Report: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. prequel slips

And here it seemed as if S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky just might have avoided the fate of its predecessor, the oft-postponed Shadow of Chernobyl. Last week, GSC Game World and Deep Silver announced the follow-up prequel to the hit PC role-playing game/shooter hybrid had gone gold. However, reminiscent of its forebear, the game would suffer a delay, if ever so slight, drifting a week beyond its initially announced August 29 release date.

Today, it appears as if GSC's Clear Sky will remain clouded over yet a bit longer. Shacknews is reporting manufacturing issues related to the North American version of the game have forced Deep Silver to put its release on hold "for a few days." The report notes that Europeans will not be affected by the delay, and the game will still be out in that region beginning September 5.

Deep Silver offered no specific date on the game's new North American release date, though, as noted by Shacknews, retailers now list the game for a September 15 release. The publisher also said that the subsequent release on Valve's digital delivery service Steam will "probably" also be pushed back.

Set several decades before the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Clear Sky once again drops players into the radioactive ruins of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant. New parts of the Zone, including Red Forest, Limansk, and the Pripyat Undergrounds, can now be explored, and Clear Sky boasts a new animation engine, improved artificial intelligence, and a new upgrade system for weapons and armor.

For the latest on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, check out GameSpot's hands-on from this year's E3 Media & Business Summit.