We Played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 And It’s Still A Super Brutal Immersive FPS!

GamesRadar

We got a 40 minute hands-on preview of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: It's FINALLY the immersive-FPS we always knew it could be! Join us as we discuss S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl's combat, the environments and the series' legendary challenge spikes.

Transcript

00:00The last time GamesRadar saw S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chernobyl at Gamescom 2023,

00:04we were left a little worried about the state it was in. To call the early in-development build

00:10exceptionally rough around the edges would be an understatement akin to calling the Chernobyl

00:15Exclusion Zone a small hazard to your health. It wasn't long after Gamescom that the game was

00:22delayed. Again. So, when we were given the opportunity to have a hands-on preview of

00:27S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 this year at Summer Game Fest, we couldn't wait to see the updates that had been

00:32made. The preview we saw hasn't just refined those earlier rough edges, but completely transformed

00:38the game. Crucially, is it finally the game so many S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans have been waiting

00:44over a decade for? Developer GSC Game World let us blast through the first 40 minutes,

00:51and in the opening first-person cutscene, we were led outside the zone, through a fracture

00:56in the protective wall, and towards first contact with survivors living within the deadly landscape.

01:01The visuals have been overhauled entirely. The last time we saw the zone, it felt flat and washed

01:08out. But this time, it was filled with dense detail and a violent sky illuminating deadly

01:13anomalies. It's a world thick with decay, and a heavy atmosphere that would be tough to stomach

01:20if not for the intrigue it all generates. You see, in the zone, spheres of energy hover in the air,

01:27warping reality around the edges, while pathways are lit by warm glows of radiation pools.

01:32Which is… lovely? There's plenty of strangeness to draw your attention, but for the sake of not

01:39dying, or glowing slightly around the edges, we need to focus on fighting our way through

01:44the dangers to reach a waystation. And the dangers are ever-present, with some brutally

01:50efficient enemies in Stalker 2. The AI is sharp, with enemies pursuing us through foliage, while

01:56our healing reserves were quickly depleted thanks to incoming bullets and blind dogs.

02:02Then there was also dwindling ammo, radiation sickness, and inventory weight to factor in.

02:08The fighting's feeling more realistic here, thanks to recoil-heavy guns prone to jamming,

02:14and weapons gradually degrading over time. It was made very clear to us that this still has

02:19the series' legendary challenge spikes, and few concessions for players who may be unaware of that.

02:26So, first-time players, good luck? It seems like you're really going to need it.

02:32But Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl is more approachable than the previous games,

02:37something you can discover for yourself right now thanks to Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl arriving on

02:42Xbox. While we think the menus could use a little refinement, it's easy enough to deal

02:47with all the options the game has as you manage resources and equipment, apply mods to weapons,

02:52check your map, or equip a variety of anomaly trackers to avoid stepping on anything glowy.

02:58Everything feels grounded to the reality of the game's world, and only heightens the immersion.

03:04It does still need some polish though, as we encountered plenty of bugs in our 40 minutes,

03:10with everything from checkpoints creating death loops and objectives failing to trigger.

03:15Still, we're confident developer GSC Game World can fix everything.

03:21We're only a few months away from launch, and Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl is looking like

03:26the game countless trailers presented it to be. The zone is dense with danger,

03:31and the combat is delightfully brutal. Stalker 2 Heart of Chernobyl is going to be a day one

03:37title for Game Pass and Xbox Series X, alongside a PC release on September 5th, 2024.

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