After the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded in 1986, the entire area was deemed hazardous and promptly abandoned. Twenty-one years later, GSC Gameworld has developed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a game that takes place in this region, utilizing the story and terrain to its fullest extent.

Every shooter must have something to set itself apart, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s unique location holds everything together, from the character's past and motivation to the events on any given mission. For months, the developers traveled and took pictures of the Chernobyl region, learning its secrets. This shows in the impressive detail. It carries fictional elements, but the environment resembles something yanked from the real world.

The area surrounding Chernobyl feels deadly. The game reflects this completely, with only a few lines of helpful tips about how to use a PDA to track events as the hero ("Marked One") gets sent on his way. Everyone has one thing on their mind: survival. If a way to help others or make a profit arises, the player weighs their options versus risk. Caution has become the new must-have virtue, and seems a prerequisite for every action.

The game plays nicely, with pretty textures and nice lighting effects. The game runs well, with little to get in the way of being both consumed with surviving another mission deeper into the zone. While exploring, players will come across "anomalies" ranging from common disturbances in space looking like ripples in the planet to electrical chains of death in railroad tunnels. Between these strange things and possibly even stranger mutated forms of life wandering the zone, playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. feels like a constant marathon. Players must always keep their guard up, with only one safe place in the zone and a few dilapidated houses to seek refuge.

Combat remains a last resort in most cases, because everything could kill the hero without much of a struggle. If for no other reason, ammo remains a scarce resource though often times one well-placed shot to an unaware military foe will earn dozens of rounds in return. Missions provide both goals in a very free-roaming shooter and some fun in what otherwise might be considered an endurance trial. These missions range from clearing out boars in a den to assassinations and retrieval of classified documents deep within the zone. Some missions provide a glimpse into the protagonist's past, while others keep cash flow in the positive direction.

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