S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Pripyat gets release date

By Robert Purchese Published 11 December, 2009

Bangs down in February.

Publisher bitComposer has announced the February 2010 arrival of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel Call of Pripyat.

The PC game will be among the first to support DirectX 11, which explains why these new screenshots look nice.

Call of Pripyat begins moments after the original Shadow of Chernobyl finished, sending you, a Ukranian special agent, into the heart of the disaster zone to investigate why a government-sanctioned mission to the area hasn't returned. Clue: nuclear zombies.

Developer GSC Game World has also polished numerous components of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. formula, such as AI and quest creation.

This will be S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s second expansion after Clear Sky. Our reviews of both the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky can be found elsewhere on the site.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • SYS64738 #1 2 years ago

    Does "Pripyat" mean "Duty" in russian by any chance;)

  • Boomerang #2 2 years ago

    @Crez - stick with it, it gets very good indeed. Dripping with atmosphere. And goo.

    @SYS - lol!

  • swissorc #3 2 years ago

    I too have tried hard to get into STALKER and really want to complete it but the amount of mini-management in it is really daunting and I think poorly explained like trying to get through the tunnel at the beginning where the ground was electrofied couldn't work out the solution so ended up just gunning it with lots of health packs very frustrating and as for night combat what a bastard unless your enemy's are within pistol range they seem to be special forces hard bastards and my aim is like a four year old with parkinson's maybe I'll just gun through it on easy one day.

  • Jonsend #4 2 years ago

    @swissorc Shift and Ctrl for low crouch and look down the gun sights.

  • iamtheoneneo #5 2 years ago

    first game was amazing, it does take a bit to get into/understand but once youv hit the spot its a brill experience. admitedly used a trainer in the last 30mins of it as it was getting to hard and just wanted to complete it. loved every minute of it, didnt pick up clear sky as seemed a bit pointless but if this is a true sequel then will defiantly invest.

  • apainlessa #6 2 years ago

    instant buy really, buggy or not the STALKER games got soul

  • Meho #7 2 years ago

    Call of Pripyat may look smashing in screenshots, but, having played the Russian version, I'd say that it doesn't look that enticing on a DX9 system, such as mine. I mean, not saying anything about the game - I'll reserve judgement for when I play a version that I actually understand the language of - but the graphics are the usual S.T.A.L.K.E.R. quality. I don't see myself upgradied to Windows Seven by spring next year so...

  • ChaK #8 2 years ago

    nah, I'll play metro 2033 instead, I couldn't get into stallker, even though I finished it. Something was wrong with this game, couldn't figure what.

  • el_pollo_diablo #9 2 years ago

    I really do want to play this game. Is there no chance whatsoever of a console port at any point?

  • neems #10 2 years ago

    I would love for Stalker to use an engine that controls 'normally' - you know, one crouch button. Honestly, why do we need two? That said, the first Stalker is still my favourite single player fps of all time.

    Also, as regards the electrical anomaly in the tunnel in ShoC, I find the easiest way to do it is just ignore it altogether. You can fight your way through the path under the bridge, or just go down the far end of the tracks where the fence is gone.

  • cianchristopher #11 2 years ago

    So does that make it three different publishers for the three games in this series?

  • Haloboy #12 2 years ago

    After the disappointing Clear Sky I'm in no rush for this.

  • mkreku #13 2 years ago

    I loved both the original and Clear Sky (up until Red Forest at least) so I'm guessing this will suit me fine too. I'll be able to use my new 5870 and Win 7 as it was intended too (Direct X 11)! Yay!

  • UncleLou #14 2 years ago

    Call of Pripyat may look smashing in screenshots, but, having played the Russian version, I'd say that it doesn't look that enticing on a DX9 system, such as mine

    I've got the German version, and trust me, DX10 isn't much better. It's not a bad looking game, but they've managed to make look worse than Stalker, let alone Clear Sky. That said, the sky is über-awesome fantastic.

    Game itself seems to be fine, but I need to play it more. Not had the time yet. The (German) voice-acting is pretty shit, unfortunately.

  • MattyD #15 2 years ago

    Yaaaaaaaaay!

  • Buran #16 2 years ago

    @SYS64738: "Does "Pripyat" mean "Duty" in russian by any chance;) "

    It means "dedicated servers" in russian.

  • bad09 #17 2 years ago

    @ Crez

    Yeah I've tried 3 times to get into the 1st one but just fail each time (last time with that 2009 mod). Mrs Bad09 might be at the in-laws tonight though so, like you, I think I might give it one last try, I've not seen very much of the game.

  • samadriel #18 2 years ago

    Haloboy: I've been playing the Russian version; CoP smashes CS to smithereens. This is what a STALKER sequel should've been the first time 'round.

  • fynf #19 2 years ago

    game is awesome, I'm playing on this since november. I can tell you that is better then previous. It was worth to wait.

  • DaemonSpawn #20 2 years ago

    2 swissorc
    trying to get through the tunnel at the beginning where the ground was electrofied couldn't work out the solution so ended up just gunning it with lots of health packs very frustrating
    You wasn't supposed to go through the tunnel at all! You could just bribe soldiers at the bridge to pass or kill them and take their weapons.
    STALKER was all about exploring locations and enjoying atmosphere, especially during nights - if you like to get directions on what to do/where to go every time, then maybe Call Of Duty is the right choice.

    P.S. Survey on one site suggested names like LittleBigPripyat, Grand Theft Niva: Pripyat City Stories and Pripyat Hero for next Stalker addon.

  • chischis #21 2 years ago

    Everything points to this being AMAZING. Reports so far confirm that this has everything the original game should have had: 3 large open spaces, no "wide corridors", and a linear main plot arc (which actually involves 5 initial quests that can be done in ANY order) surrounded by LOTS of optional side-quests that this time - supposedly - are varied and interesting.

    Already sounds like game of the decade for me.
    Edited by 1 at 12/12/09 @ 12:11

  • Silvervein #22 2 years ago

    I played and finished the russian version of the game, on my low end system that tends to lag around places with more action...But even so, I have to say that call of pripyat is a very nice game. Definitely better than clear sky in terms of story. Quests are done very nicely too, and some are quite memorable. Game seems to be very stable also, during my three playthroughs it didn't crash a single time. About the only problem I have with it is that it feels smaller than first two stalkers, and that despite its three zones being really big.
    All in all though, it's well worth buying. And if you liked previous stalker games, getting it is a must.

  • Lunatic4ever #23 2 years ago

    i really love the abandoned city and the dark atmosphere but i just fucking hate these mutated monsters.
    i wish they had used this whole cool setting to make something more subtle. why does it have to be a bunch of ultra-ugly and stupid monsters? what about something more mysterious with a touch of adventure where you have to actually explore pripyat slowly. that wouldve been great man.

  • Lunatic4ever #24 2 years ago

    i really love the abandoned city and the dark atmosphere but i just fucking hate these mutated monsters.
    i wish they had used this whole cool setting to make something more subtle. why does it have to be a bunch of ultra-ugly and stupid monsters? what about something more mysterious with a touch of adventure where you have to actually explore pripyat slowly. that wouldve been great man.

  • riplikethat #25 2 years ago

    Loved the first and recently uninstalled Clear Sky despite it having some really welcome additions (like mods for weapons). Even though I have finished the first game like 3 times (with 3 different endings) I was hoping for them to refine the gameplay in Clear Sky. Tweaking the stamina to let player jog a bit further before depletion to tweaking the damage you recieve a bit. I always play on STALKER level and can get through the game just fine (with few QuickLoads of course) but still it feels like a chore in most parts where you are just struggling with awkward difficulty spikes to moronic darkness levels at night (yeah it's realistic, but in real life your eyes can adjust to darkness, and there isn't any total blackout which prevents you from seeing 2 feet without a flashlight).

    What I have learned from games like ArmA to STALKER is that "realism" always ends up ruining the game when developers overdo one realistic element while ignoring a million others. COD 4 like arcade shooters try to find a balance but fail (I seem to die more from enemy spawn spam than anything else in it) big time in doing anything realistic.

    Anyways, going to get Pripyat as well. I am not expecting them to work on fixing any of my complaints (since they seem to be incapable of doing so thanks to the fanbase). What I have been looking for since the first game is an excuse to explore the game world without running into invisible walls or anomalies to ruin the atmosphere (I never found anomalies "fun" or even suiting the world.. they just feel stupid and out of place). Hopefully we can explore and get scared in one of those kickass underground levels I love this game for. :p