STALKER can't really be explained. You have to live it. The basic premise is that you are a scavenger wandering through a wasteland surrounding Chernobyl following a second cataclysmic event there. However, this time the event has done something to the very fabric of reality, causing bizarre artefacts and anomalies to emerge and twisting wildlife and humans into unrecognisable forms. But all of that is somewhat irrelevant - what is irrelevant is that no game has ever had a better atmosphere or gunplay. Forget about action corridor shooters - think grim fights for survival in bleak, windswept countryside and abandoned Soviet era buildings. Think broken guns that are hard to aim. Think getting shot even once being potentially fatal. When you find yourself walking through miles of barren wasteland in the absolute dark of night listening to the grunts and scratches of unknown creatures and watching through dark for the lights of bandits... you will know what it means to be a STALKER! Just buy this game, right now. Download the STALKER Complete mod. Play. You will never regret it.
Syndicate Wars is, in my opinion, superior in almost every way to the original. It takes the same basic gameplay and places it in a brilliantly rendered 3D cyberpunk world, then adds an intriguing new plot (corporation v techno-religious terrorists). Syndicate's world was a 2D affair, presented in drab olives and oranges. Syndicate Wars delivers huge 3D maps which echo Blade Runner, Akira, Ghost in the Shell and many similar cyberpunk films. You can rotate, zoom in and out and explore the cities where missions occur at your leisure. The third dimension isn't just a gimmick - you can now use flying cars to get around. Even better, the huge skyscrapers in the game can be brought crashing down with the advanced weaponry on display. And oh, the weapons. The minigun and long range rifle are still around, but they are complemented by insane additions, like suitcase sized nuclear devices and gauss rocket launchers. The missions are generally well thought out and interesting. The core gameplay remains similar to the original, although the new weapons and enemies make the game far more varied. I must mention the music, which is some of the best cyberpunk music ever recorded. Echoes of the Vangelis Blade Runner soundtrack, but with a style all of its own. Don't hesitate for a second, and don't listen to diehard Syndicate 1 fans who consider this a poor sequel. It is a masterpiece, and superior in every way to the original.
