They say hope is the first step on the road to disappointment, and reader, I’ve made a pretty damn big step. Previously, on my mission to survive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl with only wild mutants as my weapons, I’d discovered clues that someone else was attempting to tame the Zone’s beastly inhabitants. With one of their electronic tracking collars in hand and absolutely no preexisting knowledge of their location, I set out to find this kindred spirit, only for the Zone to once again slam a door in my face.
A cold, steel, very literal door to boot. It turns out that the scientist’s laboratory is locked up tight, and will remain so until I delve about twenty hours deeper into the faction war that’s bubbled up while I’ve been running around throwing irradiated rats at people in tracksuits. Fine. Fine! But I’m keeping the collar.
]]>After a failure-riddled start, my attempt to turn S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s mutants into beasts of war is finally bearing fruit. I’ve engineered a Bloodsucker attack that wiped out the worst of villains – someone who was mean to me – and I’ve progressed far enough to really open up the map, and with it, access to more of the Zone’s fiercest fleshwarps.
Also, rats. Buoyed by the successful Bloodsucker siccing, I’m back on the trail of some mysterious anomaly scanners, and word is I might find a lead inside a local maze of wrecked cars. It’s heavily guarded by some gangster types, but for once, I won’t have to dash off in search of some far-off muties and coax them back here using my neck as bait. Mercifully, a gaggle of overgrown rodents are already hopping around right outside the labyrinth’s entrance. I beckon them in like a bouncer on his last day, then sprint past the stunned gunmen, who can barely shoulder their rifles before being set upon by a pack of giant carnivorous hamsters.
]]>There’s an awful lot behind this door, lemme tell ya. Hours of adventure, of tension, of action, of sci-fi strangeness. It’ll be great. Unfortunately the door itself is bugged out so you’ll need to reload a quicksave or something to get it open.
]]>When last we left myself, on a mission to survive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 by weaponising its monsters instead of shooting its guns, my one-with-nature experiment was yielding mixed results. At best. I’d successfully lured some bandits into the deadly lair of a bucket-tossing Poltergeist, but several attempts at more actively siccing mutated pigs on the Zone’s human baddies had all failed, even when I’d seemed to actually tame one.
Now, my only friend lay dead at my feet, and I’m in dire need of some new beasts to master. And some cash. It turns out that a fighting style that involves letting shopping trolley-sized swine creatures chew on my heels is bad for the ol’ HP, and having recently blown my savings on half a sausage, I’m forced to shift focus from my current debt collection mission towards a means to fill my own coffers.
]]>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl challenges you to survive the Zone, a land where the rules of nature are more like half-hearted suggestions and death may come from a mutant’s fang as quickly as a bandit’s bullet. But what if you could not only survive it, but tame it?
I am Bohdan Beastmaster, aspiring wrangler of all the radiation-twisted insults to God that occupy the Zone. One of its rogue Artifacts exploded my flat, and rather than find a place on SpareRoom, I’ve gone for the easier and safer option of venturing into the wilds of Chornobyl – armed not with rusty AKs or scavenged grenades but the teeth and claws of my mutant soon-to-be companions. The absence of any actual fauna-influencing tools or techniques only makes my plan even simpler: find beasts, aggro beasts onto human enemies, win.
]]>The enemies of survival shooter Stalker 2 have a funny habit of showing up right behind you, like a panto villain with an AK-47. Far from being a premeditated ambush by intelligent AI-controlled soldiers, this is just a result of the game's janky spawns. Those botched encounters are unlike previous games, where roaming bands of factional murderfolk would patrol the radioactive wastes, seemingly according to their own whims. Back in the day, this wandering baddies feature was dubbed "A-life" by developers GSC Game World - basically a jargon word for the simulation of enemies that would lead to "emergent" moments of violence and conflict. It was promised as a feature in Stalker 2 but many players have noticed it seems to be absent. Over the weekend, GSC insisted the simulation is technically present in the sequel. It's just broken.
]]>Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl has been in the wild for almost a week now, and it’s a great, if predictably somewhat shonky time, is the word on the street. Literally, that’s what the streets are saying. “It’s good! A bit shonky, though!” opined my postman this morning, enunciating each syllable by yanking the package further from my grasp. “Don’t worry!” I said. “A patch for the FPS is coming next week”. “That’s cheered me right up, that has! Thank god for games journalists!” he replied. Then the whole street started cheering and bringing me various baked goods. It was a delicious time, and here’s the notes from the delicious patch:
]]>Want to know how to stash your items in Stalker so they won't disappear? Historically in the Stalker series, you've been able to stash items in any old container strewn about the Zone - but there's no guarantee that your loot will be there when you return.
Fortunately, there's a way to make sure all your belongings are safe, while still freeing up your inventory to avoid the crushing despair of overencumbrance. In the guide below, we'll explain how to stash items in Stalker 2 using your magical Personal Stash found in most major settlements.
]]>The mutant enemies in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl are very hungry. Hungry not only for your flesh, but also all the bullets in your AK-47. It can take entire clips of ammo to take down some of these tough beasts, and you get nothing back for killing this wildlife except the hollow satisfaction of pest control. Alongside the bugs and performance issues, it's a common enough complaint to players of the first-person survival shooter that it's already been addressed by a modder, who has created a tweak to lower the health of various dogs, boars, and bloodsuckers.
]]>Should you kill Solder or simply knock him out in Stalker 2's main story mission, "Behind Seven Seals"? You might remember Solder from the prologue of Stalker 2 - he's the guy who spoke to you on the radio, telling you where to plant the scanner you were lugging around. After it becomes clear that you were betrayed, your task is to enter the compound known as the Sphere in order to interrogate Solder.
Once you find and overpower Solder beneath the Sphere, he tells you that he was just a pawn, and a man named Nestor is the man behind it all. Then, you have the option to either kill him, or simply knock him out. But which is the best choice? Read the guide below to find out what happens if you kill Solder, and whether he'll appear later on in your Stalker 2 playthrough if you leave him alive.
]]>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl stays largely faithful to the original series’ bleak yet inquisitive tone and propensity for technical problems, but there’s another, much smaller feature that it also brings back: silly titles for its lesser NPCs. All the major and side characters are, indeed, characters, but rather than leave inconsequential henchmen and roving bandits nameless, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 assigns Zone-merc handles to each and every one of them. Some try to sound badass, some might as well have been chosen by the owner panickedly looking around the room for something to name himself after, and all of them sound like they should be on the actor's wall in Toast of London.
Because your life partly depends on relieving slain foes of their belongings, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 encourages you to get up close and looty with these blokes, meaning you end up spending a lot of time reading goofy nicknames. I thought I’d pay tribute to the best ones I’ve seen so far, even if the majority of these honours will need to be given posthumously.
]]>I’ll stand by my review when I say that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is worth playing, in spite of it the many and varied ways in which it’s utterly broken. To be clear, though, it is utterly broken, in many and varied ways.
That makes my usual new-game performance analysis/settings guide song and dance harder to pull off, with or without the appropriate soundtrack. Is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in such dire technical straits that we should wait for a few patches before giving it a shake? And how can its best settings be anointed if some, particularly FSR 3 frame generation, simply don’t work as they should?
]]>Wondering whether to give the religious icon in Stalker 2 to Pomor or Mityay? As soon as you enter Zalissya in Stalker 2, there's a good chance you'll stumble upon "The Poppy Field" side-quest. Speak to Mityay in Warlock's bar, and he'll ask you to bring back a religious icon of his from a root cellar in the dangerous sleep-inducing Poppy Field.
But as you approach the Poppy Field, a man named Pomor will speak to you. He will offer to exchange the religious icon for a special weapon. Which gives rise to the question: should you give the icon to Pomor or Mityay? Which path offers the best rewards? Read on to find out!
]]>Wondering whether to side with the Ninth in Stalker 2? "The Lost Boys" side quest in the Lesser Zone of Stalker 2 takes you on a journey to find Mastiff's missing group of looters. After finding Max Saturday, he'll tell you his group was attacked by a Monolithian, who then took Mastiff back to his "haunted house".
But if you speak to the Monolithian (called the Ninth), he'll present a rather different version of events. He's no longer a Monolithian, and it wasn't he who killed Mastiff's men; it was a poltergeist. The Ninth brought Mastiff back to his hideout to treat him and keep him alive. The question is: should the Ninth be trusted?
In this guide, we'll explore the different options when it comes to siding with the Ninth and defending him against the attack from Dew and his group, and whether it's best to help save the Ninth, whether to help Dew attack the Ninth's hideout, or whether to just back out of the whole encounter and let them sort things out themselves.
]]>Stuck trying to examine the workshop in Stalker 2? Once you reach the second main region of Stalker 2, Garbage, it won't take long before you come across the Tech named Diode in Slag Heap. He sends you on a quest called "The Price Goes Up", and everyone always gets confused at the same point in this quest: how to examine the workshop for any clues.
If you're anything like me, you've probably spent the past few minutes at the workshop, looking at the locked door which requires a keycard to open, then looking all around the room trying to find a keycard that will fit. No dice. If you want the solution to this puzzle, keep reading and we'll show you how to examine the workshop in Stalker 2.
]]>Want to get your hands on some of the best weapons in the Zone early on in Stalker 2? The Stalker series has always given players a remarkable freedom to go where you please and play how you like, which means there's very little stopping you from forging out in any direction you like after the prologue. So, why not spend your first few hours getting ahead of the game by hunting down some of Stalker 2's best guns?
Below we've put together a list of 6 excellent weapons, ranging from sniper rifles to shotguns and pistols, all of which you can obtain in the early regions of Stalker 2. Have a read through, and if you like the look of any gun in particular then you can follow our steps on how to lay your hands on it!
]]>Wondering how to increase your carry weight limit in Stalker 2? Inventory management is an important part of the Stalker series. You can see your current inventory weight in the coloured bar below your inventory in Stalker 2, and if you hit any of the coloured thresholds, you'll begin to get overencumbered by the weight of all your gear.
While overencumbered, your movement speed will be decreased, your stamina will deplete faster, and it will refill more slowly. If you go beyond your max weight limit (80kg by default), then you'll be unable to move until you throw some stuff out of your inventory. It's not a good situation to be in, but thankfully there are ways to increase your carry weight capacity, both temporarily and permanently. Read our guide below to learn all the ways to improve your carrying capacity in Stalker 2!
]]>Looking for all the Journalist's Stash locations in Stalker 2? If you bought the Deluxe Edition of Stalker 2, then after completing an early main quest you'll automatically be given a new side quest called "Ask And You Shall Find". If you check your private stash once you receive this quest, you'll find a mysterious flash drive containing a recording from the Journalist.
This Journalist has hidden numerous special stashes across various regions of the Zone, and invites you in the recording to seek them out for a variety of high-quality and unique gear - the special items of the Deluxe Edition. It's very well worth finding all of them, because some of the loot you get from these Journalist's Stashes are truly excellent. But for some of these Stashes, it's easier said than done to actually find them.
In this guide, we'll show you exactly how to reach all 12 of the Journalist's Stash locations scattered about Stalker 2. We'll also reveal what loot you'll find inside each of these Stashes, so you can prioritise the most valuable gear for your playthrough.
]]>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl is out today. As you may have read, it's on the buggy side. Buggier than a bucketful of locusts. Buggier than Kafka's Metamorphosis. In our S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl review, wasteland wanderer James called it "easily the most borked FPS I've played in years", detailing such issues as HUD elements disappearing, stuttery performance, flashing textures and character mouths not working properly.
]]>Wondering whether to kill Squint in Stalker 2? Squint is a Stalker you'll meet early on in the main story of Stalker 2, in the quest "A Needle In A Haystack". Your aim is to get the Ward Sensors that are on Squint's person, but whether you take them by force or gain them as a reward for completing his errand, the choice is yours. But which choice is better really?
In this guide, we'll walk you through every outcome of killing Squint or leaving him alive during either of your encounters in the "A Needle In A Haystack" quest. So if you want to know which is the best outcome from a material or a moral standpoint, keep reading!
]]>Want to learn how to repair weapons and items in Stalker 2? Durability is a harsh mistress in Stalker 2. With each shot, guns will increase their likelihood of jamming at a pivotal moment. With each hit you take, your armour will become less resistant to dangers of all types. If you spend a few hours playing and forget to think of repairing items once, then you'll find your chances of survival in the Zone dwindle rather quickly.
Thankfully, there are places you can go to repair your weapons and gear, and keep them in tip-top condition. Unfortunately, it's rather expensive to do so, and the people who can do it for you aren't enormously easy to come by. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to repair items in Stalker 2, and why it is important to do so.
]]>Want to fast travel between regions in Stalker 2? Historically, fast travel has never existed within the Stalker franchise, but all that changes with Stalker 2. Diehard fans need not worry too much about fast travel trivialising exploration, though. Turns out, you need to both reach a certain point in the main story of Stalker 2, and also have a fair bit of money on-hand each time you want to fast travel.
Read on for a full guide on the limited fast travel system that Stalker 2 uses, and how to fast travel between settlements whenever you like!
]]>Should you give the Ward Sensors to Richter or Captain Zotov in Stalker 2? Stalker 2 has a great many minor choices to choose between, and a small handful of very important choices. And the very first choice with important, real consequences is deciding who to give the Ward Sensors you procure from Squint in the "A Needle In A Haystack" main quest.
Both these characters reside in Zalissya at this early point in Stalker 2. Richter is a fellow Stalker like you, whereas Captain Zotov is a member of the militaristic Ward who are temporarily occupying Zalissya for an investigation after Squint killed a number of their men. But who is the best person to give the Ward Sensors to?
The Ward Sensors decision affects the next several hours of Stalker 2's story, so keep reading to learn everything you need to know to make the right decision for your playthrough.
]]>Looking for more ammo in Stalker 2? The Zone can be a punishing place, and it's not just food and vodka that you need a healthy supply of in Stalker 2. Ammo can become rather scarce if you're not careful, which can leave you in a very bad spot when the next group of bandits or mutants come a-knocking.
There are two parts to always making sure you have enough ammo. First is to conserve existing ammo where possible. Use your pistol to conserve primary ammunition, and consider switching your rifles to single-shot mode instead of full-auto mode. But even then, you might still run low on ammo, particularly in the early game. So you'll need to understand how to easily get more ammo of the right type. Follow the below guide to learn how to get ammo in Stalker 2.
]]>Looking to upgrade your weapons and gear in Stalker 2? Stalker's gunplay has always been very important to the legacy of the series, and part of that legacy is rooted in the ability to customise your weapons as you like, through specialised upgrades and attachments. For players new to the series though, it's not always clear how to upgrade your weapons in the ways that you want in Stalker 2. The process feels a little unintuitive at first, but once it's explained, it's pretty easy to follow.
In this guide, we'll explain how to upgrade weapons in Stalker 2 - and further to that, we'll go over how to add attachments to your guns, such as scopes, extended magazines, silencers, and so on. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be able to ensure that your favourite weapons progress alongside you, and stay relevant throughout your Stalker 2 playthrough.
]]>Confused about how to use Bolts in Stalker 2? Stalker veterans may be well versed in the art of using Bolts against anomalies. But for new players starting their journey in Stalker 2, it can be rather bewildering when you're first tossed a Bolt and expected to do something life-saving with it. This point arises early on in the game, just after the prologue, where you awaken surrounded by dangerous anomalies and the only tool at your disposal is a simple Bolt.
Turns out, the purpose of Bolts is very simple, and using them is even simpler. In this quick guide we'll walk you through how to use Bolts and when you should be using them in Stalker 2.
]]>Wondering how to open the Electric Field Safe in Stalker 2? The Zone in Stalker 2 is jam-packed full of well-hidden and well-defended Stashes, but few are as initially confusing as the Electric Field Safe, found inside the Electric Field a short distance southeast of the Slag Heap. Getting to the building itself is tricky, given the many electrical anomalies on the ground surrounding the building. But the true issue is how to get inside the safe itself.
To open this safe, you need a code, but there is no indication nearby of the code itself - no scrawled writing on a note, no etchings in a banister... So how are you meant to open the safe? Read on to learn the four-digit code you need to open the Electric Field Safe in Stalker 2, and the clue you may have missed which leads you to the solution.
]]>Wondering whether to kill the Shah or Roosevelt in Stalker 2's "King Of The Hill" quest? This main quest takes place early on in the story, within Garbage - the second major region of the Zone which you explore as Skif. In it, you must gain information from a kingpin called Varan, but first he wants you to do him a favour: kill either of his rivals, the other kingpins vying for control of the region.
One way or another, you need the information that Varan has in order to progress the story. But which is the correct choice? As it turns out, you have more options than you may think. In the guide below, we'll walk you through what happens if you kill the Shah, Roosevelt, both, or even neither - and which is the best choice for your own Stalker 2 playthrough.
]]>We’re probably all past "And in the game" jokes by now, but it is fitting that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl is about venturing into a shattered world and enduring the worst of its logic-defying hardships to find the treasures within. This is a bold, uncompromising survival FPS that can easily capture you for days on end – but I can’t invite you back into the Zone without hammering in a few hundred warning signs reading "DANGER: BUGS". In Ukrainian, obviously.
]]>Looking for a Stalker 2 multiplayer mode? Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl sets you up as a Stalker, set to survive 'The Zone', an open-world post-apocalypse area full of dangers like mutants, anomalies and dangerous factions vying for power. Amongst this chaos, you may find yourself wishing for some company to help shoulder the burden of survival.
If you're enjoying the single-player story but wondering if there is a Stalker 2 multiplayer or co-op mode, we have all the details listed below.
]]>Looking for the Stalker 2 release time? Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl is set to release on November 20 across Xbox and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, GOG, Xbox Store and Game Pass.
If you're looking forward to donning the shoes of Skif and exploring the Eastern European post-apocalyptic setting known as 'The Zone' then see below for all release times across all major time zones.
]]>A stupid inside joke I had with a housemate once was asking each other if we were "born in Chornobyl?" as a play on "were you born in a barn?" whenever either of us left the lights on before leaving the flat. This doesn’t make too much sense now I think about it, but such things rarely do. A more accurate jab, in hindsight, might have been "you been running S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl at full specs or something?", because based on the upcoming FPS’s new system requirements, you’re going to need a reasonably laissez-faire attitude to literally any other concern in your life that doesn’t involve acquiring a notably juice-guzzling rig.
]]>Oh, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Mere weeks from release after years of delays, plopped in front of me at a cramped, lightly vibrating Gamescom booth, and you still won’t reveal your secrets. I did get to play a brief whizz through GSC Game World’s eerie FPS – enough to feel encouraged, even – but be it time constraints or the darkness of my nighttime raid into the radioactive Zone, I would have liked to have quite literally seen more.
Then again, keeping the mystery intact may have been the point all along. "As a game director, I want to hide everything from the player", GSC’s CEO Ievgen Grygorovych had told me minutes earlier. "I'm fighting with the marketing team because they want to show as much as possible!"
]]>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the beautifully grotty sci-fi shooter sequel from Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, has been delayed once again. It’s a relatively good-spirited delay, though: first off, it’s not that long, with the previously planned September 5th launch pushed back just a few weeks to November 20th. There’s also clever little in-universe announcement video (one which gives the fourth wall a study kick on its way out), and an accompanying promise of a meaty "developer deep dive video", set to reveal much more of the game’s radioactive hellscape on August 12th.
]]>S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the long-awaited sequel to the FPS that perhaps emanates the most shame in my backlog, has a new combat-focused trailer showing off the many dangers of the enigmatic Zone. You’ll also be pleased to know that the release date remains the same as the previous announcement: September 5th 2024, where it will be coming to Game Pass day one. Here’s the tray-tray:
]]>Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl's release date is September 5th 2024, GSC Game World have announced, as the developers make some final adjustments to a post-apocalyptic FPS that was revealed way back in 2010 and has been racked by more than its fair share of setbacks and changes of circumstances. They've published a new trailer to mark the occasion, in which a group of the game's quarantine zone mercenaries squat around a campfire, supping mugs of what probably isn't cocoa, and listening to guitar music. It strikes a fitting note of world-weariness.
]]>Happy New Year, folks! Have you recovered from the all the 100+ hour RPGs that came out last year? Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that everyone seems to be taking a bit of a breather in 2024, because (at time of writing at least) the official "big'uns" calendar is looking remarkably slim at the moment. There are still some heavy-hitters coming our way this year, such as Avowed, Star Wars Outlaws and Path Of Exile 2, but 2024 looks like another year where it will be the smaller, independent games that shine the brightest. They certainly make up the bulk of our most anticipated games list for 2024, which the RPS Treehouse has been feverishly putting together over the last few days. The bad news is that there are still loads of great games coming out. So come, join us, and see what's on our personal wishlists for 2024.
]]>Devs GSC Game World are going through an unimaginably difficult time right now on top of leaks and hacker attacks. That has to be taken into account when we think about the development of the game, and it could be why, after 20-minutes spent exploring a bit of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl's irradiated world, I'm unsure what to make of it.
Maybe I played a very early build, but while the world itself looks every bit the eerie post apocalyptic survival wasteland you hope, NPC interactions aren't in as great shape. Chats with friendlies are unclear, and in firefights the enemy AI is shonky - to the extent that I think it'll be more useful as a preview to just tell you exactly what happened to me as I played.
]]>The Ukrainian studio working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart Of Chernobyl, GSC Game World, have confirmed that early development materials from the game have been leaked online, following “about a year and a half” worth of attacks from a Russian hacking group. GSC say that the materials aren’t “release-ready,” but looking at the leaked clips may “ruin your experience of exploring the Zone.”
]]>GSC Game World, the Ukrainian devs working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chernobyl, have claimed that one of their employees has been hacked by a "community from a Russian social network" and the studio threatened with blackmail.
]]>What is the situation with Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl? The much-awaited survival horror FPS from Ukrainian developers GSC Game World has been in development for over a decade now, but its release is seemingly drawing ever-nearer. It's the first new game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series since 2009's Call Of Pripyat, and its rich dark atmosphere and sumptuous trailers have got a lot of people very excited to dive back into the mutated and deadly Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
If you need a catch-up sesh on everything to expect when Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl comes out, we're here to help. Below we'll walk you through just about everything you could ever want to know about Stalker 2, from its expected release date, platforms, and pre-order details, to information on story, gameplay, multiplayer, and more. We'll also explore how the game's development has been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how the devs are getting on now.
]]>Happy New Year, folks! Crikey, there are a lot of games coming out this year, aren't there? When I first asked the team to put together their most anticipated games for 2023, I was thinking we'd have a reasonably sensible number of things we were all looking forward to, you know, somewhere in the region of the 43 games we highlighted at the start of 2022. Very quickly, though, it became apparent that, actually, there are simply loads of games the RPS Treehouse is personally excited about this year, and cor, it would be rude not to include every last one of them. I'll be upfront: there are a fair number of TBA games on here that probably aren't going to come out in 2023, but as ever, we remain hopeful and optimistic all the same. So let's dive in.
]]>Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl development has continued even during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where developers GSC Game World are based. Now there's a new trailer which shows combat against humans and mutants, scavenging in the Zone, comforting inventory management, and dialogue from several high-strung NPCs.
]]>First-person survival horror shooter Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl has been delayed into 2023, developers GSC Game World have revealed in a new trailer shared on Twitter. The game’s name has also changed to the Ukrainian language spelling of Chernobyl. Watch the trailer below.
]]>Active development on first-person horror immersive sim Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl has begun again according to a discussion with developers GSC Game World on the game’s Discord server. The confirmation came on Friday from representatives of GSC Game World.
]]>GSC Game World say that development of Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl has been "shifted to the sidelines" in a video responding to the war in Ukraine, but pledged to continue making the game in future.
]]>This morning, Russian armed forces began an invasion of Ukraine. Several Ukrainian video game studios have posted public responses to the invasion, with a range of sentiments.
]]>Given that we've still only seen scraps of Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl after years of development and with launch supposedly mere months away, I suppose it's not a surprise to hear the game is delayed. The developers, GSC Game World today announced that they've pushed the launch back by seven months, giving the first-person explore-o-shooter a new release date of the 8th of December. It's the usual perfectly sensible reason: they want it to be good, and they think it needs more time to be good.
]]>2022 is finally here and that can only mean one thing. We've got another year of hip new video games to look forward to, and we've been busy rustling up the ones we're most excited about. In truth, there are tons of games on the horizon that could easily sit on this list, and some of them are so close to release we can practically already see the pixels on our screens morphing into their lush, polygonal landscapes. Games like Monster Hunter Rise, God Of War and Rainbow Six Extraction. You won't find them here, but trust us, you'll be seeing a lot of them over the coming weeks.
There are always more games coming out than we have fingers to write about them, but the 2022 games we've listed below are the ones the RPS team are personally most looking forward to playing. We've got games big and small here, and they're all listed in alphabetical order. After all, release dates are increasingly slippery beasts these days. Think we've missed something? Why not take to the comments below and tell us all about it. You might just convince us to put it on our radars. But enough from me. Here are our 43 most anticipated games of 2022.
]]>Update: GSC Game World have announced on Twitter that they're cancelling plans for NFTs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
"Based on feedback we received, we've made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2," reads the post. "The interests of our fans and players are the top priority for the team. We're making this game for you to enjoy - whatever the cost is. If you care, we care too."
]]>Maybe games just look like this now? Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl is an Unreal Engine 5 game, so it's bound to be pretty. Yet I look at the new screenshots its developers posted to Twitter, and they look to me less like screenshots than the painted-over bullshots of yore. See them below and make up your own mind.
]]>Oh Xbox Game Pass, that subscription service I constantly forget that I have. It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised by new games I didn't expect to play (or had no plans to buy outright). Microsoft have detailed a bunch more games I'll likely be surprised by coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC when they launch over the next year or so - from epic space RPG Starfield, to Arkane's vampire hunting adventure Redfall. It looks like they're revealing more later this week too.
]]>On this episode of Ultimate Audio Bang, Imogen and I comb through the shrapnel left by the E3 explosion. There is lots! A charred Randy Pitchford, lots of games like Left 4 Dead, and shooters like Stalker 2, which we have no history with, but it sure look nice.
]]>Microsoft showed off a lovely big chunk of Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl gameplay during their Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase this evening, showing us the game's 4K ray tracing chops in action as well as confirming its release date. The gameplay trailer saw protagonist Skif recounting his adventures to his comrades around a fire, and there were gun battles aplenty, plus a lovely little balletic interlude, too. We'll have to wait a while before we can play it for ourselves, though, as it won't be arriving on PC until April 28th 2022.
]]>Will wonders never cease! Microsoft's NotE3 stream has brought the first trailer for Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl, of all games. It's still hard for me to believe the long-awaited post-apocalyptic FPS-RPG sequel really is real, given that developers GSC Game World basically burst a few years back, but evidently Microsoft are convinced. Come watch the trailer yourself.
]]>As improbable as it may sound, evidence for Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl being an actual real game actually being made continues to mount. Today developers GSC Game World shared the "first glimpse at S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2", showing a murky forest where one of those naughty anomalies has murdered several innocent vans. It's just an environment shot but hey, it's a peek at the newest version of post-apocalyptic Zone around Chernobyl which we'll plunder for magic artifacts. The devs say S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be their "most ambitious game so far" and "will live to the legendary legacy."
]]>Like a brief flicker of life in a dead Bloodsucker’s eyes, the Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl Twitter account popped up with an announcement this week. The sequel is still being developed, and it’s being made in the Unreal Engine, the pixel powerhouse behind such games as Fortnite and—uh—Bacon Man: An Adventure. Developers GSC Game World seem to be getting awfully cosy with Epic Games, name-dropping them in the announcement as “colleagues”. I can download the engine for free right now, but I wouldn’t dare to call Tim Sweeney a colleague if he hadn’t personally shown up at my house and helped to arrange my desk.
]]>It was a great surprise when GSC Game World announced Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl in 2018, given that they previously scrapped it when the studio essentially shut down in 2011 and its makers had long-since left. It's simultaneously a) less and b) more of a surprise to see GSC Game World announce S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 again in 2019 because a) we knew b) wait they're announcing it again? Indeed GSC are, repeating that they plan to release S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in the year 2021. If anything, them repeating this with little new to show after ten months makes me lose confidence in this 1) happening 2) being good. But I'm told of a distant and hidden place named the Room, where wishes are granted, and if I can find a guide to get me there...
]]>Good news for fans of uncompromisingly bleak and incomparably atmospheric Eastern European sandbox shooters: an official S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel is on the way, original devs GSC Game World have confirmed.
The less-good news is that we’re all going to have to continue playing mods for the original games for a while yet. According to the announcement, the game isn’t due until 2021. And for those itching to pass the time with the similarly-themed Metro Exodus, that's slipped to next year.
]]>Y'know GSC Game World? Oh, you do! The Ukrainian studio behind spookyhard FPS series S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Oh, you must! You remember - they seemed to close in 2011 but held on a bit longer, still working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 for a few months then cancelling it, and since only resurfaced to weigh in on confusing brand rights issues. See, I knew you knew them. Well, they're back, baby! Boom! And other exciting onomatopoeia. They've announced a return to active game-making, and chatted a little about what went down, including about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's fate.
]]>Do you want post-apocalyptic Russian survival shooting to fill the irradiated void left behind by STALKER 2's cancellation? Well, the handsomely molded ashes of GSC Game World, aka Vostok Games, have something in store for you, even if it doesn't exactly play like STALKER just yet. Survarium is currently in closed beta, but it's going fully, completely open for, er, 24 hours this Friday. After that it will burrow back into the sooty loam of game development until the end of (nuclear) winter. Or until the start of the real open beta. Whichever comes first.
]]>Update: GSC responded to our queries, pointing out two rather major items: 1) "BitComposer doesn't have any rights as to S.T.A.L.K.E.R., except for distributing our game Call of Pripyat on some territories," a rep clarified. "They may have purchased the rights for the game based on Roadside Picnic, but it has nothing to do with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or its universe." 2) "GSC is seeking ways to continue the series, and we're also considering selling out the brand to a decent developer or publisher." Hear that? Somebody amazing, BUY STALKER.
Original: I always wanted to be able to tell people STALKER will never die, but I'm not sure I wanted it to be like this. First, German publisher bitComposer claimed to have obtained the rights to develop games about Chernobyl's implausibly bad luck with nuclear power via a book-series-shaped backdoor. When doubt was cast upon the validity of their claim, they confirmed to Jim that the rights are theirs, but hesitated to comment any further as to what that could mean for the series or the sadly defunct STALKER 2. Now, though, the thought-to-be-corpsified remains of original STALKER dev GSC Game World have caught wind of the controversy, and they're returning fire with fighting words.
]]>UPDATE: Just got off the phone with bitComposer, who tell us that they DID acquire Stalker rights from the late Boris Strugatsky. Quite what this means for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise isn't clear, as they can make no further comment at this time.
]]>RussianUkrainian blogger and marketing man Sergey Galyonkin - who tipped off the closure of the STALKER 2 project earlier this year - has claimed that Bethesda now have the rights to make a publish a STALKER game. They apparently do not have rights to the extended universe. GSC owner Sergei Grigorovich has not sold the brand, but apparently Bethesda could now make a game based on the property with their own technology. We'll report more on this as we get it.
Yesterday, we all poured one out and strummed our acoustic guitars in the irradiated rain for STALKER 2. From its ashes, however, Survarium has risen. Be warned, though: this isn't STALKER 2.5. It's a brave new MMOFPS world, and the newly christened Vostok Games has no intention of treading water. So then, will it be different? Probably. Will it be excellent? Hopefully. And will it be interesting? Absolutely. Excited, but also a bit hesitant, I mined Vostok's Oleg Yavorsky for as much info as I could before he had to run off and continue, you know, launching a brand new game company.
]]>The GSC veterans have sent word that they are forming a new studio, Vostock Games, and will be making a game called Survarium, which is apparently a Stalker-like MMOFPS. Stalker 2 itself is "frozen" and the team will be focusing on the new game. They have tweeted: "All those asking about funding etc. That is not the issue. We were unable to secure the IP rights to continue with the Stalker franchise." There will be a Q&A session with Oleg Yavorsky and Joe Willburn tomorrow on Twitter to explain the Survarium project in detail.
The new studio have also circulated a video about their plans, which you can see below.
]]>A tweet from the usually rather quiet GSC Stalker Twitter account has assured us that the game is still being worked on. It's the first word we've had on the development of game since January, when we heard that they were seeking funding for the project following the studio's collapse. That they've lasted until now, and that they're speaking positively, is encouraging, but I don't doubt that it'll be a struggle to get the game out the door: the first game was a massive struggle with publisher support. I wonder if crowd-finding an AAA game the size of Stalker 2 is possible? If only Kickstarter would allow non-US funding, they could have all my money.
]]>"The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays." That makes me extremely happy too. That's the official line from GSC, although it's not quite as simple as that. Speaking to Edge, the studio's Oleg Yavorsky reveals that “We are still in the process of seeking funding to back up the project. We are hopeful things turn out well eventually." Which still sounds pretty precarious, but given the situation last month was that the studio and the game were flat-out closing down, it's still a good day for Stalker fans.
]]>According to this Facebook page update posted last niught, Stalker 2 will continue to be developed. It reads: "The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays." This is in spite of news before Christmas saying it was all over. Phew!
]]>A surprise Christmas present from GSC, at which there appears to remain some life despite the awful news that they (and with them Stalker 2) had apparently been shut down earlier this month:
]]>The sudden apparent closure of GSC GameWorld and death of Stalker 2 is, for me, the saddest gaming news of this year, and a whole lot of other years to boot. Jim eloquently summed up why over the weekend. The waters of explanation remain deeply muddied however, so all we can do is hope that some glimmer of life emerges from the ruins. We got a small hint of that earlier, with the GSC Twitter account suddenly offering "We will do our best to continue. However, at this moment, nothing is certain."
]]>There was a bunch of art posted here yesterday (thread deleted) from a source which purported to be a former artist at GSC. The images appear to be a couple of environmental scenes and a bunch of concept art. It might make for decent wallpaper which you can gaze at, thinking about what could have been...
Full gallery below. Click for full size.
]]>LATEST UPDATE: GSC's twitter this morning announced there will be an official statement on Monday.
1c Ukraine's Sergey Galenkin has blogged about the closure of GSC. He states: "GSC is closed, a fact confirmed by all. The team is almost completely dissolved, the state has only a few people." Galenkin blames the cost of developing a PC only shooter for a European audience, and a failed console publishing deal, for the collapse of the developer.
The rest of the story, as it happened, below.
]]>Following yesterday's DRM-alarm going off, GSC have now said that using an always-on solution is for them "a possibility, not a choice." We also received this statement:
"The idea of implementing DRM came in as a possible anti-piracy solution. You know the severe level of commercial piracy we have here in ex-USSR region. This said however, there is no firm decision to go for DRM with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 as of now. Be assured, we do realize how uncomfortable this solution is for the players, so we'll continue looking for most effective, yet acceptable for all, way of protecting the game by the time of its release."
]]>Kotaku Australia are reporting this Ukrainian publication's interview with GSC's Studio Director Sergey Grigorovich. In it it he answers a huge number of questions, revealing little about the sequel apart from question one about "security" for the forthcoming game:
]]>Pat over at VG247 points out that Official Stalker Facebook page has a brief Q&A that seems to reveal the first details about the game and its all-new engine. It will be set in the familiar Chernobyl Zone locations, and will apparently have more of a survival element the next time around, as well as the return of the spooky lab bits. There will be no faction wars in the sequel, but there will be DX11 support, and the "area of artifact application will expand". The Q&A also goes out of its way to stress that despite the announced multiplatform intentions for this new game, the PC version will not suffer, and will be the target platform. Interesting stuff. Needless to say, I've asked GSC for a detailed interview about the game.
]]>GSC have been vaguely rumbling about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 for a while now, but it seems that they've decided to officially announce its development and arrival in 2012. A news article over on the company's main site makes the matter known, saying that it the technology will be "completely new" - a statement which could be aimed at rumours GSC were going to use the Crysis engine. ""After the official sales of the series exceeded 4 million copies worldwide, we had no doubts left to start creating a new big game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe," says GSC's Sergiy Grygorovych. "This will be the next chapter of the mega-popular game players expect from us."
]]>Crytek last night announced the latest incarnation of their engine, CryENGINE 3 is now available to be licensed. Now that may not affect you or me (unless you're a games developer of course), but there's some interesting implications of this latest tech. Of course, it first of all means games are going to be prettier - these are the people who keep bowling us over with each new engine as it creates vivid beaches and jungles. But it's also looking to streamline development across multiple platforms - letting programmers see how the game will appear in PC, 360 and PS3 on the fly. And rumours abound that it may be the engine of choice for STALKER 2.
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