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. JohnH.
    Dec 27, 2007
    7
    The game is quest based rather than linear. You pick up quests, loot, trade and upgrade you gear much like a RPG. You move freely around the lands and you can explore on your own loading only at level borders. Some quests will take you to underground bunkers or houses and here the game looks more like a classic FPS. The AI's are fairly good, they take cover behind corners and aim The game is quest based rather than linear. You pick up quests, loot, trade and upgrade you gear much like a RPG. You move freely around the lands and you can explore on your own loading only at level borders. Some quests will take you to underground bunkers or houses and here the game looks more like a classic FPS. The AI's are fairly good, they take cover behind corners and aim well. The atmosphere of the game is good and scary. I would picture it as a Mad Max scenario in a radio active Ukraine with unknown mutant horrors lurking. However, it's not a realistic shooter as some others suggested. For realism I would play OFP, ArmA or the more linear Red Orchestra. What bothers me with the shooting is that it almost takes a full clip of 30 rounds to kill one enemy using a fair AK. The one handed guns are useless for anything but critters, you need to get very close and put a few rounds in between the eyes for any effect. I would rather use a real life slingshoot or a stick and expect better results than that. Perhaps weapons and ammo will get better later on. The grenades are good and at this point it's my only efficient weapon to down anything quick. The game engine have some major flaws. I experience crashes, even blue screens while playing. Initially I couldn't exit to desktop without a blue screen and system reboot. I removed all sound hardware acceleration, EAX and now it's better but I still have issues with random blue screens crashes in nVidia DLL's. If you want to play this game you better search the community FAQ's on how to minimize crashes and don't forget to quicksave often. The game is mercyless, death or a system crash comes fast. Despite the major flaws I really enjoy S.T.A.L.K.E.R.… Expand
  2. omgitsbiren
    Dec 12, 2011
    5
    Some interesting gunplay mechanics, but otherwise a boring, repetitive waste of time. A good story might have saved S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but instead you go through mission after mission without the slightest idea of who you are or why you're doing what you're doing. Do yourself a favor and play Fallout 3 instead.
  3. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    6
    Stalker SoC might be the hardest game to review ever. The reason for this is simple. This game is an ambivalent experience. I'll try to explain this as best as I can. I love the atmosphere and the setting. The locations are amazing and have a distinct vibe. The gameplay is good. No regeneration here and that makes me happy. But... BUT weapons get jammed. This is a huge problem for me. IfStalker SoC might be the hardest game to review ever. The reason for this is simple. This game is an ambivalent experience. I'll try to explain this as best as I can. I love the atmosphere and the setting. The locations are amazing and have a distinct vibe. The gameplay is good. No regeneration here and that makes me happy. But... BUT weapons get jammed. This is a huge problem for me. If you'll use a weapon too much it becomes broken. You can repair them of course and that costs money, but still this annoys me. It gives me Far Cry 2 flashbacks and that game might be the worst thing to have ever come out. I know that Stalker came out before FC2, but still, I hate this jam crap. But that's nothing compared to the bugs in this game. You think patches solved anything? Well you're wrong. This might be the buggiest game ever. Think Bethesda games are buggy? B*tch please. Play Stalker and let your mind die. Enemies high above the sky shooting at you and you're like wtf, who's shooting... oh yeah, it's levitating drunken russians trying to kill me... nothing new I guess! Enemies disappearing or reappearing, your character getting stuck, crashes and other crap, that I'm too lazy to mention.... guess that's just stalker. If I had to make a list of weird bugs I have seen while playing this, it would be longer than the list of guys, that Sasha Grey f**ked. I'm not a person to just ignore something like this. Bugs and crashes that take away the fun out of the game... at least for me. Also the game corrupts save files, so better pray to Jesus or your save files won't work! Jesus saves? Not in this game, I guess. This blows my mind, because this is not a beta. It's a patched game with a massive following yet it still feels like an alpha. This game is seriously broken and I doubt anyone will fix it anytime soon. The other thing is respawn. I think I said it before, but games that have respawning enemies suck ass. Is this Diablo 2? I don't think so. I like my enemies to stay dead when I kill them. This game wants to be realistic with all the guns jamming, armors getting used, yet it has respawning enemies, it's just laughable. So why am I ripping on this game so hard and still giving it 6 out 10? That's simple. I mostly enjoyed my time in this game. It has lots of faults and wrongs, but ultimately it's not crap. It has redeeming values like the atmosphere and locations, that I've mentioned earlier. Still, I will always laugh from stalker fans that think this game is a masterpiece with no problems. I've met such people and I almost got cancer from them and their stupidity. Nothing is perfect, this is far from perfect... this game is a journey. One you must take alone, you'll either love it or hate it... or like me, you'll think it's not bad, but not entirely good either... as I said in the beginning... ambivalent experience. Pickens ambivalences?… Expand
  4. JohnAnonymous
    Apr 10, 2007
    7
    As soon as they iron out all the bugs, the game will be a classic. Currently I have to exit and launch the game again to get the PDA to update the mission status. The fact that the enemies keep reappearing out of thin air is extremely annoying. This must be switched off. And, guys, since you equipped the NPC with guitars, get them a decent repertoire of Russian tourist songs (hint: Visbor As soon as they iron out all the bugs, the game will be a classic. Currently I have to exit and launch the game again to get the PDA to update the mission status. The fact that the enemies keep reappearing out of thin air is extremely annoying. This must be switched off. And, guys, since you equipped the NPC with guitars, get them a decent repertoire of Russian tourist songs (hint: Visbor is out of copyright).… Expand
  5. BradG.
    Mar 28, 2007
    7
    I'm really enjoying this game, but not for the same reasons I've been looking forward to it for the past few years. The game has a lot more in common with Deus Ex than it does with Oblivion. You do have a certain level of freedom to explore but the world is quite small overall. Its broken up into somewhat linear maps and the side quests are a lot like those found in Freelancer, I'm really enjoying this game, but not for the same reasons I've been looking forward to it for the past few years. The game has a lot more in common with Deus Ex than it does with Oblivion. You do have a certain level of freedom to explore but the world is quite small overall. Its broken up into somewhat linear maps and the side quests are a lot like those found in Freelancer, standard "shoot him" or "collect that" fare. Still, the single player campaign is quite good. The human enemies are extremely smart and always surprise me with their capacity to flank, hide, and cover one another. The game's most promoted feature, the so called "A-Life", seems to be there in full effect but almost never has enough room to run around. Packs of wild dogs (among other things) move around eating things, running when outnumbered or scared, and working as a team, but only three or four of the games areas feature these elements and most can be run across in a couple of minutes. I was also disappointed to see the more innovated enemies like the bloodsuckers and psychics almost completely constricted to the main quest. You'll rarely run into any interesting enemies until you reach the last few areas. The Zone's anomalies are also hit and miss. They range from nothing more than boring, glorified minefields in the open areas to well integrated traps and visual effects in some of the interiors. Radiation has some cool implementations like radiated, burned out vehicle hulks on some maps but it is often simply used to mark the edge of someplace you can't go yet. The artifacts are interesting, though they're really nothing more than stats boosters randomly strewn across the landscape. The factional elements are also woefully underdeveloped and don't come close to what you'll find in other free-form games. In the end, you're investing in a standard FPS with a great sense of style, gripping atmosphere, and solid gameplay. Sadly, for any of us who frequented the game's original website (replaced a few months ago), this isn't quite the game we expected. No vehicles, no massive world to sink into, and practically nothing interesting to do off the beaten path of the main quest. Everything unique or outstanding gets showcased in the plot missions which can sadly be breezed through in under 20 hours.… Expand
  6. XNelson
    Jun 2, 2007
    7
    It ends so suddenly, nice weapons, nice sounds, a good game.
  7. DontBeNasty
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    certainly not a game for everyone. its pacing is meant to be slow, and the game wont take your hand for a pleasant walk in the park.

    It throws you into the fray, Pripyats exclusion zone, where mutant monsters and physics defying anomalies ravage the land. You are expected to survive with limited resources that are already pretty scarce in the world. In harder difficulties the game    certainly not a game for everyone. its pacing is meant to be slow, and the game wont take your hand for a pleasant walk in the park.

    It throws you into the fray, Pripyats exclusion zone, where mutant monsters and physics defying anomalies ravage the land. You are expected to survive with limited resources that are already pretty scarce in the world.

    In harder difficulties the game adds several notes of realism and is only for the most dedicated and hardcore players, although its nowhere near the realism of games such as ARMA. the interface is easy to understand and to use.

    The AI might lean on the silly side, as you may notice some enemies are doing the same moves again and again while they fight you, still though they are nothing sort of easy and you can die pretty easily in stalker.

    Techwise the graphics are fair. they are particularly good underground as you can see the shadow effects from light sources, however there are several flaws on the graphics that make it seem older than the time it came out, like the surface ground and flora seems old with the textures it uses, still the graphics make up for incredible atmosphere, so does the sound with very convincing wild life sound, underground effects that will make your blood chill, and gun sounds

    The plot is somewhat average and the voice acting is fair, although listening to someone talk russian in one instance and perfect english the other feels kind of awkward.

    In closing this game IS NOT FOR PUSHOVERS. it can be tricky and difficult and it will certainly test your patience both with difficulty and pace.    … Expand
  8. Belus
    Nov 15, 2013
    7
    It has been a while since I last played this game, but when I did I loved it. The atmosphere was great, the setting cool, the weapons nice and the story good enough to keep me interested throughout the game.

    There are a few things I didn't like though. First of all I pretty much have to empty a clip into the face of an enemy to kill him. That ruins a lot for me. Secondly the re-spawning    It has been a while since I last played this game, but when I did I loved it. The atmosphere was great, the setting cool, the weapons nice and the story good enough to keep me interested throughout the game.

    There are a few things I didn't like though. First of all I pretty much have to empty a clip into the face of an enemy to kill him. That ruins a lot for me. Secondly the re-spawning of enemies some places made the game close to unplayable. Thirdly I hated the fact that my weapons became useless very fast, because I wore them out, so to say, and there was no way for me to repair them. So I ended up carrying around the coolest guns, using all sorts of crap I came along, because I didn't want my coolest gun to break...

    The game started out good, but towards the end it was just a fast FPS, and I don't like that. I kept playing to find out how it ended (and I found three different endings), but it really was not very fun at the end.    … Expand
  9. Nostalgium
    Nov 6, 2011
    5
    Okay, so I just finished this game and here's what I have to say about it.

    I expected a game where you make your own choices throughout the entire game, a game which really messes with your head because of it's setting, (loads of potential for thrilling concepts involving Chernobyl right?)Both of these things were not really executed well. This is absolutely nothing like, say, Fallout 3.    Okay, so I just finished this game and here's what I have to say about it.

    I expected a game where you make your own choices throughout the entire game, a game which really messes with your head because of it's setting, (loads of potential for thrilling concepts involving Chernobyl right?)Both of these things were not really executed well. This is absolutely nothing like, say, Fallout 3. Because the choices are very limited.

    When you play the game for the first half hour, you get the impression that you can make your own choices entirely, which is simply not true, keep in mind this is a First Person Shooter, Not a Roleplaying Game. The game gets extremely linear towards half of the game.

    >The first thing that was really negative about it was those small bottle-neck loading-time routes that you have to go through, to get into a new area. Not only that, when you sometimes finished loading from one of these points, a fresh wave of respawned NPC's is there to immediately try to kill you, this is off-putting because you just can't prepare for anything, so not a lot of thought was put into that.

    The game discourages you to do any backtracking to other locations, to trade and stuff, because you'll have to pass about 4 extremely long loading zones.

    They could' ve been way more creative with the Chernobyl Power-Plant area itself. It's basically just one big shoot-out towards the end of the game, which really takes away the experience. The quests are not really note-worthy, and pretty straight forward, with the exception of some parts of the main quest.

    There are some horror-elements in some parts of the game, but only few were actually really scary. Most of the time you're just shooting bad guys with your gun.

    The only thing I found absolutely brilliant was the AI, and the lighting effects of day & night.    … Expand
  10. fukery3
    Mar 7, 2013
    5
    Just.... I really wanted to like this game! It has so many good things... and so many bad things. There's enough bugs to make the game an exorcise in worrying about whether or not you should re load the last save because your current objective got somehow glitched. Its a typical Russian story of "ghosts and radiation" like they all seem to be: Nuclear disaster with a paranormal element.Just.... I really wanted to like this game! It has so many good things... and so many bad things. There's enough bugs to make the game an exorcise in worrying about whether or not you should re load the last save because your current objective got somehow glitched. Its a typical Russian story of "ghosts and radiation" like they all seem to be: Nuclear disaster with a paranormal element. The living breathing world is cool... and I really like how fragile you are as a character and how many things you have to be mindful of from food to sleep. It makes one feel like they actually are in Ukraine fighting mutants and bandits. The graphics are not very good although there are mods to alleviate this, and there is next to no voice acting and long text blobs that have to be read to understand the story. I wouldn't so much mind this, but in a game like stalker, it REALLY breaks the immersion and reminds you its a game. All in all, STALKER feels unfinished and sloppily put together. But I've certainly played worse.… Expand
  11. JimCorbett
    Aug 22, 2012
    6
    Not sure why this game has received massive praise from people. The setting and possible story elements are great, but the actual story that is presented is bland, confusing, and uninteresting. It's often hard to understand what the ingame characters are saying and with the absence of subtitles, the story becomes useless. The atmosphere outside of Lad X18 is not engrossing or "atmospheric"Not sure why this game has received massive praise from people. The setting and possible story elements are great, but the actual story that is presented is bland, confusing, and uninteresting. It's often hard to understand what the ingame characters are saying and with the absence of subtitles, the story becomes useless. The atmosphere outside of Lad X18 is not engrossing or "atmospheric" at all. The levels are hardly open as you will often see fences and other obstructions which force to to take a pre-defined path. The gun play is okay, if a bit stale. There are an insane amount of bugs and glitches present, including broken animations, application crashing, etc. If you want an engrossing Post-apocalyptic game done by an Eastern European studio, get Metro 2033 instead. It is far, far better than this title.… Expand
  12. mcbeefbeef
    Nov 7, 2010
    6
    I tried very hard to like this game, and bought it at a deep (Halloween) discount on Steam (along with Pripyat) because I had always heard good things about it. Today, having just gotten to the Garbage, I was prepared to uninstall this game and write about how crap it is. I was JUST ABOUT TO go through with that... when I noticed that the game has a modding community. Surely, I thought,I tried very hard to like this game, and bought it at a deep (Halloween) discount on Steam (along with Pripyat) because I had always heard good things about it. Today, having just gotten to the Garbage, I was prepared to uninstall this game and write about how crap it is. I was JUST ABOUT TO go through with that... when I noticed that the game has a modding community. Surely, I thought, some astute modder has by now (the game is 3 years old) overhauled this game and made it not suck. YES! In summary, downloading and installing the STALKER Complete 2009 (currently 1.4.4) mod is a REQUIREMENT to enjoy this game. If you don't, you WILL NOT like it unless you're retarded. If you do install the mod, you might still not like it, but at least it will have put its best foot forward. The game is literally incomplete without this mod installed, and experienced gamers will identify the fact that the game, even fully patched, is in a development state that could be called "late beta". This is what the STALKER Complete 2009 mod rectifies. It alters so many aspects of the game, and the filesize is so large (700mb) that it might as well be called the official version of the game. What came out before that was just a buggy release candidate. For graphics cards that can handle it, the mod also makes the game pretty, departing from the game's original "real is brown" philosophy, aka the "we're too cheap to give you decent HDR" philosophy. I'm giving the game only a 6 because it was released in such bad shape, and the developers didn't have a hand in this mod, so why should they get positive recognition for it?… Expand
  13. SoulBrother
    Mar 3, 2015
    5
    Stalker is an OK game if you into post-apocalyptic settings & themes ,,, i see Fallout 3 and Metro series borrowed quite a bit from this game since they precedent both of them ,,, the world wasn't bad , but it's could have been done better , each zoned area is limited and have few interesting places to check out ,,, the writing was not bad , but the story itself was a uninteresting withStalker is an OK game if you into post-apocalyptic settings & themes ,,, i see Fallout 3 and Metro series borrowed quite a bit from this game since they precedent both of them ,,, the world wasn't bad , but it's could have been done better , each zoned area is limited and have few interesting places to check out ,,, the writing was not bad , but the story itself was a uninteresting with linear progress ,,, the side missions were terrible are repeatable by all NPCs ,,, alot of bugs , and generic game-play make it unmemorable game overall… Expand
  14. ave
    Oct 20, 2015
    7
    I've discovered S.T.A.L.K.E.R. years after its release, and it took quite a time to figure out how to play it properly.

    I won't mention the almost permanent "dying" due to gunshots, radiations, and various anomalies - that's part of the experience : wandering inside the Zone, a perimeter around the nuclear plant of Tchernobyl, full of mutants, factions and hazards. So S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is    I've discovered S.T.A.L.K.E.R. years after its release, and it took quite a time to figure out how to play it properly.

    I won't mention the almost permanent "dying" due to gunshots, radiations, and various anomalies - that's part of the experience : wandering inside the Zone, a perimeter around the nuclear plant of Tchernobyl, full of mutants, factions and hazards. So S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a "quicksave/quickload" game in old-school fashion (even in easy mode).

    I liked the design of the wasted lands, and the warring factions, but not loved it. Trying to find your way to Strelok isn't picnic.

    So far, I've understood that the main strategy is to :
    - find a serie of guns (pistols, machineguns, rifles, shotguns...) for which you can gather enough ammo ; and upgrade the most efficient ones
    - always keep a nice amount of bandages (bleeding), syringes (radioactivity), medikit (heal) and food (eat) otherwise
    - gather artefacts to keep the best ones in your belt and resell the other ones. The best I've found (for me) were the ones reducing radioactivity & bleeding ; and boosting endurance.
    - never pack more than 50 kg of stuff otherwise you'll lose stamina too quickly (because you'll have to go back and forth alot of time in this game - no teleport).

    The game lacks some clear information about what is important to play properly, you're basically left alone. But since it takes about 30 min / 1h to die stupidly, it takes time to figure out the whole thing.

    Another dissapointing aspect of the game is the dialog window and the inventory window, two modes not that exciting. Plus, the game still run while you use your inventory, so sometimes you die without knowing why.

    Despite these negatives elements (and the fact I wasn't able to go farther than a "locked" checkpoint), the first instalment of the serie was quite engaging and pleasing in its punishing ways ;)    … Expand
  15. The_Bear
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    I wanted to give this game a "9", however, the ending kind of ruined this otherwise great game for me (although not entirely, obviously). I'll try not to spoil anything, but just prior to the the game's final level your given an optional objective all the way on the far corner of the map. If you ignore this objective, and proceed to the endgame, your given one of five fake endings withI wanted to give this game a "9", however, the ending kind of ruined this otherwise great game for me (although not entirely, obviously). I'll try not to spoil anything, but just prior to the the game's final level your given an optional objective all the way on the far corner of the map. If you ignore this objective, and proceed to the endgame, your given one of five fake endings with virtually no exposition whatsoever. Way to let me down. When I realized this, I went to reload an earlier save, and to my disappointment, realized that my earliest remaining save left me right in front of an broken stairwell. So I'll be waiting until my second play-through to find out HOW THE GAME ACTUALLY ENDS!
    Anyway, this (pretty significant) problem aside, I really enjoyed this game. The game-play was harder than other games I've played, but perfectly manageable on easy. STALKER SOC's strongest suit is most definitely its atmosphere and setting, whether your running from packs of irradiated dogs in the Ukrainian wilderness or dodging mutants in subterranean compounds. The whole post-Chernobyl thing is really cool, and the game makes it easy to pretend that you're there. The weather system, in particular, lends the world a sense of authenticity.
    Ultimately, one of my favorite games, despite some glaring flaws. Would definitely recommend to anyone who appreciates a good atmosphere.    … Expand
  16. GameFans
    Apr 4, 2014
    6
    The game would worth 9 or even 10 after patching with community mod. However, a game should be rated on its own only, right?

    I can understand why there is a great deviation of user scores here. On one side, the game claims to be a realistic survival game but fails with unrealistic gun and stealth mechanics as well as the tedious travel and equipment degradation. The game is also    The game would worth 9 or even 10 after patching with community mod. However, a game should be rated on its own only, right?

    I can understand why there is a great deviation of user scores here. On one side, the game claims to be a realistic survival game but fails with unrealistic gun and stealth mechanics as well as the tedious travel and equipment degradation. The game is also extremely buggy with potential game crash and save corruption. In fact, the whole STALKER series is plagued with bugs. The original game itself may only worth 3 or 4 only.

    However, thanks to the efforts of community. The game with complete mod fixes the above mentioned issues, making the game become an enjoyable survival game with stealth and tactical shooting elements. If you like the ideas of original Deus Ex, just try this game with complete mod. You will enjoy the game a lot.    … Expand
  17. JoseRochaPT
    Sep 20, 2011
    6
    Yes, amazing game ! Perfect history ! Fails in the aim and shooting system wich could be a lot better and faster, this game brings out a bit of RPG too, but if the shooting aim was a bit more like the regular FPS games it would be a straight "9". I recomend it tough !
  18. xx
    Apr 20, 2007
    6
    Too repetitive. Monster respawning on zones borders is a pain, especially when enemy is respawning close from the player. Enemy shooters "see" through bushes and are far too good at sniping from long range.
  19. Jesse
    Sep 10, 2007
    6
    Very fun game, but won't work for a large amount of users. GSC released a game that was 3/4 finished. If it works for you, it's a fantastic game. If it doesn't, it's a nightmare and a waste of money.
  20. Laz
    Mar 8, 2008
    6
    This is undoubtedly one of the most unique games I've ever played. The plot is spectacular and the mutants and factions are simply creative genius. The broad exploration and weapons were fulfilling too. But even through all these great things, there were some that will drive any standard gamer out the door. My general complain in any FPS is ballistic accuracy of firearms. It would This is undoubtedly one of the most unique games I've ever played. The plot is spectacular and the mutants and factions are simply creative genius. The broad exploration and weapons were fulfilling too. But even through all these great things, there were some that will drive any standard gamer out the door. My general complain in any FPS is ballistic accuracy of firearms. It would have been superb if this game had ballistics like Ghost Recon Advanced Warrior or even Call of Duty 4. One shot kills as well as realistic accuracy of weapons. The survival aspect could be greatly improved. I didn't feel as if I were fighting for my life, just blowing magazines at enemies who had no sense of self-preservation. The stealth factor too was also pathetic, which is my method of choice in any take down. There were bugs, as most games do, but I don't rate it down for that. All in all, this game would undoubtedly be one of my favorite games if it were merely more realistic.… Expand
  21. Inabil1ty
    Mar 17, 2007
    6
    Most of what Marked One said is true, except for the likening of the visuals to F.E.A.R. and Oblivion. The graphics are not nearly as good as they are in those two titles. And Marked One also failed to point out that the game is, for the most part, boring. Unlike Oblivion, characters don't actually talk in STALKER. Instead, you'll get a big paragraph or two to read. Fun!Most of what Marked One said is true, except for the likening of the visuals to F.E.A.R. and Oblivion. The graphics are not nearly as good as they are in those two titles. And Marked One also failed to point out that the game is, for the most part, boring. Unlike Oblivion, characters don't actually talk in STALKER. Instead, you'll get a big paragraph or two to read. Fun! Not. And the weapons are underpowered and most lack scopes, even though you need to do a lot of long-distance shooting. The graphics and shooting experience reminded me of Red Orchestra, not Fear and Oblivion. This game has been overhyped! It's very disappointing.… Expand
  22. AllistairP.
    Mar 24, 2007
    6
    If this is the sort of game that gets this amount of hype and acclaim, then PC games must be near their end. While consoles are pulling out games like God of War II and Gears of War, PC games are left with slop like this. Just the opposite of the on the edge/every minute something new is happening gameplay of those "war" titles, STALKER is a meandering, boring mess. There is no point to If this is the sort of game that gets this amount of hype and acclaim, then PC games must be near their end. While consoles are pulling out games like God of War II and Gears of War, PC games are left with slop like this. Just the opposite of the on the edge/every minute something new is happening gameplay of those "war" titles, STALKER is a meandering, boring mess. There is no point to play this game, unless you are just bored. There are no bugs and nothing that bad, but those two things stopped making a game "good" in 99'. STALKER is basically Fallout reimagined as a FPS, except without the charm and imagination. The first 2 hours are good as your mind imagines where this game is going to go but it ends up going nowhere. 8 hours later you will be looking at the same 2003 graphics, same 3 enemy models, same endless fields of nothing, and same guns. Nothing changes and nothing was that great to begin with. With Crysis coming to the 360, I have a bad feeling I might not ever update my 3d card again. Half-Life ep2 is about all this rig has going for it and thats an expansion to a 2 year old game which won't do anything new either but at least start and end perfect.… Expand
  23. PatH.
    May 31, 2007
    5
    How this game can be so over-rated is beyond me. I swear the reviewers all were playing a different game or something. I have a top of the line computer, I can run Oblivion just fine with all the settings up. With Stalker on the other hand, It studders all the time, the sound putters out half the time while firing my weapons, the game freezes and crashes to desktop sometimes multiple How this game can be so over-rated is beyond me. I swear the reviewers all were playing a different game or something. I have a top of the line computer, I can run Oblivion just fine with all the settings up. With Stalker on the other hand, It studders all the time, the sound putters out half the time while firing my weapons, the game freezes and crashes to desktop sometimes multiple times in ten minutes. Also Oblivion looks 10 times better than this. About the most frustrating thing in a game happens in this game about 10% of attempts doing it. Saving my game tends to crash the game to desktop. I should not be scared to save my game. Frustrations aside, this game is not even fun. Same enemies over and over again, the "smart" ai is predictable and has wallhack like abilities once you are spotted. The environments are only so so. I do like the weather changing, that is pretty cool I guess. Missions are pointless, rewards for completing a mission make you not want to do the missions. I really did try to like this game. I have tried about 30 times to go try it again but i just leave disappointed every time. About the only fun I had in this game was playing in the arena, unfortunately there are only about 8-9 battles within that whole thing. Sometimes wait results in something good, In this instance, that cannot be said. I would not recommend this game to anyone.… Expand
  24. MattK.
    Sep 2, 2007
    6
    A game with great promise but is ruined but a finicky game engine with bugs galore and atrocious AI. I really wish it wasn't some damn buggy because undeath these major issues is a wonderful game worth any gamers time who also enjoyed the likes of Deus Ex.
  25. C.H.
    Oct 24, 2007
    6
    I want to like this game. Really, I do. It looks great, it should play well, and it has an interesting story and setting. But I will be damned if I can get this thing to play properly at all. The game is so flawed, so bugged, so impossible to play without constant load screens, choppiness, and stuttering that I can't give it a good score. Even with a beefy machine and all the I want to like this game. Really, I do. It looks great, it should play well, and it has an interesting story and setting. But I will be damned if I can get this thing to play properly at all. The game is so flawed, so bugged, so impossible to play without constant load screens, choppiness, and stuttering that I can't give it a good score. Even with a beefy machine and all the updates, this game just will not perform. Even games with far heavier system requirements have ran smoother on my machine.… Expand
  26. mez
    Dec 18, 2011
    7
    If ever a game needs mods, it's this one. The atmosphere and setting are absolutely incredible, but the whole thing feels like an alpha release. The balancing is all over the place and there many serious bugs and annoyances that really should have been dealt with before the game hit the shelves. And forget all the talk of RPG elements - this is a straight up FPS set in larger than usualIf ever a game needs mods, it's this one. The atmosphere and setting are absolutely incredible, but the whole thing feels like an alpha release. The balancing is all over the place and there many serious bugs and annoyances that really should have been dealt with before the game hit the shelves. And forget all the talk of RPG elements - this is a straight up FPS set in larger than usual environments. Yeah, you have an inventory and there are side missions you can do in any order, but if you're hoping for character development or flexible ways to complete objectives, you'll be disappointed. It's like Far Cry in the sense that you have these big open levels, but you can only ever play one way; in the end you always have to go in guns blazing. It's a waste really, because the Zone is the true star of the game, yet there's rarely a reason to just go and explore it. I do recommend the game for the atmosphere alone, but with serious reservations about the rest of it. Wait until it's on sale before putting your money down...… Expand
  27. p360assassin
    Jul 30, 2013
    7
    People try and compare this game to fallout when discussing its gameplay. That is an AWFUL idea. Fallout 3 is a great game, but its not trying for what Stalker does at all. STALKER is a much much harder game. It goes on the idea of "Armour means a BIG thing, and you die only slightly slower then the enemy". The graphics of the game are terrible, that I won't defend. It was bad for when itPeople try and compare this game to fallout when discussing its gameplay. That is an AWFUL idea. Fallout 3 is a great game, but its not trying for what Stalker does at all. STALKER is a much much harder game. It goes on the idea of "Armour means a BIG thing, and you die only slightly slower then the enemy". The graphics of the game are terrible, that I won't defend. It was bad for when it came out. The game no longer runs like like it did 5 years ago (they must have done optimisation, since my ****ty laptop with half the system requirements runs at 40-60fps).
    The combat is very very hard, and you will die very quickly. This means in areas that have more cover and pathways are extremely fun, due to the massive amount of cover and constant attempts to outflank the enemy (the AI is retarded a lot, but it will try and surround you, and is very smart in that aspect). Headshots are the only way to kill enemies as pretty much everyone has tough body armour, this would be good if the enemy didn't do so much damage, but alas, it just means you need to play more tactically. This is not a run and gun shooter. This is more like Dark Souls, in that you are significantly more weak then what you are facing, and you must use skill and tactics to outshine the enemy. Fallout 3 was more about scavenging and character building, this game has very little of that.
    The music is sparse, but very atmospheric. As someone who always played Fallout 3 and NV with the music off, so that I'd only hear non environmental music when near radios, I love that this game has no music. And when it does, it fits the scene perfectly.
    The game feels a bit unfinished, almost like I'm playing a really really good mod of a game. Its still pretty buggy, although defintely playable outside of the still fairly long loading screens.
    The tutorial is pretty bare, but I had no problems even when I accidentily skipped it, since after gaming for 14 years, I have learned to figure out any non grand strategy just by how the UI is designed. Its not that hard, but it would be preferable if they had a more detailed menu. Although really all its missing is the controls, which you can find in the options menu anyway.
    There is a lot of head bob, so this may turn some people off, I don't get motion sickness, so its fine for me.
    All in all, a good game, not amazing, with a couple of problems. But it is only going to appeal to certain people.    … Expand
  28. Claytality
    Jul 20, 2017
    6
    Great atmosphere and story.

    Movement makes the camera shake too much, which is disorienting. The weight limit is too low and makes no logical sense as there are "stashes" all throughout the game but you can't properly loot them because of the weight restrictions. Ammo and health packs weigh too much and when you exceed the weight limit your mobility becomes very limited. It is    Great atmosphere and story.

    Movement makes the camera shake too much, which is disorienting. The weight limit is too low and makes no logical sense as there are "stashes" all throughout the game but you can't properly loot them because of the weight restrictions. Ammo and health packs weigh too much and when you exceed the weight limit your mobility becomes very limited. It is realistic, but frustrating.

    Guns are inaccurate, which is ironic considering how important headshots are towards end-game.

    Difficulty is too hard, even on the easiest difficulty.

    Difficulty also felt forced. For example in the last stretch of the game your armor will probably hit zero durability at which point it offers no protection. If you take 2 armors you could avoid this, but the weight limit really doesn't allow you to take an extra armor. Enemies can also get lucky headshots against you.

    It is possible your saved game will become corrupted and cause the game to crash. However, you can load an earlier save, so you only lose about an hour or so of time, depending on when you last saved.

    Cost me $3.33, played 15 hours. Do not recommend unless you really like stories about radioactivity.    … Expand
  29. slypher
    Dec 23, 2012
    5
    Perhaps I didn't get far enough into the game, but I was turned off by having to often read through lengthy text boxes (I'm fine with this for games like civ, europa, and hearts of iron, but in a shooter it kind of sucked the life out). Graphics were decent for 2007, but if you're routing here from steam like I did a year ago, it feels dated compared to what's otherwise available. ProblemPerhaps I didn't get far enough into the game, but I was turned off by having to often read through lengthy text boxes (I'm fine with this for games like civ, europa, and hearts of iron, but in a shooter it kind of sucked the life out). Graphics were decent for 2007, but if you're routing here from steam like I did a year ago, it feels dated compared to what's otherwise available. Problem is compounded by the dull voice acting. While the gameplay is decent despite the rough interface, so far the story hasn't drawn me in enough to compel me to choose stalker over other titles in my library. it's not a bad game, it just feels a bit underwhelming when stacked against what I'm used to for a shooter (e.g. borderlands, fallout, halo, cod, dead space).… Expand
  30. Captain_Chaos
    Dec 7, 2016
    7
    S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a weird game. There's no getting around it. I recieved it as a christmas gift one year, I believe, and it might not even have crossed my radar until way later otherwise. One of the more playable examples of Russian game development to make it to me, the game has incredible atmopshere, in-depth survival mechanics and a multitude of endings, but can be a little confusing atS.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a weird game. There's no getting around it. I recieved it as a christmas gift one year, I believe, and it might not even have crossed my radar until way later otherwise. One of the more playable examples of Russian game development to make it to me, the game has incredible atmopshere, in-depth survival mechanics and a multitude of endings, but can be a little confusing at times. It's a hard game, above all else, in a totally different class from most western FPSes or RPGs. One might even call it the Dark Souls of FPS, if one was hurting for a more accurate assessment. But if you can hack it, it's worth playing.… 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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