S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [PC]

It's been a little while since we had a first-person shooter to look forward to and STALKER is certainly looking like the front runner for deserved attention in the first half of this year. After getting a chance to play a bit with an early build of the single player THQ and developer GSC Gameworld let some members of the press and other players into an early closed beta of the multiplayer portion. We've been playing for the last couple of days and thought we'd share our experiences before all of you get the chance to participate when Fileplanet gives away 50,000 more keys before too long. You can actually go over to Fileplanet now and enter your address so they'll contact you when the beta launches.

The beta version of STALKER that we're playing includes two maps and three different modes of play. The three modes are deathmtch, team deathmatch, and artifact hunt, which acts a lot like steal the beacon where an artifact spawns somewhere on the map and then must be transported back to the home base for a score. These modes can be played on either map. STALKER is a "realistic" shooter and carries that type of play into multiplayer. You're not going to be able to take too many shots before calling it quits and taking too much damage will cause you to walk slowly and become a prime target for vultures.

Aside from the obvious gameplay changes from single to team-based play, the modes offer a slight difference in the way players outfit themselves for combat. Each time a game of deathmatch starts, players will be able to enter the buy menu and select their equipment using a set amount of starting cash. Some of the weapons will be too expensive while others will be unavailable until a certain rank is attained in the match. Ranks aren't persistent, but are gained rather quickly through killing enemies or capturing artifacts. Ranks unlock new and wonderful weapons and armor like high powered sniper rifles, rocket launchers, shotguns, and different types of body armor. In deathmatch, players can buy new weapons any time they're killed with the money they've earned in combat. Artifact hunt works a little differently. Players can change around their weapons any time they're within the confines of their team's home base area. The other major difference that may confuse some players unfamiliar with the set-up is that in artifact hunt players must also purchase the right kind of ammunition for their weapon while deathmatch provides an unlimited supply of ammo regardless of weapon type without having to purchase anything special.

The two maps included with the beta offer much different gameplay experiences, but both come from areas included with the single player experience. In fact, when first loading up the map, it has to scan across the environment to center on the location of the area. It's a neat effect that helps to ground players in the whole of the environment and not just the confined area of the multiplayer map.

The first, Railway Station is a huge map suited well for deathmatch. This is a very large area filled with all sorts of objects including several great vantage points for snipers. The map is a bit confusing at first because there are so many ways to get around, through, and over all of the obstacles strewn about. There are also several smallish buildings which can be used for cover. What we've found is that there's really no safe place to settle in for camping, which is nice. Even the perches where snipers can get a good view of the field aren't perfect for hiding since most of them either don't provide adequate cover or have several entrances. It's basically impossible to feel safe on this map.