S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's first trailer is here

Will wonders never cease! Microsoft's NotE3 stream has brought the first trailer for Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl, of all games. It's still hard for me to believe the long-awaited post-apocalyptic FPS-RPG sequel really is real, given that developers GSC Game World basically burst a few years back, but evidently Microsoft are convinced. Come watch the trailer yourself.

In a blog post, GSC Game World explain that we'll again be romping around an irradiated wasteland full of mutants and spooky energy. "This is our most immersive world yet, and we are crafting it with the love and passion this setting deserves," they say.

They also talk about having "reimagined" the A-Life system which gave NPC people and creatures little lives of their own to live, saying that the new A-Life 2.0 "will control the state of the world and the behaviour of characters and mutants, making the Zone ever-changing and truly alive." And they claim they'll have short-term consequences to your actions as well as more dramatic ones through a branching story with "lots of different endings." Which yup, that all sounds like Stalker.

No firm word yet on when it's coming, but today's announcement did confirm it will be on Xbox Series X too.

We've called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl one of the best FPSes, and it is. But if it's old hat for you, maybe consider checking out some of the best S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mods. The standalone mod Anomaly is not far short of a sequel itself.

Whatever you call it, hit our E3 2020 tag for more from this summer's blast of gaming announcements, trailers, and miscellaneous marketing. Check out the PC games at the PlayStation 5 show, everything at the PC Gaming Show, and all the trailers from the Xbox showcase, for starters.