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A proper Developer Deep Dive is now available for the delayed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and it's looking and sounding really promising.

GSC Game World might actually finally pull me into their world with this one, after I completely bounced off their older games in the series. The release is only a few months away (November 20th) so hopefully the extra time is going to be worth it.

What do we get from this Deep Dive? There's various interviews and behind-the-scenes of the development process, quite a bit of new footage that including the world overview, various locations, gameplay and cut-scenes and there's even a full video walkthrough of one of the story quests.

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more “unexpected anomalies” (or simply “bugs”, as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding - it means the world to us. We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.” said Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World.

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You can pre-order via:

GOG

Humble Store

Steam

After watching it, be sure to come back and comment your thoughts on it. I really hope this one works well with Valve's Proton for Linux desktop and Steam Deck fans.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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9 comments

Jarmer Aug 13
I too bounced off the earlier game(s), but they always have such a rabid fanbase. I am keeping my eye on this one and will definitely give it a try when it comes out.

For proton support, it should be good. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has a platinum rating on protondb, so that's at least good news.
Liam Dawe Aug 13
Quoting: JarmerI too bounced off the earlier game(s), but they always have such a rabid fanbase. I am keeping my eye on this one and will definitely give it a try when it comes out.

For proton support, it should be good. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has a platinum rating on protondb, so that's at least good news.
I don't think any previous game rating matters, they're all old and this is properly next-gen, completely different games.
hm11 Aug 13
This looks very promising!
slaapliedje Aug 13
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: JarmerI too bounced off the earlier game(s), but they always have such a rabid fanbase. I am keeping my eye on this one and will definitely give it a try when it comes out.

For proton support, it should be good. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has a platinum rating on protondb, so that's at least good news.
I don't think any previous game rating matters, they're all old and this is properly next-gen, completely different games.
The funny thing for me, is I never felt like I got decent performance out of the other games when they were released, then by the time I'd upgraded my computer to be able to play them, I had forgotten to go back and play them. They looked awesome from what little I'd played back in the day though.

Then again, I do that with a lot of games... Like I have 11 hours in Doom 2016, but still haven't beaten it because I load it up for a few minutes, kill some demons, then quit again.
Looks bad. Unreal Engine strikes again and just ruins the atmosphere. Guns look plastic, pew pew. The Controller doesnt look scary at all, not like the most dangerous enemy in the Zone. The enemies dont look dangerous as they were previously. Seems like an issue of trying to mainstream the game too much
TheRiddick Aug 14
Quoting: JarmerI too bounced off the earlier game(s), but they always have such a rabid fanbase.

The REAL gem is Anomaly with packs like GAMMA or similar that enhance it.

Anomaly does have stories and such but its mostly text based unless you find a VA mod for it. Also no cutscenes in Anomaly but EVERYTHING else has been DRAMATICALLY enhanced on the original XRAY engine Stalker games.

But yes the first stalker game and some of the expansions had some real route edges which got enhanced with mods which most people don't discover until long after.

Quoting: Cato-the-youngerGuns look plastic, pew pew. The Controller doesnt look scary at all

Could be consequence of using realistic lighting and PBR rendering. Perhaps we will be able to tweak things once its in our hands. Also if you played the original games, then you can't argue Stalker-2 looks way better and more realistic.

Quoting: Cato-the-youngerSeems like an issue of trying to mainstream the game too much

Stalker-1 series had a lot of stuff stripped out and was WAY simpler then most people remember it too be. Stalker-2 is supposedly a big step up. KEEP IN MIND! ANOMALY IS A FAN PROJECT, NOTHING MORE!


Last edited by TheRiddick on 14 August 2024 at 12:08 am UTC
Jarmer Aug 14
Damn, that's disappointing they're using ue5 for this

Hopefully yes maybe they can make some tweaks to the visual style and make it less "unrealy".
BrassGear Aug 16
I have been following this game's production, but it has sadly never felt like a S.T.A.L.K.E.R game, and this video is no different. In this video the game seems more like another FarCry.

The swamp is also the worst location in Clear Sky, which made the mistake of starting the game there. I have to say it is no good for a showcase either.
TheRiddick Aug 17
I think ye all mad!
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