This game could have been a truly great game but technical flaws and poor translation greatly dull the experience. Stalker CS takes place in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after fictional second meltdown of the power plant. This area, simply called the Zone by most of its residents, is home to mutated creatures and deadly anomolies. The gameplay itself is generally fun and satisfying. Artifact hunting is difficult but worth it, and the customization system is very in depth and realistic. Exploring the Zone is dangerous but enjoyable, and the Zone truly has a life of its own. This is not an easy game, but the difficulty often borders on cheapness due to unfair enemy advantages. For example, the accuracy of enemies is not reduced during the night and they have an uncanny ability to throw grenades on target every time. There were a couple of times where the AI glitched out entirely and the enemies did not react at all to being shot. A lot of the dialogue is still in Russian; they only translated the speaking parts of the main characters. Because of this, the story is weak and confusing. There are also may parts of the game that feel unfinished, such as the Agroprom underground and the flaming tunnel near the Freedom base. If you get this game, make sure you patch it before playing. The patch fixes a lot of bugs (not all) and makes your old saves unplayable. This game is worth it if you can get it under $20 dollars, but it's sad to see a good game that could have been much greater.Read full review
PROS: Heavy post-nuclear world. Vast breathing open maps. Unique "realistic" shooting. Interesting combination of RPG/FPS/Adventure. Faction wars. Acceptable story. Realistic CG Cutscenes. A bit better then the first game. CONS: Lots of annoying bugs. Unbalanced game progress. Inventory management. This game needs patching badly. Enemies simply will kill you if they throw a grenade. Overall Thoughts: It sticks to the first game elements (creepy environments, shooting and movement realism, radiation anomalies, russian speaking dialogs :p) and it is still a unique game experience. It is a good game but the annoying bugs and glitches downsizes it. With a couple of months more of refinemnt this game could have been really great. Just wait a bit until it's patched up and that the price drops to $20. But if you're a real big fan of the first game just go and get it!Read full review
This game's character-improvement and living world elements can improve a shooter's appeal but then again lack of weapon selection will fustrate you. Of course anyone will be frustrated if you can only select between a rocket launcher or a handgun. Overall between the improved weapon modification and the more living Zone, a certain strand of Stalker fan will find much here to applaud, and those who've never actually played the earlier game at all will still be enchanted by the unique atmosphere of the place but would recommend playing the earlier versions first.
I am very impressed with the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Universe. These games are well thought out from a gameplay standpoint. I only wish more time had gone into development so it wouldn't crash at the worst of times. I have the most current patch but it still doesn't work the way it should. Graphics are sweet and as good as any I've seen. I'm hoping for a console game in this world simply because the stability of the game would need to be more consistent. Even though I prefer the PC version, both games (this one and Shadow of Chernobyl)have been a nightmare to run and keep running. The updates with SOC especially the MOD collection Stalker Complete 2009 has that game running nice and smooth now so I am hoping that eventually the community will rescue this title as well. I only paid 10 bucks for it so it's worth the money even if I have to wait a while to play it.Read full review
Deep stuff. The environment is awesome. Story is great. The core of the game remains the same. You play an eponymous stalkyguy operating in the Zone around Chernobyl where reality has been rent apart as reality tends to be. Mutants roam the land. Anomalies dot the landscape - often invisible counter-natural singularities which maim or kill anyone who walks into them. However, they also act as portals by which artifacts have arrived - and it's these alien items which have brought the Stalkers to the zone. Various factions populate the area, each acting according to its own desires. For example, the Bandits are only after wealth, but Duty are trying to fight against the increasing insanity of the Zone. It plays much like any realistic-edged FPS does, but with minor RPG elements (you can improve your equipment or equip ability-improving artifacts) and it's in a living open-world. It's basically Oblivion with gu... oh, we've used that one before. And there's still a load of bugs.Read full review
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