STALKER: Clear Sky - review thread
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Well now according to MetaCritic, GameMasters UK gave Clear Sky another 88% rating.
Here's a full map of the Zone in Clear Sky for anyone interested.
I am particularly disturbed by the lack of The Bar and Pripyat levels.
Also, rumors from Russia abound that This map has been cut from the final game.
Here's a full map of the Zone in Clear Sky for anyone interested.
I am particularly disturbed by the lack of The Bar and Pripyat levels.
Also, rumors from Russia abound that This map has been cut from the final game.
Visualante
Member
The Edge review is thoroughly positive- or at least it tries to be. Reminding you a handful of times that the game is flawed with regard to grenades and instances of bad AI.
"Stalker's uncanny corner of the world, full of howling mutants, improvised creeds and dark intrigue holds undiminished power in what is, unsurprisingly, a troubled prequel"
On the much loved radio system: "It is, in what bring brings out the best of this game, just another excuse to lurk indefinitely in the Zone, bedding into its society and learning how to survive"
They affirm this is still a hardcore RPG, a true survival horror- adding that the underground sections never reach the heights of the original but are still "terrifying".
"Stalker's uncanny corner of the world, full of howling mutants, improvised creeds and dark intrigue holds undiminished power in what is, unsurprisingly, a troubled prequel"
On the much loved radio system: "It is, in what bring brings out the best of this game, just another excuse to lurk indefinitely in the Zone, bedding into its society and learning how to survive"
They affirm this is still a hardcore RPG, a true survival horror- adding that the underground sections never reach the heights of the original but are still "terrifying".
Seems the person who wrote the PCGamer review is a pretty big STALKER fan (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/05/01/why-i-still-play-stalker/ and also reviewed it for Eurogamer). Taken from QT3, http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=46554&page=3:
Yeah, I found Clear Sky to be really disappointing. The opening swamps section has lots of promise, and I really enjoyed it up to that point, but the body of the game is pretty miserable.
Hopefully PC Gamer will post the review soon and I can link it up.
To say I wasn't a hardcore Stalker player would be plain wrong, however. I liked Stalker the shooter game very much. The tough combat in the original was one of the reason I rated it so highly. What has changed in the new game is the overall balance of combat mechanics and features, and it's not a pleasing mixture.
It's simply not thrilling in the same way as the original - partly because the script is less interesting, and partly because the "gamification" of things for the faction war just makes everything less engaging/mysterious.
I think I explained it along the lines of the faction war being less "woo, creepy Chernobyl zone" and more "hmm, this is like playing Battlefied 2 with some stupids".
Hopefully PC Gamer will post the review soon and I can link it up.
To say I wasn't a hardcore Stalker player would be plain wrong, however. I liked Stalker the shooter game very much. The tough combat in the original was one of the reason I rated it so highly. What has changed in the new game is the overall balance of combat mechanics and features, and it's not a pleasing mixture.
It's simply not thrilling in the same way as the original - partly because the script is less interesting, and partly because the "gamification" of things for the faction war just makes everything less engaging/mysterious.
I think I explained it along the lines of the faction war being less "woo, creepy Chernobyl zone" and more "hmm, this is like playing Battlefied 2 with some stupids".
Agent Ironside
Member
Well one thing is for sure, do not go into the visual options and expect to max everything out :lol
GTX 280's in SLI will struggle to avg 40fps.
GTX 280's in SLI will struggle to avg 40fps.
Agent Ironside
Member
Blizzard said:
You have four lighting options from what I can tell, keep it on the 3rd from the last and your good, only downer is no god rays with that option. Now dont get me wrong, it doesnt run bad generally, just when you crank everything to max like some people tend to do (me), your looking at around 15 frames with a high end single card solution (GTX 260, 280, HD 4870 etc.)
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,...raphics_card_for_maximum_DirectX_10_graphics/
Doesn't give any numbers, just what the game looks like on the different levels and the machine recommended.
Doesn't give any numbers, just what the game looks like on the different levels and the machine recommended.
Agent Ironside
Member
Oh and btw, yes there will be a float32 for CS.
Not sure if this was posted, http://clanbase.ggl.com/news.php?nid=296610&Source=rss, but I wonder if anyone reviewing the game, or talking about performance, had this patch installed.
SirFodderton
Member
Should I play the first one before this?
Sword Familiar
178% of NeoGAF posters don't understand statistics
Wollan said:The cover for those interested.
This would look so much better w/o the fugly characters. Hate it when they do that. There are so many covers that follow this formula. A bunch of soldiers/warriors ready for action, posing and making the cover ugly. Guess it sells better with souldiers on the cover though, unfortunately.
MaritalWheat
Member
Sigh....delayed in N. America.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169689
Guess they screwed up something with CD Keys.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169689
Guess they screwed up something with CD Keys.
Reported delayed in North America by RPS as well:
Stalker's sky darkens
They also mention that the review in PC Format UK will not be great either.
Shacknews speculates that this may also delay the Steam release, even though e.g. Europe isn't affected.
Clear Sky no longer a day one purchase, confirmed
Stalker's sky darkens
They also mention that the review in PC Format UK will not be great either.
Shacknews speculates that this may also delay the Steam release, even though e.g. Europe isn't affected.
Clear Sky no longer a day one purchase, confirmed
Prime crotch
Banned
Oh Europe still gets it at the original release date? No worries for me then.
IGN UK has their review up. 7/10 but the text makes it sound dire.
http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/906/906864p1.html
http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/906/906864p1.html
sankt-Antonio
Banned
since i have a laptop with a shit gfx-card i would like to ask if this could end up on ....the ps3?
(or could i play it with a quatro nvs 140? )
thx
(or could i play it with a quatro nvs 140? )
thx
sankt-Antonio
Banned
BeeDog said:
oh well....thx for the info
Eurogamer's verdict is in:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
7/10. Not too bad (the original was an 8/10), but the text is not exactly glowing either.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
7/10. Not too bad (the original was an 8/10), but the text is not exactly glowing either.
TheHeretic
Banned
Looks like i'm passing. A shame really.
TheHeretic
Banned
tHoMNZ said:
The complaints are about the gameplay, grow up.
Labombadog
Member
Damn. This really is a downer. I will still pick it up, but definitely when the price drops dramatically.
I've been playing this for the last 2 days and while most of what the reviewers say is true, it's really not that bad. I would say all in all this is a better game than the original. It certainly feels more substantial in that there is more to do. It is disappointing that it's still a story crawl, I'm hoping it opens up more later when I can join some factions, but regardless I'm having a lot of fun with it. I never even paid attention to the plot in the first game anyway. Even if my copy is entirely Russian, it's easy enough to play following the quest markers on the PDA. I obviously can't vouch for the atrocity that is the english VA, but I don't doubt it for a second.
It's just that like they said that added substance and features comes at the cost of some of the atmosphere and makes things more 'gamey.' I would say if you liked the original this is a definite buy because it's still more Stalker. They fixed a lot of the mistakes but made a few new ones.
Its a shame I'll have to start over though. I seem to have hit a bug where night falls and never rises. It's 11am on my game clock and still pitch black, and when I say black I mean black. Nights are much darker and creepier than they ever were in the original. You really can't see a bloody thing.
It's just that like they said that added substance and features comes at the cost of some of the atmosphere and makes things more 'gamey.' I would say if you liked the original this is a definite buy because it's still more Stalker. They fixed a lot of the mistakes but made a few new ones.
Its a shame I'll have to start over though. I seem to have hit a bug where night falls and never rises. It's 11am on my game clock and still pitch black, and when I say black I mean black. Nights are much darker and creepier than they ever were in the original. You really can't see a bloody thing.
Timekiller
Member
first they took 6 years to make a game, and now they're rushing out the next?
mhh, GSC needs to stop, think, make a big brainstorming session and develope Stalker 2 (asap
) with a different mindset and approach. Till then, i'll go with CS.
mhh, GSC needs to stop, think, make a big brainstorming session and develope Stalker 2 (asap
) with a different mindset and approach. Till then, i'll go with CS.Jenga said:
I just have no idea why they cut Bar and Pripyat. I mean they already had the assets and everything from the first game. Even if there wasn't any significant purpose to them it would certainly make the world feel more complete. Also, I wanted a more in-depth arena.
Visualante
Member
One review I read said night vision goggles would be a wise first purchase.Nikorasu said:
It's pretty cheap already if you're not getting the special edition. I wouldn't expect it to get much cheaper until the retailer clears their shelf of it.Labombadog said:
"sadly the newly-enhanced lighting model brings even a top-tier graphics card to its knees, so you'll end up back on the older visual settings"
i really hope this is not the case. i bought the 4870x2 to eat these kinds of games without barely breaking a sweat. if a game like clear sky already struggles on the card...then
i really hope this is not the case. i bought the 4870x2 to eat these kinds of games without barely breaking a sweat. if a game like clear sky already struggles on the card...then
rod said:"sadly the newly-enhanced lighting model brings even a top-tier graphics card to its knees, so you'll end up back on the older visual settings"
i really hope this is not the case. i bought the 4870x2 to eat these kinds of games without barely breaking a sweat. if a game like clear sky already struggles on the card...then
On DX10 at 1920x1080 everything maxed + full AA it runs quite well on my 4870x2. Definitely better than Crysis at very high, which is already a pretty solid 30 fps for me with the 8.9 beta drivers. The only time when there was a huge fps drop was at the very beginning in the clear sky base. Once I left the framerate jumped up and kept even after I returned there several times after.
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