Game Review: STALKER: Call of Pripyat

An exhilarating shooter-adventure.

The STALKER series has, for the most part, lingered outside the gaze of most gamers this generation.  This is quite the unfortunate fact, because, since the release of Shadow of Chernobyl in 2007, STALKER has been one of the greatest series produced in many years.  It is also, in a generation that has seen the "casualization" of video games to a mind-numbing degree, one of the few truly hardcore franchises left available.  But at the same time, I wouldn’t say that either of the previous two STALKER games were truly phenomenal, with plenty of room for improvement, though Shadow of Chernobyl was very, very close.  Call of Pripyat attempts to capitalize on the potential of its predecessors with more refined gameplay, wider environments that allow for better adventuring, less technical issues, and meatier missions.  It doesn’t disappoint.  Call of Pripyat is an unmistakable gem that PC gamers shouldn’t miss out on.

Welcome to the Zone around Pripyat!

The game picks up after several military helicopters crash in the Zone under mysterious circumstances, putting you in the shoes of military agent Alexander Degtyarev.  With a bare minimum of supplies and weaponry, it’s Degtyarev’s job to locate the crews of the choppers, discover the source of the problem, and aid the military effort in the Zone.  Call of Pripyat certainly pushes for a more story-oriented game this time around, with cut-scenes that flash around the characters for a more dramatic effect, and a larger quantity of cut-scenes as well.  More effort was put into the writing as well, though in certain places, this is still sketchy too.  The main issue with the story is that it takes many hours to get anywhere.  Until you’re finally walking the road to Pripyat, it almost seems as if the developers decided to discard the main storyline entirely.  Fortunately, some interesting characters and surprisingly good side stories might be enough to keep you interested, and the main storyline definitely picks up over the last several hours of the game.  

Early in the game, it’s easy to notice many similarities, but also some changes, to what made the first two STALKER games so good.  The interface remains mostly unchanged, but some minor tweaks to the way you can check on status problems, quests, factions, and a few other things are obvious, and in a good way.  The same hardcore combat from CoP’s predecessors is back, with realistic firing that will see your weapons jam occasionally (based on the unreliability of the same weapons in real life), shots not always go exactly where you’re aiming, recoil that intensifies the longer you hold the trigger, and constant deterioration of equipment.  However, while CoP is certainly on the more difficult side when it comes to games of this generation, it’s not nearly as hard as Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky.  While there are some new, viciously tough enemies like the chimera and the pseudo-giant, you don’t see them very often, and the more wide-open layout of CoP means virtually never getting stuck in atrociously difficult choke points that could be seen especially in Clear Sky.  You won’t be grenade-spammed either.

 Thought this sucker was hard?

To make matters even simpler, bandits actually don’t attack you on sight anymore.  You can actually talk to them, even take missions from some groups, though there will certainly be times when mowing them down with an assault rifle will be your best option.  When fighting human enemies, STALKER’s AI still ranges from incredible to really dull.  It’s readily agreed that the AI in STALKER is, overall, among the best in gaming, with soldiers who coordinate their attacks, flank, lure you out with grenades and cover fire, and not to mention work in groups to survive outside of combat.  But it’s still annoyingly hard to sneak up on people as they seem to have animal-like perception, and enemies often neglect to use cover or come at you in a wave that is easy to tear apart.  Of course, it’s not all easy here.  As I mentioned, the mutated enemies, both new and old, are more difficult in this game and can destroy you with ease.  And the higher difficulty settings are still an astounding challenge for those who want to test their skills.  

You can still receive missions by traveling the Zone and talking to people, though side missions in particular in this game are much meatier than in previous installments of this series.  Completion of missions typically results in more quests that prolong each specific side story and a lump sum of cash that you can save up to buy new equipment or repair older stuff.  Upgrading equipment is changed a bit as you now need to find certain sets of tools (or provide vodka in one case) before being able to receive your upgrades.  You also search for anomalies in the same way you did in Clear Sky, with detectors, and vendors in CoP will actively ask you to seek them out.  Turning anomalies in for lump sums of cash can go a long ways in affording new equipment and ensuring your survival in the Zone.  Let’s also not forget the survival/horror aspect of CoP’s gameplay that go along with the shooter and RPG elements: the inventory and its puny weight limit.  You’ll likely only be able to carry a few big guns and a certain amount of ammo for each one, so you better be properly prepared before heading out to each mission.

How about a dozen at one time?  Better not sneeze...

When you begin to walk in the open fields of this game for the first time, it’s hard not to be overcome with awe.  This is the most expansive STALKER yet, with the most compelling atmosphere and wide open roaming available.  And I do mean that the atmosphere is thoroughly engrossing.  At one point, I was wandering into what appeared to be an abandoned complex of buildings.  The wind was blowing, but everything was eerily quiet.  I went from room to room, collecting mysterious documents.  Eventually, STALKERs began to shout from just outside the room I was in, and, lightly equipped, I ran down the hall as bullets sprayed over my head.  I went down a flight of steps, pulling out a shotgun just in time to blow away two mercenaries coming up to meet me.  I went down some more steps, but backed away quickly as bullets erupted from the hallway on the next floor.  Moments from being overwhelmed, I scanned around the staircase, finding a small ledge to sneak through.  I dropped out of the building, and snuck around, listening to footsteps and avoiding all signs of life until I was in the clear.  Using the environments to your advantage is a key in STALKER, and with the dark ambience, this creates an atmosphere few games have accomplished this generation. 

But there are some problems with the clearly-aging visuals.  The lighting effects have been significantly scaled back since Clear Sky, which is beyond disappointing.  It still looks fantastic considering how wide-open it is, but to be an obvious notch below a game that is approximately two years older is unacceptable.  The character models are finally improved by a huge amount, but this is the only area in which CoP graphically surpasses its predecessor.  The environments still look sharp and highly detailed, even from long distances, which adds to the game’s enormous sense of scope.  The pop-in is still annoyingly apparent even when maxed out, as are the game’s constant hangings even when your system should easily be strong enough to run this game without lag.  Part of this is obviously due to the lush environments full of shrubberies and grasses (let’s ignore the seeming ridiculousness of such verdant life in a post-nuclear accident zone), though constant hangings still shouldn’t happen.  There are still a good deal of glitches as well, though CoP isn’t nearly as bad in that regard as the previous STALKERs, but it’s worth mentioning that I have run into an impossible quest because of a glitch myself.

 Call of Pripyat is one of the most atmospheric games of this generation.

Visual problems aside, the sound design in this series has never been better.  Much of the time, music isn’t even utilized, instead giving way to beautiful environment sounds: the soft flow of wind, the movements of various life-forms, the shrill calls of birds, and more.  When music is used, it’s often low, out-of-the-way environmental tunes that blend with the background and flow of the action.  We still get the occasional music that we all loved from the previous STALKERs, but most of the music in CoP is meant to add to the atmosphere, something it achieves without flaw.  While you will still need to read most of the script, there is still some voice-acting, made better with the more common cut-scenes in this game.  While some of it is highly mediocre and plagued with translation issues, there is a more flagrant touch to the voices of some of the characters, adding some life to the game.  Considering the scope and open-endedness of the game’s design, it was vitally important that the sound effects be done right.  As you adventure into deserted buildings and swamps with reeds blocking your view around you, being able to listen to footsteps and voices in your vicinity is very important.  And it adds not only to the atmosphere, but to the sense of tactical awareness when planning your next move.  

Everyone who played Shadow of Chernobyl loved its hardcore difficulty, intense shootouts, stark atmosphere, and haunting exploration with terrifying creatures lurking everywhere.  All of this returns in Call of Pripyat, with refined gameplay and more intelligent design.  It’s a step down in difficulty with less firefights, but the atmosphere is more captivating than ever, the exploration more memorable, and the twisted creatures of the Zone more numerous and fearful.  It’s unfortunate that the story takes so long to get anywhere, but with seriously fleshed out side quests and noticeably less glitches, I’ll take the few shortcomings with little complaint.  There’s also a multiplayer mode worth checking out, though it’s the single-player that is the staple of this series.  Call of Pripyat is a gem unfortunately hidden to the bulk of the gaming community, and it’s not only arguably the most underappreciated game of 2010, it’s easily one of the best.  Call of Pripyat takes the STALKER series to new heights; it’s the greatest one yet, and an absolute must-own for hardcore shooter/adventure fans.  

Conclusion: 4.5/5 - One of the most atmospheric games in years is also one of the best.