S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Review

One of the reasons why this game received a lower score is because it left too many things untold and, while I appreciate the effort to create an immersive authentic world laid to waste by a nuclear disaster, I simply can't escape the recurring feeling that something is missing in this game. The world is empty - as you'd expect from nasty "little occurrences" such as nuclear fallout. But maybe, just maybe, it's too damn "empty" this time. But not in the sense of life, NPCs or enemies. More in terms of important events, crucial story moments and such. Damn, it's harder to explain than I thought. Another thing that really disappointed me was the all-so-sudden ending. Just when things were getting interesting, story wise, the end credits came up (I was like: "Oh, finally, the story gets going... wait, what? Noooo..."). Happily, there's a nice little bonus feature for gamers who didn't get a chance to complete all side-quests in the first playthrough. You can choose to stay in the Zone and go through all the challenges and tasks you may have missed, which is great, albeit it won't take you a lot to do this. As for me, I only had two unsolved quests and when I returned to the new-fangled free-roam mode (yes, it's new to the series), I was done in less than half an hour. So there.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to make a snapshot of that lightning.

Just enjoying the view.

The game also packs Deathmatch and CTF style competitive matches with its multiplayer mode. Mind you, this doesn't exactly represent the highlight of the experience. If you want to get the best out of this game, stick with the main campaign, for what it's worth.

With this game, you'll either know exactly what you're getting into, which means you're a diehard S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan or you've simply enjoyed the previous two games and will happily immerse yourself into the creepiness of the Zone once more. Everything you've come to expect from the series is there, from artifacts, plenty of items and weapons to toy around with, as well as a solid variety of missions. Generally, the mission structure in Call of Pripyat won't leave you disappointed. There are plenty of new areas to explore. Certain quests won't be easy since you are not given the exact location the map. Instead, you explore and discover things yourself. That's essentially what it's about - immersing yourself in an amazingly realistic post-apocalyptic world, learning its secrets and meeting people along the way. If that's the kind of ride you're after, CoP shouldn't disappoint. Then again, if you're expecting a detailed, well-told story, with rich characterization, you won't find it here.

Oh and just in case you get any ideas, there are still no women in the game. Hm, maybe in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? Just a thought on my part. I'm not criticizing. I seriously won't complain in there are no women in the sequel. I really won't.

Important note: The screenshots posted with this review were taken with DX9 based graphics.