S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Are you one of those people who buy old games, think you will replay them, and end up being turned off after an hour at the most? CoP is one of those rare exceptions to that rule for me. It is still so fresh, gameplay and the survival elements are absolutely satisfying. Exploration is heavily rewarded. It's so much fun hunting/saving for better equipment and the atmosphere, while nothing will surpass the first entry to this series, is taking you in deeper and deeper the more you play. And with some mods (hint: get the COMPLETE mod - one dowload, quick install and you're all set) it even looks so damn pretty. GET THIS GAME!

CoP is one of those games where the stars align and everything just clicks. It's basically everything I'd hoped for when I first played SoC. As with the prior games, it's an atmospheric depressioncore shooter. All the changes from CS are retained, sans the faction war system. They are better implemented this time. The game plays out mostly on three huge maps, each containing a safe area or two with accessible technicians. Backtracking for repairs never feels excessive. The world contains many points of interest without feeling overly linear. The first two games had nearly everything take place along a roadside with a bunch of empty wilderness outside the road. The changes CoP makes are minor but appreciated. Helmets are separate gear from suits and may be upgraded to your liking, stashes may now be looted before you have the coordinates, coordinates are now received from quests and not randomly from dead bodies. More significantly, you will be fighting many more mutants this time. There are several instances of snork swarms. As such, this game actually makes shotguns a viable option compared to the previous games. It does the same for the RPG-7 and Gauss rifle, which you can now acquire and put to use at reasonable times. There are super tough mutant enemies such as chimeras where their use would actually be warranted as well. I really loved the anomaly clusters too, great way to show how the Zone warps the world. People sometimes complain about them but I can't recall any instances of solo anomalies in the prior games. They feel like they have more weight this time. If I have anything bad to say about CoP, it's that your starting gear is a bit too good. But honestly it doesn't take too long to get the good stuff in the other games. My experience was hardly ruined. CoP is a flawless, captivating game. It plays up S.T.A.L.K.E.R's strengths and removes its weaknesses. 5 stars is rare from me, but this is a rare game. It deserves everything I have.

Not the best story-wise, but definitely the best gameplay-wise in the whole trilogy. Also, amazing atmosphere, but that's to be expected. Seriously, I've spent more time exploring the zone rather than playing through the story. You can take a stalker out of the Zone, but you can't take the Zone out of a stalker.

This game (Call of Pripyat) is definitely the most polished in the series. I find it also the most interesting, but it depends on the player's expectations: - 3 completely new maps, much larger than maps in SoC and CS - CP is a longer game, feels more open world - exploration feeling is best here, second is CS and last is SoC - all factions are neutral to the player, but they still attack each other - no faction wars as in CS, that's why gunfight again factions is nearly non-existent at the beginning - can be extremely scary even on veteran difficulty. Some rarer mutants are very powerful and player doesn't have a chance if he/she meets them at close distance outdoors. - one of the team missions is the best in series. Characters and dialogs are unique. There isn't such immersion in SoC. Team members become your friends and you want to bring them all alive at the end of the mission. Bad thing is it can become old save reloading nightmare if you don't choose your weapons and equipment wisely.

The Good: + The most stable release + Still amazingly atmospheric + A-Life system makes every encounter different + Three large hubs to explore freely + Spooky underground levels (Underpass, X8) + Semi-realistic shooting mechanics + Upgrade your weapons and suits + Order special weapons from Nimble + Faction reputation system + Use artifacts for special perks + Finally added places to sleep + Finally added Chimeras and Burers + Find companions to travel with + Fast travel + Blowouts + Side quests + Multiple endings + Infinitely moddable + Active mod community The Bad: - Weakest story of the three - Can be confusing for new players - Graphics are worse than ShoC and CS - Grating English voice overs (Howdy ho! Hey bro!) - A bit short compared to the previous two games - Can't freely explore the Pripyat Underpass after finishing it - Waiting time for a blowout to reside is too long - Needs a mod to make bandits aggressive again - Some enemies are real bullet sponges - No randomized anomalies anymore - Can't sell damaged weapons - Not totally bug free - No new weapons The Ugly: - Random CTD's