Stalker 2 just got a gameplay video... sort-of

Online games news Tedious Retro Gamer, 08-05-2023
Online Games Bay

After 3 years since the moment we first had the chance to buy Stalker 2, it seems like the game finally is reaching... a quite early stage of production. At least that is the conclusion of the newest video, which shows 12 seconds of gameplay. Or rather "gameplay"...

Yes, boys and girls, whole 12 seconds of pure... animation. The character stands in front of the Yanov Station, a location known from Stalker: Call of Pripyat, opens up a can and drinks. And all of that exciting stuff in decent looking graphics level.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just an old, incorrigible pessimist, but really? This it the best you can show me after years of development? After years of selling this product (or rather "product-to-be") all you can show me is 12 seconds of drinking animation? You can call me sceptic, you can call me killjoy, but 12 SECONDS?

So far we got pre-rendered trailers, screenshots of concept art, video supposedly showing tiny bits of gameplay mixed into larger bits that look pre-rendered, we got cinematic trailer, and now this. I do realize there is still war going on, I do sympathise with Ukrainians in their struggle against country formerly known as Russia, but what exactly is the point of all of this?

Shortly after some sort of trailer was shown GSC Game World started to sell their game, even though there were no evidence that the game even exists. The game was already removed from their store and pre-purchases refunded by Microsoft, but GSC Game World constantly accepts pre-purchases (mind you, not pre-orders, pre-purchases, which means you are giving them money just for the promise that one day you will get the product) and still provides materials that show only an early stage of the production. Drinking from a can? That is some edgy stuff right there.

I have played (again) Stalker: Call of Pripyat about 2 years ago, I can’t say that what is shown in this "gameplay trailer" looks much better than what I remember from the previous game. Maybe there are better textures, maybe there is better rendering of the shades, but this is what is the most important about your upcoming game? The slightly better graphics, the most realistic drinking from a can simulator? I have no idea what GSC Game World is planning to do, but so far it all looks like either poorly handled project or new upcoming complete failure.

08-05-2023