In Ukrainian, obviously.
2 to get with the times as a shooter.
That doesnt mean its now more Call of Duty thanCall of Pripyat, mind.
Again, thats not to say that this is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
with the edges sanded down.
Just tooled up for a big mission?
Heres three monster attacks and a bandit ambush so youre limping and bulletless by the time you get there.
Found some nice loot?
Favourite gun jammed twice before it can finish a single magazine?
The friction isnt just there to be cruel, though.
Chancing upon another visually striking, artifact-hiding anomaly, for instance.
Roaming around Heart Of Chornobyl provides ample opportunity for these memorable moments of overlapping murder sources.
This kind of thing might be music to the ears of starving S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
enthusiasts, as will Heart Of Chernobyls success in maintaining another series highlight: the atmosphere.
The modern Zone is as tense, lonely, and sometimes eerily beautiful as ever.
Theres a great sense of place to Heart Of Chornobyl, and not just thanks to this atmosphere-building.
Its a compelling argument for handcrafted open worlds over thelifelessnessthat procedural generation so often brings.
touch, albeit one thats more enjoyableironically, is the jank.
As well as some unfinished gluing, and more than a little haphazard welding.
I can live with that.
But scouts honour, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Your character gaining a radio filter effect when he shouldnt.
The artifact indicator light on your starting detector not working.
The HUD compass disappearing.
Game stutter, despite compiling shaders on every goddamn launch.
Character mouth flaps not working in cutscenes.
The enemy awareness indicator showing every time you unpause.
Subtitles showing when youve switched them off.
Weapon crosshairs expanding to the edges of the screen during a conversation.
After which, I could slope back and progress the story.
2 releasing in anything approaching rock-solid shape.
2 has been forced to take shape amid real-life horrors.
since its origins as the sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic.
It is, however, more keen than previous games on highlighting Ukrainian culture.
Ive been battered and sometimes frustrated by S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
And even in the latter case, thats probably not an alien concept to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
This review is based on a retail version provided by the publisher.
