Let's Play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Part 01 - It's Like We Never Left
1Eighteen bloody years later, we're going back in! Welcome one and all to the Zone, and boy does it look in higher definition these days. STALKER is a series quite dear to me, and there's still not a lot like it: a note-perfect balance of action and exploration in a place that was unique even before physics went on holiday. STALKER 2 had spent so long in limbo that I was sure it was just another zombie title, and I'm happy to say that I was completely wrong. The real-world ruins with a touch of the surreal, the gun physics making every encounter matter, the NPCs crowded around a barrel to swap stories and vodka - it feels exactly like the sequel I'd hoped for but didn't believe in. Maybe that Journey song was right after all, eh?
But let's focus on why we're back. In the previous games the Zone's secrets were pretty well laid bare, so what could draw us in now? We turn to our protagonist, Skif, facing a rather exotic answer to the question at the cost of his apartment. The Zone, it seems, is coming to *him*...