Buzzin Games

Try an early build of the PC game,  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. free of charge

If you’re a PC gamer, you’ll probably remember S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl.

Originally announced in 2001 with a 2003 release date, the game had one of the most troubled development cycles in recent memory and eventually stumbled onto the scene in 2007 in a severely reduced form, due to over-ambition of the design.

But in an unprecedented move, GSC Game World has released an early build of the game from October 18th 2004, free of charge.

This version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R is described as “playable” though obviously no technical support can be provided and you should expect plenty of bugs along the way – especially since the finished article wasn’t exactly issue free!

The free PC game includes several levels cut from the finished article including Dead City, Swamp and Generators.

Gamers who want an eyeful of what might have been should visit the official forum thread.

It’s not the first time PC gamers have been able to see what might have been.

Before Black Isle Studios was laid off by Interplay, they had been working on Fallout 3 – a game eventually taken in a very different direction by Bethesda Softworks. The original Black Isle design, codenamed Van Buren, was more in line with the series’ previous games and a playable technology demo was made widely available on the internet.

Have you tried the early release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R?

Let us know what you think in the comments.