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

This game is my Deus Ex, I keep coming back to it. I want to warn first-timers: The game has been modded back and forth, but if you have never played a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game before, I recommend you keep to the vanilla game plus a bug-fixing-mod like the "Zone Reclamation Project" or "ZRP". I have played the vanilla game back when I was young (harhar) and then later with various mods that set out to improve graphics and tweak vanilla gameplay, like the Complete mod. My take is: these mods are unnecessary to get into the series and can even take away from the atmosphere. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s main problem is, as someone else stated, that it's an old game based on an even older engine. The graphics, especially the lighting, hold up well IMHO even without any mods (considering their age) but the game sadly came before global illumination and other advanced lighting techniques became feasible and it shows. Animations are awkward. The human AI likes to sneak up behind you (good!) but shows fair amounts of stupidity. Monster AI could be better. The music is mesmerizing and the sound design shows lots of potential but falls technically short every other corner. Everything about the game screams raw and "ambitious but understaffed". It's astounding really just how good the game is despite it's flaws. And this is where mods come in. I recommend you stay away from graphics mods. Exchanging vanilla textures and animations, toggling options in the depths of the engine or rolling post-processing over it aren't improvements, IMHO. They are more lipstick on a pig. The game will look old, feel raw and animate awkwardly no matter what you do. Mods making the AI smarter usually don't. And there is one gameplay tweak in particular that I want to warn people of: the ability of traders to repair things, like in the Complete mod. This absolutely kills the scavenge-for-equipment aspect and a big part of the atmosphere of the game. Avoid it for a first playthrough!

The Map is huge and the shooting and exploring is realistic and immersive.

Straight up, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is the single best video game ever developed in human history. It's atmosphere cannot be rated or put into words, you just have to live it and see for yourself. Experiencing Stalker is better compared to undergoing a religious experience than simply 'playing a game'. Once you've entered the zone a part of you never leaves, it wall haunt your dreams and every waking moment until the end of time. This is further elevated with the myriad of mods available, a whole other topic in itself which range from basic bug fixes or graphical or QoL enhancements, to mods with hundreds of hours of extra content and quests, to hardcore mechanics, there is something for everyone. Do it, take the plunge and enter The Zone. Good hunting Stalker.

The game is not for terminators who are used to killing everyone in games while chewing a sandwich, for them this game is pain and destruction of all the usual canons ))

The game as supplied by GOG (v1.006) is not very good. I don't know where all these rave reviews are coming from, but these people cannot have been playing v1.006! Installed direct from GOG the game is a frustrating, over difficult, festival of 1000 bugs! With typical Russian pisspoor language translations from it's native Russian. One of the worst aspects is the constantly respawning enemies..... especially right at map transition points. You enter into an old map which you've already cleared - and there is 1000 enemies right up your arse..... unless you've saved clever. You're game is now over! Permanently! And the weapons, they are obviously meant to be real world AK-74s, L85's, SVDs etc..... why then give them dumb fictional names?!!!! Idiotic! I can see 10000 disgruntled Russian fanbois already reaching for the "Is this helpful to you? NO!" button! But before you do, there IS salvation - the Stalker Complete 1.4.4 mod:- http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009/downloads This improves the game a 1000 fold! 90% of the bugs, gone! Graphics, improved. Sounds, improved. NPC AI, improved. Ambient effects, massively improved - even has a proper DARK nighttime now - I hate how so many games these day have nights as bright as day, "Skyrim" for example! Real weapon names instead of the dumb fictional ones, you got 'em! But the respawning enemies are still there..... but this mod adds a teleport feature, you can just instantly zap away from such bad spots, and it cirumnavigates these Far Cry 2 groundhog day constantly respawing maps! But if you need to collect loads more gear - the respawning enemies will keep giving it out. So you can avoid, or tackle the respawners however you wish! Hey, even the English has improved a little!!!!! With this mod the game is now 4 stars. Still not good enough (ie PERFECT) to be 5 though! I only hope the same person has made "Complete" mods for "Clear Sky" and "Call of Pripyat"!!!!!