STALKER 2has enjoyed commercial and critical success, but one group of people are not exactly impressed: Russians.
Social media reports are discovering messages on Telegram from Russians offering money in exchange for negative reviews on Steam or TikTok.The postings all specify the need to call outbugs and optimization issues, which are problems with the game that arebeing actively addressed in an update.Fans have been able to look past these issues and see the potential inSTALKER 2, but these posts look to exploit one of the game’s weaknesses.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chornobyl Review
It’s time to head back into the zone, for better or worse
As of this writing, the game still has a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam with over 35,000 reviews. Some negative reviews seem valid, mainly when the account features over 50 hours of playtime. Others, however, are short and sweet and just flat out say, “The game doesn’t work, do not recommend.”
An example of the Telegram message below mentions that templates are available for people to use on Steam or TikTok.
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine Has Affected STALKER 2’s Development
STALKER 2developer GSC Game World has had a tumultuous development cycle leading up to the game’s release. Initially slated for a 2022 release, the Kyriv, Ukraine-based developer was forced to move to Prague, Czech Republic, after the start of the Russian-Ukraine war. The game’s subtitle,Heart of Chornobyl, was even changed to the Native Ukrainian spelling over the original Russian spelling,Heart of Chernobyl.
STALKER 2 Modders Are Already At Work With Weaker Mutants, Smoother Frames, And More
STALKER 2 has averaged over one mod per hour so far.
Despite its issues, the game has been a breakout success,selling over one million copies in just three days. Other game developers have taken notice, too, withArkane founder Raphael Colantonio attacking Metacriticfor potentially harming the popularity ofSTALKER 2. Colantonio said the current Metacritic ecosystem encourages boring, bland games that play it safe for a better review score. Meanwhile, much more interesting games that may be rough around the edges, such asSTALKER 2, are punished.
Thankfully, those rough edges haven’t hurtSTALKER 2, which, according to SteamDB, has an all-time player peak of over 120,000.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
