STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review - GAME OF THE YEAR?

STALKER 2 is nothing short of a marvel. The wait for GSC Game World series’ revival has been long and torturous – more so for the developer itself than any of us, given the circumstances it has had to endure behind the scenes – but against all odds, not only does this game exist, it’s also unequivocally excellent.

Its genre-bending antics pull together staples of open world, survival horror, and immersive sim experiences together into a cohesive whole that’s unlike anything else. Stellar emergent open world gameplay, terrifying and potent horror, an incredibly immersive and detailed open world, and engrossing player-driven storytelling combine in one of the year’s best games. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is occasionally let down by its many technical issues at present, but the game itself is spectacular.

[stevosn]

Yeah, I'm totally sick all this week.

[aspizak]

"Challanges in their home country" ? Can't say war and invasion on youtube?

[tiagonascimento]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 doesnt have bugs, it has anomalies😉

[garycargill]

Less than 2 hours to go, and im home from work and off tomorrow. No, that's not a coincidence, lol.

[yasnizory]

0:23 ???? Ukrainian had to deal with "challenges"? a new word to describe war?

[russellreeder]

Everyone talking themselves out of a good time. Heard about a few bugs and then mindlessly repeating someone else’s opinion. Play it yourself, it’s incredible.

[commanderwyro]

for newer STALKERS. one think you may get annoyed by is equipment load/weight. what you need to learn is. Do you need all that gear? Carry what you can

[PCZONE]

so the only real bad thing so far is some performance and some bugs? that can be fixed with a few patches hopefully

[bohdaniatsenko]

0:22 "deal with challenges in their home country" is an interesting way to say "trying to stay alive during a genocidal invasion from the insane dictator next door"

[admiral_ej]

Well done GSC for bringing us a gem despite the hardships they endured

[ronaldcharan]

If it wasn't for the technical issues it would probably get a 10.

[kamelkadri]

stalker with no bugs is no stalker, I learned the term bugs from the original game

[Sybylle]

NGL, This is pretty much what I was expecting from GSC as a follow up to the Stalker series.
It will of course need patches, but there is already so much to do, and it's a unique blend.

less than 2 hours to go (plus download time ^^!)

[ODDYmusic]

This dude kept calling it juicy game world and it killed me 😂😅

[How--drive]

Great review, just bought it today and seen there is a major upgrade out just 2 days ago.

[myferretollie]

34 seconds ago posted. YES

LETS GO
THIS TEAM DESERVES THIS WIN!!!

[baitosu]

I hope my collector's edition arrives soon🙌

[Battleneter]

Good review, however 9/10 feels a tad generous for a very buggy game, should not review on "what it will be eventually" imho.

[the.Redeemer-lt]

its not worth a 9 right now, ARE YOU JOKEING lol. IT HAS TOO MANY BUGS THAT NEED After that it might be.ill give it a 7 for now with potential to be a 9 or 10 in the future

[cyberpunked]

Day one patch fixed the important issues. Review copies were an old version.