The co-creator of Dishonored and Prey called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the best game of 2024

The next video game awards season can be considered open, and Dishonored and Prey co-creator Raphael Colantonio has already decided on his personal favorite for 2024.

Image source: Steam (Viacheslav)

According to Colantonio, what was unsurpassed for him in the past year was the ambitious post-apocalyptic open-world shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl from the developers from the GSC Game World studio.

«Stalker 2 isn’t perfect, but it’s my game of the year. The atmosphere, the brutality of the world, the survival, the freedom to explore… The last game I enjoyed this much was [Baldur’s Gate 3],” Colantonio shared.

The developer added that he has many complaints about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, but against the backdrop of its “current hunger for games of this kind, [the GSC project] feels good.”

Image Source: GSC Game World

Previously, Colantio suggested that the review aggregator Metacritic ecosystem pushes developers to create “conservative, boring games,” citing the example of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

«If a game is polished at launch, you’re guaranteed 80% no matter how boring it is. Meanwhile, Stalker 2 gets 73% because it was a little damp on release. Unfair, deceptive…” says Colantonio.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was released on November 20 on PC (Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, EGS), Xbox Series X and S, and Game Pass. Since its release, the game has already received two patches – one large and one smaller.