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[I collect VHS tapes]

I recently decided to dive into the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and I'm starting with Shadow of Chernobyl. What immediately stands out is how far ahead of its time it feels, especially in its lighting and its A Life system. The lighting is incredible for something this old. Most of the game's atmosphere actually happens in the dark, when you are forced to rely on your flashlight or sudden bursts of lightning to see anything. Interiors become pitch black, outdoor storms turn everything into stark silhouettes, and the world naturally shifts between safety and tension depending on how much light you have. It creates a sense of dread and immersion that most newer games still struggle to match.



A Life is the other piece that makes the game feel alive in a way that surprised me. Mutants and NPCs roam independently, run into each other, fight, flee, and shift around the map without waiting for the player to trigger anything. You often hear distant gunfire, see mutant packs moving on their own, or stumble into a situation that clearly formed without you being the center of it. Even with limitations, the system adds an unpredictability that feels organic and I struggle to think of many modern titles that are able to pull this off as well.

Combined, the lighting and the A Life system make the world feel like a real, breathing place. It is reactive and filled with moments that feel unscripted.

Pretty excited to see how the titles progress, as I've heard SoC is considered very rough around the edges, compared to the other two older titles.

 

[LordOcidax]

100% agree.

 

[pudel]

Yeah, one of the most atmospheric games I have ever played.

 

[Senua]

Absolutely loved it. Still yet to play 2 but waiting for it to be finished

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Absolutely loved it. Still yet to play 2 but waiting for it to be finished

I have 2 other stalker games before I get to 2, so I'm hoping by the time I knock out the first three games, stalker 2 will be in decent shape

 

[teokrazia]

Yep.

 

[CowboyLou]

The original Stalker trilogy still hasn't been topped. It's always nice to hear from someone finally checking them out for the first time and realizing that the question isn't "how does Stalker hold up compared to modern shooters?" but rather "how do modern shooters hold up compared to Stalker?" The answer? Poorly.

Clear Sky re-uses a lot of Shadow of Chernobyl maps and assets, but the new areas are fantastic. It's the buggiest one, but also delivers the most intense faction combat and best gunfights against human enemies. It's worth playing for the opening Swamps map alone. Call of Pripyat is all-new with open levels and a bigger focus on bespoke questing and individual storylines. I always felt like it a lost a little of the atmosphere and detail of the first two, but it's still a fantastic game as well as it's the most polished. Could easily argue for any of the three as the "best" one.

 

[JayK47]

I feel like this is the case when you compare games today of those made 15 to 20 years ago. We have lost a lot of talent and game designers now care more about appealing to mainstream gamers. So a lot is cut to release a game while they add things we never asked for.

 

[CowboyLou]

Shadow of Chernobyl is also an example of a game that would never have released without publisher intervention. It was originally supposed to ship in 2003. After years of dev hell and ballooning scope, THQ sent one of their guys to take charge of production and whip the devs into shape. The final game was heavily compromised compared to the original vision, but that's a lot better than no game at all (and of course, it still ended up being one of the greatest shooters ever made). The ugly truth is that sometimes bad guy producer types are necessary and sometimes, dev teams need to be leashed.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

The original Stalker trilogy still hasn't been topped. It's always nice to hear from someone finally checking them out for the first time and realizing that the question isn't "how does Stalker hold up compared to modern shooters?" but rather "how do modern shooters hold up compared to Stalker?" The answer? Poorly.

Clear Sky re-uses a lot of Shadow of Chernobyl maps and assets, but the new areas are fantastic. It's the buggiest one, but also delivers the most intense faction combat and gunfights against human enemies. It's worth playing for the opening Swamps map alone. Call of Pripyat is all-new with open levels and a bigger focus on bespoke questing and individual storylines. I always felt like it a lost a little of the atmosphere and detail of the first two, but it's still a fantastic game as well as it's the most polished. Could easily argue for any of the three as the "best" one.

Thanks for this info. Are all the games roughly the same length?

 

[CowboyLou]

Thanks for this info. Are all the games roughly the same length?

More or less similar lengths, I'd say, but it depends on how you play. You can probably run through any of them in 12-15 hours, but I've had playthroughs run at least twice as long depending on engagement with side content, etc. Or just RP walking for immersion and soaking up the atmosphere. SoC side missions are often generic repeatable fetch quests but they're really just an excuse to continue engaging in the core gameplay loop. Clear Sky has the faction system that can be engaged with or mostly ignored, it's extremely buggy but the SRP mod can help with that (and I think the newer re-releases incorporate at least a few fixes). CS and CoP are also noticeably harder than SoC, at least playing on master difficulty.

 

[[Tact]]

Stalker is one of thr few game franchises that I find genuinely frightening. If you're enjoying Shadow of Chernobyl you'll love Call of Pripyat.

 

[CowboyLou]

I love Clear Sky and I wish it hadn't been so buggy, which harmed its reputation long term. The new areas in that game are incredible and it's overall the best-looking of the three, if you can get the DX10 features working (refer to PCGW for help with the original releases). Always felt CoP lost some detail and atmosphere in its pursuit of larger map size. The Great Swamps map in CS is the most forlorn and desolate Stalker ever felt.

 

[Bry0]

I always come back to them. They are really magnificent games. Unbelievably replayable too.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Stalker is one of thr few game franchises that I find genuinely frightening. If you're enjoying Shadow of Chernobyl you'll love Call of Pripyat.

I typically don't play horror games so this game has taken some adjustment on my end. It's been a lot of fun, just something pretty new to me as the RE games are the only scary games I've really played. The lighting here really adds to the atmosphere.

The enemies are hard af too which adds to it. On stalker difficulty, which is like normal I think, a pack of dogs can easily fuck me up despite having a nice rifle.

 

[Sticks]

Artyoooooooom!

 

[simpatico]

I don't know of any non STALKER games that can match it's AI system. If anyone does, please.... I'm begging. Tell me.

Stalker is one of thr few game franchises that I find genuinely frightening. If you're enjoying Shadow of Chernobyl you'll love Call of Pripyat.

Oh man, playing at night with headphones, when it's also a rainy night in the game. Shit happens in those tunnels. Probably some of the most intense nerve wrecking I've experienced from a survival horror game. Only The Bunker really compares if I think about it.

 

[amigastar]

I tried so many times to get into it but never really got further than 3-4 hours maybe.
It's unfortunate.