The anomalies offer something other than a momentary lesson in anatomy. Scattered nearby you may find the aforementioned artefacts - by-products of an anomaly's mysterious power and said to be an amalgam of plant, mineral and animal matter. Whatever their ingredients, they possess strange but very useful powers, such as healing and protection from pockets of high radiation. However they typically come with an array of side effects, so you're forced to use them with caution.
If you're not happy with increased stamina at the expense of bleeding gums, you can exchange your artefacts with other characters and traders - the more rare the artefact, the higher its value. Indeed, everything you collect can be sold for cash or traded for other more useful items such as more vodka.
Vodka is a good thing, of that there can be no doubt. However, the game claims that the clear elixir has mild anti-radiation properties. Now, I've done some pretty wild stuff after drinking vodka - but I draw the line at walking into post-Chernobyl woodlands shielded with nothing more than a bottle of Stoli’.
The conversational and trading facets of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are but two pieces in the game's strong RPG element, and it's this role playing really sets it appears from the narrative-led Half-Life and shock and horror of Doom. To make serious progress you have to gain experience and reputation. You can choose to work with other Stalkers or you may prefer not to assist, and simply take care of yourself. These choices affect how the game plays, and how other characters react to you. You'll also find skill and ability levels, such as resistance to radiation, which can be affected by acquiring better equipment or using artefacts.
Combat is less haphazard than the typical FPS fare, as a quick glance at the bottom left of your display shows two indicators; one for noise and one for visibility. As you move through bushes quickly, the noise indicator spikes; less so if you walk slowly. If you step out of the bushes, the visibility will jump up. Needless to say, this makes a stealthy approach pretty straightforward to execute, assuming you're aware of the enemy's location, that is. The map indicator does show other characters, but only if you've seen them. Once they're out of sight for a while, they'll drop off your radar.
The game is visually striking: its expansive countryside battered by harsh weather and grass undulating in the relentless gusts; its derelict buildings and scrap yards are foreboding yet potentially full of valuable artefacts. There's no doubt that it was a solid decision to hold back the release of the game while the graphics engine was brought up to date. Given its age, few would have put up with five year-old graphics no matter how good the game was.
To truly enjoy the visuals, however, you'll have to equip your PC with a feisty graphics card and a fat lump of system memory, say, no less than 2GB. In the end I resorted to medium detail levels and basic lighting in order to maintain a suitable frame rate, disappointing given detail evident will all the graphical dials turned up to 11. Backing up the graphics is a fine audio accompaniment, especially the environmental effects like rain, thunder and wind. Indeed, the rain effects are so convincing that one of the team was peering out of the window in search of the downpour.
To the casual gamer looking for a straight-up shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is very likely going to disappoint. Progress can be tough, frustratingly so at times, and you'll get nowhere if you don't invest some effort in the role-playing element. Powerful weapons and ammo can be scarce, so forward planning on even the most trivial of assaults is essential. You're certain be saving progress regularly, though because of the dynamic environment you can never be sure what to expect from one restart to the next. For those who want more than just "twitch" gameplay from their shooters, these are the real-life elements that make the game more than just another FPS.
SPOnG Score: 87%
If you're looking to unravel the secrets of the Zone, you'd better be ready to work for the game. This is a game that commands weeks of playtime to thoroughly uncover its vast environment and haunting tale. Unlike Half-Life, this story isn't spoon fed as you work from level to level - with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. you've got to take time to get to know your fellow inhabitants, even break bread over the camp fire. If you want to experience the full might of the game's visuals, you're going to have to trade up to that grunty graphics card and additional memory. However, as the saying goes, you get out what you put in, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. really does have a lot to give.
Welcome to Chernobyl
Vodka is a good thing, of that there can be no doubt. However, the game claims that the clear elixir has mild anti-radiation properties. Now, I've done some pretty wild stuff after drinking vodka - but I draw the line at walking into post-Chernobyl woodlands shielded with nothing more than a bottle of Stoli’.
Getting down with the brethren
Boo!
The game is visually striking: its expansive countryside battered by harsh weather and grass undulating in the relentless gusts; its derelict buildings and scrap yards are foreboding yet potentially full of valuable artefacts. There's no doubt that it was a solid decision to hold back the release of the game while the graphics engine was brought up to date. Given its age, few would have put up with five year-old graphics no matter how good the game was.
To truly enjoy the visuals, however, you'll have to equip your PC with a feisty graphics card and a fat lump of system memory, say, no less than 2GB. In the end I resorted to medium detail levels and basic lighting in order to maintain a suitable frame rate, disappointing given detail evident will all the graphical dials turned up to 11. Backing up the graphics is a fine audio accompaniment, especially the environmental effects like rain, thunder and wind. Indeed, the rain effects are so convincing that one of the team was peering out of the window in search of the downpour.
Sparkling conversation
SPOnG Score: 87%
If you're looking to unravel the secrets of the Zone, you'd better be ready to work for the game. This is a game that commands weeks of playtime to thoroughly uncover its vast environment and haunting tale. Unlike Half-Life, this story isn't spoon fed as you work from level to level - with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. you've got to take time to get to know your fellow inhabitants, even break bread over the camp fire. If you want to experience the full might of the game's visuals, you're going to have to trade up to that grunty graphics card and additional memory. However, as the saying goes, you get out what you put in, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. really does have a lot to give.