I've been a little engrossed and have neglected Milgeek lately, and here's why...

[This mini-review started as my initial thoughts on the game for a post I did for the South Yorkshire Airsoft forums. I have now expanded it with added notes and tips as I have progressed further and really feel I have gotten to know the game better.]

I didn't play the original STALKER game - I always meant to, but somehow didn’t get round to it. For those of you who likewise didn't give this game a go, the storyline is a sci-fi/horror based around Chernobyl region in the Ukraine, and what happened to the 'zone' many years after the terrible nuclear contamination.

As with the original you play a STALKER - a rogue/merc who must uncover the mysteries of the Zone and work your way to the centre of the disaster area.

Milgeek Tip #1: Patch the game to it's most up-to-date version first! > Look here <

The game itself...

I won't fib. 70% of the way through the first level I was thinking 'this is s***!' and threatened to just give it up - it was hard, and a little incomprehensible at times. You spent most of your time saving, dying and loading. BUT then...

Once I reluctantly studied the game manual and bothered to learn the keys properly all of a sudden the game just clicked with me. My mistake, which I am sure a lot of people made was to think that this was just another version of 'Doom' and that there was little need to learn all the keys before you start.

Milgeek Tip #2: Read the game booklet BEFORE starting the game!

In fact, just sparing a little time to read the little booklet and understand some of the dangers of the 'Zone' and how to take precautions against them will improve your playing experiences enormously and help avoid early frustrations.

Once you have leaned the main techniques required - trading, missions, artifact hunting and upgrades - you'll soon find yourself better armed and equipped to take on the rock hard enemy and the dangers like anomalies and radiation.

Milgeek Tip #3: Upgrading your kit is a key concept of the game – the Traders & Mechanics are your best friends!

Is it scary?

As a sci-fi/horror mix STALKER does have its moments - though, obviously, they are saving the more scary monsters for later in the game.

The graphics in the game are terrific, and I found myself crapping my pants as I trudged through the swamp at night with just a torch and a pathetic little Makarov pistol to protect myself!

Milgeek Tip #4: The Makarov pistol (PMm) and in particular it’s 9x18mm ammo are pretty much the basic stock weapon and ammo available in ALL zones (or so it appears so far). So Never trade this one in, it is a good backup which you can replenish everywhere.

...In the undergrowth near me I could hear the movements of the early level mutants that was very unnerving and until you get night vision all you can see of these mutants is their glowing eyes looking at you out of the dark! It makes me think that there is gonna be a lot more scary stuff later on!

Initial conclusion...

Of course it's too soon to make a definitive decision - but I am really enjoying STALKER. It has its faults - it demands a pretty beefy PC, and the game itself is probably a little too hard at times (frustratingly so) and the game map should be a bit better labeled (I found myself drawing my own map)...

Milgeek Tip #5: The omission of the labels is a big flaw in the game. You need to know the locations both so you can complete missions and so you know where the Guides can lead you to. Luckily some enterprising modders have created map label mods that are easy enough to apply. Just go to the STALKER:CS forum and download the map mods: > LINK <

Still, it's nice to have a Russian game to counter-balance the American based ones out there, and if you are a fan of Russian weaponry this is a great game for you.....I'm currently armed in the game with the same AKS-74U that I have for airsoft! Whoo-hoo!

But, best of all, the Factions aspect of the Zone really does provide an additional interest and sub-plot. Each Faction has been given it’s own unique character, to the point where you find yourself carefully listening to their bosses ‘speel’ to try and suss out whether they are good guys or bad guys!

There is a multi-player online mode - which I haven’t played yet - but, sadly, no co-op mode so you can play the single player missions with friends....

But, if I had to say what I thought were the best parts of the game, it would be the large rolling environment, the dynamic weather system and the changing time of day. It's great to be in a game world where you feel there is a real time of day - evening turns to night and night progresses to dawn - and along with this the weather can change. There are thunder storms, sudden squalls and blue skies turn to ominous grey ones. Lovely!

All this in a world where in the distance you see little pin pricks of light that turn out to be the camp fires of distant enemy - and if you look through your binoculars at these far away encampments you see enemy figures doing their thing! It makes you feel there is a real world going on around you!

This will do very nicely until Operation Flashpoint 2 or ArmA2 comes out!

STALKER:CS Pros:-
>Superb game environment
> Partially ‘free roaming’ world
> Excellent graphics
> Good solid back-story
> Russian environment is a refreshing change
> ‘Factions War’ aspect adds extra depth to the world and the game
> Scares the crap out of you on occasions
> Rock hard military missions
> Brilliant changing weather and time changes
> Real sense that factions have their own character and goals

STALKER:CS: Cons:-
> Needs beefy PC
> Not immediately intuitive, requires a little reading of manual
> Sometimes a little frustratingly hard
> Omission of map labels makes things difficult
> Slow loading of saved games
> No co-operative mode for game
> Some missions degenerate into a save/die/load/save/die/load loop
> Overall the mission/story is linear, but the environment makes this bearable

Overall score: 7/10

Useful Links:-

> STALKER:CS Official Website
> STALKER:CS website community forum (includes patch information and mods)
> Alternative review: GameSpy (Score: 7.0)
> Alternative review: Eurogamer.net (Score: 7/10)
> About the Chernobyl disaster