-hunting characters and vicious mutants. casts you as a nameless man who’s looking for information on “the zone” – the area in which the game is set. You’re not confined to dimly lit hallways, but the wide open spaces provided by Chernobyl’s fall-out zone, and the mutated creatures that live there prove every bit as nerve-racking. might look like a first-person shooter – albeit one in a large, free-roaming world – it’s really an evolution of the classic survival horror genre. Survival horror games have traditionally excelled at putting you in tight spots against freakish enemies, while limiting your weapon supply to a rubbish pistol and a knife – if you’re lucky you’d get a torch as well.