Previewing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. from the shadows

Sometimes, you just want the game out already, and GSC Game World‘s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl has been on the “Coming Soon” tray longer than most. Oh, well. At least the latest preview from CVG shows the current progress of the gameplay – at least it shows there IS current progress, there IS a game that’s going to come out soon enough. Which can’t be said for a few other titles (ahem, Duke Nukem).

CVG still describes the graphics as “a looker,” though dated. Anyway, the short preview centers on gameplay. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. seems to lean very much in the tactical shooter department. You’ll be working alongside allied S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s (not necessarily “with”; somehow we get the feeling they’re more likely fellow competitors rather than a team under your command, a la Ghost Recon), exploiting cover and shadow to conceal your movements and deflect enemy fire.

Sadly, this preview wasn’t as freeform as the game has advertised itself to be. Whether this is only an early build of the gameplay, or if the devs finally gave up on the freeform ambition for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., was never revealed. You know what they say about the difference between a good game and a great game. This game may have the hallmarks of being an adequate (at least) FPS, but we haven’t seen much of the elements that could have made it great – the advanced environmental AI, the freeform gameplay. Perhaps GSC’s got other tricks up its sleeve it has yet to reveal. Perhaps…

Via CVG

Sometimes, you just want the game out already, and GSC Game World‘s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl has been on the “Coming Soon” tray longer than most. Oh, well. At least the latest preview from CVG shows the current progress of the gameplay – at least it shows there IS current progress, there IS a game that’s going to come out soon enough. Which can’t be said for a few other titles (ahem, Duke Nukem).

CVG still describes the graphics as “a looker,” though dated. Anyway, the short preview centers on gameplay. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. seems to lean very much in the tactical shooter department. You’ll be working alongside allied S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s (not necessarily “with”; somehow we get the feeling they’re more likely fellow competitors rather than a team under your command, a la Ghost Recon), exploiting cover and shadow to conceal your movements and deflect enemy fire.

Sadly, this preview wasn’t as freeform as the game has advertised itself to be. Whether this is only an early build of the gameplay, or if the devs finally gave up on the freeform ambition for S.T.A.L.K.E.R., was never revealed. You know what they say about the difference between a good game and a great game. This game may have the hallmarks of being an adequate (at least) FPS, but we haven’t seen much of the elements that could have made it great – the advanced environmental AI, the freeform gameplay. Perhaps GSC’s got other tricks up its sleeve it has yet to reveal. Perhaps…

Via CVG