S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Preview @ PCWorld

[HiddenX]

Couchpotato spotted a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 preview at PCWorld:

STALKER 2 preview: A cult classic meets Unreal Engine 5

Tough like Dark Souls, apocalyptic like the Fallout series. Could Stalker 2 be the atmospheric hit of 2024?

We wake up in a daze, the sky above us turning an ominous red color. We hear a loud growl, which gets louder in the first few minutes of Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl. A mutated dog is nibbling on our leg; it has probably chosen it as its lunch. Its eyes are glowing red, its fur is rotting, its flesh is rotting. Never mind, get rid of it - one kick later, the mutant dog flies into an anomaly and shreds in a violent blood blister.

It's like throwing a tomato into a blender, but there are no tomatoes here. Instead, there's plenty of eye-candy thanks to Unreal Engine 5: abandoned buildings flooded with deep, wintry light; threadbare forests punctuated by oily, shimmering bubbles of distorted reality; patches of quiet humanity sprawling across the wilderness.

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More information.

 

[Redglyph]

That's one of the 3 I voted for 'most anticipated 2024'. I hope they reproduce the atmosphere and gameplay of the original game.

 

[skally_wag]

I'm getting that Metro vibe, no bad thing by any means.
Also in my top 3 anticipated.

 

[Couchpotato]

Here's another recent article.

Stalker 2: Can it ever deliver on the enormous potential built up over the years?

I can’t stop asking myself whether Stalker 2 can truly live up to the legendary status of its predecessors.

www.vg247.com

 

[JDR13]

I'm getting that Metro vibe, no bad thing by any means.
Also in my top 3 anticipated.

I'd be fine with something similar to the Metro games. A lot of Stalker fans consider them inferior, but I just consider them different.

 

[Gwendo]

for those who read the preview: is it based on new info or is it just a rant with several months old info? If it's the latter, I'd prefer to skip it and not waste my time.

 

[Leoking]

is it based on new info or is it just a rant with several months old info? If it's the latter, I'd prefer to skip it and not waste my time.

Here's the cliff notes summary of the preview article:

• STALKER 2: HEART OF CHERNOBYL, powered by Unreal Engine 5, offers stunning visuals and atmospheric environments, combining horror and paradisiacal scenarios.
• The game is a hardcore shooter that emphasizes realism, requiring players to think tactically and survive in a dangerous world.
• The AI in STALKER 2 is intelligent and poses a real challenge, throwing grenades and adapting strategies to eliminate the player.
• The story follows the player in the Zone, where they wake up naked and destitute, joining stalkers, doing jobs, and searching for powerful artifacts.

 

[JDR13]

• The story follows the player in the Zone, where they wake up naked and destitute

I'm used to starting an adventure with little more than rags and a stick, but these guys are apparently taking it a step further.