S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
News, coverage and analysis tracking S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl across the outlets.
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Vote now: 8 games remain in our scariest games bracket
PC Gamer is running a bracket to determine the scariest PC games, with readers voting to narrow down the field. The current round features eight remaining titles, including popular choices like Alien: Isolation, Dead Space, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which all won their previous matchups by significant margins.
Vote for the scariest game of all time: Round 1
PC Gamer is hosting a bracket-style tournament to determine the scariest PC game of all time. Readers nominated games, and the top 16 have been seeded into head-to-head matchups. Voting for the first round concludes on Wednesday, October 28, with subsequent rounds narrowing the field until a winner is revealed on Saturday.
Elsewhere is a New Activision Studio Working on an Open-World Game With “Emergent Gameplay”
Activision has established a new studio named Elsewhere, reportedly comprised of industry veterans, to develop an open-world game with a strong focus on emergent gameplay. Job listings indicate the project aims to create believable and reactive experiences within a living world. While AAA games focusing on emergent gameplay have become rarer, titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are cited as examples.
23 devs teamed up to make a free game of 'innovative yet questionable volume sliders,' and it feels like…
Volume.art is a free collection of 29 microgames created by 23 developers, all centered around manipulating volume sliders in innovative and humorous ways. The collection features diverse gameplay mechanics inspired by various games and genres, offering a brisk and delightful experience that evokes nostalgia for WarioWare and old Flash games.
Ambitious new Project Zomboid mod fills the world with simulated NPC factions, inspired by Stalker
A new Project Zomboid mod, Project A-Life, has been released on Steam Workshop, transforming the zombie survival game with simulated NPC factions inspired by the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. This mod aims to create a persistent, living world where NPCs explore, scavenge, and engage in complex behaviors independently of the player, enhancing the simulation aspect of the game.
METRO 2039 Isn’t Kidding Around
Metro 2039, the upcoming post-apocalyptic first-person shooter from 4A Games, is set to release in February 2027 for Xbox Series X|S and PC. A hands-on preview revealed a tense and detailed gameplay experience focused on survival, exploration, and immersive world-building, returning to the Moscow Metro setting with a voiced protagonist.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch is Live, Adds “High-Risk, High-Reward” Quest in X-18 Lab
GSC Game World has released the "Sealed Truth" update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, adding a new high-risk, high-reward questline within the X-18 Lab. The update also includes fixes for mutant spawns and mission progression, along with new loading screens. The upcoming "Cost of Hope" expansion is set to launch this Summer for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Supernatural handyman simulator The Lift launches on PS5 in 2027
The supernatural handyman simulator The Lift is set to launch on PlayStation 5 in 2027. Developed by Fantastic Signals, the game blends first-person repairman gameplay with a deep sci-fi story set in an abandoned research facility. Players will uncover a conspiracy while restoring the facility and utilizing unique tools.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s Next Free Content Drop Unlocks the X-18 Lab This Month
GSC Game World is releasing a free content update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl in April called Sealed Truth, which will unlock the X-18 Lab. A paid DLC is also planned for Summer 2024, featuring a new storyline and locations for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Road to Vostok is the single-player Tarkov fans have been waiting for
Road to Vostok, a single-player extraction shooter inspired by Escape From Tarkov and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., is preparing for its Early Access launch at a discounted price of $15. Developed by a single Finnish developer who ported the game from Unity to Godot, it features hardcore looting, punishing mechanics, traders, factions, and tasks across multiple maps. The game has an extensive roadmap for future updates, including new maps, AI conflicts, and additional features planned through 2026.
Road to Vostok Could Be the Next S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-Like Obsession
Road to Vostok is a single-player hardcore survival first-person shooter emphasizing realism and immersion, drawing comparisons to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Developed primarily by a solo developer named Antti, the game features a persistent world, scarce resources, lethal enemies, and a strong focus on permadeath to create a tense and consequential player experience. Its transparent development and commitment to emergent narratives aim to offer a deeply authentic survival simulation.
Flawless victory was never on the cards for eurojank, but I honestly can't tell if it won or lost
The term 'eurojank' describes ambitious but often buggy European games that foster a unique cultural fondness. While many classic eurojank titles are now considered polished AAA games or have faded, the spirit of ambitious, mid-budget development persists despite challenges like publisher insolvency and studio closures. The article reflects on the charm of finding magic amidst imperfections, a characteristic that defined the eurojank era.
"I think it’s unfair to kind of geofence the genre": Original Stalker designer talks Eurojank in not-so-Euro games
Original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. designer Andrii Verpakhovskyi argues against geofencing the 'Eurojank' genre, stating that ambitious but imperfect games share a common soul regardless of their origin. He believes terms like 'Eurojank' can be unfairly used to categorize games and suggests a broader appreciation for the inherent imperfections in many beloved titles.
There's nothing 'euro' about 'eurojank,' says Stalker dev—after all, what are some of the 2000s' best RPGs if not beautiful all-American jankfests?
Designer Andrii Verpakhovskyi argues that the term 'eurojank' unfairly limits the perception of ambitious, bug-ridden games to Europe, citing American-developed titles like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Fallout as prime examples. He suggests that the creativity and experimental nature found in these games, often born from limited resources and inexperienced development teams, is a broader phenomenon. The discussion also touches on how modern platforms like Steam can stifle innovation by enforcing genre conventions.
STALKER 2: Cost of Hope is a "massive nonlinear expansion" that includes the Chornobyl power plant visit the base game never made time for
GSC Game World has announced 'Cost of Hope,' the first major expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set to release in Summer 2026. The expansion will feature the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest regions, focusing on the conflict between the Freedom and Duty factions. This new chapter promises dozens of hours of gameplay and a new narrative arc within the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga.
A decade before Stalker, this obscure Ukrainian Quake clone was quietly breaking new ground for first-person shooters
Chasm: The Rift, an obscure Ukrainian first-person shooter from 1997 developed by Action Forms, predated S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and introduced innovative features for its time. Despite its visual similarities to Quake, Chasm utilized a unique homebrew engine and featured surprising elements like detailed dismemberment and a more involved narrative structure for the era, though its gameplay was more methodical and less fluid than its contemporaries.
What's on your bookshelf: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and GSC Game World's Mariia Grygorovych
Mariia Grygorovych, executive producer at GSC Game World, discusses books that have influenced her, including "The Body Keeps the Score" and Isaac Asimov's "Foundation." She highlights themes of trauma, memory, and the power of narrative, drawing connections to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.
