So, I love this game and I love GSC, I've been with them since Cossacks: European Wars. This game however needs some serious polishing. + Great framework for a Stalker game, I can already see tons of possibilities for DLCs, mods and overhauls. + Graphics are really pleasing, even if you don't like Unreal Engine 5 aesthetics. + Quests are written nicely, they give you proper narration as well as enough Ukrainian-style profanities and cussing, to make things believable. + There's some role-playing involved as you are forced to make decisions. It's nothing fancy like in cRPGs but it's really nice to have these little things affect the world. + All in all the atmosphere is unmatched: the soundtrack, aesthetics, dialogues, narration as well as worldbuilding and luddic narration – all these things make Heart of Chernobyl immersive. However... - The game, as of today (22.11.2024) is sadly plagued by awful optimization. It's best to cut some slack to your PCs guys because no matter what kind of guts yours have, it won't run this game smoothly. So there's that. - Bugs and glitches – some of them are slightly game breaking but nothing over the top that haven't been found in the Stalker franchise. - Incomplete A-Life system that made the previous installments so immersive and believable. - Broken AI at times – enemies forget to shoot or they act illogically. - Irrational, mean AI of some pack mutants – dogs will run away from you and hide behind obstacles if you jump on a car or have the high ground over them. - Busted balance: some enemies are bullet sponges, repairs are too expensive and stuff like that. - You can't loot mutants to sell their parts. - There are NO binoculars - There are NO night vision devices - Enemies spawn behind you at times. Will it be patched? Probably yes. Is it going to take some time? Very likely. Should you buy it? Yes, if you don't mind having unstable framerate, glitches and messed up balance, you'll love it.
- Great game that didn't deliver what F1 fans have expected. Therefore beware – F2 is not F1 – it's a different game with completely different feeling. The game despite belonging to the survival city builder genre, somewhat stands on the precipice of being a grand strategy game. - Macro emphasis is great and meaningful. Instead of building one city, you have to build a whole region of colonies, outposts and settlements. It's satisfying to look how your previously meagre settlement grows into a city that holds thousands of inhabitants. - F2 is difficult and punishing. Without understanding its complex mechanics you are bound to fail. However, complexity in this case implies meaningfulness, so it's a big plus. - Audio-wise the game is brilliant and profound. - Optimization in F2 is dreadful. The game looks nowhere near good enough to be as demanding as it is. It stutters, tanks GPU resources like crazy and delivers uneven performance with similarly uneven visuals (those nasty looking volumetric fogs!). PS. set effects, lighting and fog to low and enjoy clear image with better performance. - Philosophically impactful: from Heglian aftertaste (Zeitgeist mechanic I see you!) to crucial questions about the spirit of human civilization as well as what defines humanity. F2 in the same fashion as its predecessor is going to check your moral spine and react accordingly with some unexpected events. All in all – it’s a great game. I won’t say it's flawless because some things could’ve been better (like that optimization or how fast the game progresses past third chapter – meaning that it should progress slower and more organically instead of being such a quest-driven rush). However, for its current price I believe it’s great and worth trying and with the benefit of the doubt I am giving it five out of five.
