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

The game has a simple premise. Youre stuck in the Zone, only way is deeper in. For the most perceptive, the setting itself immediately starts to break the 4th wall, by showing you the Zone as a marker of progression for the most of people attempting to play this game. A lot of people give up in the Cordon, never making it past the military checkpoint at railroad bridge, an area not too hostile, but still a challenge, if played on the only difficulty this game should be played in, STALKER. Why dont they? Some arent resourceful enough to just kill the soldiers with what theyve got. Some dont figure out the timing of electrical anomaly scouring the tunnel not 200 feet west of the checkpoint. Some fail to find the money for bribes. Youll see them represented as the NPCs sitting around fires, scared to ever wander out the village, others dead. Others give up in the Garbage, a fitting metaphor for them. Youll see a lot of bandits grouping up close to roads and structures, but few wandering further out than that. If you make it past Cordon and Garbage... Thats where STALKERS are made. Thats where the Zone takes you and never lets you go. To lethal effect. I first played the game 10 years ago, and never knew there was a 6th, real ending. Only once I got used to the Zone (playing it about 5 years ago), I figured out to think for myself, and found one of the most intriguing endings to a videogame, if you can call it an ending. Today, I decided to buy the trilogy again. Because the Zone calls, and will never stop calling. Trust me.

I've been using this game as a PC benchmark since release. I consider it the most convincing, beautiful open world devs have ever made. I can't recommend the 2019 Starter Pack with the Autumn Aurora shaders enough. It remasters the game in a way I would have paid for. It makes remasters like Crysis look embarrassing. The scene for this game is so talented and loving. Please try this game if you're into Metro or filmic, truly cinematic shooters. It's the most immersive I can think of. The sequels are awesome too. I think that most of the devs are actually working on Metro right now, but I consider that franchise a downgrade. That world never really calls me back to it. The first neighborhood you step into in this game always feels real to me and I can't wait to get back to it. Hopefully we get another one someday.

There are games that push you along on a trolly, pointing out neat features and patting your head when you do well. This is NOT that game. This game hates you and everything you love. It will go out of its way to troll you. It will drown you in misery and cheap vodka and by the end of your epic journey, you'll be cursing in Slavic languages like the rest of the Stalkers. This game will scare you. It will frustrate you. It will kill you over and over until your quick-save button wears out. And it will keep you coming back for more. There are games that stick with you. Half Life, Fallout, Morrowind. Add this to that list, because your time in the zone will forge memories. It's a chaotic sandbox being slowly poured though a woodchipper. I can't recommend it more.

I must say, returning to the Zone after ten years, the game stands solid. I must recommend the original vanilla version, as it was ment to be played like that. The gurgoling sounds at night, dogs barking as they are about to attack or scare you, the wind bringing distant shots with terrible screams, pure and raw loneliness 24/7 as you navigate inside the Zone. The game repeats itself here and there but you are kind of choosing what kind of stalker are you. I won't even mention the things they could have put in the game and they never saw the light of day. The universe feels like it has its own hard truth there. I still got the chills inside the underground lab, or any other dangerous place like i did 10 years ago. You may not like the outdated graphics but your imagination is more valuable than any unreal 5 realistic game.

One of the best video gaming experiences I have ever had. There is nothing quite like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., especially Shadow of Chernobyl. The atmosphere of dread, bleakness, and loneliness is so palpable in this video game that it should be perceived instead of described, especially with the addition of some mods. The giddy sense of exploration you get venturing into every little nook and cranny of the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Chernobyl and the surrounding forestation and apartment complexes, as well as the frightening encounters with the residents therein will make you forget all about the weird dialogue and other "flaws" that this game has. When I played S.T.A.L.K.E.R., it felt like I was really inside of it... a part of it. It's not exactly an RPG by gaming mechanics, but it really felt like a roleplaying game in a pure sense. In other words, I actually felt like a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. while playing. It's highly immersive. Do yourself a favor and play it. Don't go in expecting a high intensity, in your face, AAA FPS. Instead, sit back and enjoy getting the opportunity to venture alone and vulnerable, deep into the mysteries of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to uncover who and what you really are. There really is not much like this in the video game world, perhaps with the exception of Metro, and even that is not open world like this one is. Now get out of here, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.