S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Dev-Diary On Chernobyl Nuclear...

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Dev-Diary On Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

As S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is once again nearing its ever-so-elusive release date (currently set for the end of March 2007), THQ's marketing machine is starting to get into motion, and today they offer us what they claim to be a "developer diary". Although I'd rather call it a history lesson on the happenings surrounding that tragic day of April 26, 1986, when one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, and everything that surrounded it was obliterated - creating a perfect back-drop for a perfect game... Should it have been released three years ago.

Well, anyway, here's an excerpt from GSC Game World's diary:

"At 01:23:50am the entire reactor exploded and everything that surrounded it was obliterated. Most of the radioactive material was ejected outside. Everything in the immediate vicinity caught fire, including civilian houses that were in the neighborhood.

In the following weeks, over 30 men died because of the high radiation - including firefighters, the two operators Akimov and Toptunov, as well as other staff of the nuclear power plant.

So called 'Liquidators' (soldiers, students and volunteers) went to Chernobyl to decontaminate the power plant, to eliminate possible sources of danger that still existed and to alter the sarcophagus that was created to surround the destroyed 4th block. The number of people who helped is estimated between 600,000 and 1.2 million.

Most of the victims died because of late-stage radiation ailments such as cancer, heart-circulation problems and depression (suicide). Some people estimate the total number of victims ranges between 10,000 to 250,000. The actual number can never be accurately calculated, because even today people in Europe, especially those in Russia and Ukraine, die from radiation-related illnesses, especially cancer. There is also a marked increase in the infant mortality rate and the general health of the children that grow up on the irradiated land are terrifying. These consequences will not last for just this generation..."

THQ's website is also hosting a new trailer. However, much like the "dev-diary", this movie is also based on real-life footage related to Chernobyl, and just a tid bit of in-game (or pre-rendered) scenes. If you want more of that, we suggest you take a look at our latest S.T.A.L.K.E.R. screenshots, added last week. But expect more media to surface in the coming weeks, as THQ's campaign escalates.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)