S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in eight days!

 

After years of wait (it’s beginning to feel like the Half-Life 2 vigil, actually), S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is going to hit store shelves in eight days. In fact, there was news earlier this month that the long-awaited first-person shooter/survival action game has been released to manufacturing.

In case you’ve been staying away from civilization, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: The Shadow of Chernobyl took six years to develop, and has been generating a lot of buzz for its massive game world that’s set in an alternate reality. As the game’s story goes, a second nuclear disaster happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and it caused a lot of grotesque mutations in the area.

You take on the role of a “Stalker” or illegal explorer, and it’s your job to scavenge through this zone for artifacts. Progress in the game is non-linear, so you’ll be able to roam about at your own pace. Interestingly, the game comes with role-playing and economic elements. The game’s X-ray Engine promises cutting-edge visuals and non-scripted AI, which is said to develop even when not in contact with the player.

If that were as good as advertised, then wow.

There were many promises that came out in a span of six years, and many times in between, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has actually been considered as vaporware (**cough Duke Nukem Forever cough**). It’s just amazing to think what this game has gone through, and in eight days, we’ll find out if S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is worth the hype.

The last time I was this excited about an FPS for the PC was 2004 when Doom III and Half-Life 2 came out. I’m hoping that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will fill those marquee shoes. Well, the gaming deities have smiled upon us, because S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will retail at a mere $39.99.

Now if only Gears of War would land on the PC, that would make my year complete.