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Chernobyl
The Game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Platform(s): PC
Release Date: Mar 20, 2007
GamesRadar Review

On Apr 26, 1986, problems with the safety system at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused its fourth reactor to explode, ravaging the surrounding area with plumes of radioactive contaminants and poisonous smoke. Since then, Chernobyl has become a ghost town, with few people living in habitable areas. Unless you’re handy with a Geiger counter, you’re probably better off staying away from the Zone of Alienation, the area most affected by the disaster.

Although it wasn’t the first (or last) game to feature levels that take place in the Zone of Alienation, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the first game solely set in the radioactive wasteland and continues to impress with its eerie presentation of the devastated landscape. Check out our feature, which chronicles our journey to the heart of the Zone.

Above: Compare the screenshot from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. on the right with the real-life photo it was based on to the left. The attention to detail here is uncanny

Depressing Details:
- Call of Duty 4 contains a mission set in Chernobyl that features an abandoned amusement park with the dilapidated Ferris wheel shown above. Located in the city of Pripyat, this Ferris wheel has become an iconic image of the disaster’s aftermath.

- The amount of radioactive material released by the Chernobyl disaster was approximately equivalent to 400 of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima.