S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

[Spacer's Nugget]

This shit is not coming out in 2023

If they also skip Gamescom, that means the game is in serious trouble.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have a playable demo at Gamescom (on the Xbox booth):

Spoiler

I suggest we send a Codexian delegation of representatives to cheeki it out.

 

[Gerrard]

This shit is not coming out in 2023

If they also skip Gamescom, that means the game is in serious trouble.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have a playable demo at Gamescom (on the Xbox booth):

Spoiler

I suggest we send a Codexian delegation of representatives to cheeki it out.

Delegates all geared up.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Iucounu]

STALKER 2: Going Hands-on With the First Ever Playable Demo
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/08/23/stalker-2-first-demo-hands-on/

Not a lot of information here, except that the demo's intro cutscene "makes a hell of a first impression" on the reviewer. Also, "STALKER 2 is aiming for player freedom, set between blockbuster moments".

 

[Baron Dupek]

 

[karoliner]

 

[Iucounu]

Decent gameplay review. Replies to comments also contain some information:

Q: Would you say, that the game captures the feel of the first 3 Stalker games, that we fans crave so much?Does it feel like a true Stalker game?
A: Hard to say in truth, It covers more of the modern gamefeel of say Anomaly mod / GAMMA / METRO surprisingly, I think we're moving past the SoC atmosphere days.. for better or worse

Q: Is there leaning? They never showed leaning but its always part of stalker games
A: Oh yeah I thought this was pretty obvious so I didnt even mention it, in the fight with the bandits I was leaning around corners and it felt fluid enough

Q: Did it look/feel like they took inspiration from modded stalker, like anomaly or taken more to the originals?
A: I'd say animations for pretty much anything you do in the game is a huge indicator they looked at METRO series or GUNSLINGER / Recent Anomaly mod versions - General feeling feels very polished so you could compare that more to anomaly than the originals which feel very rough initially

 

[ADL]

 

[ferratilis]

The gunplay reminds me more of Call of Duty than a Stalker game, there's almost no recoil. Visually, everything looks nice, but the atmosphere somehow still looks off. Maybe I'm just too used to that old Stalker look, which this game doesn't even try to emulate, they seem to be going more for that Metro/Anomaly aesthetic. Cautiously optimistic.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Honestly, ever since the first Metro came out I wished that the series would be more like STALKER. If this is "Metro but more like STALKER" than I am completely fine with that - expecting an actual STALKER game in this day and age would be a bit too much tbh fam.

 

[randir14]

Downgraded and running at 20 fps, nice.

 

[Iucounu]

The gunplay reminds me more of Call of Duty than a Stalker game, there's almost no recoil.

The reticule does change size a bit, for example at 00:26. OTOH the player seems to fire from the hip, which should have an accuracy penalty. PCGamer says guns "kick like hell", FWIW.

Visually, everything looks nice, but the atmosphere somehow still looks off. Maybe I'm just too used to that old Stalker look, which this game doesn't even try to emulate, they seem to be going more for that Metro/Anomaly aesthetic. Cautiously optimistic.

Music plays a huge part for atmosphere, more than people realize. At least one of the leaked videos a few months age contained some decent ambience music, so hopefully this was just for the trailer, or some battle music that you can switch off independently from the ambience.

Western voice acting doesn't make it feel very East European either, of course.

 

[Ryzer]

The gunplay reminds me more of Call of Duty than a Stalker game, there's almost no recoil. Visually, everything looks nice, but the atmosphere somehow still looks off. Maybe I'm just too used to that old Stalker look, which this game doesn't even try to emulate, they seem to be going more for that Metro/Anomaly aesthetic. Cautiously optimistic.

There is a trend in modern FPS, everyone emulates COD even the speedy movements and the guns holding to a T.

 

[Iucounu]

Honestly, ever since the first Metro came out I wished that the series would be more like STALKER.

Here's an early Metro build with Stalker music by MoozE after 11:30. Makes you feel at home right away:

 

[Alienman]

Sounds like the guy is from the Bronx in the 1940s. Just waiting for him to say he whacked some mutants.

 

[StrongBelwas]

Not really liking the protagonist's voice, but I probably wouldn't be playing in English anyway. Otherwise what they're showing mostly looks promising but there's still the constant doubt on how much of its real and the game is making progress and how much is stagecraft.

 

[whydoibother]

American accents, quick time events, narrow POV, very large guns, huge anomalies, the same cast of enemies, and unimpressive visually.
Its not great. Readjusting my expectations.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

The gunplay reminds me more of Call of Duty than a Stalker game, there's almost no recoil.

The reticule does change size a bit, for example at 00:26. OTOH the player seems to fire from the hip, which should have an accuracy penalty. PCGamer says guns "kick like hell", FWIW.

There's a video on X of Phil Spencer playing (while a very tired-looking Todd Howard spectates) at the booth, you can see he shoots several times (from the hip) and barely hits a loner standing right in front of him (and then he himself dies).

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Not really liking the protagonist's voice, but I probably wouldn't be playing in English anyway. Otherwise what they're showing mostly looks promising but there's still the constant doubt on how much of its real and the game is making progress and how much is stagecraft.

I don't even like Far Cry 3, but that rich white boy, Adrien Jason Brody-like voice made me nostalgic. I'll be playing with the Ukrainian voice dubs, of course.

 

[NecroLord]

Why is the game so damn bright and bubbly? Remember locations like the NPP, Jupiter Plant, Agroprom Underground? I thought this was an atmospheric horror FPS with survival elements, not a fuckin' CS:GO or Call of Duty mod.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Now they only need to up their fapping material game if they want to beat Atomic Heart at this.

Some thick, busty female bloodsuckers will do (complete with sucking animations and moaning sfx).

While they are invisible, you can only hear them cheeks clapping in the dark.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

Why is the game so damn bright and bubbly? Remember locations like the NPP, Jupiter Plant, Agroprom Underground? I thought this was an atmospheric horror FPS with survival elements, not a fuckin' CS:GO or Call of Duty mod.

 

[NecroLord]

Aaand of course ukrop niggers get butthurt if I dare even remotely criticize their new piece of video gaming revelation....

 

[NecroLord]

Why is the game so damn bright and bubbly? Remember locations like the NPP, Jupiter Plant, Agroprom Underground? I thought this was an atmospheric horror FPS with survival elements, not a fuckin' CS:GO or Call of Duty mod.

Let me guess, those dogs are gonna jump on you and start a quick time event where you have to SMASH DAT X BUTTON on your controller (because console plebs)....

 

[430am]

So when is it coming out, five years? I doubt they'll release it even after this delay, considering their previous situation with the first STALKER game and the war in Ukraine. And then you gotta wait for fixes and mods as well, so probably even longer. Yay, I'm excited.