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

This is the most brutally honest FPS that I have ever experienced, in that it will make a grown man nearly piss himself in fear even though he's armed to the teeth! To say the atmosphere, tactics, realism etc is top-notch comes as an absolute understatement, borders on outright exaggeration! once you walk out of that bunker, you'll be gifted to a living in a world that genuinely feels like an eastern European country that has been overrun with mutants and environmental corruption. It still feels real enough that the NPCs are still well rooted in reality enough to convincingly form factions and carry on their lives even in such a barren environment as this. I whole heartedly recommend this game! I bought two of three of the Stalker saga on steam for seven bucks, however, once I saw it on GOG I had to get it immediately, and even though I spent $22 for the complete saga, (Well over the steam vers) I feel I got the much better deal via gog mainly due to the fact that with gog you don't need to have an internet connection at your home to play/install your games! I lost my internet connection in 2011 and at the same time got a glitch in my SOC installation, thereby making it impossible to install/play my game for 3 yrs!

I'm glad GOG exists and let's me play the games of the past. This game is a must play. It's not perfect but it's atmosphere is perfect, gave me the spooks without needing to look great.

One of the best game series there is, hands down. Simple as that. A very unique setting, one of the if not the densest atmosphere in a game ever, great mix of FPS, RPG, horror and survival gameplay make this series stand out like none other. My absolute favourite title is Shadow of Chernobyl followed by Call of Pripyat and Clear Sky. The latter being a bit worse than the other two due to being a total bug fest without the patches and virtually unplayable at release. If you speak/understand Russian do yourself a favour and install it in Russian. It adds so much to the atmosphere and immersion. What makes the Stalker series so unique is its gameplay. Especially the artifacts that can be found in life threatening anomalies. But they are worth it coming with tremendous perks for your character. The mix of FPS and RPG elements is so masterfully you can't even really tell where one begins and the other ends. A crafting system has been implemented as well. Story wise it is unbeatable in the FPS genre. There's no debating that. Especially Shadow of Chernobyl. And after having played the series numerous times you can always install the numerous mods and enjoy the Zone once again with fresh eyes.

While the entire STALKER trilogy is incredible, there is nothing like loading up SoC for the first time and feeling the indescribable atmosphere that has to be experienced to be truly understood. There’s not much more I can add that other reviews haven’t already covered, but if you like varied gunplay, exploration, survival, and a sprinkling of spookiness, then grab the trilogy. It seems to be on sale fairly regularly so there’s no excuse!

Released back in 07 I played this on low settings at 20-25 fps. Behold the wonderous slav jank that is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Complete with constant stuttering, npcs floating up through cealings, items falling through the floor and graphics/animations that will make any modern gamer ALT-F4 with the eagerness of winning the lottery. I love it.