S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Q&A

You probably wouldn't want to vacation around the exclusion zone that surrounds the infamous nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, which melted down in 1986. But when S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl ships next month, you'll be able to adventure all you want around a fictional version of Chernobyl, set in a universe where the radiation has done strange things to the area. That's because you'll play as a stalker, a heavily armed scavenger looking for valuable artifacts while also battling the mutant creatures and rival stalkers that inhabit the zone. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. blends first-person action with a wide-open world that you can explore at will; you won't be following a linear path, like in so many action games. With the game finally set to ship next month, we caught up with project lead Anton Bolshakov to learn more about the game's advanced features.