S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Clear Sky – Paranormal Magazine

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Clear Sky

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Formats: PC

Publisher: Deep Silver

Reviewed By: David Valjalo

Price: £9.99

1 Star 2 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars 5 Stars (1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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The prequel to 2007’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Shadow of Chernobyl and the latest instalment in a cult franchise about the fictional happenings in the ‘Zone’ left behind by the wrath of a real-world catastrophe, Clear Sky is simultaneously a step forward visually and a step backwards in story. A post-apocalyptic world of swamps and marauding tribes may all sound a little Fallout but Clear Sky has enough character of its own to keep the scenario fresh.

The action is kept real-time and throwing in some weapon/character-tweaking gimmicks to keep the
strategy ticking over helps detract from the clunky (often bug-laden) nature of the combat. The environments may not be beautiful by modern standards but they are robust and – aided by the brilliant musical score – serve their atmospheric purpose.

The title lacks some of the mod-cons of today’s FPS genre (path-finding and objective marking can prove a particular frustration) but it’s refreshing to find a developer looking to the narrative rather
than the napalm. The over-indulgence of the script is almost excused by the glimpses of humour but the casual player with a penchant for explosives rather than exposition need not apply.

Clear Sky’s role-playing dimension is basic but functional and encourages extreme item collecting to push through into the depths of the Zone. It’s this scavenger hunt element to GSC’s game that proves the ultimate focus of the experience. Fleecing corpses for health and ammunition is a must for survival and adds an urgency to each encounter, even if the shoot-outs themselves don’t deliver the flashing and banging goods.

As a follow-up to S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Clear Sky has just enough narrative drive and improved mechanics to
warrant a recommendation. As a stand-alone 8-12 hour experience though, Clear Sky is confident, competent and not at all contaminated by the hulking space marine virus that is currently plaguing science-fiction and fantasy videogame releases.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at 11:24 am and is filed under Game Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.