Anybody who knows me at all can’t be surprised to see this title listed. I’m a Chernobyl nerd, so obviously I was curious to see what we were dealing with here. This is tricky subject matter for a game, and it’s only fair to acknowledge that fact right up front. Games like STALKER are rooted in abstract fiction and use Chernobyl as a similarly abstract and fictional setpiece. A game that openly claims to simulate the Liquidiation, on the other hand, could be in rather poor taste given the fate of most Liquidators. The verdict there depends on how the developer executed this concept.
At least yearly I travel to the back of beyond, but in 2009 a costly adventure seems wasteful. Furthermore, a less than smooth month in Uzbekistan moved Russia to the bottom of my visit-someday list. However, thanks to a GoGamer special, I’m visiting the Ukraine for the price of two days airport parking. To be more precise, I’m exploring the area around Prypiat in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. It’s true, radiation and mutants are some …