
Rather than Fallout 3's sprawl, Shadow of Chernobyl, spatially, consisted in a series of discrete packages. It never fully broke out into an open world, but was instead a sort of "wider" world. Stalker's levels are interlinked, but not in themselves all that large. The balance between a linear story and an "open" world was interesting in itself. Here was a game that put the focus more on combat than simply on survival, and it was all the more thrilling for that. If the radiation poisoning didn't get you, then the monstrous packs of dogs probably would. Most crucial of all, there was the simple moment-to-moment challenge of staying alive in a predatory and aggressive world.

There were elements of RPGs too, with quests scattered across the landscape, and decisions about alignments with various Stalker factions to be made. I almost feel like one of those radio narrators from the 50s.Merge this system with a world that was relatively free to explore, and you had a kind of open-world FPS that we really hadn't seen much of before that time. I fired a rocket through that hole and I was off the see the Wizard. Then.equipping the rocket launcher, because I knew the rest of would be on the other side of that little hole in the wall. There were fewer in the atrium.īut the best part.! Was clearing out the atrium. Then, you work your way into that tucked-away building (nice oxymoron there.)īut.! The action didn't end there because the first time it seemed like a TON of enemy soldiers were in that room and just opened up on me. Then toward the tail end (just before the Wizard) I got as close to the high ground as I could, and intermixed fighting back with running away. I had the siva suit in the beginning part against Monolith which helped to return fire as radiation was everywhere. Man, Monolith and Military on your a** as your trying to get to (SPOILER) the Wizard of Oz or whatever was toouuuuugh. I didn't have the money to pay them but had stuff to do, of course, so we shot it out.



At the start of the game you can go up to them(WITHOUT holding a weapon) And ask them.
