S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

Published by THQ, Inc.
Developed by GSC Game World
Released 2007
Genre Action, RPG

Description :

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: The Shadow of Chernobyl is based on the famous science fiction novel Picnic on the Roadside (Piknik na obochine, 1977) by Russian writers Arkadi and Boris Strugatski. In the book aliens have visited the Earth and left behind mysterious Zones which are extremely hazardous but also extremely profitable because the physical changes inside the Zones have altered the items left inside the Zone. These potential profits draw all sorts of people to the Zones and the people who go scavenging are called stalkers. There is also a famous movie adaptation of the novel by Andrei Tarkovski, but the game actually is much closer in concept to the book although instead of having numerous Zones around the world, the game s focused around the Ukranian town of Chernobyl, the site of the most severe nuclear accident in history. The story goes that in 2006 another incident of some sort happened and by 2012 the whole area is hazardous with mutated animals, bandits, soldiers who don't ask questions before shooting, and first and foremost, mysterious anomalies. These anomalies differ in their effects but they all have one thing in common - they are quite deadly. There are areas where the gravity is much stronger, others where the air is crackling with electricity etc. And there is also the radiation to worry about.

The player is one of the stalkers who has lost his memory in an accident. All he knows is he has a note in his PDA telling him to kill someone. And so the player is thrown to a village located on the outskirts of the Zone trying to figure out who he is and what the secret of the Zone is.

The game plays as a FPS but with a 30 square kilometer playing area where the player is free to roam (assuming he can survive). There are also lots of NPC characters he can communicate with and in this sense the game playes more like an RPG, although there are no attributes or skills to improve. Along with the main quest the player can do sidequests and the way the player acts has an effect on other NPCs. Some of these quests have time limits, some don't. The player can also modify his weapons and armour and has to carefully manage his inventory because not only is there a carrying capacity his equipment degrades as they are used. The player can also use the items, called artifacts, altered by the anomalies to his benefit. They offer different kinds of bonuses, but also have side-effects. For instance, an artifact could improve your bullet resistance but also increase your radiation level.

The game features ragdoll physics, destructible surroundings, HDR lightning, dynamic weather, day/night cycles and multiplayer for up to 32 players.


Requirements :

Min.CPU PIV
Min.OS Win 2000
Min.RAM 512 MB
Min.DirectX 9.0C
DVDROM Speed 4X
Keyboard
Mouse
Internet/LAN
Offline Players 1
Online Players 32
3D Accelerator

Cheats :

Press ~ during game play to display the console window. Then, enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function.

Effect	Code
List console commands	help
Toggle permanent running	g_always_run <0>

Bonus content:
Enter the game's folder in the Limited Edition of the game and run the "setup-bp.exe" file. Select a language, then enter pseudodog as a code to unlock the Pool multi-player map and the U.K. and U.S. military multi-player skins. Enter snork as a code to unlock the Dark Valley multi-player map and the French and German military multi-player skins.

Hint: Exoskeleton:
When you find you way into the sarcophagus, you will find a doorway that leads through a wire barrier and a hole in the wall with about ten people through the hole. Instead of going through that doorway, continue towards the light on the wall and turn right. There will be about two enemies there. Kill them and go through the door to their right. Just through that door to the left will be a ladder going to a door. Search the room at the bottom and you will find a chest with an Exoskeleton inside. It adds on radiation; bring some artifacts that counter radiation. It weighs 15, but gives you the ability to carry an extra 20. It has good protection from bullets but not much from anomalies.