There"s no doubt about it. 2008 is the year of the free-form shooter, with Far Cry 2 and GSC Game World"s Clear Sky leading the charge. A prequel to Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky begins in radioactive bogs and progresses over a mix of terrain either entirely new or cleverly remodelled from the original. The game not only includes STALKER features first coded way back in 2003 (and then cruelly excised), but brings an entirely new dynamic to the wastes. "Once you decide to go join your chosen faction, you"ll open up lots of new gameplay possibilities," explains GSC frontman Oleg Yavorsky. "Each faction has a main base where a number of characters are encountered, such as clan leader, trader, mechanic. Each faction possesses unique information, missions, weapons, equipment, upgrades and the like."
And so the A-life brains within each gang of gasmask-wearing miscreants will wage endless war over territory, resources and scientific outposts. The more of these your faction is able to capture, the more grunts you"ll be able to enlist and the better the tech you"ll have access to.