Latest news with #Pripyat
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The 3 ‘STALKER' Remasters Do The Bare Minimum, And That's Fine
The three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. remasters are great for console players, even when they, er, aren't. The ever-growing list of 2025 remasters continues this month, and it's now the turn of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy to join the ranks of Tomb Raider IV-VI, Suikoden I & II, Lunar, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition dropped on May 19, and having now completed the OG Shadow of Chornobyl and sinking a good 10-15 hours between Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, I can confirm two things for PS5 and Xbox players (but I'm sure PC players, who've been modding it for years, may disagree): The three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. remasters have undergone a visual overhaul, with an impressive amount of detail devoted to lighting, which now adds effects such as godrays, screen space reflections, and global illumination — perfect for console players, given how atmospheric it's always been on PC, especially with mods. NPC models, weapons, and environments have been given a new lick of paint, while attention's also been paid to water shaders, wetness effects, and skyboxes. The cinematics look better than ever, too, thanks to 4K pre-rendering. Textures have also been edited, including the notable removal of Soviet-themed artwork (alongside, it seems, rubles as currency). Unlike GSC Game World's team, I've not lived in Ukraine since it was invaded, so I can't judge on this decision, even if the rest of the game sticks remarkably doggedly to the source material. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder They kept the ferris wheel in, at least. Console players on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S can pick between quality and performance modes, but you really should stick with performance, as the frame rate absolutely trumps whatever meager details are boosted. Consoles also receive keyboard and mouse support, as well as that all-important integration for cross-platform mod sharing. For PC players, there's Steam Deck optimization, Steam Workshop mod support, full gamepad compatibility, and cloud saves. Most importantly, owners of the original games on Steam or GOG receive the corresponding enhanced editions for free (the original's upgrade appeared in my GOG library on release day). Those buying remasters on PC will get the classic games for free. When you jump into the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. — I'd be surprised if anyone started with the other two — there's a good chance you'll've forgotten how good the voice acting and music are. The cinematic boosts are fantastic, even if they still feel like an early-stage PS3 game, much like the wider experience. Finally, we also get a weapon wheel, but one that makes ammo changes or gun modes unpredictable. That's pretty much where the UI improvements end, and you realize GSC Game World sticks to the source material like glue. The left analog stick and D-pad work independently, making navigation a chore; picking missions, finding your place on the map, and item interactions are a drudge; interactive switches or levers aren't labelled as such; save state dates are weirdly pegged to 2012; and you have to wait for the slow fade-in of '(X) Talk' to interact with other stalkers. Most egregiously, and going against basic accessibility standards we really should expect from remasters, absolutely no attention has been paid to the STALKER games' unusual subtitles, which rarely (if ever) reflect what's being said. This ranges from minor omissions to significant gaps in the voiceover, such as key locations or your next steps. In the weirdest moment of all — Call of Pripyat's opening sequence — the narrator says entirely different dates and years to the subtitles. Sure, this was the case in the original, and people might see it as a quirk of the series, but subtitles exist for a reason, and it feels lazy. Despite everything that's dropped on consoles recently — and with the impending release of the Switch 2 next week — I couldn't stop playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition. I've had to uninstall it, because despite all the recommendations I've had for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, and Revenge of the Savage Planet (plus the incoming Switch 2), I was utterly unable to leave the Zone. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy needs no (re)introduction, and certainly doesn't require another review to rake over 16-to-18-year-old faults; what matters is that GSC has brought a brutal, weird, and truly unique game kicking and screaming into the modern era, with just enough spice to make it incredibly attractive and playable on consoles. The support adds something extra for those willing to mess with, and inevitably break, a game that already has its fair share of odd problems. Ah mate, not this prick again. I'm not a Soulsborne guy. Still, put me in any FPS, and I'll clear it on veteran, unless it's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. It encourages you to learn without really teaching you, and it's keen to punish you for not taking advantage of absolutely everything it doesn't fully explain. I save-scummed my entire way through the Sarcophagus, despite playing on novice difficulty, and had two medkits and one anti-rad pack to my name before the credits rolled. I lost 10kg of bullets, medicine, and throwables in the final hour, and it was all worth it for the inevitable 'greedy' ending I always get. After I tried and failed to review S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — a game so broken before launch that after 45 hours reviewing it, its developers dropped a day zero patch that voided 90% of my notes and broke the game in different ways — the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition reminds you that the better experiences are often simpler, even if you constantly feel like you've been dragged through a hedge. It's far from perfect and won't hit the heights of PC community mods, but for newcomers and veterans who want a peek at what it's like on PS5 or Xbox, it's absolutely worth a go.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Netflix fans all share the same complaint about film based on Chernobyl disaster - but what do you think?
Netflix 's Chernobyl: Abyss has certainly left viewers divided with their opinion on the film. The disaster film, which is based on the real-life Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986, was released by Russian production company Central Partnership in April 2021. A few months later Netflix dropped it on the streaming service for viewers to watch. The movie follows the story of a firefighter called Alexey Karpushin (Danila Kozlovsky), and his role as a Chernobyl liquidator following on from the devastating and historic event. On 26 April 1986, the No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near the town of Pripyat in what was then the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded during a safety test gone horribly wrong. Chernobyl: Abyss, which is also titled Chernobyl 1986, was directed by Danila Kozlovsky, who also took on the role of the protagonist. The film is written by Aleksey Kazakov and Elena Ivanova. Many have rushed online to share their thoughts on the blockbuster - and some didn't think that it was a true representation of what happened. One brutally said on Rotten Tomatoes: 'A flawed movie that tries to tell a personal tale surrounded by a large tragedy. There are some moving moments, but the lack of strong characters is noticeable.' 'This movie is a personal disappointment for me, and here's why: Several of my close family members perished or were affected by this disaster. 'One of them was my grandmother on my father's side—her name was Frida. That's why this is such a letdown. 'The movie focuses on such trivial and messed-up aspects that, as a viewer and as someone whose loved ones were directly impacted, I was genuinely offended. 'Even though I was born in 2001, I know more about the stories from that time than this stupid and boring movie portrays. In contrast, there's an HBO series that I highly recommend watching.' 'What was the point of this movie? This movie adds no value to the historic events or anything else for that matter. It was boring and dull. The storyline seemed forced and unwatchable.' Others compared it to another miniseries called Chernobyl. One wrote on IMBD: 'Don't compare the Netflix and HBO stories.' 'Seriously? After the HBO series? These shoes are hard to fit in, and that's totally not the right size.' Six-episode show Chernobyl hit HBO and Sky Atlantic in 2019. It starred the likes of Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Paul Ritter and Jessie Buckley. 'Brave men and women act heroically to mitigate catastrophic damage when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffers a nuclear accident on April 26, 1986,' the synopsis reads. Meanwhile others rushed to share positive reviews. One said: 'The film recounts the events from a normal and apparently peaceful perspective of a common citizen of Chernobyl at that time, which highlights the innocence of the inhabitants of that town before the event and being totally oblivious to the government decisions that caused the catastrophe. 'Everything is well planned, the immersion in the time, the planes, the special effects, the frustration.' 'A great adaptation from true event to movie. 'I know its hard to create these adaptations, trying to find the balance between reality and making something palatable for a series can be very difficult.' It comes after Netflix have revealed that they are rebooting the popular 80s and 90s talent show Star Search. The program ran for 13 seasons between 1983 and 1995 and launched the careers of many A-listers, including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. On April 26, 1986 a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material into the surroundings. More than 160,000 residents of the town and surrounding areas had to be evacuated and have been unable to return, leaving the former Soviet site as a radioactive ghost town. The exclusion zone, which covers a substantial area in Ukraine and some of bordering Belarus, will remain in effect for generations to come, until radiation levels fall to safe enough levels. The region is called a 'dead zone' due to the extensive radiation which persists.
