STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl reviewed by Michael Higham on PC. Also available on Xbox Series X/S.
When it’s firing on all cylinders, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a rare treat that scratches the itch left behind by those older PC games, where the onus was on you to figure out how to survive and thrive in an unforgiving place that doesn’t care if you live or die. It’s refreshing, brutal, and a masterclass in creating a brooding atmosphere that I loved basking in, bringing new life to a place as tragic and desolate as The Zone. Once the main quest gained momentum, the choices I made and the work required to reach the end left me invested in a suspenseful story that builds on the ambitions of its predecessors. There are, however, foundational problems that are hard to ignore, like bizarre enemy behavior in combat and the many bugs and performance issues that persist after launch. But for those with the patience and determination required for a massive, intentionally inelegant shooter, those are inconveniences worth enduring; STALKER 2 is a gripping exploration of Chornobyl, and there’s just nothing like it.
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44 comments
The facial animations and the game stability are horribly bad and all the NPCs somehow seem to be standing out from the background like in an ancient green screen technique, they seem very artificial, as if they don't want to fit into the setting. On the one hand the graphics and atmosphere are really good, but on the other hand some of them are also awful. I hope GSC will patch a lot more or the fans and modders will make the game better as always. At least we now have a new base game that the modding community can build on, I think this is the most interesting thing about STALKER anyway – what the fans make of it.
i found it very hard died so many times so for me that really made it to frustrating so for me fallout 4 and metro exodus are more my level of these types of game but absolutely stunning game to play if you enjoy hard
A friggin walking simulator. Worst running fps iver played and most frustrating. 6 out 10
I made it to the end for the youtube stats
Not finished game. Lot of mistakes, bugs, glitches. NPCs look and move like cartoonish puppets. Enemies are ugly and simply copied from the 1st Stalker. Lousy cheap voices of cheap English donors. Poor annoying mechanics. Not good at all. 6/10 – just because it's Stalker.
People saying the game is too hard is wild to me. I mean I'm on the middle difficulty but I feel like it's too easy. I've never once died to humans.
Russian History*
A game review from a big channel that's not in 4k or at least 1440p? Get with the times.
Never played this series before, but 45h story length + running everywhere on foot w/o fast travel + RPG-lite side quests + inventory management + Red Dead 2 style micro-management of hunger sounds like a very tedious, boring experience. Call me old fashioned, but I like fast run and gun shooters. This game sounds as dreary to play as the world would probably be if you were really there. I'm sure for fans of the series though it will be great. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea. Far Cry 2 was a mixed bag for being the more "realistic" of that iconic open-world series. At least FC2 had vehicles to drive in, and a very limited form of fast travel.
Is this a new game ? Or a remake
In what other medium would it be ok to review something and include spoilers for plot points even if they occur in the first act? Bizarre that that's a normal thing in main stream video game reviews.
No frame drops or anything on console
these character models look 2 generations old
I went to Canada for the the first time 2 weeks ago. The landscape reminds me of that
Not bad when compared to Cyberpunk 2077 being released for the first time. That was a bug fest.
Not on PS5? Lame.
😅 why are people calling this game hard? I'm playing in the stalker mode, and it's not that hard
8!! A fkn 8?! You're an idiot. This game is absolute garbage.
This is what you get when a developer just wants to make a buck and doesn't care about actual gameplay.
It's about to be 2025. Your game can't tell me what the objective is and tell me where to go?? Games like this are garbage. And don't get me started on invisible enemies. That's just pathetic and tells me you have no imagination. The second that nonsense started, I was out. If I have to look up what to do and i'm not even 30 minutes in?…you failed.
This game hates fun.
This game is really good. I love how everything happens naturally when you’re in the zone after my first hour, I got addicted to it.
Not me dying >250 times in my first 50 hours
So far, I like it. I'm really into it. Its not a beautiful game, the story and main characters seem to be basic, nothing mind blowing about the quests, yet it feels unique, original.
I think the devs did a great job crafting the environment. The atmosphere keeps you on your toes – you dont feel safe. The gunfights are pretty good (haven't encountered many mutants, yet).
Its definitely a game that I want to play when time allows. It's somewhat refreshing and very welcome.
Recently on a whim
I decided to play all the metro games in order. As previously on a whim I played Metro Exodus when it came out. I enjoyed it but felt like I had no idea what was going on so I beat it and put it down until a couple weeks ago. I played them all and fell in love. So I decided I was going to give stalker 2 a try as i remember seeing the trailers and thinking it reminded me of metro (before i fell in love with the series and learned metro took inspiration from stalker) and thought its a game worth keeping an eye on. That was back then and I saw all the hype, so I was worried that it died down around release. Since i finished metro and started the dlc on exodus I thought I should play it finally and boy am I hooked. If I hadn’t pushed through the introduction to the game I might not have fell in love. I’m still not far in but I’m seriously enjoying the whole role playing aspect. I love playing RPG’s that let you role play a mercenary, smuggler, bounty hunter, all around scoundrel lol and you walk into bars to hear rumors of treasures and to get jobs. This game scratches that fantasy for me.
it's a new game, of course it have issues in current state, people should really give it time before complaining so much, time will tell if it improves. and if its so bad, why are steam popping 50,000+ positive reviews?, so many haters, should think they we're all russians :D, hey its not my faulth vodka lord invaded a certaint country and now white blue red super mad about a game thats iconic made by ukrainians "cough" "cough" what was that?, the game is good, don't listen to the hate cuz it might aswell just be russians in the other end X.D, yeye come at me rus.
are there any LGBTQ+HDTV Characters in the game? i hope there is.
I am a Stalker fan. But this is not great. Just mediocre 7/10 with or without bugs.
I'm so sick of hearing people complain about this game. This game was literally created in the middle of a fucking war. You lose yours can't even make a video game with RPG Maker in your parents basement. So please shut up and quit complaining about it.
20 hours in and I've uninstalled the game. I'll get back to it in a year or so. It's just bad now.
3080 has a lack of VRAM causing your stutters especially at 1440p or 4k.
If the AI acted more irrationally like the tribals from the forest, this game would be perfect
I found the first game something that English speaking Russians might like. Sort of depressing, other games were way better. I mean it is close to something good, but for me this game is some kind of Tier 2 game level, not a top game.
Looks like a game from 2010.
its a 7 at most until its patched
Graphics looks shitty compared to what they advertised when announced. Scam..
The graphics are on par with Half Life 2, which is about 18 years old. I bought thr first trilogy but quit after about 20 minutes, they looked like PlayStation 2 games.
There’s one enemy that’s unstoppable in that game, it basically makes it unplayable especially on Xbox….. Crashes
Stalker 2 looks absolutely incredible, the atmosphere is hauntingly immersive, the graphics are stunning, and the gameplay seems like a perfect evolution of the series. Its blend of survival mechanics, deep storytelling, open-world exploration, and dynamic AI interactions truly sets it apart. The unique setting of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, filled with eerie anomalies, mutated creatures, and a sense of constant tension, makes it an unparalleled experience. Can't wait to explore the Zone again!
even after a 13GB patch the game still has no controller support !! Un_FuCKing_believe_able !
Not knowing a friend from foe is not good. Hopefully, it will be updated.
This game definitely isn't an 8 at the moment. It is more of a 6 or 7. If the bugs and inconvenient mechanics improve I can see it being an 8.
I honestly look at this review and feel a bit disgusted. Not only is IGN being accused of trying to rob Wukong from the clear GOTY, but they just gave an unpolished game a high recommendation.
Don't get me wrong. We all understand the devs circumstance, but lets not sugar coat the state of the game. It is playable if you have the patience to deal with many bugs. Including audio, visual, and even corrupted files. If you wanted to nit pick you could even go as far as poorly designed mechanics. Like the struggle to quickly manage your inventory/loot.
I've been looking forward to Stalker 2 for a few years now. It doesn't live up to the hype, but like Cyberpunk, after a few patches it should be the game we expected.
Looks like Tarkov and Counter Strike made a baby!!
I like it, you know why? Because it reminds of playing the original when I didn’t have much responsibility, I came from school, did homework and played some fun games!
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