STALKER 2: We take stock of one of the most anticipated Xbox exclusives

Game news STALKER 2: We take stock of one of the most anticipated Xbox exclusives

What is the release date of STALKER 2?

STALKER 2: The Heart of Chornobyl is a long, very long project. Last I heard, GSC Game World studio was supposed to release the game in April 2022 but was forced to postpone the release for obvious reasons: the team is based in kyiv, Ukraine, and is severely limited by the current geo-political events. For the time being, it is difficult to determine the release date, but the studio seems to indicate that 2023 will be the good one this time. And while we haven’t had any new footage in months and even had pre-orders canceled, the developers finally gave us a new gameplay trailer recently, all in 4K:

What are the technical specificities of STALKER 2?

For now, we know that the game runs on Unreal Engine 5. The trailer above also seems to indicate a great experience on PC and Xbox Series. Also count on RTX support on Series S and X as well as 4K display on Series X. The displayed size is 180 GB on Xbox Series and 150 GB on PC. On PC, the technical specificities of the game are already known:

Graphics”of the highest quality developed using state-of-the-art photogrammetric and scanning technologiesare also promised in the game.

What is the storyline of STALKER 2?

STALKER 2: The Heart of Chernobyl is the fourth installment in the franchise that began in 2007. It will invite us to play a major role in a non-linear story that will set its frame in post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe. The whole thing takes place in an alternate version of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, after the disaster of 1984. Some of the plant’s reactors remained active, which unfortunately led to a second explosion in 2006.

The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone changed dramatically after the second explosion in 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, and conflict between its many factions have made the Zone a very difficult place to survive. However, the incredibly valuable artifacts therein attract many people, called “Stalkers”, who infiltrate the Zone at their peril, hoping to make a fortune or find the truth. that hides in the heart of Chornobyl.

You therefore embody a stalker dropped into this hostile world of 64 km² where you will have to make a slew of decisions in order to define your trajectory and therefore your destiny. Many branches are thus promised for this purpose. This will include talking to the different factions of the world and forging the alliances you want.

Gameplay-wise, what to expect?

For now, the images indicate a lot of frontal action, but also stealth. Note that several difficulty modes will be included to adapt to all levels.

Engage in intense combat against a variety of enemies who will employ numerous tactics to neutralize you. Choose your favorite weapon from over 30 fully customizable weapon types, and experiment on your enemies with hundreds of deadly combinations

By “enemies,” expect both human and mutant encounters. It is also said that each mutant is declined according to different subtypes and their behavior would therefore be difficult to predict. Note that they often hunt in packs.

Inventory management could well take an important place in game design. It will be possible to customize your weapons in multiplayer mode. And let’s not forget the valuable artifacts you have to collect during the game.

Finally, who says survival game says mechanisms managing hunger, sleep, bleeding or even the effects of radiation.

An open world game?

If the first episode consisted of vast areas connected to each other, for this part, the studio promises us a very large open world in a radioactive zone of 64 km² with varied environments. In the columns of the official Xbox site, we even learn that this open world would be one of the biggest to date.

With STALKER 2, we finally create what we wanted to do from the very beginning. For the first time in the series, you will be able to explore the Zone in a post-apocalyptic open world, one of the largest to date.

This is our most immersive world yet, and we’re creating it with the love and passion this setting deserves. With our most advanced technology yet, the Zone has never looked so beautiful. And it’s up to you to conquer it – or lose yourself in it forever.

We would therefore be offered an immersive and constantly evolving world. The game will also retain one of the qualities of the previous component: “A-Life”, which allowed PnJs to interact with each other; this generated, for example, clashes between mutants and Stalkers. This system should be improved here.

Mods on the program?

STALKER 2: The Heart of Chornobyl will have official mod supportenough to allow talented Stalkers the freedom to expand and enrich the universe of the game and let their creativity speak.

NFTs in the game or not?

It was the fear of last December: GSC Game World had announced that the game was going to integrate NFTs, namely unique digital objects. An initiative that followed in the footsteps of Ubisoft and its Quartz program, which was poorly received by the public and some of the employees. GSC for its part intended to sell players parts of the game, including digital objects, which would not, however, give any additional advantage during the game. Eventually, the studio backtracked due to player dissatisfaction: “Based on the feedback we’ve received, we’ve made the decision to rollback everything related to NFTs in STALKER 2“, “the interests of our fans and players are the team’s top priority. We’re creating this game for you to enjoy, no matter the cost. If you care about it, we care about it too.”