This game had a tepid reception upon release, and even today it is often referred to as the weakest of the STALKER trilogy. And it's easy to see why. The STALKER games have never excelled in terms of polish, but this one takes the cake; glitches are rampant and a lot of the games defining features fall victim to poor implementation. The infamous faction war system had so much potential riding on it, but it is sadly broken by repetitive goals and an AI system that often refuses to cooperate. Speaking of the AI, the NPCs are more likely to get you killed than your enemies. The game is designed to bar the player from making physical contact with any NPCs - meaning that anytime an NPC wants to go through your character, they will literally PUSH you aside to get to where they're going. This often leads to certain death if you're in the middle of a tense firefight. It doesn't help that enemies shoot with surgical precision, and they tend to spawn in overwhelming waves. All in all, I feel like the difficulty curve has gone from immersive to genuinely frustrating. By the end of my playthrough, I had clocked in almost forty hours of gameplay, half of which (I can confidently say) was spent trying and retrying. Note: Keep in mind, I was playing on the hardest difficulty setting. But I don't want to hate on it too much. The story is very intriguing, even though it's more or less identical to the original game's plot. You are once again working to penetrate the center of the Zone while hounding an elusive stalker named Strelok (except this time you really are chasing Strelok). I also like how artifacts are more rare. In the original game, these things spawned by the boat load. Here, however, finding an artifact is a real event requiring expert diligence from the player. As I said, if you're looking for another immersive trek through the Zone, you'll get it. Just be warned: Things are a lot rougher around the edges this time.
Magnificent! I can't think of any other word for it. While this expansion is dwarfed by the main game in terms of size and length, it more than meets (at times even exceeds) it in terms of substances and story. Hearts of Stone is essentially to the base game what Obsidian Entertainment's Mask of the Betrayer was to Neverwinter Nights 2. It's a shorter, albeit deeper and complex, story on a level with some of the best video game narratives ever written. The premise lies in the same kind of fairy tale deconstructive genre that the Witcher series is famous for. It begins with you accepting a monster contract from a shady, aristocratic warlord which, naturally, doesn't go as planned. Wouldn't you know it, there's more to this situation than meets the eye. Without going into too many spoilers, you find yourself roped into becoming a mediator between the warlord and a sinister, Satanic figure who made it deal with said warlord in the past and has come to collect on what is owed. Well, of course, this is a re-telling of the Faust legend. It re-examines this cautionary tale of hubris and faith from a modern standpoint while also giving players a chance to experience it firsthand and make their own judgements. Hearts of Stone is a thrilling, atmospheric ride that does what the Witcher series does best. It indulges long-time fans with a number of fun call-backs while still providing a story that will have you dying to know what will happen next. It's a real treat and one that should not be missed.
