A few members of Duty and Freedom were able to penetrate into the “Backwater” and bandits still roam freely, and while players can accept missions from any or all of the three groups to help them achieve their goals, that’s as far as it goes. This time around, players won’t be able to join factions. But where a massive military assault failed, one man – the right man – yes, that’s you – might just succeed in uncovering the truth. Naturally, “something goes terribly wrong,” and all the helicopters sent into the Zone mysteriously vanish.

With the Zone now open and the game’s various factions vying for position, the military becomes more actively involved as well, sending in heavily armed troops to take full control. The May 2009 issue of the magazine describes Call of Pripyat as a sequel, beginning a few days after the events told in Shadow of Chernobyl. The latest issue of Russian gaming magazine Gameplay has an inside look at S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, the upcoming “stand-alone expansion” for the 2007 FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.