S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

a.k.a. SSOC / Stalker / S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Cień Czarnobyla

published by THQ / GSC World Publishing in 2007-03-20, developed by GSC Game World, running on Windows
type: shooter
genre: Science Fiction, First-person shooter
series: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
setting: Future
perspective: 1st person
player options: single player, LAN, Internet
game engine: X-Ray Engine
languages: eng fre ita pol rus spa
4/5
GFXSFXPresent.ControlsMusicVoiceStoryObjectiveAtmos.
STEAM Powered

Official descriptions (2)

On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear accident occurred: Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power station exploded, releasing clouds of radioactive matter. Soviet authorities established a 30km 'Exclusion Zone' around this nuclear wasteland, but in 2006 a second explosion rocked the stricken reactor, obliterating all living things and causing the Zone's boundaries to ripple outwards. From this epicentre came waves of mutated creatures, deadly radiation and strange, anomalous energy. The Zone was cordoned off by the military who would shoot on sight anyone foolish enough to brave the horrors within.

It is now 2012 - man has ventured further and further into the heart of the Zone driven by reports of strange 'artifacts' imbued with anomalous energy. Mercenaries and bounty hunters compete to recover these artifacts, which command extortionate prices on the black market. Others seek to find the truth behind the Zone, whilst some merely revel in the desolate lawlessness of the place. Whatever their motivation, over time these individuals - Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killer, Explorers and Robbers - have become known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s.

Awakening in the Zone, you are one such S.T.A.L.K.E.R., fighting for survival in this man-made Hell, whilst trying to discover the truth behind Chernobyl's sinister past and ominous future.

* An immersive storyline seamlessly blended with a living, breathing, non-linear open-world environment governed by the revolutionary 'A-Life' system
* Accurately modelled real-word buildings and locations from deep inside the Chernobyl exclusion Zone
* Unique 'Survival FPS' gameplay: Combines action, stealth, survival and RPG elements to create an incomparable experience in the Zone
* Enemy Threat Evaluation AI system: NPC characters react dynamically to environments and situations
* Brutally realistic combat mechanics - weapons display accurate ballistic properties and can be modified with silencers and telescopic scopes
* Dynamic day/night and weather system directly impacts gameplay
* Advanced physics and dynamic lighting effects powered by the proprietary 'X-Ray Engine'
* Intense multiplayer action, supporting up to 32 players

THQ - # 2008-04-09 14:13:03 - official description - source
DESCRIPTION

Year 2012. Six years passed since the time of the Second catastrophe to have made the April events of 1986 fade.

The game is set in the Chernobyl exclusion zone which turned from a destiny-breaker place into a threat to all mankind. The Zone is reluctant to open up its mysteries and needs to be forced to do it. It is a rare hero who can reach the very heart of the Zone onto find out what danger awaits him there.

A danger which, compared to marauders and enemy groupings, all monsters and anomalies, will seem a mere preparation to the meeting with something more fatal and threatening.

But for now... get ready, hero. Collect artefacts and trade, grope your path and keep an eye on the rear, catch roentgens and fight – only make sure you survive! And then, perhaps, if you are persistent and truly lucky, you will find out why all this had fallen on you.

KEY FEATURES

* Living-and-breathing world: virtual monsters and stalkers migrate around the Zone, similarly to the player they are preoccupied with day-to-day things – feeding, fighting, looking for prey, trading, sleeping, taking rest
* Freedom of movement around the storyline, limited only by the player's will and abilities
* The world of post-Soviet environment
* Authentic objectives of the Chernobyl exclusion zone – the power engineers city of Pripyat, Chernobyl NPP, Chernobyl-2 complex of over-the-horizon detection and more
* Atmosphere of eerie mystery and constant danger
* Multiple game endings
* System of weather effects and dynamic day & night shift
* Photo-realistic graphics, adding to the game atmosphere immersion
* Realistic ballistics, extensive arsenal of real weapon prototypes
* Unique multiplayer modes implemented within the game entourage – artefacts collection, anomalies, radiation, weather effects, day & night change etc
* Extensive map editor possibilities for multiplayer gaming

GSC Game World - # 2007-05-11 12:11:45 - official description - source

Technical specs

display: textured polygons
Minimum:
* Windows 2000 SP4 or XP SP2
* Pentium IV 2 GHz or Athlon XP 2200+
* 512 MB RAM
* 128 MB VRAM (GeForce 5700 or Radeon 9600)
* 10 GB free HD space

Recommended:
* Core 2 Duo E6400 or Athlon 64 X2 4200+
* 1.5 GB RAM
* 256 MB VRAM (GeForce 7900 or Radeon X1950)

Maximum:
* Core2 Duo E6700 or AMD 64 X2 5200+
* 2 GB RAM
* 512 MB VRAM (GeForce 8800 or Radeon X2800)

Sanguine # 2008-03-20 20:20:39

Editor note

Working title: S. T. A. L. K. E. R.: Oblivion Lost

The European version uses SecuROM 7.x copy protection.
The Russian version uses StarForce 4 copy protection.

Trivia:
- Loosely based/influenced by the book Roadside Picnic.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber
- You can find at least one log entry speaking of a guy with a crowbar, named Freeman, who didn't talk (much). A reference to Gordon Freeman from Half-Life, as if he had visited The Zone.
Edit: Remembered it a bit wrong, here's a screenshot (not mine) of the log entry.


# 2007-06-27 11:08:28

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External reviews (2) - average: 82%

review sourceissuedatescore
IGN2007*8.2/1082%
Metacritic2007*82/10082%
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