Greetings from the Zone !
Fifteen years after the launching of their last major release , GSC Game World is back with their most ambitious plot to date : Stalker 2 : Heart of Chornobyl . In true STALKER style though , Heart of Chornobyl is full of heart , offers an tyrannical world , and — of form — has plenty of bugs .
Whether it ’s the improbably unfriendly geopolitical environment(in plot ontogenesis ) , the vernacular and recurring progeny we ’ve see with Unreal Engine 5 , or just the insistence on bide reliable to the experience , Stalker 2 remains close to the franchise even at the cost of some jank .
Heart of Chornobyl
Compare the review of Stalker 2 : ticker of Chornobyl to any mainline entry in the series , and the trend remains largely the same fifteen years subsequently : challenging over - burnish continues to define the franchise . fan expected nothing less and took to thesubredditand forums to express their initial mental picture that line up with what we ’ve been expecting .
” I ’ve drive 10 hours so far and , ” said Reddit user voice - of - reason _ . “ Aside from the random bugs and performance issues , it is exactly what I was expecting . ”
It ’s clear that Stalker 2 offers an experience that ’s intemperate to add up by in the AAA blank space with a focus on survival of the fittest in a uncongenial humankind , immersion thanks to its jaw - dropping visuals , thick ambiance , and organic encounters that materialise every 20 feet . Even when pointing out the many glitch and technical publication with the secret plan , there ’s always praise sprinkle in for the many things it gets right .
Image via GSC Game World
“ They definitely did make a unique and captivating experience that players will call up despite launching bug , ” say another substance abuser . “ The game is amazing . ”
While it might be a bit of a shock for fledgeling to the series , this is basically what the fanbase expected from the new sacking . If you are n’t fancy a ragdoll possessed by Pazuzu , are you really playing Stalker ?
Let ’s not forget how the original releases are still riddled with bugs that the residential area has superintend to fix over the geezerhood thanks to panoptic mods and fan patches .
Image via GSC Game World
“ And candidly , ” another player reflected , “ it would have been weird and not felt like a STALKER game to me if it did n’t have bugs and janky instant . ”
That ’s not to say every issue can be fondly overlooked as there are several technological problems we ’re confident will be address in succeeding update . Stuttering and sudden frame drop are usual in other Unreal Engine 5 deed of conveyance as well , but these are n’t unacceptable to ready .
While the game has an extensive shader compiling appendage at each launching , that is n’t enough to fix every representative of stuttering . What ’s more , there are frequent crashes that can pass off for a potpourri of reasons , both due to the choice of the locomotive , and due to some obvious optimization issues .
Image via GSC Game World
Modders have already charter posts and are doing their best to optimize the PC edition with configuration tweaks . We ’ve been able to fine-tune Stalker 2 as well to better the experience bydisabling the vignette impression , adjusting the FOV , anddisabling black eye smoothingas well .
The Road Ahead
GSC Game World announcedthat they ’re aware of the many problems role player are facing and are listening to feedback to squelch bugs and improve execution .
Despite the jumpy edge , Stalker 2 hasalready betray overone million copiesacross all platforms in two days , which is a monumental accomplishment for the studio apartment that only unfreeze “ cult classics ” until now .
It peaked earlier today on Steam with a bang up 117 K concurrent histrion counting and has a “ Very irrefutable ” reexamination valuation from Steam substance abuser . It ’s a miracle that Stalker 2 is even out , especially considering the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia .
Image via GSC Game World
While Stalker 2 definitely could be in a better state , we ’re just beaming to see GSC Game World push through and release their most challenging title to date .
Image via GSC Game World
Image via GSC Game World
Screenshot by Prima Games
Screenshot by Prima Games
Image via Stalker’s X Account
Image via Stalker’s X Account
Image via Stalker’s X Account
Image via Stalker’s X Account
