S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1886 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,528 out of 1886
  2. Mixed: 208 out of 1886
  3. Negative: 150 out of 1886
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  1. DerickC.
    Apr 2, 2007
    4
    When I first glimpsed at this game, I felt this would be the next half life 2/Gta:sa hybrid because of its claim of being an RPG/FPS. Early images from the website depicted the game as immense, with vehicles, rpg stats/features, advanced ai, more factions and a strong storyline. When the game came out, there was a huge disappointment in the game as nearly all of the features stated above When I first glimpsed at this game, I felt this would be the next half life 2/Gta:sa hybrid because of its claim of being an RPG/FPS. Early images from the website depicted the game as immense, with vehicles, rpg stats/features, advanced ai, more factions and a strong storyline. When the game came out, there was a huge disappointment in the game as nearly all of the features stated above were gone, and replaced with a gta:sa clone with better graphics, an extremely bad selection of enemies and no free-roaming map. This game must be one of the most disappointing I have ever encountered.… Expand
  2. AlexM.
    May 6, 2007
    4
    It reminds me of Boling Point Road To Hell. Rember that game, no i don't think you would. Dont get me wrong, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is good, but not that good. Its the same, go kill some one, walk somewhere. it goes on and on. Yeh, i'll give it a 10 for original story, but a 0 for graphics. It was meant to come out as the 1st Direct X9 game. It came out far to late, in the eria of Direct It reminds me of Boling Point Road To Hell. Rember that game, no i don't think you would. Dont get me wrong, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is good, but not that good. Its the same, go kill some one, walk somewhere. it goes on and on. Yeh, i'll give it a 10 for original story, but a 0 for graphics. It was meant to come out as the 1st Direct X9 game. It came out far to late, in the eria of Direct X10. A shame realy, in Direct X 10 i could see this rivialing Crysis.… Expand
  3. Erik
    Jan 3, 2009
    4
    Those who played this says it's a good game. I won't say that it's not, but it's that the game takes forever to load, wich completely destroys the feeling. And when I started playing it, I felt very trapped. Because there's tons of like radiaton things that subliminally says "You have to go there, not this way", and therefor I didn't feel free. I'm sure Those who played this says it's a good game. I won't say that it's not, but it's that the game takes forever to load, wich completely destroys the feeling. And when I started playing it, I felt very trapped. Because there's tons of like radiaton things that subliminally says "You have to go there, not this way", and therefor I didn't feel free. I'm sure it's a nice game, but for me it was a waste of money.… Expand
  4. imaginer
    Sep 7, 2007
    4
    What a pity! I love the whole idea... surviving in a radiactive zone. Day and night pass... you are so immersed. You spend ours on a mission to do it just right. And then no reward. Missions appear and disapear as if by magic. Bugs eat this game! such a pity. wouldnt recommend it to anyone. just too frustrating.
  5. JamesG
    Jul 5, 2008
    4
    The environment looks good and is well designed, but the characters lack detail and are all too bland. The weapons are shoddy, and provide a fustrating experience for the player.

    Your money is better spent on Crysis (which looks a hell of a lot better considering both games were released in the same year), or, if you're really into the RPG aspect. Deus Ex or the upcoming Deus Ex 3.
  6. CritiqueFreak
    Apr 19, 2013
    4
    This game was, in my opinion, badly made. No autosave feature made the game very irritable. I didn't even know of it until I died after doing 5 missions (and had to redo them.) Also, no headbob setting. The headbob seemed too extreme, as I was getting a headache 10 minutes into the game. I played this game on novice and it seems like I'm playing it on hard. I look in my inventory, hearThis game was, in my opinion, badly made. No autosave feature made the game very irritable. I didn't even know of it until I died after doing 5 missions (and had to redo them.) Also, no headbob setting. The headbob seemed too extreme, as I was getting a headache 10 minutes into the game. I played this game on novice and it seems like I'm playing it on hard. I look in my inventory, hear two shots, and I die instantly (I had full health.) The way that the aiming is very random is quite annoying. The tutorial from Trader randomly skipped through what he was saying without me pressing anything so I barely even knew how to do certain things. I had to get a mod for autosaving and headbobbing. I got very far into the game, when I got a crash report. I kept loading the game and I kept getting the same crash, so now the game is unplayable for me UNLESS I hit the "Load last save" button on the menu which literally takes me back to the start of the game. The game seemed fun, but all of these things are blinding it from the fun I thought it was. Very disappointed in this game and I wish I could get my money back.… Expand
  7. StarkAgentos
    Apr 30, 2022
    4
    Катсцены довольно-таки кинематографичные. Геймплей хардкорный. Враги никак не реагируют на выстрелы, а ГГ погибает от пары попаданий. Анимации рваные. Интерфейс неудобный. Зачастую при диалогах npc просто молчат. Открытый мир и РПГ элементы не очень идут играм того времени. Игра устарела. В наше время играть неинтересно.Катсцены довольно-таки кинематографичные. Геймплей хардкорный. Враги никак не реагируют на выстрелы, а ГГ погибает от пары попаданий. Анимации рваные. Интерфейс неудобный. Зачастую при диалогах npc просто молчат. Открытый мир и РПГ элементы не очень идут играм того времени. Игра устарела. В наше время играть неинтересно.
  8. Antohadance
    Jun 22, 2022
    4
    Унылый и кривой кал для нормисов, подпивасников, или тех, кто в играх не совсем разбирается
  9. DivineFaith
    May 21, 2023
    4
    The game is already extremely in the years unfortunately.
    Gameplay is not so good and sometimes dies immediately because of a hit!?
    Graphics you can of course expect nothing but the story is quite nice.
    The game has strong problems at 4K resolution. Fonts are much too small and the graphics card permanently stews at 90° Celsius, which is very questionable for a 16 year old game.
  10. ChrisK.
    Sep 9, 2007
    3
    Let's see. Things that went right: ...uh. Things that went wrong: Durability system with no method of equipment repair -- really, REALLY annoying to have to, even near the end of the game, constantly switch out armor because it greatly loses effectiveness when you've taken a couple shots. Character progression entirely item based -- Self explanatory. If you aren't hoarding Let's see. Things that went right: ...uh. Things that went wrong: Durability system with no method of equipment repair -- really, REALLY annoying to have to, even near the end of the game, constantly switch out armor because it greatly loses effectiveness when you've taken a couple shots. Character progression entirely item based -- Self explanatory. If you aren't hoarding the artifacts and armors, you're not going anywhere (and living). Fallout clone -- You heard me. This game is entirely a Fallout clone in FPS (I've not played Brotherhood of Steel, so I'm not going to say anything about that). The final things that made me realize this were the exoskeleton (increases carry capacity... please), and the gauss gun. No quicksave, poor autosave -- I don't even know what triggered autosaves, I guess one full day. The lack of quicksave was really annoying, because you had to completely interrupt the action before doing something potentially stupid. Encumbrance -- This is just idiotic. Carrying any amount of weight over your 'maximum' causes you to almost instantly waste all of your stamina when moving. Weapon selection -- The pistols are absolutely worthless. The rifles (and ammo) weigh a figurative ton. I was rarely more than 3 kg under maximum carry weight, because I had to carry so bloody much ammo to do the storyline missions and I didn't want to use the horrible AK set of weapons. Zero sense of accomplishment from the ending -- There is no real reward in beating this game UNLESS you follow a very obscure chain to get the one 'good' ending. And even that is a let down. Let's not forget getting randomly one-shotted by NPCs who sneak up on you because they forget to make any sounds and do an incredibly absurd amount of damage for their difficulty level (yeah, uh, I played on the second lowest difficulty and I still got killed in under a second by some of the enemies. gg.) You want a pseudo RPG like this? Go play Bioshock.… Expand
  11. RandyM.
    Mar 24, 2007
    3
    I really had my hopes up for this game. When I bought it, I was really excited to start playing. However, I started playing the game, and found that I was severely mistaken. Terrible sound, graphics, story, missions, everything. Everything is broken. Not to mention this has to be one of the most bug-filled games I've ever played. Complete waste of money....
  12. Mike
    Mar 25, 2007
    3
    I really tried getting into this game, but I couldn't. 1. The graphics Set at the max level, look outdated, not sharp, Just a disappointment. The screen shots from the game looked a lot better! 2. Missions are really unclear, there really is no goal or path that you take. You just walk around doing pointless mini quests for money. Overall a very big disappointment for a game I waited I really tried getting into this game, but I couldn't. 1. The graphics Set at the max level, look outdated, not sharp, Just a disappointment. The screen shots from the game looked a lot better! 2. Missions are really unclear, there really is no goal or path that you take. You just walk around doing pointless mini quests for money. Overall a very big disappointment for a game I waited so long for to come out.… Expand
  13. MichaelQ.
    Apr 10, 2007
    3
    Stalker: Oblivion Won? Well, it actually did. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was on the market a year before Stalker, it sported the same open-ended world and adventure, much better graphics and facial animation and, for goodness sake, much fewer bugs. They did not have to issue a hotfix ten days into the game release. For me, Stalker is Elder Scrolls with bugs and a Kalashnikov. Too buggy, too late.
  14. RobinZ.
    Feb 20, 2008
    3
    A very disappointing game. When you start the game, you absolutely know nothing about the zone and how to deal with these tons of dangers out there. Also the game isn't beatable without cheats in normal difficulty. First I had that bug that the scientist got killed in the cutscene and I had no possibility to proceed. After reloading the save game unbelievable 33 times and always A very disappointing game. When you start the game, you absolutely know nothing about the zone and how to deal with these tons of dangers out there. Also the game isn't beatable without cheats in normal difficulty. First I had that bug that the scientist got killed in the cutscene and I had no possibility to proceed. After reloading the save game unbelievable 33 times and always fighting my way to the cutscene where the schientist dies, the bug hadn't appeared. Also, later in the game you need to blow A WHOLE MAGAZINE into the enemys head to kill them. And the NPCs have one-shot kill abilities. Guess who dies first: the player. And I bet my life the final chapter is impossible without godmode! Even though I play FPS for years and being an slightly above average player, I needed a trainer which gave me 10000hp and I still had to retry several times.… Expand
  15. SteveH
    Jan 11, 2010
    3
    This game is way over-rated in my opinion. It felt like a ripoff of half-life two in a Fallout-3 setting but done very poorly. Both of those games are far better than this collosal waste of time. The graphics arent anything spectacular / the dialogue and storyline are awful / they throw you into the fray with no tutorial at all / the shooting machanics are unrealistic(when you shoot the This game is way over-rated in my opinion. It felt like a ripoff of half-life two in a Fallout-3 setting but done very poorly. Both of those games are far better than this collosal waste of time. The graphics arent anything spectacular / the dialogue and storyline are awful / they throw you into the fray with no tutorial at all / the shooting machanics are unrealistic(when you shoot the enemy in the face six billion times and they dont die but they have one shot one kill ability it feels like dirty pool). Dont waste your money on this game. Im just glad it came in a bundle so I didnt pay full-price for it. I ask myself why this gets such high praise from the critics and even players. We need to set the bar higher folks. I found this this game got me frustrated at best so if thats what you find fun then have at it.… Expand
  16. Kyleb
    Mar 21, 2007
    3
    After playing it a good 8+ hours now I have to say I'm hugely disappointed. The great initial concept of the game is wasted with mundane and frustrating game play. The missions are uninspired fetch quests and the level design is almost non-existent. On the easiest settings I'm frequently killed and subjected to lengthy reloads. I've yet to encounter any compelling story After playing it a good 8+ hours now I have to say I'm hugely disappointed. The great initial concept of the game is wasted with mundane and frustrating game play. The missions are uninspired fetch quests and the level design is almost non-existent. On the easiest settings I'm frequently killed and subjected to lengthy reloads. I've yet to encounter any compelling story line--surprisingly the Chernobyl meltdown is hardly even mentioned. The "anomalies" are all just variations of the same thing. Little flickering distortions in the air that you have to avoid or take damage. Some are kind of fiery, some kind of windy--you just walk around them automatically after 10 minutes. The quest system is just plain broken. I'm constantly informed I just failed a quest that I didn't even know I had undertaken, or that I fulfilled some obscure aspect of a quest I've never heard of. There's no sense of whether I'm advancing the main storyline or just doing odd jobs. (Starting the game as a character with amnesia doesn't' help). The game this reminds me of more than any is "Postal 2: Share the Pain" Yeah, everybody groan in unison. Big sprawling zones with huge reload times, factions of NPCs that are either enemy or friend depending how you treat them, and endless, non-tactical firefights against other paramilitary types. And the thing that's really ticking me off is that 99.9% of the enemies so far have been regular humans. I've faced two scary mutants and a bunch of Resident Evil zombie dogs. Every other baddie is a carbon copy of my character. I don't know what the hell these guys have been working on all these years, but it wasn't hordes of cool creatures like I was hoping. Finally, on a positive note, STALKER was inspired by the science fiction short story "Roadside Picnic" which I began reading along with playing the game. Ironically I find myself eager to quit the $50 game to go and read the free story. It's really cool! In the story, the Zone is a total A$$ kicker and the anomalies are lethal bits of freaky, alien nastiness. It's great stuff.… Expand
  17. ShawnC.
    Mar 23, 2007
    3
    This is a very disappointing game, especially after the long wait. The graphics are mediocre, the gameplay is tedious (just mission after mission, no ultimate goal) and load times are slow. Maybe it's unfair to compare everything to the incredible fun of a Half-Life 2, but that game is several years old and still thousands of times better than something like this.
  18. ElliottB.
    Mar 25, 2007
    3
    This game was disappointing and hasn't lived up to the promises made during it's eight years of production. Many features that would of been enjoyable were cut, such as vehicles, large loadless environments, and truly dynamic AI.
  19. FenryzR.
    Mar 27, 2007
    3
    Sorry, there is no way I can recommend this game. There is no way you can compare this game to F.E.A.R meets Oblivion, its not even close. Playarea is extremely limited, and you will be in fights all the time, bandits respawn constantly - probably to hide that there is absolutely nothing else to do but shoot boring things, and loot them...and find another generic thing youve seen before. Sorry, there is no way I can recommend this game. There is no way you can compare this game to F.E.A.R meets Oblivion, its not even close. Playarea is extremely limited, and you will be in fights all the time, bandits respawn constantly - probably to hide that there is absolutely nothing else to do but shoot boring things, and loot them...and find another generic thing youve seen before. No, this game is a huge disappointment, and not close in any way to the game we were promised so many years ago. I'm sad, because I hoped a lot for this title...… Expand
  20. TerryD.
    Apr 17, 2007
    3
    The theme here is SLOW-PACED. Our hero sort of wonders from zone to zone on various missions that either are or are not essential to the completion of the game. Which is which is unclear at best. There are fights in between with weak weapons that provide about as much excitement as standing in line at a Starbucks at 8 o
  21. Tritonio
    Jul 16, 2013
    3
    Without the "complete" mod this game is unplayable. Mostly because of the head bobing. I can play Descent for hours with no problem, yet this game made my eyes hurt. I really don't understand what the developers where thinking when they put that bobing in the game. Anyway, the "complete" mod thankfully removes it.

    But still, after 4 hours of gameplay this game failed to give me any kind    Without the "complete" mod this game is unplayable. Mostly because of the head bobing. I can play Descent for hours with no problem, yet this game made my eyes hurt. I really don't understand what the developers where thinking when they put that bobing in the game. Anyway, the "complete" mod thankfully removes it.

    But still, after 4 hours of gameplay this game failed to give me any kind of purpose. I keep asking myself why is my character persuing all these things. Why does he even care? 4 hours and still no purpose, just a series of boring missions killing bandits in a wasteland.

    They say it's open world but I got tired of being stopped by barbed wire fences.

    The UI feels a bit buggy too and perhaps not fit to modern screen resolutions (even using the "complete" mod).

    The graphics with the "complete" mod are good though and overall the fighting was interesting in some cases. Still I've seen better fights in other games.

    IMO it's not worth the 6 euros I gave. It completely failed to give me any kind of interest after 4 hours of play and the only reason I kept playing was because of all the praise that this game gets from other players. If it was just some unknown game, I would have dropped it in the first hour or so.    … Expand
  22. VectorX
    Apr 5, 2012
    3
    This game made me cry. Slow game play, missions that didn't progress anything, long treks through rainy areas just to get to the next place only to realize I had to go back, and mobs of extremely accurate or extremely strong enemies that can kill you in an instant but you have to hit them with everything you have to kill them. Making enemies incredibly difficult to kill while make youThis game made me cry. Slow game play, missions that didn't progress anything, long treks through rainy areas just to get to the next place only to realize I had to go back, and mobs of extremely accurate or extremely strong enemies that can kill you in an instant but you have to hit them with everything you have to kill them. Making enemies incredibly difficult to kill while make you easy to kill doesn't make the game terrifying, just frustrating. I can understand making a game difficult, I would be even more bored with a game I could just walk through, but a game you can't even get through when you try every strategy you can? The graphics are pretty bad for 2007 and the plot is flimsy at best (wet toilet paper holds up better). I only give it a 5 because of a few things. First, if you play this game like the survival type that it should have been (screw the missions and storyline), the game holds the attention for a while. Second, The realism from having to decide what to hold and what to leave behind is a good system (too many games seem to think that ammo weighs nothing). And third, oh wait...there is no third, that's why I'm rating it a 3...… Expand
  23. JohnnyD
    May 30, 2009
    2
    Pretty terrible game all around, I really wonder how anyone can give this a 9 or 10. The only unique concept is it's attempt to blend FPS and RPG but even then, Deus Ex and Bioshock do it better. The game starts out with the worst tutorial I've seen in 15 years of gaming. It gives a 3 minute demonstration on how to use your PDA, while not mentioning how to open the PDA UI at Pretty terrible game all around, I really wonder how anyone can give this a 9 or 10. The only unique concept is it's attempt to blend FPS and RPG but even then, Deus Ex and Bioshock do it better. The game starts out with the worst tutorial I've seen in 15 years of gaming. It gives a 3 minute demonstration on how to use your PDA, while not mentioning how to open the PDA UI at all. It leaves you to find out how to access your inventory, switch weapons, zoom in, etc etc. A pretty miserable start. Graphics are terrible from an artistic perspective (gray and brown as far as the eye can see) and from a performance perspective. Gameplay feels like a grindfest without any xp to grind out. AI is a complete joke, both of allies(which is typical of all FPS's so no faulting it there) but also of enemies. Half-Life, which was released 10 years before this game, had better enemy AI. Overall this game plays like Deus Ex's retarded stepchild, and I feel sorry for people who give this game 9s and 10s. A non-linear world does not mean an immersive world. Trudging across fields of brown nothingness breaks immersion pretty damn fast. This game does NOT have good graphics, even at top settings. Lots of graphical detail doesn't compensate for crappy art. It has the most unintuitive start of any mainstream game ever. There are a laughable amount of bugs, even if they are fixed in later patches it is still unacceptable.… Expand
  24. BobP.
    Mar 22, 2007
    2
    The AI in the game is really good, by far the best feature. The graphics may be good, but the horrible performance requires a state-of-the-art card to see it. My card is decent, even runs Oblivion with stunning detail and AA, and yet in this game its bad. The lack of fine tuning graphics options gives me a choice of static lighting with max details or decent lighting with details on The AI in the game is really good, by far the best feature. The graphics may be good, but the horrible performance requires a state-of-the-art card to see it. My card is decent, even runs Oblivion with stunning detail and AA, and yet in this game its bad. The lack of fine tuning graphics options gives me a choice of static lighting with max details or decent lighting with details on minimum -- both of which look like crap. Moreso changing the lighting requires a full restart, which is bad since the load times horrendously long. The movies play at the frame rate you render a scene at -- so if you have anything less than 30fps they play at that and look bad. The intro movie plays before you can even tweak options.. The controls are bad (why do i have to hold two keys to get slightly better COF). The missions are OK, but poor directions and distances: 2 kilometers north is just over that ridge the blue arrow points (or was it red for north), realistically 1000 feet at most. Execution of said missions is bad. One mission was to 'stop the rebels attacking'. I get to one rebel left, I fail the mission. I kill the last rebel and I succeed the mission. By the time im done looting the bodies, another wave comes. By the time I kill them, two more waves come. This is well after I succeed eliminating the attack. Whats the point of tactical combat if you arent given time to scavenge much needed ammo and weapons. Guess im supposed to stick to the non-story 'kill boars' missions. Maybe its just a matter of bugs that will be worked out in a future patch, but right now its not even worth playing, and definitely not worth the money.… Expand
  25. KDep
    Apr 23, 2007
    2
    Rarely does a game annoy me so badly that I quit playing it before I finish. I'm a fan of FPS games, but this one has been done better about 500 times by now, so there's nothing great to behold in this game at all. The map is huge and the only way to get around is by walking. The storyline requires a huge amount of reading text, instead of cutscenes or spoken dialogue. The FPS Rarely does a game annoy me so badly that I quit playing it before I finish. I'm a fan of FPS games, but this one has been done better about 500 times by now, so there's nothing great to behold in this game at all. The map is huge and the only way to get around is by walking. The storyline requires a huge amount of reading text, instead of cutscenes or spoken dialogue. The FPS works well, but I was infuriated by it in the early stages of the game. Most of the early weapons do little damage and are completely inaccuate, so you're better off to try and take baddies out with your knife. Concept is good, but the story is poor, the combat system is lacking, and the entire game just lacks that polish that would make it great. It will be heralded for years and will likely become a cult favorite, but otherwise will disappear into obscurity like the bland game that it is.… Expand
  26. ColeD
    Dec 25, 2009
    2
    I've heard great things about this game, so I decided to buy it. Boy was I surprised when it was as bad as it was. The weapons are so underpowered I had to use almost all of my ammo to kill a single dog, there is hardly a tutorial explaining how to play the game, and the AI is a pile of garbage. This game could be good, but the concept is wasted by it's bugs, making it feel like I've heard great things about this game, so I decided to buy it. Boy was I surprised when it was as bad as it was. The weapons are so underpowered I had to use almost all of my ammo to kill a single dog, there is hardly a tutorial explaining how to play the game, and the AI is a pile of garbage. This game could be good, but the concept is wasted by it's bugs, making it feel like an alpha version.… Expand
  27. H.D.
    Jul 21, 2009
    2
    This game has nothing big to offer.?f you want throw your money out of the window,buy this thing.Play Fallout 3 if you want a game in this concept.
  28. Alex
    Nov 5, 2007
    2
    This game is a prime example of one of the things wrong with gaming today: the players. This game is a broken, buggy, unintuitive product that feels like an alpha, yet it's widely loved and popular. I cannot wrap my head around this. How is a game that offers no explanations or even instructions possibly worth an 82/100? Examples: Was not aware that I started with a gun until This game is a prime example of one of the things wrong with gaming today: the players. This game is a broken, buggy, unintuitive product that feels like an alpha, yet it's widely loved and popular. I cannot wrap my head around this. How is a game that offers no explanations or even instructions possibly worth an 82/100? Examples: Was not aware that I started with a gun until accidentally pulling it out. Was not told how the inventory system worked (not that it's complicated, but still unacceptable). Was not educated on the anomalies beyond that they exsist. Was not properly informed how to handle radiation and bleeding (a tooltip that pops us for 3 seconds does not qualify for proper information). The list goes on, and I never even got out of the first loaded area. People complain about the decline in game quality over the years, yet they give S.T.A.L.K.E.R. the highest praise.… Expand
  29. DenisBerger
    Jun 27, 2020
    2
    Одна из самых переоцененных игр всех времен, не интересный открытый мир, однотипные задания, пустые персонажи, плохая стрельба, артефакты раскиданы каждые 5 метров, графика не равномерная , РПГ составляющая полный провал, атмосфера игры плохо передается через окружение и не держит лично меня у монитора, я прошел игру 2 раза и думаю, что игра на любителя, я лично считаю сталкера плохойОдна из самых переоцененных игр всех времен, не интересный открытый мир, однотипные задания, пустые персонажи, плохая стрельба, артефакты раскиданы каждые 5 метров, графика не равномерная , РПГ составляющая полный провал, атмосфера игры плохо передается через окружение и не держит лично меня у монитора, я прошел игру 2 раза и думаю, что игра на любителя, я лично считаю сталкера плохой игрой, это мое мнение.… Expand
  30. TMan
    Apr 3, 2007
    1
    This game features infinite spawning, a seriously annoying feature which ruins all immersion the game would have had and actually frustrates me enough to make me quit. For example, I am in one zone called "Garbage" and I want to travel to the next adjacent zone. Unfortunately, the exit was guarded by a gang of bandits who proceeded to shoot at me on sight. OK, so I get into an exciting This game features infinite spawning, a seriously annoying feature which ruins all immersion the game would have had and actually frustrates me enough to make me quit. For example, I am in one zone called "Garbage" and I want to travel to the next adjacent zone. Unfortunately, the exit was guarded by a gang of bandits who proceeded to shoot at me on sight. OK, so I get into an exciting battle killing them off and after 15 minutes they are dead. I loot their bodies but am now overweighed so I walk away a short distance to a spot I can stash the items to sell later. Now I am excited to continue to the next zone. However as I walk that short distance back to the exit, a new bandit gang has magically appeared, and I have to start all over! After the third time doing this I ripped the game CD out and flung it as hard as I could against a concrete wall and watched in glee as it shattered into small shards.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2007
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
8
#8 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. PC Zone UK
    85
    As a brave experiment in all-action shootery, STALKER has certainly succeeded, though with its dearth of personality and many peculiar foibles, you can't help but wish that the publishers had granted GSC some extra time to polish their creation. Oh, hang on a minute... [Apr 2007, p.56]
  2. Eurogamer
    80
    It's a warped behemoth from the Ukraine, and one of the scariest games on the PC. Stalker will remind you of all kinds of prior games, and yet it will also defy your expectations. Like the mythological Chernobyl zone it is based upon, this game is a treacherous, darkly beautiful terrain. Not everyone is going to enjoy venturing into the zone, but some of those who do will find what they've been looking for.
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  3. Computer and Video Games
    80
    Littered with a variety of anomalies which can cause the unwary to explode and other delightful stuff, mutant doggies, deserted buildings, weather effects, real-time day/night cycles etc. etc. - it creates a deliciously unique atmosphere.
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