The new radioactive coating was just freshly applied on the Zone: The remastered edition of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is now out for PC. Shadow of Chornobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Prypiat compositions are remastered with reworked graphics and optimized for next-gen performance, with some refinements to modding. Some praise and others… well, we can say the reception has not been fully sunny, there is an anomaly here and there.
Well, a few rays of sunshine first. The Enhanced Edition promises superior textures, a stable frame rate, and refinements that make the jittery originals feel semi-modern, at last. One particularly long-awaited upgrade by the console folk, while console gamers have never known the joy of squinting at blurry textures or hoping the frame rates do not droop during an intense gunfight. For modders, it means more ways and more options to sculpt and contort the Zone in their own nightmarish image.
Here is the bad thing. For those who bought their copies on GOG or Steam, a free upgrading was anticipated. Spoiler alert: it’s not going to be that way for everyone. Vittorio Baldini said it just right: “Same here, my friend, but nothing ðŸ˜. The Enhanced version still doesn’t appear in my library!” Others, like Bolski are scratching their heads, wondering if in fact, their free copies from years ago have even now been upgraded. And with GSC Game World on full MIA-mode, people are left to search through forums or tweet into the void.
Then came the censorship debacle. Timtim posted a link with the blunt: “I was hyped but saw censorship,” thus kicking off a whole debate on what exactly got changed and for what purpose. Some are accusing the devs of “politically-motivated arbitrary changes,” whereas others just brush it off as par for the course in remasters. So far, though, none of that has appeased the purists.
I’m afraid it hasn’t exactly been smooth as butter for the console natives either. “Clear Sky enhanced is not on Xbox,” said Lee Robinson, bluntly, while PlayStation users have a hard time finding it on the store. Meanwhile, Switch owners wonder when their platform will finally garner some love, with CuddleBear_92 musing: “Switch 2 upgrade? The trilogy is already on the Switch 1, surely it will get an upgrade?”
And we are not even talking about modders yet. “Do console mods still work after updating?” asked Cookoono with some trepidation. Because let’s be honest-half the joy in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is breaking it with these rulebook mods. If that is to go, a good portion of the fanbase goes too.
This sort of drama cannot ever kill the love for The Zone. Wolve3411 stood up and commended the devs for “controller support,” and while some are just happy to get back to Chernobyl’s strangest vacation land, albeit prettier, the real question is: Will this be enough to keep them going while S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 languishes in development hell?
For now, the Enhanced Edition is here-unperfect as it may be. Departure back into the Zone depends on what you’re willing to forgive… and just how much you actually really miss the screeching of a bloodsucker somewhere in the distance.
Back to business with the vodka, check your Geiger counter, and pray to any god possible that any anomaly in sight wouldn’t glitch you into oblivion. The Zone is waiting-anew.
