Grand Shooter

Tetsuya Mizuguchi's transcendent masterpiece for Dreamcast and PS2 still holds up today

Back in June, developer EXBO rebranded free-to-play open-world PvPvE extraction shooter STALCRAFT: X as STALZONE alongside a graphical upgrade, reworking of its starting missions and locations, PvP rebalancing, and other big changes. The overhaul was designed to allow new players smooth entry to a game that’s been going strong for years and is a unique combination of different genres.While STALZONE is an extraction shooter, it doesn’t play like most other games in the genre. You don’t simply drop into one self-contained map for a session. It’s a persistent world where factions fight over terri

The original GTA’s prehistoric brand of open-world freedom is fascinating in the context of everything that’s come since, but it demands patience, precision, and a paper map by your side.