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

GET OUT OF HERE STALKER.

Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for the late post - it's been a busy, busy week; I've been hanging out with old friends, some of whom I won't see again for a long time. Thank you all for your patience.

The background:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is the first game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, developed by GSC Game World and published by THQ (video game God rest their souls) in March of 2007. It is an atmospheric first person shooter/survival horror set in 2012 in the area surrounding the nuclear disaster site of Chernobyl. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was recently rated one of the top 25 greatest shooters of all time by PC Gamer magazine.

Oh, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., in case you were wondering, stands for Scavenges, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, and Robbers, according to GameSpot. Which is something I just learned a few minutes ago. Neat.

The plot:
The plot of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (boy I'm getting tired of typing that) is as follows: You are the Wanderer, one of many Stalkers in the area surrounding Chernobyl. Your job is to go into the heart of the Zone (Chernobyl and the immediate surrounding areas) and recover artifacts and data about the Chernobyl incident. However, it's not as easy as it seems; the Zone is filled with deadly radiation, mutants, and has been quarantined by the military, who will shoot anyone foolish enough to get too close on sight.

But something's happening.

Strange new artifacts brimming with unusual energy are starting to turn up, and you are one of many Stalkers interested in them. You must fight to survive the wrath of whatever the Zone has cooked up - and sometimes, the mutants aren't your worst enemies.

The gameplay:
So S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a first person shooter cross survival horror, blending elements of both genres well. Ammo is limited, health is scarce, aiming is tough and stealth is key. The atmosphere is insanely tense and oppressive (as Russia should be) but maintains an almost eerie beauty about it. As it's difficult to accurately describe the beauty of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., here are some examples.

Sound wise, the game is hit and miss with me. The voice actors are either really good, or they try too hard. The gunshots sound weak for some guns, and too powerful for others. The monster/mutant sounds are great though, and I find in the heat of things I kind of forget about the tinny gunshot sounds.

So I'm not gonna lie, this game is BALLS hard. Playing it on normal difficulty alone is a challenge. There's realistic gun physics, and apparently your character can't hit the broad side of a barn while all the enemies can destroy you in 0.2 seconds flat. When you get shot, you take bleeding damage (as is to be expected) and you bleed out fairly quickly, so be sure to have your bandages ready. Honestly, I suggest finding a mod to fix a few things or playing it on an easier difficulty, otherwise you may not get to enjoy the game at all.

The verdict:So I know this review's kind of short, but it's 1 AM and I just got home.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R., despite its difficulty and not-so-good sounds, is an amazing game that I would recommend to anyone who likes FPS games, survival horror games, or a challenge. It gets a 3.8/5 from me.