ShadowTiger
11-20-2007, 11:03 AM
I recently began playing a souped up version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadows Over Chernobyl. It's actually really quite fun. Take a mix of Fallout 3, (Or at least how I'd assume it to be. :p ) Medal Of Honor, and what feels like the Trading and Equipment system from Arcanum, and you've got quite a mysterious game.
On my end, (Playing at lowest possible graphical details on a machine that wasn't really meant to support it, yet it doesn't run horribly at all. 15 fps to 35 or so fps in small indoor areas.) it plays in black and white, more or less. The world, I mean. It resembles black and white, with the occasional hint of green or orange off in the distance. It's really weird. The interface is fully in color, and doesn't look half bad.
You're this soldier that cannot seem to remember his past. You wake up in the area South of Chernobyl's reactor explosion, which appears to have exploded again. (Actually, somewhere nearby, not necessary Chernobyl itself.) You start off in this trader's underground office. He'll give you a few jobs to orient yourself with the area, and then you can go off exploring on your own if you so desire.
The map is quite useful. (A bit annoying without hotkeys for toggling the zoom features though.) It shows all points of interest on the map as easily identifiable points. Things like "A Stalker (Good soldier.) left a backpack here under the tiny roof under the ceiling." is a little purple crosshairs while your main objective is a larger purple circle with a house in it. You are also easily identifiable as a blue running man in a cyan'ish circle with an arrow pointing in the direction you're facing. 'tis truly a wonderful map.
The game itself is a first person shooter, sure enough, but you also get to search the bodies of foes you slay. Their weapons pop out of their hands and onto the ground nearby (Kinda hard to spot.) when you kill them too. You find the occasional remnant of a scouting party that you get to loot.
There are also many dangers to be found. You'll periodically (Actually, quite often.) come across bizarre events called Anomalies. Each has its own appearance, from the mostly harmless "Springboard" anomaly, to the devastating gravitational "Vortex." You'll be walking around, and you might see a little fluctuation in the air a few meters away, or some leaves fluttering around a point. If you approach a little closer, your geiger counter will go off a bit, and your screen will become somewhat filled with static. The effects worsen dramatically the closer you get. You could see anything from a swirl on the ground to the signs of a tiny black hole floating in the air to a coat of static on the ground. You can throw a bolt into what you suspect to be an anomaly to see what happens when it hits the supposed anomaly. Often it'll explode, but will still be there, but at least you'll know where to avoid. You have infinite bolts, thankfully. (A Bolt, as in "Nuts and bolts.")
You can also collect "Artifact" items, which are inventory items like any other. They're the equivalent of magic items. They are features of anomalies cast aside from explosions and such. They tend to have a good feature and a bad feature. Mostly, the bad features raise your radiation levels or lower your radiation tolerances, whereas the good features tend to soak up damage you receive, or raise ____ tolerances. I got an artifact that looks like a spiny ball that would lower your endurance while you've got it equipped, but would soak up 10% of the radiation you acquire over time. It's actually not that bad of a deal, considering that I also got an artifact that would raise my endurance by 36 at the cost of a little bit of electric resistance. It more than evens out.
Inventory is easy enough to manage. You've got a weight limit, but it's not too bad. You do have to eat, like in Ultima or whatever, but it's easy enough to horde food. You will also horde bullets, and the occasional weapon off a fallen enemy. (Or ally...) You can sell them at the trader guy's place.
Armor is considerably expensive. I've been selling machine guns at about 180 Rubles apiece, whereas even a leather jacket (10% protection for anything.) costs 2000. A Stalker suit (Basic protection for a warrior.) costs 26000. I am not amused. :p
It is NOT an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. Enemies are crafty, they hide behind things, dodge and duck, and aren't too bad with their aiming skills even on easy mode. There are plenty of wolves (Blind dogs, actually.) in the forest to attack you en masse, and more anomalies that you can throw a bolt into. Just save often, and you'll have a great time with it. There's tons of stuff to explore, lots of interesting people to speak to, and the exhilaration of survival backing your every action. I'm very glad I picked it up.
On my end, (Playing at lowest possible graphical details on a machine that wasn't really meant to support it, yet it doesn't run horribly at all. 15 fps to 35 or so fps in small indoor areas.) it plays in black and white, more or less. The world, I mean. It resembles black and white, with the occasional hint of green or orange off in the distance. It's really weird. The interface is fully in color, and doesn't look half bad.
You're this soldier that cannot seem to remember his past. You wake up in the area South of Chernobyl's reactor explosion, which appears to have exploded again. (Actually, somewhere nearby, not necessary Chernobyl itself.) You start off in this trader's underground office. He'll give you a few jobs to orient yourself with the area, and then you can go off exploring on your own if you so desire.
The map is quite useful. (A bit annoying without hotkeys for toggling the zoom features though.) It shows all points of interest on the map as easily identifiable points. Things like "A Stalker (Good soldier.) left a backpack here under the tiny roof under the ceiling." is a little purple crosshairs while your main objective is a larger purple circle with a house in it. You are also easily identifiable as a blue running man in a cyan'ish circle with an arrow pointing in the direction you're facing. 'tis truly a wonderful map.
The game itself is a first person shooter, sure enough, but you also get to search the bodies of foes you slay. Their weapons pop out of their hands and onto the ground nearby (Kinda hard to spot.) when you kill them too. You find the occasional remnant of a scouting party that you get to loot.
There are also many dangers to be found. You'll periodically (Actually, quite often.) come across bizarre events called Anomalies. Each has its own appearance, from the mostly harmless "Springboard" anomaly, to the devastating gravitational "Vortex." You'll be walking around, and you might see a little fluctuation in the air a few meters away, or some leaves fluttering around a point. If you approach a little closer, your geiger counter will go off a bit, and your screen will become somewhat filled with static. The effects worsen dramatically the closer you get. You could see anything from a swirl on the ground to the signs of a tiny black hole floating in the air to a coat of static on the ground. You can throw a bolt into what you suspect to be an anomaly to see what happens when it hits the supposed anomaly. Often it'll explode, but will still be there, but at least you'll know where to avoid. You have infinite bolts, thankfully. (A Bolt, as in "Nuts and bolts.")
You can also collect "Artifact" items, which are inventory items like any other. They're the equivalent of magic items. They are features of anomalies cast aside from explosions and such. They tend to have a good feature and a bad feature. Mostly, the bad features raise your radiation levels or lower your radiation tolerances, whereas the good features tend to soak up damage you receive, or raise ____ tolerances. I got an artifact that looks like a spiny ball that would lower your endurance while you've got it equipped, but would soak up 10% of the radiation you acquire over time. It's actually not that bad of a deal, considering that I also got an artifact that would raise my endurance by 36 at the cost of a little bit of electric resistance. It more than evens out.
Inventory is easy enough to manage. You've got a weight limit, but it's not too bad. You do have to eat, like in Ultima or whatever, but it's easy enough to horde food. You will also horde bullets, and the occasional weapon off a fallen enemy. (Or ally...) You can sell them at the trader guy's place.
Armor is considerably expensive. I've been selling machine guns at about 180 Rubles apiece, whereas even a leather jacket (10% protection for anything.) costs 2000. A Stalker suit (Basic protection for a warrior.) costs 26000. I am not amused. :p
It is NOT an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. Enemies are crafty, they hide behind things, dodge and duck, and aren't too bad with their aiming skills even on easy mode. There are plenty of wolves (Blind dogs, actually.) in the forest to attack you en masse, and more anomalies that you can throw a bolt into. Just save often, and you'll have a great time with it. There's tons of stuff to explore, lots of interesting people to speak to, and the exhilaration of survival backing your every action. I'm very glad I picked it up.