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

I don't know if I'm just getting old or if it takes something really special to make me want to play a game again but S.T.A.L.K.E.R doesn't. Graphically, yes its quite good especially indoors. For some reason most of the outdoor graphics looked a little dated. Having said that I wont play it again soon doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, as a matter of fact it was very good. The amount of exploring one can do is amazing! Every area has nooks and crannies everywhere, quite a big world which tells me that this was a very ambitious project but was released a little early. The developers released a patch shortly after its debut because the game had quite a few bugs. I read that ATI users had some major problems. I on the other hand had only a couple of minor crashes which I think I can attribute to my nVidia Graphics. (I've always preferred nVidia over ATI). Restricting the weight of weapons and other items in your inventory keeps you busy dropping superfluous gear and adds to the realism in the game, even the toughest soldier (or Stalker) would find it difficult to carry 50 KGs of stuff around on his back. Next time I play it, I might give the artifacts a bit of a miss except for a couple of anti-rad ones and a good health regenerating item. The learning curve is quite substantial and even on the easiest mode (Novice) I found it hard. The AI was quite impressive. I guess I award most of the points for the sheer length of the game. If you have read any of my other comments you will know what I'm talking about, a lot of games that come out these days are way too short. There were about three extremely hard parts in the game, a couple were timed so you had to get the job done or fail within a matter of a few short minutes and if you didn't have the right gear in the form of Armor or weaponry, you had to backtrack and find your correct arsenal. This was quite appealing to me and allowed me to finish other side objectives whilst upgrading my Personal Defense Apparatus, (PDA). Thers even a nod to Half-life in there somewhere (I didn't find it) with a PDA belonging to a MR Gordon Freeman! Overall I have to say that yes its a great game and to contradict what I said earlier...I'll definitely play it again comradski!!. RATCAT

Anyone who follows PC games has probably heard about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at one time. It was announced way back in November of 2001 and subsequently went through so many delays that it started to look like it would just end up as another overly ambitious vaporware game. But it eventually made its way to store selves.

It wasn't very long after the release that it became very evident that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. had been released just a little too early. It had numerous bugs on ATI and NVIDIA chipsets, it didn't support vista, and the multiplier felt like it was permanently stuck in alpha development. These problems compounded on top of the fact that the tiny patches that CSC released to "fix" some of the in game glitches did nothing to address the games bugs. Whether or not the game actually ran on system using the ATI chipsets which had the most problems, came down to how skilled the individual users were at tweaking the game.

These issues wouldn't be so overwhelming if S.T.A.L.K.E.R. had been running on as state of the art engine. But it wasn't, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ran on a dated engine known as "X-RAY". Although not terrible looking the X-RAY engine was easily surpassed by other modern engine like the unreal 3. The main reason why this game ended up looking dated was because of the numerous delays it went through. If it had been released back in 2003 than it would have absolutely blown everything else away… but that was four years ago. Instead players are left with a dated engine that contains numerous bugs and glitches that really should have been fixed during its lengthy development.

Despite these problems when it comes to the actually gameplay S.T.A.L.K.E.R. really shines. It combines many elements from RPGs and FPSs from a vast and open world to a some very solid and in-depth combat. Although the AI can be buggy and a little stupid in a handful of situations, most of the time it's very good and on par with games like F.E.A.R. It also contains some very realistic ballistic physics that helps draw the player further into the games world. All of these elements combine to give a very immersive and complete feel to the game.

In the end if you can get past the games initial flaws you'll find a refreshing and engaging experience. Although nothing in this game is revolutionary (all of the features have been in previous games like fallout, system shock, deus ex, graw, and elder scrolls), they have never been combined together quite like they are in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl is definitely one of the best FPS/RPG games I have ever played. Now, no need to speak about the plot, you already know it. OK, I suggest that you download or buy this extraordinary game (and the others "Clear Sky" and "Call of Pripyat"), and enjoy it! This game has everything! Excellent: Story, characters, voices, graphics, atmosphere, sound, music... everything! Characters are very faithful, and you feel comfortable with them, as long as they are not your enemies. Voices are Ukrainian mostly, but I found that cool, but when they are talking to you, it's in English, fair enough. Excellent voice acting. Graphics are amazing. Atmosphere... now I don't remember playing the video game with such a realistic atmosphere before. This kind of atmosphere is filled with monotone, yet scary music scores, you can hear it in the main title... it is sad, scary, monotone... you can feel that something bad has happened and you must walk toward the only salvation - THE ZONE! (If you have watched "Stalker" from Tarkovsky, you'll get the point). It's just amazing how this kind of creepy visuals comes together with music and atmosphere... these... these landscapes, a faithful looks of deserted villages, houses, even Pripyat, which I found very fascinating! I am fascinated with Chernobyl, Pripyat and all of that thing that occurred on 26th April 1986. The sound is also very creepy, from unusual anomalies to the creepy mutated animals and other monsters that lurks in the dark. So, this is all you need to know. I recommend that you go, take your weapon, and go explore, kill, trespass, steal, be scavenger, be alone in the dark. This game gives you all of that! Play this... highly recommended!

Announced way back in 2002, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. faced numerous delays on its road to finally being released. When you pop the DVD into your computer and start the game up, it isn't hard at all to see why it took so long. It's almost as if Ukrainian developer GSC Game World literally put their blood and sweat into making the game as detailed and realistic as in the real world, while making sure that the game is still fun.

You play as a "stalker", a mercenary that trades for valuable artifacts in the area affected by the radiation of the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 (referred to as "the Zone"). Your goal is to work your way to the Chernobyl power plant and find the secrets that are stored there, and to kill Strelok, your #1 rival in the Zone. "Stalker" stands for "scavengers, tourists, adventurers, loners, killers, explorers, and robbers", the seven rivaling factions of stalkers, and you're one of the "loners". Rival stalkers, as well as mutants and the Ukrainian military, stand in your way of being able to achieve your goal.

Many first-person shooters today, while very fun to play, don't truly give you the sense that you're actually in the game's alternate reality. This is mainly due to things like being able to snipe with chainguns and machineguns, a lack of food and sleep, lackluster character interaction, and following the same linear path every time you play. This is not an issue in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. This is an open-ended game, meaning that it takes place in a large gameworld with lots of things to do and lots of ways to get past situations, rather than a series of linear levels where you do the same things every single time. There are lots of optional missions that you can take from other fellow stalkers, which gives the game a lot of replay value. As mentioned before, there's also many ways to get past situations. Should you engage into combat with your enemies, kill them stealthily, sneak past them, or just take another route? It's all up to you. But since some enemies take a lot of damage, the latter two may be your only options. Since you only take a few shots before dying, and your weapons are inaccurate to start out with, you actually get the feeling that you're in a real firefight. The AI is also superb -- they know just as well as you how to use cover efficiently, which makes battles even more challenging.

Attention to detail is very characteristic of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. You now have to eat food to stay alive and sleep in safe resting spots, which is realistic -- after all, I have to eat and sleep to stay alive in real life. The game alternates between day and night settings, and characters use flashlights when it gets dark. The AI reacts differently to situations depending on different factors like their hunger and whether it's day or night. You can get too exhausted to move if you run for too long, and having too much in your inventory makes you get exhausted quicker. Finally, everything in the game happens in real-time, which makes for a different experience each time you play through the game.

While the game's "X-Ray" graphics engine doesn't really have any new graphical features, it more than makes up for this by having the best detail and lighting that you'll ever see in any game. However, if you want to be able to play with the settings toned all the way up, you'll probably need to have the best PC out there. On my top-of-the-line HP Pavilion, the game ran very slowly unless I toned the graphics down to minimum settings. If you have a fast-enough PC, though, you might have a difficult time distinguishing between the game and reality...

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will become the new obsession of gamers everywhere, and it sets a new standard for future games to follow. My suggestion is to beat every game you haven't finished yet, because S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will make all your other games lose their luster. Really, it's THAT revolutionary! A definite 10 / 10 to this one -- and if IMDb could let me vote for 11 / 10, I'd definitely do so.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a fantastic game that completely immerses you in the atmosphere. The game play is beautiful, and I love the idea of limited weight. The open world allows you to explore a lot. The mutants are frightening and believable. The storyline contains twists and turns. The Underground labs are some of my favourite level designs, and can be quite scary at times.

The game does have a few problems. It is very buggy and contains numerous glitches. The in-game voice acting can sometimes not be all that good.

Putting that aside, It truly is an amazing game that everyone should experience! Final Review: 9.1 / 10