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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl (PC DVD)
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4/5 |
Fun game, if repetitive
(September 27, 2008) |
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STALKER is a great game, one which kept my attention for several weeks. The game looks very good, and plays well. The controls and camera work well, although I was dismayed at the lack of a pause at the inventory screen, meaning you could die before reaching the anti-radiation drugs (I guess that's part of the realism). The plot is well done, and the cut-scenes, although sparse, look great. Towards the end, however, I found myself getting a little bored at the repetitive nature of the game, and there were some bugs that caused the game to crash (though these were few and far between).
All in all, the game itself is remarkably well done, with a fantastic atmosphere, and very enjoyable guitar pieces performed by other stalkers. |
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4/5 |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. debugged!
(September 10, 2008) |
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I originally bought STALKER on it's release over a year ago, and like a lot of people, found it to be a deeply atmospheric and characterful experience in a very original setting.
Unfortunately, it was also unplayably buggy and I had to abandon it halfway through because a mission bug had made it impossible for me to continue. I uninstalled and the DVD went back on the shelf, forgotten for a year...
Anticipating the release of 'stalker: clear sky' I decided to install 'Shadow of Chernobyl' again and see what patches were available - maybe it had been fixed over the intervening months and I could actually get through it this time :)
I downloaded the official 1.0005 patch and a mod called 'The Zone Reclamation Project' which together are claimed to fix *most* of the issues that stopped me playing the first time around. I've been playing for a few hours now and everything seems smoother and there have been no signs of any mission bugs, which would have shown up by now in the unpatched game.
FINALLY after over a year, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl seems to be close to the game it was supposed to be, and it is as moody, dark, scary and challenging as ever.
If you're bored of the usual linear story-driven FPS, give Stalker a go. The setting is perfect, the radioactive badlands around Chernobyl are among the most distinctive locations ever seen in a video game. No game since System Shock (1 or 2) has done such a good job in putting the player in a believable place, the open ended approach means that the player rarely feels directed or hemmed in. The firefights are tough and chunky, the enemy AI is more than adequate, and some of the underground areas are genuinely scary.
It's not perfect - some of the dialogue is pretty rough and sometimes the voice acting is awful, and the free-form nature of the game means you do tend to revisit areas quite often...and you do need a pretty phat PC to get the best from it.
For a tenner it's a steal but don't forget to download the patches. |
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5/5 |
Great game unless you have Vista
(August 13, 2008) |
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First and foremost, advertising this game as Vista compatible is a bit of a stretch. It may be possible to get it working if you are pretty tech-savvy and prepared to mess around for ages, but it's certainly not out-of-the-box compatible. I'm yet to succeed.
I did however, play it on XP before I "upgraded" to Vista, and this game is a real treat. Unbelievably atmospheric, pretty scary in places and about the most freeform shooter out there right now. It's not particularly fast-paced but if you enjoy a shooter with a bit more than endless corridors and constant blasting, you'll love this game.
Expansive playing areas, meaty real-world guns, mission structure (rather than on-a-rail levels) all make this a cut above the majority of games out there at the moment. It's a little buggy, but the patches sort most of that out.
In summary, if you're (sensibly) running an XP rig, get this game now. If not, I'd probably wait for the imminent prequel "Clear Skies" which will hopefully improve on an already close to perfect template. |
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4/5 |
Irradiated fruit
(July 02, 2008) |
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Yep this game was different enough from your normal copycat linear corridor driven shooters to grab my attention for a couple of weeks.
The gameplay is more open than other titles i could mention, although not quite up to the original Far Cry (and if you haven't played that you've missed out).
The game is really well presented with all it's grey post nuclear settings, and some of the gun battles actually get your adrenalin pumping, with some rock hard opponents that react quite realistically.
I liked it and wished it were bigger and more comprehensive in its scope.
You do need a fast pc to run it in all its glory though.
great fun.... |
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5/5 |
Best game I have bought this year
(June 26, 2008) |
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I remember when this was in development and it was featured in several PC magazines, it sounded interesting. However, I kind of lost track of when it came out and missed the reviews etc, so only just bought it. It is the best game I have bought this year and at this price it is such a bargain. The graphics are superb and the atmosphere is amazing.
I would recommend the book Roadside Picnic and the film Stalker which the game is based on.
Just buy it!!! |
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