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Preview - Stalker: Clear Sky

Written by Marco Fiori

Tuesday, 20 May 2008

S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky is the follow-up game to 2007’s PC hit S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. Clear Sky (as what it’ll be referred to as, due its overdose on punctuation) is a prequel boasting a mixture of new areas as well as ‘remade’ levels. There’s a ‘1.5 update’ to the game’s X-Ray Engine which promises to bring in the latest DirectX 10 effects and much needed stabilisation. The game’s due the end of August and hopes to continue the unique blend of FPS and RPG gameplay that made the original such a joy to experience. We’ve been lucky enough to get hands on with the game to see how it’s getting on. If you’re only interested in how it looks, scroll down for the eye candy.

Anyone expecting an overhaul will be bitterly disappointed. The build we were treated to is stamped with a ‘work in progress’ watermark which obviously explains the lack of ‘wow’ factor (concerning the graphics), but we’re expecting the gameplay mechanics to stay the same (minus the obvious tweaking and balancing) up to the game’s release. The game plays exactly the same as Shadow of Chernobyl. The gunplay is still unique, in such a way that spraying bullets will result in death. Close range, single-shot pistol rounds to the head do their job and it’s the most effective way of clearing a sector. Automatic weapons are still notoriously shoddy at long range so expect controlled shooting to be on the menu.

Once alerted to your presence (which doesn’t take too long once you’ve started to drop bad guys) the AI kicks in and attempts to hunt you down. You’ve got a sound and visibility meter, so if those are kept to a minimum you can slowly pick off enemies one by one. If you lack the subtle approach you’ll quickly be surrounded and dropped to the floor by a hail of bullets. We couldn’t see much difference from the original game, in both human and animal AI, but that ‘WIP’ watermark kept rearing its head. If you liked the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R, then we can firmly say that you’ll like Clear Sky.

It’s difficult not to be critical of Clear Sky’s graphics because as humans, the visual is what we make judgements on. We know it’s only a preview build and that it’s being worked on, but the game’s release is at the end of August so it’s not long before the game will be going gold. The only definite that we can say, is that Clear Sky hasn’t decreased in quality. The game’s definitely more stable, and it loads much quicker. It seems to be making use of our DirectX 10 card and our core two duo. In terms of graphical effects, we can’t tell the difference from Clear Sky and the original. The lighting is the only noticeable improvement but that’s down to the fact that the dynamic lighting actually works this time around.

We’re cautiously optimistic that Clear Sky will deliver, but at this stage we’re getting the niggling feeling of ‘same game, different name.’ We’ll reserve judgement for a demo or the game’s eventual release. Until then, enjoy the screenshots below.

Comments (9)

	1. 21-05-2008 02:42
	Lol.....the most important reason that you forgot to mention:the graphics look bad because this "preview" was done using the leaked prealpha form e3 2007....some journalist you guys are.... Guest Report

Fede_mgs

	2. 21-05-2008 11:27
	Thanks for the insight. As journalists, it doesn't matter if the source was leaked, it happens all the time with news, media and code. That's our job, to find exclusive content not just report press releases. Guest Report

Marco