Finally Getting AARound to It - Subi's multi-game AAR type thingy

[SuperBeaverInc.]

So here's the story. There are a few games on my Steam list that I have bought over the years and through one reason or another, never actually got around to finishing. So I decided to do this AAR type thingy chronicling my journeys through the list with screenshots and descriptions of the latest events.

The games (in alphabetical order)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
BioShock 2
Dead Space
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Mirror's Edge
Psychonauts
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Saints Row 2

I'll be putting it to a vote to see which game to start with. And be warned, from this point on, here be spoilers!

And as per Kan's suggestion, STALKER/GTA/Saint Row will be use somewhat interactive.


Part 1 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

 

[Maniacal]

Your list is strangely small. Have you been cheating on Steam?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Your list is strangely small. Have you been cheating on Steam?

Quite a few of the games I have on Steam are ones you can't technically beat

 

[Captain2]

Saints Row 2, because its awesome. Also because I've always thought it would be great for an AAR.

My secondary vote would be for STALKER. No preference to which one though.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

My secondary vote would be for STALKER. No preference to which one though.

On that note, I realized after posting the poll how silly it was to include both STALKER games, since it would make more sense to do them in order, to their vote totals will be combined.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 1.1

This guy named Strelok sold me a vacation package to a place called Chernobyl in Ukraine. He told me it was a fantastic vacation spot, and that the beauty of the land radiated out. His reviews of the place were glowing, and that I should get their quickly, as this place was about the explode in interest around the globe. But I'm beginning to suspect that he may have conned me, as quite frankly, this vacation has been rather lousy. I ended up riding in the back of a truck full of dead bodies, which then gets struck by lightning, only to get picked up by some guy looting the bodies and taken to some trader in a bunker.

Yes, hello, I'd like to register a complaint

He tells me he can help me find Strelok so that I can get a refund, so I'll just go along with what he says for now. I'm sent to meet a guy named Wolf. This whole thing seems rather shady. What kind of man calls himself Wolf?

In the quest for information, he sends me to meet some associates of his to pick up a flash drive for the trader from one of his men who has been abducted by bandits.

I'm not sure how he expects me to rescue this guy from bandits. But it all becomes clear very soon, as I meet up with some guys who were sent by Wolf and they hand me a pistol. I'm just here to get my money back, not commit murders.

This wasn't in the brochure

Me and these random gunmen clear out the buildings and I manage to find a shotgun. Judging by the number of shootouts I've experienced already in this land on my first day, I might need something with a bit more power than a pistol to protect myself.

Upon rescuing Nimble, which is just a silly nickname, he gives me a task of picking up something called a perfected suit. He must have dropped it some place. Oh Nimble, you're so clumsy. But you seem like a nice guy, so I guess I can do you another favour, and hopefully get some information out of you about Strelok. Head on up to a tunnel just up the hill from the current location. A few dogs play in the grass, but there appears to be some movement in the tunnel...

Must be the alpha male protecting his territo...

...OH GOD, WHAT IS THAT?!?!

Just to make things worse, I get attacked by some sort of mutant dog. WHY WOULDN'T YOU MENTION MUTANT DOGS, STRELOK! This just stiffens my resolve. I must get my refund now.

Anyway, after turning in the flash drive and suit, I get sent on a new set of missions. The trader wants me to meeet up with some guy and find a way across a railroad embankment. Sounds easy enough. But after that he wants me to get some military documents. Two things trigger alarm bells in my head when he says this. First, the military part, as in lots of guys with guns. And second, the steal part. How on earth does this man expect me to steal a bunch of documents from lots of guys with guns?

I find the journeyman, and continuing a theme I've noticed so far on my trip, he's dead. But luckily he managed to find a tunnel that goes under the embankment...

...this looks promising...

 

[Omega124]

I know you started STALKER, but if you ever do GTA IV, may I suggest you disable the HUD when you play? Makes the game much better, in my opinion (For you have to remember where places are and combat is more dangerous).

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 1.2

After timing the electrical waves, I managed to make my way through the tunnel. There were a few charred bodies in there, so this is obviously no easy task. Either that or everyone around here is stupid. Upon making it across the trader gave me a new task. A guy named Fox had gotten himself injured and might know of Strelok.

On my way to Fox I pass through an empty farmhouse to hide myself from some soldiers nearby. There I find some strange mutant animals that attack me. I had been warned of these by Wolf, who asked me to kill them for him. Lucky for me, these mutants seem to be deathly allergic to bullets, and provided no real threat. In order to get my reward though I will either have to go back through the electric death tunnel, or shoot my way through a military blockade at the bridge. Given these two options, I opt for the "screw that" option.

Great, more mutants!

I meet up with Fox, but he's badly injured. I give him a first aid kit and he tells me to go meet another guy. This had better not turn into a giant game of telephone where I finally get to the end and they think I'm looking to buy a refridgerator from Steve.

In order to get to this new contact I have to go through checkpoint manned by some bandits. At least they don't have the firepower of the military, but they still have guns...and more than one person.

I sprint up and take cover behind an old, rusting truck. Knowing my luck, these bandits have submachine guns against my shotgun. They also prove to be graduates of the Imperial Stormtrooper School of Markmanship, giving me enough time to blast them in the face with a shotgun shell.

My murderous potential just expanded!

After looting the bodies, I have now have enough firepower to become a black market arms dealer. But considering how everyone here seems to be heavily armed, I may have to set up shop somewhere else. Which is why it is important that I find Strelok soon so that I can start my new career somewhere else.

Pew, pew, pew

 

[Maniacal]

I don't think I ever used the MP5 in this game, the shotgun and AK74U are much better. Also you might want to take a trip back to the village to sell your loot to the Merchant. I don't recommend going through the military blockade at the bridge yet though (but it is so much more convenient once you have cleared them out).

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 1.3

Coming out the other side of the checkpoint I can hear some voices from behind a truck. Peaking around it I can see a couple of bandits robbing some guy. Still bitter about being scammed by Strelok, I gun down the three bandits. The guy is naturally very grateful, as people you have saved by murdering their robbers usually are, and he tells me of some other STALKERS at a vehicle dump nearby.

Meeting up with Bes and his men, they tell me that they have recently taken this area from bandits and are expecting a counterattack. I agree to help out, since apparently deep down I'm secretly an sociopath.

We take up positions among the wrecked vehicles and wait for the bandits to come within range. They are caught by surprise, and after a brief firefight, we have defeated the rebels with minimum casualties among us.

I loot the bodies, since after already going on a killing spree, picking the pockets of dead people hardly seems like that bad of an activity. Bes rewards me with some cash and information; there's an old hangar nearby where I can rest up and get more information from the STALKERs there.

I show up looking to have a nice relaxing evening for once. However as I approach I hear the sounds of gunfire. Not wanting to miss my chance to participate in some fun, I head on in and join the fight against some bandits.

After defeating these bandits, I'm informed of Mole. Mole hardly seems like a name of someone you should trust, but I decide to go with it. He is somewhere between me and that military base I need to go to and steal some documents, and will show me a secret way in.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 1.4

Heading east from the hangar towards my destination, I run into yet another group of bandits along the path. I'm beginning to think the local economy here relies entirely on roadside robbery. This is certainly no way to build a strong economic base. After a brief firefight, and by brief I mean used up most of my ammunition, I emerged victorious and resupplied myself with their ammo.

On the road to the factory I ran across Venya Simpleton. An oddly English sounding last name. Maybe his father married a local after being stranded here by Strelok.

He tells me that Mole is at the factory up the road, but the military is attacking. And so I agree to participate in the only other segment of the local economy other than highway banditry; spontaneous gun battles.

In the ensuing firefight most of the other Stalkers are injured. The handful of military personel in the are quickly subdued, and I discover that they have very generously provided me with some AK-47s and plenty of ammunition. Because if I'm going to end up fighting my way through some third world country, I might as well do it with an AK.

Over on the other side of the factory I find Mole, having been pinned down by some soldiers. After saving him he leads me onto where I need to go to finish the job for the trader...an ominous looking hole in the ground. This just keeps getting better and better...

 

[Maniacal]

Looks legit, I say you go down there.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

What's the worst that could happen?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

What's the worst that could happen?

I could wind up in Scotland

 

[Captain2]

I could wind up in Scotland

Get out of there man! run for the hills!

 

[Maniacal]

Nah he's safe, Scotland isn't underground.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

We do have a club called the Tunnels, though, he might end up there.

And yeah, the infrastructure and the locals are probably better in Chernobyl. Best stay there.

 

[Darth_Pugwash]

Go for it dude, nowhere safer than underground tunnels. I even bet there'll be no bandits down there!

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Into the tunnel I go, and unsurprisingly I run into a bunch of bandits. And its pitch black. In order to defeat them I have to fire at any muzzle flash I see. The obvious drawback of this strategy of course is that I have to let myself get shot at.

Its a good thing I have plenty of these magical bullet-healing medkits, otherwise I would be in a bit of trouble. After defeating the bandits, I find a spiral staircase near the back of the room. At the bottom I see a bunch of glowing pools of radioactive water. Clearly the building safety inspectors don't get out here very often, as this seems like a very unsafe situation. Either that or they were brutally murdered. Given my experiences so far, I'm going to guess they were brutally murdered.

Turning the corner, I hear a noise. Something turns and runs towar...OH GOD, ITS INVISIBLE! SHOOT EVERYTHING!

It took an entire clip, but I finally took down this invisible thing. Clearly I am being attacked by that alien thing in that one movie, what was it called? Oh right, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Around the next corner is yet another deadly surprise. This time I ran into half a dozen soldiers. I'm not entirely sure how they didn't hear all that gunfire. Or how they didn't already run into Arnold. But either way, I seem to have officially declared war on the nation of Ukraine after attacking and killing members of the Ukrainian army.

Just past the soldiers I find what I'm looking for, Strelok's hideout. After climbing up a pipe I find a small room. Clearly he has been living a life of luxury off the cash he stole from me. In retaliation I steal his USB drive. That'll show him.

Now I just need to find a way out. Continuing on to a spiral staircase, I run into yet more soldiers. Once I finished looting their bodies, I head down one hallway towards freedom. But a noise behind me catches my attention. Some sort of mutant down there, and it has some sort of psychic power that drags me closer to it. I've figured it out now. I'm fighting the X-Men!

Luckily, his psychic powers don't seem to work on bullets. I free myself and stumble off, a bit wobbly after that fight, and find a ladder to the surface.

Freedom! Finally, I've made it back to the safety of the surface. And by safety I mean mortal danger. And by surface I mean heavily armed military base.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

So, in the middle of an army base. This certainly has good idea written all over it. Regardless, I'm undeterred. I'll just sneak right on through, grab the documents I came for, and slip out undetected.

I take three steps and I'm spotted by a guard in a tower. Alarms start going off, soldiers start yelling, and I may have to alter my plan somewhat. I run for cover in a nearby building, and prepare for the onslaught. I eventually win them over to my side through the use of some brilliant diplomacy and persuasion.

I should point out that Brilliant Diplomacy is the name I've given my rifle, and persuasion is code for "hand grenades".

With my future role as ambassador all but assured, I find what I'm looking for, a briefcase full of information that I need to take to barkeep. Its nice to know that even in hard times like these, presumably shady barkeepers are still a vital part of the economy.

Trekking my way past more army guards along the road and bandits that seem to have reoccupied the trainyard I just shot my way through earlier, I head out along the road. Some guys calling themselves Duty send out a radio message asking for help repelling a mutant attack.

After helping them out, they greet me with what appears to be the local customs.

Its how they say hello in Chernobyl.

They initially refuse to let me through, but with the use of some brilliant diplomacy, they let me in. And when I say brilliant diplomacy, I actually mean brilliant diplomacy this time. And when I say brilliant diplomacy I mean I told them the barkeep was expecting me and the let me on through.

Heading on up the path, I'm attacked by a pack of wild dogs. Clearly the couple hundred meters between the Duty checkpoint and this little town of their's is a lawless waste.

Rotting bodies, spikes, a ditch, mysterious blood stain on the concrete. This is going to be the next vacation hotspot!

Now that I've made it, I need to find the presumably shady barkeep. After wandering through the labyrinth of alleyways, I finally find discover the bar. And I find the barkeep, who is indeed very shady. Since he doesn't seem to have a name, which is pretty shady itself, I have dubbed him Shady Barkeep.

I really don't want to know what he keeps behind the door.

I give him the information that I had to slaughter an entire military base for and tells me to go get something else for him. Someplace called Lab X18. A scientific lab in a land full of mutants? This should be fun!

But before I depart on this new adventure, I pick up a nice new gun. And also the artifact I'm carrying, which magically gives me +400% health. Hooray!