Looking forward to new word on GSC Game World's follow up to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series? Well, word is that Deep Silver has given the thumbs up to promoting S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky come July. That's just a few weeks before the prequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl releases for PCs worldwide. Go to the full story for more info.

It's probably the most appropriate end: the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant - site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster - will soon be contained in a huge steel coffin, sealing it forever. More details in the full article.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has decided to play twenty questions and answer just some of the fan feedback they've been receiving on the sequel of their well-loved FPS series. The Community Q&A session tackled the development of its upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky as well as other interesting issues.

Read more about what the developers had to say in the full article after the jump!

Good news for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans! GSC Game World has just announced a prequel to the PC first-person shooter.

The prequel, dubbed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, is set a year before the events of the original video game. A group of stalkers reach the heart of the Zone, which happen to be the source of the disaster, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Unfortunately, they unleash a chain of events that lead to another disaster which leads to a ginormous explosion of anomalous energy found in the first game. The domino effect brings about changes in the Zone, with some known levels disappearing and others popping out of nowhere. Stalkers within the Zone died or got stuck in some levels.

The Zone becomes an unstable area altogether and the changes in the terrain brings about a war between the Factions. The Factions War breaks out, with the different groups vying among themselves for new territories, artifacts, and power. This time, players get to fill in the shoes of a mercenary caught in the Factions War. As the mercenary, players will get to meet the main character of Shadows of Chernobyl, Strelok, presumably before he got amnesia.

More info about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and the first screenshots after the jump!

The BBC recently did a report series regarding the most dangerous places to eat in the world. One of the sites chosen and visited by the crew was Chernobyl, Ukraine - the site of the worst nuclear disaster man has ever known.

Two decades ago, the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was blown sky-high, setting fire to the building and poisoning the land and air with harmful levels of radiation. The members of the British media outfit were astounded to find out that people were not only working in the area - thousands are actually living there.

Both the BBC and the tour guides advised visitors not to eat any food served within the Alienated Zone's radius. Food, especially vegetation, was especially susceptible to radioactive contamination and can cause diseases to those who eat them. The locals, however, seem to disregard the warnings of the law and of health professionals. A lot of them continue to stay in the area and eat resources there.

The rationale of Chernobyl's citizens is simple: Divine protection has kept them alive for 20 years now, why should they stop eating their food? Others even believe that drinking vodka will wash the radiation off the body. Doctors say that these are very dangerous mindsets that will be regretted soon. There have been around 4,000 casualties since the accident occurred in the late 80's.

According to the Ukraine government, there have been around 4,000 casualties since the accident in the late 80s. Greenpeace, however, tells another tale. According to the organization, almost 300,000 people have developed radiation-related cancers and some 90,000 of them have fatal cancers.

Despite this, local government units in the surrounding locales of Chernobyl encourage everyone from citizens to tourists to eat. When the mayor was told that an average mushroom in the area carried 800 percent more radiation than the safety threshold, he simply said, "It doesn't matter."

Ukrainian alternate-reality game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl will come to mobile phones through Qplaze, a Ukraine game developer, to be published by NOMOC Publishing Company.

The mobile version of first-person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will boast 3D gameplay, stealth and mini-quests. The plot will be like the PC version of the same game, with known characters, heroes, objects and locations, but will not replicate it. A unique 3D engine will be used, allowing the game to work even on weak phone models. The gameplay is "maximally realistic" with detailed hit model, bullet wounds, and real type of weaponry.

Says Andrey Baranovsky, president of Qplaze, their company's great experience of creating high-quality mobile games will be a pledge of the fact that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mobile will be no less interesting and awaited than the PC version of the game; a hit before it was released. They will not only be porting S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to the mobile platform, but will be creating a unique mobile product.

Monsters? Zombies? Mutant creatures on my phone? Now you're talking! S.T.A.L.K.E.R. on your mobiles is unleashed on September 2007. Here are screens:

    
 

 

That nuclear reactor. Those weird mutant creatures. That acronym... At least it's for dang sure it's no longer vapor. THQ is happy to announce the shipping of GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl after what has to be a grueling development history.

Hopefully the final game will be worth it - remember that when this was first announced, it boasted an ambitious open-world gameplay system and rather sharp graphics for its time. TIme changes everything, though. Although in terms of nuclear half-life, Chernobyl's still glowing, so that hasn't changed.

(Come to think of it - in all the time we've spent covering S.T.A.L.K.E.R., do you realize how much of a pain it is to type S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Can't we just simplify it to STALKER instead?)

  

As S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl now enters its final home stretch for a March 23 release, GSC Game World ships one more exclusive trailer plus a slew of answers for GameSpot's "How's everything so far?" call. And for those who haven't been able to catch whiff of this FPS hybrid game, GSC Game World's PR Manager Oleg Yavorsky was kind enough to fill you in.

The game is not your typical Halo, Doom, or Resistance. In fact, they would rather like to place the game as a first-person survival (FPS) game, a cross between a life simulation, tactical first-person shooter, open-ended adventure, and a hybrid role-playing game. If you remember CyberMage, you're sure to have an idea how this could play out.

While not anything near cyberpunk, the story does involve a picturesque view of Resident Evil with a nuclear mutation overtone. Chernobyl, site of the world's worst non-military nuclear disaster, is now a no-man's land sealed off by the Russian military. In order to investigate the strange things happening in the deserted ruins of the old town, the authorities send in heavily armed artifact scavengers called Stalkers.

Bring in a couple of psi-adept poltergeists and mutated monsters in a more grievous UFO: Aftermath manner, and you've got the perfect setting for building up nasty AI. And that's exactly what GSC Game World did. Aside from the usual combat AI, there's also mention of the A-life system. Through this system, in-game characters act accordingly to what their duties and means of survival are. While not in combat, monsters will hunt, Stalkers will scavenge, and pretty much everyone else will go about their daily business.

Once their paths cross, that's when sparks fly. And we mean from bullet twangs. Combat is in its standard fare team coordination, flanking tactics and "run away like chickens" (a la Halo) when overwhelmed, but added to the mix are the conditions that the enemies are in. Type of weapon available, ammo count, and current health measured up against the player will always be taken into account when deciding to make a stand, rush the player, or just high-tail it outta there.

When GSC spoke about RPG elements, it's not basically about RPG skills and levelling. Because the game simulates actual weapon ballistics, players will adapt to the weapon they will use the most. Plus, players can attempt to cover the role they wish to do the most, including open-ended exploration of the no-man's land, be a goody-goody and help everyone out, or be a total meanie and blast everyone who isn't you to Hell. What role you choose will lead you to one of seven different endings in the game. Talk about replay value, huh?

Click on the "Read" link below to get more details of the game, including some player equipment, a few artifacts that can find, plus a few game changes here and there.

The game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl for the PC, published by THQ and developed by GSC Game World, has seen the release of its final trailer. By final, we mean the last video before its expected release - which is coming up really soon (March 23, 2007).

This first person shooter (FPS) is beginning to look as creepy as some of the survival-horror games out today. The game takes place in Chernobyl, where the Russian authorities have set up a barricade to keep the civilians out of the radioactive area. Soon, they begin to hear strange sounds coming from within the area. Some people have sneaked into the 30-kilometer area to do some investigating. These people, who became known as Stalkers, report back to the authorities with their findings.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is expected to be released on March 23 in Europe and March 30 in Australia with the US version following sometime this year. The game looks pretty polished (and creepy). Check out the video and see if Shadow of Chernobyl is your cup of tea.

 

Well, there's some new info on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. website, and it certainly answers some questions. THQ shows us that the meaning behind the acronym of the game has been revealed, and it's got a lot to do with why you're there and what kind of person you just happen to be in Chernobyl, circa 2012.

As it happens, there are a couple of possible reasons for being there. You could be there simply to search the ruins of Chernobyl for artifacts in the black market. You could be there to take advantage of the lawlessness to get away from certain parties interested in your capture. You could also just be there because you want to know the truth behind the events of Chernobyl, and it's for any one of those reasons that you've become a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for what kind of people happen to live there now. Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, and Robbers: one of them is you. Which one it is, however, is still up for you to decide.