S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl PC Game Review
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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter survival horror video game developed by GSC Game World and published by THQ.
The game is set in an alternative reality, where a second nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone in the near future and causes strange changes in the area around it. The game has a non-linear storyline and features gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with NPCs. The game includes role-playing and first person shooter elements.
The background and some terminology of the game ("The Zone", "Stalker") is borrowed from the popular science fiction novella Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and the 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker that was loosely based on it, as well as Stalker, the film's subsequent novelization by the original authors. The term "Stalkers" was later used for the scientists and engineers who explored the interior of Chernobyl's "sarcophagus" after its hasty construction in 1986. In addition, 'The Zone' is also a term used to refer to the 30 kilometer Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, established after the accident.
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the player assumes the identity of an amnesiac "Stalker", an illegal explorer/artifact scavenger in "The Zone", dubbed "The Marked One". "The Zone" is the location of an alternate reality version of the Zone of alienation surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant after a second, fictitious meltdown, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora and the laws of physics. "Stalker" in the context of the film refers to the older meaning of the word as a tracker and hunter of game or guide.
On July 11, 2007, GSC Game World announced a prequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, which was released on September 15, 2008. On April 30, 2009, GSC Game World announced a sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, which was released worldwide in February 2010.
One of the most unsettling things about this game is how a lot of the enemies don't die when they go down, they just lie on the ground terminally wounded and you can put them out of their misery if you want.
Executions are awesome.
Mlyaa ya maslinu poimal!
@@Gggmanlives War crimes time!XD
i put everyone out of their misery except bandits fuck them
@@mirek5160 technically speaking, army have a permission to shoot everyone and everything that comes to or out of the Zone without permission. But, on the other hand, is dying from bleeding and possibly being eaten while you still breathe better then quick bullet to the head?
Some of your complaints on the enemies are of them using tactics that players tend to use(camping, waiting, assaulting cover) which is actually an example of good AI.
Camping is gay when real players do it, why would I want the AI to as well....
@@leftovergaming9529 Do you know the word "ambush"?
@@leftovergaming9529 realistic combat approach?
@@ross_boss Give me a break, it's a video game. There is nothing "realistic" about it.
@@leftovergaming9529 It's fun thats what matters, we could save that Anomaly could be a realistic mod since everything there could kill you pretty quickly making cover even more important and mutants are not plushies that just come to run around you for a couple of minutes
And this is not cod so definetly you cant run and gun, go play what you enjoy anyway who am i to force you to do anything
1. Don't use health related artifacts
2. For fucks sake, learn to use cover
3. Use automatic fire less, semi-automatic more
4. LEARN TO AIM
5. Crouching is actually useful, just learn to use cover and low crouching when you have to
It's not hard to figure out you're not supposed to run out and be a trigger slamming, bullet sponging maniac. It's also not hard to figure out that proper use of cover, good aim, and good armor and equipment choice is much more important than having a lot of health to take a few more bullets. Yeah, a lot of the guns are rather inaccurate, but it also isn't a super fast paced game, and really plays a bit more like a tactical shooter than your run of the mill modern FPS, so running and gunning is a real bad idea in and of itself. Plus, those slots filled with health/physical protection artifacts would be a lot better used for environmental protection along with anti-radiation and endurance artifacts, given that it's a better idea to not get hit than to be able to take more hits.
TL;DR - Take it slow and use a lot of lube.
eh 50/50, im doing another play through at the moment, trying out different artifacts and i have noticed a very very slight difference when using health artifacts equipped with soul and it basically makes 0 difference when getting shot.
yes use cover, use semi auto fire (i have a macro so i always use semi auto in any game that gives the option since i can just pepper a clip by tapping a single button)
and above all, take your fucking time! seriously you dont want to rush the enemy in this game or you'll die in seconds, take your time, use cover peek and shoot, nice and easy, majority of the times when i run and gun i cop a couple bullets before dying, using cover will help you survive.
as for artifacts i have no idea what to use, im prioritizing endurance as that is the only one that has made any difference in my eyes, higher endurance, longer running when over encumbered. since i've found two assault rifles i like im running around like a packed mule
Endurance is definitely one of the most important things to go for. Lately been using a moonlight and flash together, and able to run pretty much indefinitely while under weight limit, and for a decent few seconds while over-encumbered. Makes running around the map and lugging shit around so much less of a hassle.
I'd add upping the difficulty because most new people to the series don't know that difficulty only scales bullet damage overall. It may seem like bullets disappear when you play on a low to medium difficulty.
+Shea Agnew One thing I dont know,Stalker players dont have this problem,but new players do.
What I learned to late is to always have a shotgun ready for the mutants, the automatic weapons sucks against mutants so I always carry a shotgun now just for the mutants.
Anecdote from the Zone:
Some bandits have captured a lone stalker. They repeatedly put his head into the swamp water and keep saying: "Artifacts, money!"
After the third time, stalker finally loses his patience.
"Come on, guys! Either put my head deeper in the water, or keep it in longer! The water is muddy, I can't see anything!"
Reloaded2111 it was mercenaries, not bandits.
Bill Hodges most jokes in this games used by different factions so it’s either bandits or mercenaries
lol
Эта шутка была ещё в фильме "Большой Лебовски", они её оттуда спёрли
You don't fight mutants with assault rifles, you need shotguns to do that. Also, the best way to fight other Stalkers is to use scoped weapons and go for headshots.
New players generally employ tactics which are good in common FPS but Stalker in no common game: one needs to adapt to the Zone if one wants to survive.
Summarize it with an ivan meme "You see ivan when you no like the zone, the zone won't like to you either."
Ah! That's what I'm missing! I needed to keep a shotgun! I'm an idiot.
I can agree with you, bc of that the snipers and the gp 37 are the best guns
@@Kuro_2712 Nonononono don't! Not for SOC without any modding, the base SOC shotguns have terrible firing rate and damage that its better to just keep a MP5 with lots of 9mm to spread, you will notice it when you face a bloodsucker, the shotgun can never stop it from biting you like in SOC as in CS or COP (in these two later games shotguns are nice choices) even if you use a pump-action. Actually slugs do a bit better in SOC but still its not ideal to use shotguns for mutant in SOC
@@enlg3750 Learned that the hard way but thanks for trying to help out.
+Gggmanlives
You got the story wrong. It is not the Chernobyl disaster, but a second, fictional one in 2006 that is responsible ...
+Alexander “Charcharo” Yordanov Gggman needs to learn to use grenades !
+Alexander “Charcharo” Yordanov Gggman needs to learn to use grenades !
+Alexander “Charcharo” Yordanov Why am I double posting everything today??
+Alexander “Charcharo” Yordanov Why am I double posting everything today??
SiliconBong
No idea mate, might be a bad connection.
it is important to keep in mind that this was one of the first games of its kind, that it was developed by an independent and inexperienced ukrainian studio in their own engine, and it was in development for a very long time. the fact that it even exists in a playable state in the first place is a miracle.
You are aware the enemies waiting for you to to walk up on them while staying completely silent isn't an issue with the AI but the AI working as intended right? The game's supposed to be hard.
***** How is that fair to the player though?
Gggmanlives Because if the player plays it smart instead of just rushes in guns blazing he can win
+Gggmanlives You have other measures. Granades, you can go around the enemy unless you are in the lab and you can quickly peek to look for enemy.
+Gggmanlives just don't be a n00b
+Jireh Climaco So for early mission, try to snipe the enemy from a distance using a pistol?
Still doesn't fix the fact that this game's enemies (especially huumannnnn) feels all the same. Throwing grenade at pin point accuracy and shooting with laser accuracy for all types of human enemies. It doesn't create diversity within the game. Ggman made a good point on the enemy AI and I too think its flawed.
As much as I love this game, I dislike the human AI. The rest is ok...
Truly one of the best games I have ever played.
This game was praised by critics for it's incredibly realistic shooting mechanics with things like bullet drop, range and bullet velocity all affected by things like weapon type, ammunition type, silencers and weapon condition.
c0n33r You're pretty cool.
Mocking sarcasm or sincere praise?(no offense). But these actually are in the game.
Melvin Siew Probably sarcasm, dude has an overall shitty personality.
10 shots to the head, i dont call that realistic
@@Gggmanlives I normally like you a lot but you sounded like a right dickhead in this comment.
The game has a bullet drop mechanic, and firing fron the hip reduces accuracy. Every gun has different settings; learn the gun and life will be a lot easier. Also, stance makes a difference as well (crouching stops your weapon from swaying as much). I love this game because it emulates a lot of real life mechanics. Don't play to feel unstoppable, but rather immersed in its setting (which includes death).
Lmao
3-5 min waiting times? What are you playing on? I have 7-10 sec waiting time between maps and also load quick saves,when starting the game I'm waiting for around 20 sec
+Vladislav Karagodin www.google.com.au/search?q=loading+times+stalker&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=Pr6JVp-aCYXImAWVqrG4Dg
+Gggmanlives
IDK how it happends. On all my PCs it loads in seconds... on a WD Blue/Black.
+Alexander „Charcharo“ Yordanov
-noprefetch command parameter!
*****
Thank you but I never use that.
+Alexander „Charcharo“ Yordanov
Some of the modpacks add it per default which would explain longer loading times on vanilla players.
great going. you managed to jam a double barrelled shotgun.
...which lacks the mechanical parts to jam! It can still experience a misfire, though, but that's typically indicative of faulty ammo. Also, those hammers (called "rabbit ears" in American gun-nut slang) can break, but are probably easy to fix if you have the know-how. A savvy zoner could probably replace them with hardware store items. Another drastic improvement to "ye olde rabbit-ear hogleg" would be to put pistol sights on the rib so you're not just aiming down the rib, itself. Or at least drill and tap a bead sight onto the end of the rib.
@@judsongaiden9878 ive never called them "rabbit ears" lol. ive always called them hammers. just sounds cooler. 😉
@@JReed7560 "Rabbit ears" is just a slang term (like "trombone gun" for a pump-action shotgun).
“But was it a good game?”
*Me out loud*
“Y E S”
Gggmanlives
Well I wanted to correct you a bit:
It does not take place after the 1986 incident. It happens after a second incident in 2006. A fictional one of coarse :P
As for the stuttering, it is from the AI on/off system.
Also it has 7 endings :P
one of best games ever
I get why people complain about the mechanics of the guns. But it only makes it a much nicer survival game. Furthermore it makes finding new/better guns more fun.
Instantly killing half-a-dozen bandits with a Tunder S14 later in the game makes you feel like you've come some way (like a normal RPG) after you struggled to kill even one bandit earlier in the game with the sawn-off.
And talking about loving or hating it, Stalker SoC is one of my top five games and for many reasons I see it as my favourite.
+Redz I guess that's the curse of the world we live in. Any AAA title needs to check off a list that turns it into Call of Duty or Battlefield. Sure the STALKER series could have been a bit more polished but then it would have been just another FPS.Your comment points to the fact that these 'flaws' almost add to the atmosphere. It makes the world you find yourself in gritty, damp, dark and unsafe. I can't agree more. I have played Battlefield 4 and in the first level you find yourself in a collapsing building. But because everything happens perfectly so that you don't actually die and it looks amazing thanks to crisp graphics, it does NOT feel like you are in any danger.Compare that to ONE fire fight with a group of Bandits early on in SoC and you can see a clear difference. SoC offers far more fear and suspense than any AAA title can ever do.
The lack of weapon and outfit repair are the only real deficits equipment-wise.
@@dhwwiiexpert Fixed with mods.
Shot pellets, like pistol slugs, are blunt. That's why even low-level armor tends to protect the wearer from them. Shotguns also use slow-burning powder, so their projectiles tend to lose speed quickly. Still, that's a lot of lead and it hits hard at room-length distances. Even if wearing armor, that much force tends to break ribs. 9x39, on the other hand, was designed to be not only subsonic, but also to defeat body armor. In 'nilla ShoC, I'd typically use a Val loaded with SP-6 (armor-piercing) to fight my way out of Lab X-10. The Groza was my most-used 9x39 rifle for the Red Forest and beyond (I'd use the Val in X-10 for the sake of variety). I'd almost always reserve the Vintorez for use in Pripyat and beyond. You can do the entire endgame using only 5.56 and 9x39 (your choice of make/model).
Cheeki breeki iv damke
+tyler cronley (GypsyDangerX) pacani PACANI!!!
+Uldis Gailis MASLINU SLOVIL!
Ya maslinu poimal!
+Strelok And popaly popaly suky
papali papali SUKI!!!
PROTIP: I know you prolly already know this but for those new to the game, artifacts that increase "Health" by a percentage *does not* affect your maximum HP, only your HP regen rate. Personally, I found the radiation and bleeding resistance, as well as the endurance artifacts to be the most useful.
i love stalker SOC but boy, why didn't you just bind your bandages and medkits?
I do what I want.
Gggmanlives You should try Datastor modpack for shadow of chernobyl,
Gggmanlives lol, just makes it easier to stop bleeding in the middle of a firefight, makes thinks less frustrating.
Yea i forgot about this thanks for reminding me
Now its less of hassle
lastbriteSon np. it drove me crazy trying to do it manually in a firefight, just didn't make sense. and its not like mp or anything so its safe within the confines of a single player driven narrative.
"I said come in,don't stand there!"
***** Aha! :)
"Get out of here, Stalker."
I said come in, don't stand there!
Иди своей дорогой сталкер
In russian it sounds more rude
We need new Stalker Game!
+Pahis Have you played the Call of Chernobyl mod? It's a pretty good mod, that combines all of the Stalker maps into one game. It's worth playing it with the Arsenal Overhaul 3.0 mod witch replaces all of the original weapons with a 100+ new weapons and a lot of attachments, including red dot sights. There's no story to follow, just a bunch of side missions, but it gives you the opportunity to check out all of the maps, including a few ones witch weren't included in any of the Stalker games.
www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Fukushima
Try out one of the many complete overhaul mods. Misery for example is known as one of the most difficult ones.
Is the Complete Overhaul mod compatible with STALKER Clear Sky Complete?
Jack DvR Probably not. Mod packs are generally not compatible with each other because they overwrite a lot of the same stuff.
You should realize/mention that you should exclusively ONLY play on MASTER difficulty. It balences the game way more and makes it more fair, not difficult. THIS IS ESSENTIAL
I disagree. It just means you die even quicker. A headshot will kill them no matter what difficulty.
It actually makes enemies less of a bullet sponge, they do more damage to you, but you also do more damage to them. Its the preferred way to play universally with stalker fans. Also make sure you get ZRP (Zone Reclamation Project) it is just a bugfix patch/mod that makes the vanilla game much more stable & clean. Highly recommended!!
Gggmanlives No master difficulty effects everything. opponents and you. on easy mode bullets have a chance of doing nothing to either side.
There's a lot of debate about whether that's true or not. The ZRP guy claims the difficulty only effects the enemy's accuracy, not yours, but other people say differently.
Incidentally, the vanilla hit calculation system for enemy shots is utterly bizarre. Most of the time, even on Master difficulty, their bullets won't actually do damage. This was taken out in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, to my knowledge, which is why the combat is a lot more glass cannon in those games. SoC is all about the long distance spray and pray. Which can be kind of annoying for some people, but I think makes it interesting and unique. It's more about positioning than having a good aim.
Yes... I am aware of that. It's my favorite game of all time.
There's still a very healthy element of spraying involved, until you get more accurate weapons. And even then, it's extremely rare to hit your target in one shot. Generally it's far more important to get into a good position than it is to have good aim.
Dude, either the Steam version is borked or your PC needs help/upgrading. I played this with a 965BE, GTX 260 and 7200 HDD and never had such long loading times or stutters. That just sounds a little suspect, on your part.
Some of the other things that you said were negatives, are actually what set this game apart. Yeah, an enemy might wait in a corner but if you were in his position, would you not do the same? Also, what do suppose happens when you get shot? You either get injured or die; humans are not bullet sponges.
Either way, Cheeki Breeki!
I really liked the AI and autonomy of the npcs. The fact they move around, and carry on their own agenda outside of you is very cool.
Neat review! I really love this game. In 2007 I was first bummed that the devs had to cut and simplify their huge ideas they'd demoed years earlier, but in the end what I got was a neat, atmospheric survival-shooter. Later on when the big mods started to come out, I replayed it, and totally fell in love with it for good.
About the long loading times, I've heard that the Steam version somehow makes them worse than usual. Even without any tweaks, the Quickloads always take me less than 30 seconds to load up, usually below 15 even.
There's a simple fix to improve loading times and performance:
Right click on the game's shortcut, choose "Properties", open "Shortcut" tab, and to the very end of the "Target" line, add this text:
-noprefetch
This reduces the amount of data the game loads up during the loading screens, significantly speeding things up with no real downsides at all.
Bro, what the hell? STALKER is one of the greatest games ever made
Sure it is.
Jovan Lekic You seem to be the whiney bitch crying because someone disagrees with you. :)
@@jovanlekic9004 jesus christ
@@jovanlekic9004 "pussy" says the one that can't accept other people's opinions lol
@@jovanlekic9004 Why not both? th-cam.com/video/UXQhQJzt4Cs/w-d-xo.html
New Vegas is still the best because it's relatively the most S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-like.
Interesting enough, STALKER is based off the 1979 Russian film of the same name, it was a very philosophically deep narrative on human nature mixing a post apocalyptic atmosphere with the classic tale of Pandora's box.
i never knew about the film until recently and all in all its a master piece.
or at least it doesn't have that many bugs.
The film is based on the book by the Strugatsky brothers ' Roadside Picnic "
Артем Фомин i have heard of the book too, but have you read it?
Salokin Sekwah The book is quite similiar but takes place in Canada after aliens have visited earth on a "roadside picnic" and thus the name.
Salokin Sekwah Unfortunately did not read .Bratya Strugatsky quite an ambiguous science fiction writers
***** not being rude, but i'm guessing 2 and half hours is a tad too much?
The atmosphere of Stalker series is priceless.
One of those games that has you leaning your head in your chair as you peer round corners, it’s that engrossing, atmospheric and tense. Love the underground labs
You forgot to mention the sleeping mechanic. If you're out in the middle of nowhere and have to set up a sleeping bag, you better make damn sure that you eat, because you can starve to death in your sleep, and you need to make sure you're sleeping where enemies can't find you, because dogs can and will kill you in your sleep.
+Sam Vimes The sleeping bag is a mod, not vanilla.
Gggmanlives oh it is? Well that's my bad then, I barely played the vanilla version. I almost immediately installed the Stalker Complete mod after I got the game.
Sam Vimes
It's all good, I think Stalker Complete mod is pretty much mandatory.
Gggmanlives I did quite a lot of research about this game before I bought it (i.e. reading through forums and such), and pretty everything I saw said to get the mod because the vanilla game was uh...kinda broken.
It makes things pretty weird when you're trying to recommend a game to your friends, but you have to tell them to install a mod to make it solid experience. I'd imagine it's even harder when you're actually trying to make a video review of the game. Do you judge it by it's potential + the mod? Or just by itself?
Sam Vimes
I think SoC is playable without mods, the other games not so much because they buggered around with the way weapons work in the sequels. I try to review the base game, without mods.
One of the best open world FPS ever created!
Another poor soul thinks that "+% health" actually increases your health. Sadly, it only increases your health regen.
3 to 5 minutes of loading??
WTF???
Man, you have a serious problem with your PC.
In the old days I have a shitty machine, and still can loading more fast than 3 minutes...
Even with mods like complete, the slow time was, at least, 2 minutes max.
But 3 to 5 minutes?
Freedom! Producciones www.google.com.au/search?q=stalker+loading+times&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=WUmnVb7jGqO0mwX534aYDQ
Gggmanlives Yeah, the initial game maybe... but the map to map or the quickload?
Freedom! Producciones
All of it, homeslice.
Freedom! Producciones loading from main menu(first boot) takes like 30-40 seconds maybe? But loading into other areas takes like 10 seconds for me.
warioman91 Yes!
Exactly!
And I play it having the two OS:
Windows XP SP3 with 32 bits.
And now have Windows 7 with 64 bits.
And never have that situation of need to wait so, so long for loading.
The game hates you. That's why it's so good.
Came here to post just that. In most games you are central and the world revolves around you. In STALKER, the world hates you and your miserable death will be unnoticed.
@@johntaylorson7769 Oddly, there's something liberating in that. Like you don't have to feel responsible for everyone else. It's a weight off your shoulders. As for the dying thing, refer to Bunny's existential speech in Platoon.
@@judsongaiden9878 Stalker: A game so bleak we turn to "Ain't never seen brains like that before" Bunny for guidance.
@@johntaylorson7769 Bunny would make a good stalker. He'd probably shack up with Duty (as would Barnes). Less for philosophical reasons and as an excuse to assert his will (though subordinate to the will of someone like Barnes).
@@judsongaiden9878 Can't argue with that. And against Snorks and the like he is Audie Murphy with that shotgun, though as we all know, having a secondary long distance weapon is vital in the Zone. I would imagine Bunny's days would eventually be cut short by the crack of a Monolith Dragunov and not a tear would be shed.
Gggmanlives, I love your reviews mate and agree with you 9 out of 10 times, but this review is so full of inaccuracies it can hardly be considered as one. It's more like a first impression without knowing too much about the game and relying on what somebody else told you (and he was lying). All the comments below are a testament to that.
To be accurate, the original disaster didn't cause the anomalies or the various mutations like chernobyl dogs etc., because there was a second explosion in the 2000's that caused this.
Some things that need to be addressed :
1) Bullet spongy enemies - game is designed around the Master difficulty setting which increases bullet damage across the board for both players and enemies. It wasn't even supposed to have different difficulties, but they were added because of the publisher.
2)There are no artifacts that increase your health - they change your resistances
3)There is no debate whether the Zone Reclamation Projects improves the game or not - it is literary a bug fix patch. If you play without it, you are just ruining the experience yourself.
4)There are multiple levels of crouching.
5) Kinda the whole point of the game is to be a stalker sim, to make you feel like just another one in the zone, hence your vulnerability and quick deaths.
Damn, my vanilla SOC's loading times are much less than yours
***** Initial world load in is like 2-4 mins, quickload is super fast.
BetterOnichThanSorry Yeah, same.
I found this game compelling from the start. The CRPG-like elements and atmosphere hooked me and seeing myself gradually get more and more powerful as I learned the ins and outs of the game kept me playing.
Dear newcomers to the series who have found it through this video:
I urge you, play neither Complete nor Misery for your first time through the game. Always go vanilla with bugfixing patches, such as the Zone Restoration Project, or light mods that do things such as enhance the FOV or change the HUD. I also recommend playing with Russian voices on, using English subtitles if you need it, for the purpose of extra immersion. The difficulty MUST be on Master, as the difficulties below it are broken and will result in some of your bullets quite literally disappearing from your rifle as you fire them.
Have fun.
No newbie should play Misery. Because that mod requires you to know a lot about the game itself.
BTW, what do you think about the Stalker Lost Alpha ?
Ilja Unbekannt
Even with heavy knowledge of the game itself, Misery still isn't fun and pulls a lot of shitty tricks.
Zone Reclamation Project is the way to go
One of the best games ever made.
"Crouching doesnt do a thing"
Somebody didn't know to press ctr and shift to crouch low.
@@phalxor Nice.
@Dalle Smalhals uh G-man*
How do you get 3-5 minute waiting times? This isn't a question, I want to know, because I only get loading times that are around 5 seconds, and I got this computer in around 2012, It's old, yet can run S.T.A.L.K.E.R with no problems at all.
All the bugs and glitches are just part of the Shadow of Chernobyl charm! So is the brutal difficulty. It's just not STALKER if you don't feel fragile.
1:16 "ShoC" takes place in 2012, six years after a second Chernobyl incident that occurred in 2006 in the timeline of the story which was the event that created the Zone as we know it. If you get the true ending, you find out that it was the result of experiments that had been going on since 1989.
1:54 "I want your eyes pig! I want them!" ~The Night Slasher, 'Cobra'
*Note:* How does a double-barrel shotgun jam? It lacks the parts to jam, yo! You can experience a misfire, but that's indicative of faulty ammo. The hammers on a "rabbit-ear" sidelock (which is what the TOZ-66 is) can break, but are relatively easy to fix with the right know-how. "Rabbit-ear" is American slang for double hammers on a double-barrel gun.
3:12 The artifacts I used most often in 'nilla ShoC were Moonlights and Crystals. Typically two Crystals and three Moonlights. That combo gave me unlimited stamina if unburdened (rapid stamina recovery if overburdened) combined with high rad resistance.
4:21 Try some mods. My fave is still Oblivion Lost 2010 even after all these years. I've had it since 2011 and I'm still playing it. My first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mod was Oblivion Lost 2.2 which I got in 2008 and didn't replace til having a more Zone-worthy computer built in 2011. There's also a mod called Arsenal which can be spliced with other mods. OL2010 is, itself, a megamod made up of other mods, including but not limited to Arsenal and Atlas Spawn (a spawn mod that lets you play the game "Choose Your Own Adventure" style so you can set up insane challenges if you like).
5:27 You have to use the right weapons with the right ammo types against certain enemies. For mutants, use any shotgun loaded with buckshot. I've always found the Chaser 13 (which is actually a Maverick 88, not a Winchester 1300) to be the overall best shotgun in 'nilla ShoC. I mods, it would be any variant of the Saiga 12 (C, K, S, etc.). For some reason, slugs suck in 'nilla ShoC even though should be the top-tier ammo choice for hunting monsters with a shotgun. But none of the shotguns in 'nilla ShoC have stocks and who uses slugs in a stockless shotgun? A rookie, that's who. Seriously, you'd get laughed at if you went to the range with a stockless pistol grip shotgun and shot slugs through it unless you overtly stated that your purpose for doing so was to illustrate how ineffectual it is.
7:16 Experiment with different ammo types against different enemies. And only play on Master difficulty. It differs per mod too. For example, I've found that I can kill a pseudogiant with only two sh0ts of armor-piercing 7.62x54R fired from an SVD in Oblivion Lost 2010 on Master difficulty. This works out perfectly because, in that mod, you can take the scope off the SVD and use it with ir0n sights (which is authentic to how it's used in real life since it's technically more of a designated marksman's rifle). This turns it into what I call a "safari rifle" which is ideal for hunting mutants in the Zone because ir0n sights don't inhibit peripheral vision like scopes do, so they're more intuitive and allow for greater situational awareness.
7:59 Seven
The best rpg/fps game ever .
some would say Deus Ex is the best First Person/RPG/..
@@massa9027 in 2000 yeah. Later, this game is considered as the best FPS/RPG in 2007
@@ytanonymity3585 It is good. I retract what i said about getting it right 3rd time. SHOC is fantastic.
I loved the vanilla game, no issues with loading times or difficulty level (although you have to take the game slowly). I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and various mechanics such as the "dynamic npc world", artifacts, anomalies, faction wars, variety of mutants: bloodsuckers, controllers and such. However what I found especially irritating were bugs causing dead of meaningful npcs by spawning them in fireplaces every time the game loads, the bugged sidequests that spontaneously activate on the other side of the map or require the player to travel back to the very beginning to collect reward. Also I would find my friendly stalkers dead because of random bandit raid that wouldn't stop no matter how many times i'd "cleared" the area. The one factor that makes this game is its climate. Simply walking back to the rookie camp to store and sell loot made you see how alive the world was. Soldiers patrolling the bridge, distant view of a pack of bandits strolling the planes that can only be spotted by their headlights and occasionally cracking a joke and laughing, a terrifying moan of stray mutant that running away got itself into a gravitational anomaly, and finally crossing the ridge to see friendly stalkers by the fire playing guitar and talking like tonight they forgot they were in an irradiated death trap. Russian dubbing + national lector. That's what made this game and both its sequels
"or require the player to travel back to the very beginning to collect reward" - I use a mod to make lift the time limit on the quest. For me, it's impossible to go to the other end of the map and return in one day
For me, STALKER and HL2 are on top of the list.
Also Crysis and Far Cry
I played this game knowing nothing about it, only saw that it was worth a try from somewhere, I loved the game the moment I got into a fight, it felt realistic like i've never seen a game do gunfights like this game. Everyone is stressed even you, the enemies are audibly breathing scared to die and you are too. it's just an awkward moment for everyone in gunfight just... waiting... to get a shot, and not die.
Then the atmosphere, the zone really pulled me into the game. This is such a special game for me.
Woah, hey guys, welcome to EB games!
5:28 The bloodsuckers are immune to damage while cloaked, that's why you do no damage. The player must wait for the bloodsucker to aproach and uncloak, only after that he can kill it.
A bit late, but not in SoC. Only in CS they are invulnerable when cloaked.
Weird that you had so much fuss with loading times. 2 up to 5 minutes with vanilla game? Never encountered that and I own the discs and official patches. Anyway, nice note with the first and second time you hated it. I had the same experience. Bought on release date, didnt liked it, played some months later, didnt liked it, played some more years later, didnt liked it. Played it 4 months ago again and now I love it, hell even lets play it on my channel. But such is life in the zone I guess.
It seems to be a common issue, there's lots of threads on Steam about it. It was never that well optimized from what I can recall.
Gggmanlives I found the game to run smooth as butter... unless I turned on Dynamic Lighting, then the game would get constantly slower and eventually run at about 10 frames per second. On another note, there is one mod I need to get the name of, but it fixes most bugs in the game while changing pretty much nothing from the gameplay if you set it to change nothing.
Gggmanlives It takes 50 seconds to load Stalker on old PC with 4GB DDR2 ram, , Dual Core CPU and GT 630 on max settings. On Win XP and Win 7. Nobody had such a loading issue in the past, after the game was released.
There is an issue between Win 8 and Stalker though, where it takes several minutes to load the game.
But thats Windows 8 issue, not a game performance issue. Probably because that OS was released after the Stalker games. And from what i heard, only some, not all, of Windows 8 users had this loading issue.
I found this game to be great, and most importantly it has some of the best and largest mods.
Big fan of the no bullshit approach mate. Subbed.
CTbear Thanks!
I played the misery mod for stalker call of Pripyat and was easily one of the best survival fps experiences I've ever had
The visual effects that games of this era were touting amazed me to no end. I think that kind of hype made games 10 times more enjoyable.
This was a truly fantastic and efficient review. very well done. Australian accent doesn't hurt one bit. Keep it up. Subbed.
@GGmanlives Just a few things I'd like to mention for the series in general...
With the final official patch the games runs smoothly and the loading times are below 1 min (and that was when I had 4 gb ram, 5850 gpu and i5-750 cpu). I have to mention that I played the retail drm-free version (maybe noprefetch activated helped, don't know).
Also, If you think that STALKER stories are sci fi mumbo jumbo then sorry but you weren't paying any attention. Especially SoC story is amazing and mindblowing especially towards the end. Yes, they are a little abstract, with few cinematics but if you listen to what the npcs say then it makes sense.
Also the complete mods are absolutely essential for anyone who wants to experience the game nowadays. The fact that most of the mechanics of the complete mod for SoC were integrated into later entries speaks volumes of its importance... Great reviews for some very underrated games otherwise.
Always sad to see someone play my favorite game very badly, then blame the game for being "unfair" and broken.
low life
He wasn't playing it badly the game is broken, stop being a fanboy
Yes! I´ve been waiting forever for your review of this game. You did a great job with it.
Personally, I love the game. You are right that there are lots of bugs and issues, but the atmosphere alone pulls me into this game like few others can. It´s on sale quite often on GOG or Steam and if it is, I advice everyone who loves games with a great atmosphere and world to buy it.
Stalker came out the same year as Crysis and Crysis got GOTY. Despite the bugs I knew Stalker was way better. More ambition and vision. Who talks about Crysis now? The Stalker Complete mod really improves a lot of issues too. Once you get a scoped weapon the combat improves dramatically. Great game.
Agreed. Also try metro 2033,if you hadn't,please!
its very often that good games are underrated at first, then become cult classics over time. Think Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines, System Shock 2 etc. All pretty much failed at release, but nowadays are talked about as being some of the best games in their respective genres.
Tbh, The ai being sneaky and doing lots of damage is kinda better since it means the AI is just as powerful and as logical as you are
Wow it's crazy how many cues metro 2033 takes from this game
and then manages to fuck it all up
+557deadpool only if it was open world...
+Cameron Dowden Many developpers of stalker moved to 4A to work on metro thats why.
Legio207 It's a shame whole GCS is separated today
+Cameron Dowden yeah, STALKER was ahead of it's time..
There's a game mechanic called the "Probability Hit Factor" that determines how many of your shots that are on target are actually counted. On difficulties lower than Master, there's a chance for your shots to be a guaranteed miss.
www.metacognix.com/stlkrsoc/WhatYouKnowThatAintSo.html
Lower on the page it says it does not along with other interesting stuff :)
CHEEKI BREEKI
I love how consistent you've remained with your content, GGG. I haven't been able to catch many of your reviews lately since I've been going ham on writing scripts and whatnot, but damn, I am so happy to see you cover STALKER and relay your experience of having played it three times.
Also - I love how they have a game world with the excuse of bland and bleak colors, yet they still exercised the artistic creativity to inject purple lightning storms and such.
I started playing today and its some of the most fun I've had since playing dark souls. A real challenge lol.
The thing about the AI not rushing into you just to dispatch them while you sit on a corner waiting for them was one of my best experience in gaming, it was actually what made me think I HAD to start thinking before doing something.
Also there bullet sponge issue and missing shots are due to you playing on lower difficulties, there is a variable that manages a hit/miss chance factor which makes a big percentage of your shots just disapear the lowesr a difficulty is. Although weapons also deal less damage, you shouldn't be careless enough as just rushing into a hallway knowing there will be enemies right in front of you. This game is almost perfect, way ahead of its time and its only actual problem is the bugs due to the lack of proper budget, a very common issue in East-European games.
Pants are way better than shirts...
#pantsmasterrace
PrimeVinyl Agreed just like up is better than down.
***** Go to reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace.
A joke, huh?
tylerboy565 Yes its a joke.
Lee Smith
It's _supposed_ to be a joke. Seriously, read the shit on that subreddit. It's not a joke to 99% of the people on there. It's sad.
*****
I agree, a lot of the shit on there is funny.
But then read the actual comments on posts.
The 1st time i played this game i loved it (1.5 patch), i never had loading issues or game breaking bugs, it's true that it has some "harsh" moments like the instakill headshot but in my opinion is part of the game.
The high difficulty was right with the tone of the game, it shows how deadly is The Zone and teachs to the player to not overlook any enemy because even the weaker ones can put you a headshot and you will be another waste in the zone.
Nowdays with Farcry 2,3 and 4 this game is easilly underapreciated but this was one of the first true open world Fps and it deserves more attention.
One of my all time favourite games
Install ZRP (zone reclamation project) for a first play-through so you can enjoy it vanilla but much less buggy.
No.
Im currently playing it now with the complete mod im liking it so far, and im gonna go on to say i love it for the setting and atmosphere alone.
It should also be noted that you CANNOT repair your gear normally in SoC... with the exception of one particular trick which im not sure is a glitch or not. Some artifacts increase your resistance to certain anomalies. Put enough of these together and the resistance goes over 100%, meaning you can actually heal/repair your gear by sitting in the corresponding anomaly. However, to pull off this magical bullshit, you will be running back and forth through the enemy-infested shithole that is the trainyard between "The Bar" and the ecologist's facility over and over again, trying to get the necessary artifact as a quest reward.
Hey man , saw all your Stalker reviews and liked them you sir got a new sub :D
***** Thanks for the sub!
Still my second if not best game I've played. Highly recommend it. As he said you may hate it in the beginning, as did I but I grew love for this game and it stayed.
+Marthinus Steyn Same here. The STALKER series is my favorite, followed by BioShock (1, 2, infinite), Skyrim and then Fallout (4, 3, NV).
Not that this should excuse critcism of the base game, but the Zone Reclaimation Project is a good way to fix a lot of the bugs while still retaining the vanilla experience, for those interested.
Very fair review, btw.
When i first played it i liked it. The 2nd time i played it, it felt quite tedious. Now, in the time of Call of Battlefield: Modern Warfighter, i like it agian.
Btw. do you have a new mike? You sound a lot better than before.
Yeah dude new mic.
I'm surprised you never did a Mod Corner video for Stalker Lost Alpha. It's definitely one of the most talked about stand-alone mods of the last decade. As a matter of fact, 2024 marks its 10-year anniversary. Plus, we're (hopefully) getting Stalker 2 this fall. 2024 is shaping up to be the year of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
I humbly disagree..this game is designed to make you feel like a weakling and inch your way around by getting better..ppl are just spoiled these days and expect every game to be like halo!
0:29 Sepia tone, aka "Tarkovsky vision." What did you think of the SG550? Some players overlook it, but it's my five-five-sixer of choice in 'nilla ShoC. Notice how I call it a "five-five-sixer" and not a "NATO rifle." That's because, being of Swiss origin, it's not technically a NATO rifle. At least not the iteration that we see in-game which is the Stg.90, successor of the Stgw.57 (the '57 being generally regarded as "the Rolls-Royce of battle rifles"). Its being the Stg.90, the OG Swiss Army variant, is the reason why it doesn't accept a SUSAT. Picatinny rails weren't a standard feature for Swiss rifles at that time. Some mods add other variants of the same rifle, one of which is the late '90s law enforcement export model which has a Picatinny rail as a standard feature.
1:54 Technically, a double-barrel shotgun lacks the parts to jam. Some mods replace the word "jam" with "misfire" which has a broader definition. A misfire might be the result of faulty ammunition, whereas a jam implies mechanical failure. Since the sawed-off TOZ-66 is a "rabbit-ear" sidelock (American gun-nut slang for double hammers on a double-barrel gun), then in real-world terms, it's possible for the hammers to break, but that's different from a gun jamming.
2:39 Always pack a shotgun for pre-Bar adventuring. I can tell you're heading back to 100 Rads from what was likely a pre-Bar side quest, judging by the fact that you have a G36, a rifle that you typically don't get til after you've explored some post-Bar areas (like Army Warehouses). The technique I'd use to maintain my ammo supply was to divvy up my gear in the blue footlocker at 100 Rads Bar into pre-Bar and post-Bar sections (in my head, that is). I'd only use 5.45 rifles, typically an AN-94, for pre-Bar adventuring (including side quests that occurred after visiting post-Bar locales). For post-Bar adventuring, anything goes. Shotguns and 9mm pistols (both 9x18 and 9x19) don't need to be divvied up like this because ammo is plentiful for them with the exception of .45 ACP which is predominantly a post-Bar caliber. If you do it this way - reserving 5.56, 9x39, 7.62x54R, and .45 ACP for post-Bar regions - you'll never run out of ammo for the "best" weapons. Also, don't underestimate the sawed-off. It's wrongly defined as a rookie's weapon, but actually takes finesse to use effectively. Use it with an Old West gunslinger's finesse and it'll serve you well, especially in pre-Bar areas. If you use a shotgun in post-Bar areas, the Chaser 13 (actually a Maverick 88, not a Winchester 1300) is the overall best. The SPAS-12 is for Hollywood chumps if you ask me. Give me simplicity any day! It gets the job done.
*Note:* Some mods give the G36 a fully functional combination sight.
3:12 9x39mm rifles hit hard enough to be used as substitutes for shotguns when fighting mutants. The Groza right there is a Groza-4 in OTs-14-4A-04 (grenadier) configuration. That particular iteration is also called the Groza-9/40 (9x39mm over 40mm). The real-world Groza shares 75% parts commonality with the AKS-74U. As for that artifact arrangement, the combination of a Moonlight and a Flash will give you unlimited stamina while not encumbered and rapid stamina replenishing while encumbered (more than 50kg but less than 60). Also, I see that you're using the Big Ben. Personally, I prefer to reserve al 9x39mm ammo for use in rifles, but that's just me. You've got PAB-9 and SP-5 there. There's also SP-6 (black-stripe 9x39 AP rounds) which might just be the overall best ammo in 'nilla ShoC. I recommend reserving SP-5 (yellow-stripe sharpshooter rounds) for use in the VSS Vintorez since it takes the most advantage of the increased effective range. Reserve SP-6 for use against enemies wearing heavy armor. Use PAB-9 on all other enemies and mutants. If you do it this way, you'll never run out of the "best" ammo types.
3:20 What I call "the explorer's combo": SEVA, PSZ-9Md, or SSP-99M combined with two Moonlights and three Crystals. Gives you unlimited stamina and high rad resistance.
4:21 Most mods improve all the weapons, so the ones that were previously crappy are actually useful (and maintain their usefulness well into the later parts of your journey). In Oblivion Lost, an AKS-74U could make a handy backup weapon throughout most post-Bar regions.
4:30 That PM right there, the Pistol of Makarov (or Pistolet Makarova), is the newer two-tone IJ-70 version. The other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, as well as most ShoC mods, replace it with its older incarnation with blued finish and checkered bakelite grip panels.
5:27 Use buckshot or PAB-9 on mutants (reserve PAB-9 for post-Bar regions). If you're up for a sporting challenge, try hunting snorks with a pistol. Try to nail them in the head. Otherwise, it's always fun to blast them out of the air with a shotgun. Slugs and darts are pathetic in the 'nilla games, but actually work well in mods like Oblivion Lost 2010. Btw, it's actually possible to one-shot a bloodsucker by nailing it in the head with a pistol while it's unaware of your presence. Or a rifle for that matter, but it's more challenging with a pistol.
6:13 Just so happens the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and the Borderlands series are my top jams.
7:29 Ah, but mods typically do a lot more than that. Did you ever want to drive a Niva into a Whirligig while spawning a huge horde of two dozen or more pseudogiants and then splice that together with Sub-Terrania music by Jesper Kyd (whose last name is JAKOBSon)? Spawn menus are perfect for creating insane Zone Sportsmanship Challenges of demented do0m.
7:59 Seven.
picked this game up thanks to this review and man I fucking love this game
I loved this game and I still play it from time to time. I love exploring all the areas and getting into the gun fights with bandits and military.
Good review, thanks, was looking forward to this.
I agree on the most part with everything you said (I also hated it the first time round).
I didn't really mind that enemies kill you quickly, it forced me to be very careful and aware of the environment and how I approached gunfights - a welcome change to the run and gun holding your hand method some other more well known shooters do. I also didn't really mind bloodsuckers or controllers etc packing a punch either. For me it really gave me a tangible reason to shudder with fear if I could sense one around -
It would have been really shit if you'd be able to take one down with a shotgun blast. It was the atmosphere and the great way the game makes you feel vulnerable and alone in its world that won me over.
Will you be doing Call of Pripyat? It's by far the most polished experience in the Stalker series.
I'll work my way through the series.
man i just found your channel and its nice to hear an aussie reviewer for a change
CHEEKI BREEKI IV DAMKE
I love the way this game does difficulty. It's not like most games where they just increase the enemies health and damage output. In this, it increases weapon damage for both you and the enemies. This means that you can kill them faster but they can also kill you faster too.
This game is infinitely better with mods in every regard. I recommend Oblivion Lost, and Autumn Aurora 2, the latter brings the graphics completely up to modern levels as well.
+FrankDaTank1218 Oblivion lost did rule..
i like that you did a review of this game so long after its release. kind of a new perspective on an old interesting game.
You got the setting wrong, it doesn't actually take place after the first disaster, it actually takes place after a 2nd disaster when scientists tried to fix it.
Great review that sums this game's experience, I just finished my very first playthrough(unmodded except for the ending level where I got some subtitles) and now I love this game. Never had any of this long loading zones issues on the gog version. Started on Clear Sky now which so far is: ...meeh. Cheeki Breeki!
I didn't notice any bugs or long loading times in the gog version.
The way you fighting enemies looks weird. I feel like you are rushing through the game. I could be wrong, but you need to take your time and play clever to defeat each enemy.
That's just boring
Just so you know there's two crouching heights and I agree the first height is pretty useless in many circumstances but uses the other does help when hiding from enemies. You could key bind both commands to one button so you can have a permanent lower crouch which is something I could see people missing.
I don't see anything wrong with the mini-map. You know you can zoom out, right?
A few things that needs clarifying:
- there is no artifact that increases _Health_ but _Health Regeneration_ and considering that those also come with negative effects ( -10 to impact, rupture and bulletproof cap) it's best not to use during combat, same can be said about many artifacts. Use only when needed.
- enemy NPCs and mutants can be bullet sponges, sure but the silencers on weapons have -25% damage so that's why you had troubles taking 'em out. Only use the silencers when really needing them.
- Long loading times (2-5min?!), never had such issues on Win7 and 10 unless under compatibility, I gave the executable Administrator rights and changed the compatibility mode. If you don't mess with stuff like that, it should also run well.
-Certain ammo type is non existent, most of the rare ammo is available from stashes, mission rewards or some of the vendors at the Bar and the Freedom base
Also main missions are not timed so when you get a mission such as the "Steal the documents from the military in Agroprom", a pretty difficult mission so early in the game, you can go the opposite direction such as the Dark Valley and explore, find better gear. It's best to ignore main missions and simply wonder the Zone until you feel like you're ready :D
Pretty sweet and thorough review. I don't think even the biggest fanboys will deny that STALKER's a very flawed game. I do feel like you're giving mutants a bit too much shit, though. They are kinda bullet spongey but I think it's a nice touch because it forces you to stay calm and aim for the head. It's especially rewarding with bloodsuckers when you finally stop shitting your pants, focus and take them down with a few well aimed shots. Carrying an anti-mutie shotgun helps too, I guess.
Ah good old stalker,so much memories from the very first playtrough.
It took me quite a while to finish it the first time.Kept getting stuck,frustrated and absolutey frightened.(i was 12 btw.)When i finally got a hang of it i found myself emersed in a virtual world like never before. It really is a special experience and one of my favorite games of all time,even with all the bugs and the shitty hit detection.
With a mod like the Complete Mod, this is one of the best games of its type out there.
Atmosphere cannot be matched. Terrifying, without cheap scares.
Gunplay is actually realistic. I understand Ggg's frustration on being one-shotted, but that's what would actually happen. There are only a handful of mutant types that are bullet sponges. For the rest of the enemies you fight, they are as vulnerable as you are.
Storyline is really interesting -- a variation on the brilliant novella "Roadside Picnic", with a bit from Tarkovsky's amazing film . The multiple endings and almost entirely open world character of the game make for rewarding replays.
I also recommend Call of Pripyat, which is the third game in the series. There is also an amazing, free, fan made game of the original Alpha version of SOC, called STALKER: Lost Alpha, which provides an almost entirely new experience.
Playing the game today is truly great. There are updated graphics through mods and loading times are mere seconds when you die or move to a new area.
Amazing game, ran trough it so many times on different mods. Played original too, but original felt too easy. If you press ctrl + shift you can low crouch which improves your aim by a ton. You can take out the military in the beginning easilly and even raid their camp. If you hide in those bushes under the trees they can't see you which gives you time for free head shots with the pistol, rewarding you with early AK's and bullets and theres some boxes in the bushes to the right of the base too filled with handgun ammo, about 200 - 300.
The fun thing about this game is playing cat and mouse with the AI, utilizing what they can and cannot do. The atmosphere is just amazing, really pulls you into the world, the living AI is fun too with all the groups of monsters and gangs of stalkers roaming about, also stashes to grab for more loot. The sense of danger is something you rarely come across in other games nowadays, most are just rushing around, taking bullets to the face, which kinda.... gets old.
And theres also some hidden stuff around the game, unique weapons and armors. Like in the beginning you can find a free mercenary armor if you jump the roofs above Wolf. The next building got boxes inside the attic you can shoot at. Some stalkers wear unique weapons too and there unique weapons in anomaly filled tunnels.
I used the following mods playing the series.
SoC: Oblivion lost ( Tons of new weapons and stuff, lots of free play after the end, gives you a cool UI when using gasmasks and stuff, similiar to metro )
CS: Sky Reclamation project ( General bug fixes and improvements )
CoP: Call of Pripyat Complete ( General bug fixes, graphical improvements, some new features )
I just bought the bundle for all 3 STALKER games on Steam. Which mods are essential for having a more stable Shadow of Chernobyl experience?
Autumn Aurora 2
the game is pretty stable really just as long you have a decent computer things should run smooth with short load times
Play vanilla STALKER if you have a Death Wish, and we all know, all true stalkers have deat wishes.