Beehaw

It's because BotW was very influential, more than previous Zelda games?

Archived version

On Tuesday [12 November], exactly two weeks after the November 5 election, the Republican-controlled legislature in North Carolina reconvened in Raleigh, ostensibly to pass disaster relief for areas affected by Hurricane Helene. But, with no public notice, they snuck provisions into the bill stripping power from the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general and dramatically changing how elections are administered. The bill passed the state House Tuesday night, just hours after it was publicly released, and is expected to be approved by the state Senate on Wednesday.

“It’s a massive power grab,” says Melissa Price Kromm, executive director of the pro-democracy group North Carolina for the People Action. “They didn’t like what happened in the election, and they want to overturn the will of the people. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.”

[...]

This is not the first time Republicans have convened a lame-duck session to strip power from Democrats—and not just in North Carolina. They did so when Cooper beat Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, preventing him from appointing members to boards of University of North Carolina schools, restricting the number of state employees he could hire or fire, and subjecting all of his nominations to confirmation by the GOP-controlled state Senate, which was not previously required.

Back in 2018, after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers defeated Republican Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Republicans also held a lame-duck session before Christmas to strip Evers of power and pass new laws making it harder to vote. Democrats called it a soft coup, and Evers viewed it as a precursor to the January 6 insurrection. “There hasn’t been a peaceful transition of power,” he told me.

The latest power grab in North Carolina could foreshadow the next few years in Washington under GOP control—and how the Republican Party’s antidemocratic tendencies have become more institutionalized, going much deeper than Trump. As Price Kromm puts it, “It’s batshit crazy down here right now.”

On Tuesday [5 November], nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight filed a motion for preliminary injunction in its ongoing lawsuit for the release of interview records from the federal investigation of attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz. The requested records, known as “302s,” are FBI summaries of witness interviews conducted during the reported investigation into Gaetz for serious criminal allegations, including sex trafficking of a minor.

This action is sponsored by: Civic Shout, Common Cause, DemCast USA, Democracy for America Advocacy Fund, Food & Water Watch, National Campaign for Justice, Progress America, TakeItBack.Org, The Juggernaut Project, The Workers Circle, and Voter Action Project.

Archive.today link

Some key excerpts:

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Wednesday that transgender women are not permitted to use bathrooms in the Capitol that match their gender identity

The policy [...] will also apply to bathrooms in House office buildings, changing rooms and locker rooms.

Johnson’s statement — which was made on Transgender Day of Remembrance, recognized annually to memorialize trans people who died due to anti-trans violence — comes days after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a bill to bar transgender women from facilities on Capitol Hill that match their gender identity, a response to the election earlier this month of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.).

McBride blasted Mace’s legislation earlier this week, calling it “a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”

Mace was threatening to force a vote on the matter prior to Johnson’s decision to formally announce the new policy; the congresswoman wanted the terms to be included in the rules package for the 119th Congress and said she would force a vote on the bill if that did not come to fruition.

Tetris Forever is the latest in Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series, a format that bundles expertly emulated classic games with reams of multimedia information presented in an interactive timeline: filmed interviews, archive video, documentation, artwork, photography, and more. It’s officially the third entry in the series, after the single-title deep dive The Making of Karateka and the astonishingly comprehensive Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (which is basically the real-life UFO 50), although the format was established in the developer’s excellent Atari 50.

What really distinguishes Tetris Forever from those more conventional takes on the Tetris story is its dedication to tracking the evolution of the game itself through countless editions on every imaginable platform. But, while all the key variations of Tetris are mentioned (and a few more besides), the publishing rights are so broadly scattered through history that there is no way for Digital Eclipse — or even Rogers and Pajitnov’s rights holder, The Tetris Company, which clearly collaborated closely on this release — to include playable versions of many of them.

Nintendo, as fiercely protective of its back catalog titles as ever, has not turned over the rights for any of its own Tetris variants to the project. This means that arguably the two definitive versions of Tetris — the iconic Game Boy Tetris, which found the perfect match of form and function, and NES Tetris, which is still the gold standard in competitive Tetris play — are not included. (The Game Boy game is available on Nintendo Switch Online, and the NES game is due to be added to the service this winter.) Sega’s classic arcade version is out, as are Arika’s hardcore Tetris: The Grand Master games.

My grandmother was a good Catholic who didn’t go to college and had eight children. Her oldest child went to college and had one child, me. Your own family probably fits this pattern. In a decline that correlates with education and secularism, and is concentrated in the Global North, women across the world are having about half the number of children they had only fifty years ago.

However strange it may sound to characterize the post-Roe present as overflowing with reproductive choice, the mainstream center-left tends to agree with the far right that this choice is a new phenomenon, and that our predecessors were spared the existential dilemma. As Dutch philosopher Mara van der Lugt writes in Begetting: What Does it Mean to Create a Child?, “Traditionally, and biologically, having children was not something that is decided upon, but something that occurs.” Likewise, in What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice, Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman assert that until fairly recently, having children was “not, as it is steadily becoming today, one possible path to take among several equally legitimate ones.” It was “just what people did.”

Books like these emphasize free choice by foregrounding a modern could-be parent (who happens to be the author, but might as well be the reader) struggling to make this incredibly consequential, and individual, decision, in the face of a society that would make that choice for her. Against her culture’s repository of inherited givens and traditional foreclosures, freedom is when she discovers, for herself, what that right choice is. Yet what happens to “society” when it becomes the name of this “modern” problem? What if the problem isn’t new? What if it isn’t a problem at all?

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Books like these imply or outright state that the birthrate is falling because of a new epidemic of chosen childlessness. But the data doesn’t show us that; what it shows is that people have far fewer children, one or two instead of eight. (Meanwhile the sharp decline in teen pregnancy alone accounts for half the drop in the United States’ general fertility.) Opinion columnists and reactionary politicians habitually infer rampant childlessness from the declining number of total births, but the modern childless woman (and debates about “parents” are mainly talking about women) remains the same kind of statistical outlier she has always been.

As recently as 2016, the percentage of U.S. women between ages 40 and 44 who had borne a child was 86 percent—higher than it’s been since the mid-1990s and down only from 90 percent in 1976, a time when only about 10 percent of women earned a bachelor’s degree. The rate fell as low as 80 percent in 2006, but these are still strikingly high numbers. Direct comparisons to the past are tricky, but it’s telling that in 1870, for example, only 84 percent of married American white women had borne a child, compared to 93 percent in 1835. (Imagine the panicked op-eds! Of course, among enslaved women, for whom reproduction was truly compulsory, the number was about 97 percent.) If we remember that perhaps 1 in 10 American women today struggle with infertility, it seems hard to imagine it could be much higher (at least in a reproductively free society).

Game Information

Game Title: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Nov 20, 2024)
• PC (Nov 20, 2024)

Trailers:

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Scar Character Introduction Trailer
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2: Heart of Chornobyl — Official World & Locations Gameplay Showcase Trailer
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chornobyl — The Time of Opportunities Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2024

Developer: GSC Game World

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 76 average - 63% recommended - 48 reviews

Critic Reviews

ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale

"While Stalker 2 holds its head up high in delivering a game that is unlike so many others we see recently. It's one major similarity is bugs and performance issues. A fine shooter, with a unique world, and fantastic moments marred by technical problems"

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AltChar - Semir Omerovic - 70 / 100

If Stalker 2 didn't have so many serious performance issues and bugs, it would be my Game of the Year. It has a great story, memorable characters, a unique world to explore, and great visual presentation - pretty much everything to keep you immersed for hours.

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Atarita - Alparslan Gürlek - Turkish - 79 / 100

Stalker 2 has more bugs than we can tolerate, but it's still a very enjoyable game. The attention to detail in its huge open world, the new AIs and the new gunplay mechanics won me over. It also has great graphics and after a few updates I think it will be a must-play for everyone.

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CGMagazine - Erik McDowell - 6 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the fourth game in the series, but the first proper sequel. The expansive story is decidedly more action-packed and

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Checkpoint Gaming - Omi Koulas - 7 / 10

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an anomaly. It dazzles with stunning visuals, an eerie atmosphere, and gameplay that captures the soul of the original series. Yet, like The Zone itself, it's plagued by technical glitches, inconsistent performance, and design missteps that get in the way of its lofty ambitions. Despite its flaws, STALKER 2 has a strange magnetic force, and once you're in, it's hard to look away.

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Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - 4 / 5

In many ways, Stalker 2 succeeds in being a bold modernisation of GSC Game World’s classic survival shooter packaged and prettied up for today’s audience. That said, it’s a sequel that also manages to stay true to its in-depth PC roots by retaining an emphasis on resource management, scavenging, and a world that is seemingly as wide as an ocean that’s somehow equally as deep. Prevalent bugs and purposefully clumsy gunplay aside, Stalker 2 is an impressive successor worth the decade-and-a-half wait, providing you’re willing to meet it on its own terms.

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Dexerto - Jessica Filby - 3 / 5

Stalker 2 is brutal, unforgiving, and not for the faint-hearted. While its storyline is poised for new players, its gameplay feels the opposite, providing a hardcore experience for anyone looking to dive into the Zone. Nevertheless, Stalker 2 is the kind of game that ages like a fine wine, getting better, richer, and slightly bolder as you push through its 35-hour campaign. That being said, the performance issues and missing features do leave a somewhat bitter taste.

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Digital Trends - Jason Rodriguez - 2 / 5

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl crumbles under the weight of its own ambition.

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DualShockers - Jaime Tugayev - 7 / 10

As it stands now, STALKER 2 is fun and has a lot of potential, but it would be unfair to call it good. You can easily sink 100 hours into it without noticing, especially if you have a deep love for previous iterations. However, the performance issues, overall inconsistency in many areas, and clumsy presentation will hold this game back until a major overhaul comes.

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Everyeye.it - Riccardo Cantù - Italian - 7.5 / 10

Fortunately, the extraordinary artistic inspiration of STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl makes up for most of these flaws and paints a still quite captivating picture that is worth getting lost in.

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GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 63%

"S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" simply does not deliver enough and is too flawed to give it a good rating. The AI ​​and game balance in particular are so bad that we cannot even recommend "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" to fans of the predecessors, who are certainly used to suffering, without major reservations. It was not a complete disaster, and the fact that GSC Game World managed to get the title out in a playable form despite the war is certainly no small achievement.

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GRYOnline.pl - Dariusz Matusiak - Polish - Unscored

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a game you love despite its flaws, not for being perfect. The superb atmosphere, immersion, gameplay, game world and audiovisual setting collide with technical flaws that shouldn't have happened on the day of release, though we probably expected a bit of that.

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Game Rant - Josh Cotts - 9 / 10

After spending 55 hours in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, I have no qualms recommending STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl to post-apocalyptic enthusiasts.

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GameGrin - Artura Dawn - 9 / 10

GSC Game World nails a unique mixture of genres between survival horror and open world with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The atmospheric environments, engaging gunplay, and the constant feeling of threat culminate in a heavy recommendation from me for fans of the genre.

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GamePro - Dennis Michel - German - Unscored

The hope remains that future patches will at least fix most of the problems mentioned, especially the buggy sound and the poor enemy behavior, in the coming days. And who knows, maybe Stalker 2 will experience a resurrection like Cyberpunk recently did and even put some mechanics like the fast travel system to the test again.

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GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 8 / 10

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is rough around the edges, but its propensity for creating emergent moments in a deadly and alluring world makes this trip back to the Zone a fraught and compelling experience

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Gameliner - Bram Noteboom - Dutch - 4.5 / 5

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an immersive and atmospheric journey through the Zone, delivering gripping exploration and hardcore survival, though its ambition is hindered by technical issues, making it a flawed yet quintessential S.T.A.L.K.E.R. experience.

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Gamepressure - Izabela Budzynska - Unscored

Although this may not be a perfect game, it must be honestly said that no one ever expected this from Stalker. The atmosphere, harshness, and unforgettable adventures in the Zone matter - and Stalker 2 has more than enough of that.

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Gamer Guides - Patrick Dane - 81 / 100

While performance woes hinder it, STALKER 2 is a fiercely unique and immersive survival game. It asks the player to put in the work and struggle against its harsh systems that may turn many off. However, if you’re willing to persevere through its systems and technical issues, there is a special experience waiting to be found within the enchanting Zone.

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Gamer.no - Gøran Solbakken - Unknown - 8 / 10

Stalker 2 stands out as an impressive and immersive survival shooter. A huge, handcrafted world with interesting story choices, lots of content and quality all around. Refreshingly, you are not a superhero out to save the world, but a regular grunt trying to survive

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Gamersky - 心灵奇兵 - Chinese - 8 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl remains true to its core philosophy: to create an immersive and unforgiving Zone that feels as alive as it is hostile. Every would-be explorer must endure harsh conditions and relentless challenges, testing their resolve until they either give up or fully embrace the Zone's brutal logic and become a part of it. This experience closely mirrors the spirit of the original trilogy, making S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 feel authentic to its roots. However, some of its hardcore and overly rigid systems may prove too alienating for a broader audience, potentially limiting its appeal.

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GamesRadar+ - Andrew Brown - 3 / 5

Stalker 2, in its current state, has too much baggage to overlook

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GamingBolt - Shubhankar Parijat - 9 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl masterfully combines multiple genres to deliver an unmissable and entirely open world horror experience. Touting unparalleled emergent gameplay, stellar atmosphere, a captivating story, and gorgeous visuals, this is easily one of the best games available on Xbox Series X/S, even with the technical issues that hamper it.

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GamingTrend - Henry Viola - Unscored

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an undoubtedly remarkable achievement in atmospheric game design. This post-apocalyptic experience offers an unmatched dynamic open world that is bound to satisfy long-time fans of the series. However, the extremely poor technical hiccups and hardcore yet niche nature of the game prevents it from getting a full recommendation. This is not a game for casuals.

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Generación Xbox - Pedro del Pozo - Spanish - 8.7 / 10

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is actually a difficult title to evaluate. We can't base ourselves on everything that the GSC Gaming World team members have been through to add points to the analysis or feel sorry for them. But the good thing is that it's not necessary, because after all that effort, I can say, categorically, that it has been worth it .

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GosuNoob - Srdjan Stanarevic - 8 / 10

I've come out through all the trials and tribulations of the Zone and all that was left on the other side was I, Stalker. That's all I wanted from this game, and it fully delivered.

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Hardcore Gamer - Jason Moth - 5 / 5

Stalker 2 is nothing short of a miracle. Developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World over the course of seven years amid a pandemic and a war -- among many other challenges -- Stalker 2 is a labor of love and the best type of sequel one could hope for. While many long-running franchises have strayed from their roots in an (often misguided) attempt to appeal to as many players as possible, Stalker 2 knows its core audience well and delivers exactly the type of game we were hoping for.

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Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish - 75 / 100

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a unique experience in post-apocalyptic games. Unfortunately, it all falls flat due to a myriad of bugs and technical issues. We are hopeful, as beneath the radiation lies a game with enormous potential, but for the time being it is not advisable to venture into the Zone.

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IGN Deutschland - Eike Cramer - German - 8 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a game that, in my opinion, is all too rare in this form. GSC Game World has managed to create an incredibly atmospheric combination of survival, horror and end time in a fascinating environment. Despite all the shooter weaknesses, the wooden dialogues, the incredibly annoying anomalies over time and some dubious technical problems, I fell in love with this zone. You won't find that much freedom and mystery anywhere else. Added to this is a story that takes its time to get it going, but then surprises with cool factions and robust characters. This excursion to Chernobyl requires patience and stamina, but rewards you with spectacular views, fierce battles and an expressive end time.

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IGN Spain - Rafa Del Río - Spanish - 9 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl offers us a powerful adventure of radioactive terror. A first-person horror sim with survival elements in which we will have to learn to survive and improve our equipment to reach the end of its complex plot. Monsters, anomalies and enemy factions join the arid terrain and dangerous emissions to turn the proposal into a unique experience in which learning and intuition are as important as exploration and quick thinking when advancing.

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Insider Gaming - Grant Taylor-Hill - Buy

This enormous, immersive survival FPS is the cream of the crop, and it’s a bar to which every developer in the genre should aspire to reach.

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Kakuchopurei - Lewis Larcombe - 80 / 100

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is not a game for everyone. Its unforgiving difficulty, steep learning curve, and technical issues make it a challenging experience, especially for newcomers. Yet, for those willing to brave its harsh world, the game offers a deeply immersive and rewarding journey, moreso than other open-world games.

For veterans of the series, it’s a triumphant return to form—one that stays true to the franchise’s uncompromising identity. For newcomers, however, it’s an intimidating introduction to a genre that demands patience, perseverance, and a willingness to embrace failure.

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Nexus Hub - Andrew Logue - 9 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is everything I've ever wanted from a sequel - a refined world, plenty of emergent gameplay possibilities and stunning atmosphere add up to make an unconventionally great game.

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One More Game - Chris Garcia - 8 / 10

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl is an unforgiving and uncompromising affair that's not for everybody. For its target audience, it could quite possibly be the game they've been waiting for the past decade and a half, heralding the return of this beloved cult classic. The game is tough and will beat you down if you're not attentive enough, requiring a commitment to immersion.

The key to the game is to simply keep at it. The journey to get there may be painful and frustrating, and many players will certainly tune out in the process. Players who persevere will find a rewarding title and a living world filled with possibilities as time goes by, despite a number of bugs and rough patches.

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PC Gamer - Joshua Wolens - 83 / 100

Just like in the old days, performance issues and bugs don't stop Stalker's mad, wonderful heart from shining through.

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Press Start - Brodie Gibbons - 6.5 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an achievement for so many reasons. As well as being the little game that could, given the team's real-world challenges, the game doubles down on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. way, delivering a sublimely realised sense of place with the Zone. Unfortunately, so much of the console experience is rendered so disappointingly undercooked.

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun - James Archer - Unscored

It's incredibly buggy, but persevere and this survival FPS will reward you with intense shootouts and some wonderfully atmospheric free-roaming.

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SECTOR.sk - Peter Dragula - Slovak - 9 / 10

Stalker 2 brings the series into the modern era with stunning visuals while staying true to its hardcore FPS roots. The game retains what made the series unique, with difficult action, expansive environments and a rich story. However, minor issues such as weaker animations, AI and minor bugs detract from the experience.

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Shacknews - Sam Chandler - 8 / 10

Fortunately, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still on its path to greatness. It's just going to need a little more love to get it to its destination. I just hope the rest of the journey is a bit faster than Skif's walking speed.

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Skill Up - Ralph Panebianco - Not Yet

Video Review - Quote not available

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Spaziogames - Gianluca Arena - Italian - 8.6 / 10

Nor a sudden war neither fifteen years in development stopped the people at GSC Game World to show their potential once again: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl delivers on almost all fronts, giving us a cruel and immersive world in which we can all get lost. We already know we won't have to wait too long for multiplayer and mod support, but let's also hope we won't have to wait another fifteen years for another game like this.

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Stevivor - Hamish Lindsay - 5 / 10

[PROVISIONAL SCORE] "The fact that STALKER 2 is complete and ready for an imminent release is nothing short of a miracle. It’s just a shame that my experience... is damaged by a constant stream of ever-present bugs and issues."

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The Games Machine - Emanuele Feronato - Italian - 9 / 10

Quote not yet available

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TheGamer - Branden Lizardi - 3 / 5

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a perfectly average open-world survival shooter. It’s an interesting setting with well-realized characters, but it’s held back by unsatisfying gunplay and a run-of-the-mill sense of exploration. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. But if you’re a fan of games like Fallout, or you enjoyed past Stalker games, then this one is worth your time.

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Tom's Hardware Italia - Andrea Riviera - Italian - 8.5 / 10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is nothing short of a production miracle. Despite the well-known challenging working conditions, GSC Game World has managed to create a project born out of immense passion and love for the world of video games. From its dark and mysterious atmosphere to its well-developed shooting mechanics and a game world that is both thoughtfully designed and excellently written, the entire experience is undeniably captivating. Despite a few easily fixable bugs, the game stands as one of the most satisfying experiences in recent years. These developers truly deserve applause for what they have achieved, setting an inspiring example for game creators worldwide.

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Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - Unscored

This is a game that knows precisely what it wants to be, although that doesn't mean it is balanced enough to be fun all the time. The feeling of playing a stalker thrust into this inhospitable world against seemingly impossible odds is always present, for better or worse. However, unless you're really dying to enter the Zone right away, I would recommend waiting a little longer while the developers (and possibly modders) fix and improve the game further.

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XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 8.4 / 10

After a tumultuous dev cycle, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 shines despite some rough edges.

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Zoomg - Afshin Piroozi - Persian - 8.5 / 10

Overall, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, despite having some issues mentioned in the review, is one of those games with a unique identity, creating a strange allure that pulls players in like a trap. Personally, when I wasn't playing, I had a strong desire to return and immerse myself in the mysterious world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, a feeling I can't recall experiencing with any other video game recently. The detailed story, which directly reacts to the gamer's behavior, engaging gameplay, and outstanding atmosphere are positive features that make S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 one of the most respectable titles of this year. Especially since the game is available on Game Pass, I highly recommend giving it a chance.

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One key report says there’s no need to go back to the drawing board just yet. The state has enough power plants operating or being built to meet demand over the next 10 years, according to the New York Independent System Operator, the nonprofit that operates the state’s grid. That finding takes into account new data centers, cryptocurrency facilities, and other “large loads” seeking to connect to the grid.

The report, which is still being finalized this month, suggests that New York’s energy outlook hasn’t changed that much since AI entered the equation. The main challenge of the state’s energy transition this decade is catching up on building renewables and the transmission lines needed to move clean power around the state, while shifting more everyday energy use from fossil fuels to electricity.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4928706

Archived link

While developed countries have used the majority of this budget, the analysis shows that China’s historical emissions reached 312GtCO2 in 2023, overtaking the EU’s 303GtCO2.

China is still far behind the 532GtCO2 emitted by the US, however, according to the analysis.

The findings by Carbonbrief come amid fraught negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where negotiators have been invoking the “principle of historical responsibility” in their discussions over who should pay money towards a new goal for climate finance – and how much.

[...]

Historical CO2 emissions matter for climate change, because there is a finite “carbon budget” that can be released into the atmosphere before a given level of global warming is breached.

For example, in order to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, only around 2,800GtCO2 can be added to the atmosphere, counting all emissions since the pre-industrial period. (This is according to a 2023 study updating figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)

Cumulative emissions since 1850 will reach 2,607CO2 by the end of 2024, according to Carbon Brief’s new analysis, meaning that some 94% of the 1.5C budget will have been used up.

[...]

Surprise surprise

BREAKING NEWS: AI IS STILL GARBAGE🔥🗑️

It's been a long time coming, but at least with it's final act it'll help bring new life.

In accordance with the rules of news, I have updated the headline to reflect the headline on the website.

Apple's next smartphone rumors early specs for the iPhone 17, detailing its new chips and more.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4918199

Archived link

Swedish authorities say they have detected a Chinese ship moving near two telecoms cables that failed within hours of each other on the Baltic Sea bed in recent days.

Prosecutors in Stockholm have launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage, hours after Germany dubbed the cable failure part of a “hybrid operation”.

On Sunday morning at about 10am, Swedish authorities registered problems with a data cable under the Baltic Sea from the Öland island to Lithuania. At 4am on Monday, telecoms operators in Finland and Germany reported problems with another cable called C-Lion-1.

Both cables were damaged in the Swedish economic zone, prompting prosecutors in Stockholm to take the investigation lead.