I Can’t Find Pripyat!

Not the town – Google pointed it out to me on a map with a few clicks – but the game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. You see, GSC Game World’s latest entry to the cult-like franchise was released last Tuesday to much excitement and more than a few good review scores. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few copies scattered about like artifacts, the game seems to be missing in action. It cannot be located on any of the popular digital distributors, such as Steam or Direct2Drive, nor are copies turning up in the usual retail outlets (albeit, Target seems to have somehow scored the biggest load so far - go figure).

I find it ironic that a game that puts the player in the occupation of a post-apocalyptic scavenger has, in reality, put S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans in the same occupation! It is more than a little amusing to peruse the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. forums and find players gathered around the virtual campfire talking about their often failed but occasionally successful attempts to get a copy of the game! Perhaps this isn’t a distribution bottleneck but a brilliant bit of New Age marketing where finding a copy mimics that actual gameplay? You sly dogs….

I’m looking forward to getting my copy…someday. Until then, maybe I will indulge myself with the original Shadow of Chernobyl as I never played the original.

Here’s a flyover of the terrain found in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat: