S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC, 2007)

The game is S-W-EET! It's like an FPS/RPG hybrid- just playt!
Love the story, the atmosphere, monsters, characters, everything. I've never played a game like it before. The only thing that keeps bugging me is the limit to how much you can carry. You have a backpack to keep stuff in and what not, but your total weight you can without getting super tired super fast is something like 50lbs. In the beginning its fine but as you progress with better weapons and suits they get heavier and heavier, greatly limiting how much you can easily carry. But its pretty realistic, you're no masterchief you know. And that's part of the fun and strategy. Trying to figure out what weapons, artifacts, etc. you really want or need (cuts back on the hoarding). Another thing that is annoying is as you travel further into the Zone the harder it is to return. There are no vehicles to quickly transport you (and no warps)so you gotta hump it on foot. Even if your stamina is high and you can run the whole way it gets pretty tiresome, especially if you're over your weight limit (but there's a mod/patch on FPSBANANA that enables you to drive the vehicles in the game, but i haven't tried it). But besides a few inconveniences, the list of pros far outweigh the cons. The list of cool game features could go on forever so i'll leave it at that. Besides, it's more fun for you to discover it on your own.

The bottom line; if you like first person shooters, and you like adventure, and a little bit of spook then this game is for you. It's literally one of the BEST games i've ever played. Just get it and see for yourself!

This game got quite a bit of hype from the development community but little from gamers.
Well after Playing Stalker SOC you can understand why the developers hyped the game being a truely original tactical FPS these days is a real achievement.
Ive been an avid fps player since the duke nukem & quake 1 days.
Ive not been thrilled with many of the tactical shooters that have shown up over the years due to the general extremely slow pace or over emphasis on stealth.
But i got chernobyl & it is as more tactical fps should be offering more options than most & never forces you to sneak through mission but never keeps you from doing so either.
You play a STALKER..
"Whatever their motivation, over time these individuals - Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killer, Explorers and Robbers - have become known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s."
This game offers more of a reason to play than the same ole "kill the terrorist plot.
And the plot doesnt suffer from being a rescramble of cleaches in the genre.

You spend all your time playing in and around an area called "the zone".
The zone being the area most affected by the storys "2nd" chernobyl disaster.

There is always a choice of missions, they are broken into 2 classes of the main "mission" & jobs that you get rewarded for.
Since SOC has a lively economy youll need money at times.
You can trade with most NPCs but there are at least 4 actual vendor characters in the game as well.
There are almost always at least 3 different jobs to be had to help with funds.

You can join different military factions while in the game like "Duty" who want to destroy the zone & all its inhabitants or "freedom" who see the zone as an area that is to be contained but the creatures have the right to exist within the zones borders.
Even venture through the game as a loner neutral in the eyes of both factions if youd like.

The map in the game is huge "bigger than the rpg Morrowind".
There are alot of NPCs in the game some friend, foe & others neutral.
Gather up weapons, ammo & items that dead characters carry to use or sell.
Collect "artifacts" items that come from *abnormalities(*small pressure drops, lightning or fire areas) the artifacts can be equipped to boost stats or can be sold for a good price.

There are lots of different guns in the game including (sub) machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, rpg launchers & sniper rifles..

There are at several types of body armor.
Around a dozen different types of artifacts.


Many of the items characters carry & spawn are random so the game has good replay value.
There are at least 6 different endings to the game to add replay value.
The game supports up to 32 players online.

Id recomend you have at least winXP 3.0GHZ processor 1gig ram & 128 meg geforce6800 or better to play.(this will get get good results with graphics turned up 1/2 to 3/4.
You must run windows XP or vista to play.

My numerical ratings (1-10 higher is better)

Game play 9.5 an open game world & multiple endings make this hard to put down.

Sound 8.5 sounds good with my fairly weak sound card.

Graphics 9. i run graphics at 1/2 settings & it looks good so im sure its Nice turned all the way up.(if you got the pc for it)

Fun factor 10. Ive been playing this game for weeks its been an engrossing experience. Theres nothing like it. There are a few bugs but there will be more patches avaliable.

At todays price this game is a steal!!

I got this game yestersday and Hooked; I am skipping my regular OL matchups at BF2142, COD2 and Deadlines @ office.... but anyway.


The Good:
A. The graphic looks so frightenly real. The hype this game had on using real location graphic is true. Simply amazing

B. Strong A.I. - This game had smart AI. as much as F.E.A.R and HL 2 can ever offered. (I am playing the novice level and I still get my asre waxed!)

C. realism - Weapons reacts like in real world - forget about john wooing with dual pistols... your bullets are ineffective less then 50 yards (like the real thing) and your gun can acutally jam. Re-load time is real instead of the speed of a quick draw champion.

You character would also get tired and you need acutal food. Very creative used of stealth. NPC interaction is a good thing. Weights you carries is a real issue in this game.


The Bad (?):
A. Not so cool names for all those items - jellyfish? wrench? a Vortex? Couldn't they just used their Russian name so make the game a bit more exotic?

B. Not so clear plotline.. I know you are supposed to do this thing.. but why? Couldn't we see more of a true survial thing? -- Maybe we will see it one the new Fallout FPS later this year.


The Ugly (?):
I think this might be my system fault.. (using a 2 generation old P4 with 6200 nvidia @ 800x600) But there are shadow blurring on my screen all over the place. I also have crashed a few times now. (which was a known issue on this game Final Beta.)
There is also a lack of true autosave - but I think F.E.A.R. had spoiled me on that one.



Conclusion:
This game is by far, the most mature shooter I have ever play - everything acts like the real life... (The last game that incorperated real world economics with realism but less graphic was the first Deux Ex)

A solid 4.5 game. FPS fans - you will enjoy this game.

Stalker has succeeded in creating what "is" a compilation of all video game options into 1 game. Since the game is based upon what is referred to as "THE ZONE" , it is based upon the Russian Military's efforts to protect the surrounding inhabitants from being contaminated by the unpredictable foreign environment that the Chernobyl incident created.

The game challenges you to take on the role of "The Marked One" , who was sent to kill Shrelok who controls the corruption within the zone itself. You fill the shoes of a man who must , not only live , but survive in the zone , since once you enter , you can't be permitted to leave on your own to contaminate other people.

Unlike alot of other "War Games" , Stalker has collected all of the features that exist in most FPS & RPG video games and rolled them into 1 , with the addition of extras such as radioactivity and electrical force field (anomalies) and such. Making this game stand alone amongst other traditionally styled "War Games".

Snapshots don't do this game justice , suggesting that it may be some sort of gools and goblins type of mastery with futuristic weapons that kill at will. With conventional weapons you are given a backpack and sent out into the zone to be challenged by it's countless features as what is equivalent to a soldier who must use his skills to survive and carry out his mission.

Stalker is extremely different in that you will experience the grass on the ground react to the speed of the existing wind which can change into sandstorm effects with rain and lightening included. When suddenly you are attacked by a pack of rogue mutated dogs who roam the zone looking for food to survive. All the while you had been navigating a route through the electrically charged forcefields that are called (anomalies) , avoiding them and being careful not to step into their paths. Yet , the dogs or mutated animals and cattle may cause you to retreat or react towards the electrical fields , depleting your strength and abilities to heal yourself with health packs you must collect along your way from enemies.

Also unlike most video games , the enemies you kill , or have been killed , do not disappear , they remain laying so that you can collect items from their backpacks , building your own personal equipment as you so choose. This creates a realistic atmosphere which would exist in what would be a nuclear disaster zone after a nuclear explosion. Gore is not included.

Overall the storyline is fantastic and realistic in every way. In fact , any damage you sustain is not only the same as damage in the game "Call Of Duty2" , where you breathe harder and move slower when hit by enemy fire and such , but you have several meters which show you the condition of your health so that you can decide which pieces of equipment you need to use from your backpack to regain full ability and stop your heavy breathing. Such as , bandages , foods , drinks or health packs , each having their own positive measured effects upon your health. You also have an "armour" meter which shows you the condition of your clothing or suit.

Since I have seemed to have "cracked the code" to running this game with only 512mb of memory feel free to message me about any problems you may be having running this game and I will help you out (free) from your wall plug in , to your game disk if I can , please send your system information along with your problem.

throttlerider1

It's been six years in the making, has seen the development scissors leave parts of the original plan on the cutting room floor, but has it been worth the wait? Or does S.T.A.L.K.E.R. suck? Well, the answer to the latter question is 'no', however there are chinks in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. armour...

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In case you're new to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. party, the game begins in a hole underground where, referred to as the 'Marked One', the amnesia-suffering lead character - i.e. you - wakes up knowing only one thing - for reasons yet to be revealed, you want a guy named Strelok dead. Initially, you're given main-mission stuff and side missions (which are generally a bit rubbish) by a trader, who works from the hole.

What then follows is a plot that takes you, scavenger of the irradiated wasteland surrounding Chernobyl after the meltdown of the nuclear power station, into horror, action and exploration and ultimately to the mystery that lies at the heart of the Zone.

Anyone who's tracked S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will know it's been billed as a survival-horror-FPS-RPG. It's primarily a first-person shooter although one that more rewards careful exploration, patience and a cautious approach. But that isn't to say combat isn't gratifying. Oh no.


Not only has GSC provided a solid array of firepower that should be enough to keep gun fetishists happy, but human enemy AI - at its best - can create intense firefights as it ducks behind cover and attempts to outflank your position. At its worst, well, it's bad. Interestingly, other humans make up the majority of the opposition but when the game does decide to chuck a really nasty monster your way or other terror, it's a memorable moment.

And with its inventory system and RPG elements that include employing Zone artefacts to alter stats, it continues to remind us of Deus Ex. But with more shooting. Plus the need to scrounge weapons, ammo, food, anti-radiation drugs and such from the environment for survival's sake, natch. The majority of the survival element slots in well, but the need to eat feels a little superfluous.

Sadly, one of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s key stumbles is where the main storyline struggles to assert itself, and characterisation leaves a lot to be desired - and if you're attention strays it's not impossible to lose track of your position in the main-mission chain. It doesn't help either that you're not provided full, detailed information about your PDA - features of which include a Zone map and a mission log - and on-screen 'radar'. Too much you're left to your own devices to try and determine what means what regards the interface.

As criminally negligent and annoying as that is, though, it simply can't detract from the game's setting. It is, in a word, fantastic, even if the world isn't completely free-roaming (a la Oblivion) but instead is broken down into chunks - which are sizeable - with loading zones in between.


In fact, it could be argued that the Zone is the real star of the piece, GSC creating a brilliant environment to which our hats are doffed. Littered with a variety of anomalies which can cause the unwary to explode and other delightful stuff, mutant doggies, deserted buildings, weather effects, real-time day/night cycles etc. It creates a deliciously unique atmosphere.

I can go into more details, but I'm running out of characters. The graphics, design & overall gameplay that took 6yrs to make is not going to blow you away, but it's fun.