The STALKER games (the original trilogy) are masterpieces. Simple as that. Yes, the budgets were not that high, and bugs were present, but the soul of these games are just incredible, and the bugs/issues have been resolved by the incredibly passionate community. The STALKER games are the most atmospheric games that I have ever played (and I have played many games) with such incredible world design and environmental story telling. To understand the STALKER games, think of Fallout meets Deus Ex meets Far Cry set in the Chernobyl area of Ukraine with subtle supernatural elements made by actual Ukraine developers for extra authenticity and heavily inspired by the movie STALKER (which is in turn inspired by the novel "A Roadside Picnic"). There are just no other games like the STALKER games. The games are so unique: melancholic, philosophical, noir, artistic, fun, exploratory, action-packed, RPG, just everything in one that "just works". The games are ridiculously addictive and engrossing with tight gameplay and perfect pacing/scope. The trilogy is in my top five games of all time (having played close to 35 years of many many games). The passion of the communities for these games is also astronomical and totally rightfully so. STALKER - Anomaly and many other STALKER mods are always pretty much the most popular mods on ModDB and there are such incredible communities built around these games. It is extremely difficult to put into words what experiencing STALKER (especially the original Shadow Of Chernobyl for the first time) is like, it is magical and something so unique. Just pure masterpieces born from passionate developers and so different from traditional "western games" so to speak. Like so different, but still familiar...difficult to put into words. Those other fellow STALKERS that "get it" know that once the Zone has you...it never lets you go, and few other games ever make you feel and have an experience like the STALKER trilogy.
The STALKER games (the original trilogy) are masterpieces. Simple as that. Yes, the budgets were not that high, and bugs were present, but the soul of these games are just incredible, and the bugs/issues have been resolved by the incredibly passionate community. The STALKER games are the most atmospheric games that I have ever played (and I have played many games) with such incredible world design and environmental story telling. To understand the STALKER games, think of Fallout meets Deus Ex meets Far Cry set in the Chernobyl area of Ukraine with subtle supernatural elements made by actual Ukraine developers for extra authenticity and heavily inspired by the movie STALKER (which is in turn inspired by the novel "A Roadside Picnic"). There are just no other games like the STALKER games. The games are so unique: melancholic, philosophical, noir, artistic, fun, exploratory, action-packed, RPG, just everything in one that "just works". The games are ridiculously addictive and engrossing with tight gameplay and perfect pacing/scope. The trilogy is in my top five games of all time (having played close to 35 years of many many games). The passion of the communities for these games is also astronomical and totally rightfully so. STALKER - Anomaly and many other STALKER mods are always pretty much the most popular mods on ModDB and there are such incredible communities built around these games. It is extremely difficult to put into words what experiencing STALKER (especially the original Shadow Of Chernobyl for the first time) is like, it is magical and something so unique. Just pure masterpieces born from passionate developers and so different from traditional "western games" so to speak. Like so different, but still familiar...difficult to put into words. Those other fellow STALKERS that "get it" know that once the Zone has you...it never lets you go, and few other games ever make you feel and have an experience like the STALKER trilogy.
Incredible military/mercenary tactics game that was (along with XCOM) way ahead of its time. Excellent deep gameplay with advanced graphics engine (for its time) and open world. It is an overlooked title sadly, but of course its sequel built on its formula and became arguably (along with XCOM) till this day the greatest military/mercenary tactics game ever made.
Deus Ex - Invisible War is a good game overall. It is just not the game that everyone was expecting as the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time. Simplified systems, small world, lackluster music and overall "dumbing-down" led to a good game that still has part of the Deus Ex DNA, but a very diluted DNA. The writing though is still quite good and Sheldon Pacotti did a great job within the limits of the game world (all three endings of the original being made canon) that he had to work with, albeit with some oversights to the fates of certain characters. Overall, a good experience as a game, but a major disappointment to fans that were essentially expecting the greatness of a Half-Life 2, Baldur's Gate 2 and a Fallout 2 (for their respective originals), but was given a console dumbed-down "Deus Ex - Lite".
Absolutely amazing game, part of the Immersive Sim type of games (think Deus Ex, System Shock, Dishonored, BioShock, etc.). Yes, when Vampire Bloodlines released it was a mess with bugs and missing content, but that is all sorted now. It is a masterpiece of game design and mood setting with awesome gameplay and deep RPG mechanics making full use of the awesome Vampire - The Masquerade licence. Troika (a legendary developer) was under such pressure with Vampire Bloodlines, but they still managed to create a timeless masterpiece that has stood the test of time.
The greatest tactics game ever made, you have to experience this to understand just how amazing it really is. Massive game (especially with the v1.13 mod) with so many possibilities, tactics and characters. Truly the pinnacle of military tactics games rivalled only by the original XCOM series.
Worthy sequel to one of the greatest games of all time. Nothing much more to add really, it perhaps lacks the grittiness of Dungeon Keeper 1, but has more content, more creatures, more features, more rooms, more traps and just generally more of what made Dungeon Keeper incredible.
Fallout Tactics is an incredible game that focusses on tactical combat set in the Fallout Universe. The engine used in this game is incredibly beautiful with a depth of combat that is unmatched by many games in the genre (except for Jagged Alliance 2). The atmosphere of the game is brilliant and captures both the Fallout "vibe" as well as the feeling of being part of the Brotherhood of Steel perfectly. The progression systems, combat options, tactical encounters and usage of the SPECIAL system are well-created. The only major drawback of Fallout Tactics is that RPG mechanics take a backseat and the C of SPECIAL (i.e. Charisma) for example is seldom used, but at the same time there are actual story choices that have a large impact on the outcome of the game. Just don't expect to talk your way out of encounters. Overall, Fallout Tactics is a very underrated game (compared to the first two) and absolutely deserves your attention if you love the first two games. It is a true Tactics game brilliantly adapted for the Fallout Universe and using 90% of everything that makes Fallout unique.
Along with Fallout 1, Fallout 2 is absolutely till this day (25 years later) in the top five RPGs of all time, hands down. Words cannot properly express the incredible game design, art, music, atmosphere and gameplay innovations that encompasses the original and the sequel. Fallout 2 takes a few small tumbles in RPG and design depth (end of game traditional boss with limited options, comedy, etc.), but these are minor and Fallout 2 makes up for it by having the other 99% of it being just as good as Fallout, but having twice the amount of content and in some instances even more depth than Fallout. It is definitely a worthy sequel, building and expanding on what made Fallout an absolute masterpiece. Having played these games when they were released, 25 years later they are still completely in a league of their own.
Along with Fallout 2, Fallout is absolutely till this day (25 years later) in the top five RPGs of all time, hands down. Words cannot properly express the incredible game design, art, music, atmosphere and gameplay innovations that encompasses the original and the sequel. Having played these games when they were released, 25 years later they are still completely in a league of their own.
