S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat PC
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat is the third STALKER game released from GSC Game World and in house publisher GSC World Publishing with publishing in the US by Viva Media that is a first person shooter that comes almost complete as a role playing game.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 24/25,
Gameplay: 23/25,
Creativity 18/25,
Fun 20/25
Total: 85/100
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat is the third game in the STALKER series and the last time I am going to bother with the periods in the name STALKLER, almost. The game is the third in the series but I did miss the second one for reviewing which seems to have been an even better game than the first and the third is definitely better than the first as well.
Call of Pripyat puts you in the shoes of undercover Stalker Alexander Degtyarev who is an agent of the Ukraine's Secret Service sent into the Chernobyl disaster area to investigate a missing helicopter group. After the events of the previous games a group of helicopters weas sent into the disaster area surrounding the Chernobyl power plant to scout the plant and its area.
The helicopters go missing so the Ukraine government sends in an agent disguised as a Stalker to find out what is going on, Stalkers are intrepid scavengers collecting things from the area of the Chernobyl power plant worth money outside the zone. After the nuclear incident of Chernobyl the power plant and an area surrounding it has been subjected to unusual events including almost magical happenings.
The game plays much like a role playing game with weapons that degrade from repeated use, buying and selling of objects and weapons as well as missions where you can earn money and trade goods. The first person shooting plays well in a real world way that many other games do not so wounds are a major concern as well as being able to trade and carry supplies.
You start the campaign with some decent but basic supplies and investigate the areas open to you in a role playing type gameplay where you can interact and receive missions to earn money and trade items. Once you find out information from some of the inhabitants you can get more information through missions as well as more supplies that really help you out later on.
You continue to get closer to your goal of finding out what happened to the flight of helicopters through the missions you are sent on as well as getting better weapons and more supplies. The game does a great job as both a role playing game with a first person shooter but the realistic wounds is the best part of the game.
There is no getting hit dozens of times and continuing on with your mission as any wounds will get worse without attention, supplies like bandages and basics like food and water are a repeated must. The game includes plenty of simple to more complex missions interspersed with gun fights that you can avoid for the most part but some of the firefights will be required.
Included in the PC game is a map for easy navigation and a chart for weapons upgrades so you can choose which guns you want to work at upgrading and what you need for future upgrades. The game also has really good use of weapon degradation and other role playing game features that really make Call of Pripyat an enjoyable first person shooter with role playing gameplay features.
Getting more and better weapons will be a major priority from the start and finding out more from the traders and Stalkers in the area is secondary to being better equipped. The gameplay is great with very good effects and graphics that really add to the realism and fun of the PC only game.
The textures and effects are great and very realistic making Call of Pripyat more like a role-playing game and less like a first person shooter. The audio is also very good with particular attention to a lot of different areas for a very well made game in the end.
Call of Pripyat has a lot going for it including value as it will take quite a while to play through the games whole story line like your general role playing games. The game will take quite a while to run through the story line with plenty of opportunity for side exploration throughout using both mission based and general exploring.
While the main story is good it does take a bit for the game to get really interesting beyond the small missions you first start out with so it may take a few missions to get more than just a simple role playing adventure. There is also multiplayer gaming with Call of Pripyat but with the same general wounding and first person shooter gameplay it is not as interesting or fun as other current multiplayer games.
The main focus for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat is the main storyline gaming and the side missions you can go through during the main story but the multiplayer gaming adds to the fun. Call of Pripyat is a great game that acts much more like a role playing game than a first person shooter but is well worth a purchase for a fun time in a desolate waste land setting.