Summary
Newly released survival shooterSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylseemingly contains a nod to a legendary mission from 2007’sCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Gamers have discovered all sorts of apparent Easter eggs scattered throughout the world ofSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, including some that pay tribute to the title’s beloved predecessors.
Much like the originalSTALKERexperiences, GSC Game World’s latest entry in its series of postapocalyptic shooters is set in the irradiated lands of the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine. Themap ofSTALKER 2includes Pripyat, the abandoned city located beside the area’s ruined nuclear power plant. Eagle-eyed players have noticed that this rendition of the settlement has what appears to be a reference toCall of Duty: 4 Modern Warfareby Infinity Ward, another title that made gamers visit Pripyat.
Many have pointed out online that a spot in theSTALKER 2version of Pripyat, specifically a point that can be found on the top floor of the Polissya hotel, resembled the sniper’s nest that gamers used in the All Ghillied Up level of the firstModern Warfare. This is the thirteenth mission of Infinity Ward’s critically-acclaimed shooter, which, according to a lot of fans, has one of thebest single-player campaigns in the entireCall of Dutyfranchise.
In All Ghillied Up, players take control of SAS member John Price as he and his mentor, Captain MacMillan, sneak into Pripyat and try to assassinate a Russian arms dealer named Imran Zakhaev with a sniper rifle from the Polissya hotel. The weapon used to target Zakhaev inModern Warfareand its 2016 remaster was the Barrett M82, a powerful anti-materiel rifle that has appeared in otherCall of Dutytitles and similar military shooters likeBattlefield 3. Meanwhile, the rifle found in GSC Game World’s rendition of the Polissya hotel is an M701 Super, considered by some to be one of thebest guns inSTALKER 2.
Aside from the sniper’s nest,STALKER 2players have discovered other apparent Easter eggs and references in the game. Some claim that a campfire spot in the Unreal Engine 5-powered title resembles the main menu ofShadow of Chernobyl, which was widely regarded as thebestSTALKERgameprior to the release of the series' newest installment. Others say that a car stuck in a tree pays tribute to the Weasleys' Flying Ford from theHarry Pottermovies.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylhas sold more than one million copies since launching on November 20, according to GSC Game World. The titlecurrently has an average score of 74on the review aggregate site OpenCritic, with many praising the game despite its many reported technical issues.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLDTake over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONSMeet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
