By the way, I still remember the mission in original STALKER where you have to go an underground lab (Lab 16?) - never in my gaming experience I was so immersed and scared. Playing it at night, with headphones - I was there! Descending deeper and deeper into a post-soviet, abandoned lab...
X-18 will always live on in my mind as the most terrified I was in a game. I had to stop twice because it was too spooky. X-16 was really good too, loved trying to get into that one with all the zombies and mutants on the surface.
X16 really set the tone for what to come because it's the first underground section every STALKER player experienced when they were first introduced to the game. But on the scary scale i think X18 is still one level above X16 with all the psychic mutant the player has to face along with a bunch of snork jump scare and a freaking Pseudogiant blocking the way.
@@tuananhhoang7113 you got the labs switched. But I know what you mean. Yeah Agroprom Underground was pretty scary, but then you do X-18 and that was pure terror lol. It really solidified the stalker experience and tone. I'll never forget escaping that lab and getting away from the military after how relieved I was to be back in Cordon.
@@MERCENARIE True words. I had the same experience and rollercoaster of fear and panic. I remember way back going into x18 on my second playthrough, I put on music and tried to rush through that lab. After countless playthroughs you get used to everything in there, until you try out a few mods...you feel like a X18 virgin again.
@@MERCENARIE You're right. Agroprom's underground was probably too small and not scary enough to make such a lasting impression (although the sound of the emergency light at the entrance is definitely one to remember). But then the first descent into X18 was definitely a unique experience, with the terror of the unknown and the joy of finally getting out of there.
STALKER was a unique game in that it really felt like its world had a life of its own and could go on just fine without you. Animals hunted, mutants prowled and roving squads had pitched gun battles that you could sit and watch play out, and you were nothing more than one man with a gun and (hopefully) the sense to know where to stay away from and when to run away. And when you didn't, well... another one lost to the Zone.
Immersive sims are what games like this are called, Deus Ex (the original more than the newer games), System Shock, and the newer Prey games are all examples
I’ll definitely be playing this game no matter what. These devs deserve all the support they can get from gamers. They have literally lost dev team members to the war because they grabbed a gun and fought for their country.
15 years and mods are still being made for the original trilogy. I can scarcely being to imagine what the mods for STALKER 2 would be like, especially ones from the makers of Dead Air, Anomaly, and Lost Alpha.
wow.. a content creator that knows about stalker and not bc of the recent hype.. love the video. been waiting 10 years for this game. thanks for bringing it to a bigger audiance.
@@Loy_Otterton never said there was anything wrong which is why I thanked him for bringing it to a bigger audience. Just surprising to see an old fan that is also a content creator
In my opinion no other game has replicated the stalker atmosphere of feeling like 1 random stalker in a desolate, chaotic world that can kill you at any moment. The two other stated games in the thread are too linear in design to capture the feeling of walking in the zone. Id say tarkov can sometimes feel similar with the brutal pvp and the tense atmosphere. Ive only recently played the vanilla stalker franchise and it has only made me worry and sceptical if this sequel can do it right.
its the music. the music in original stalker was so good it immersed you. People always underestimate the power of music that dictates your mood or feeling and that contributes (in my opinion) the majority of its atmosphere.
Not fighting for Ukraine. Fighting for billionaire plutocrat western elites, who orchestrated this war in the first place. Ukraine just happened to be in the most convenient geographical location to launch from.
@@TheVanillatech "Western elites" caused this war huh? Not Russian aggression.... Obviously, how could I not see that before?!?! The west literally commanded Russia's armies to invade Ukraine over Putins head, because they're just that powerful eh? Yeah no. Russian propaganda is so low level and stupid you'd have to be some kind of moron to buy that shit. And you don't get to tell Ukrainian what they're fighting for, because you're a nobody with zero authority.
@@nexeos It's great that you have an opinion. But it's wrong. Never let what you want to believe get in the way of reality. Be a critical thinker, not a sheep. Your life will be infinitely better, and perhaps one day you will produce useful children. Peace.
@@TheVanillatech The most ironic thing I have ever seen anyone write. You should really follow your own advice. "It's great that you have an opinion. But it's wrong." Man, that's funny.
I tried Anomaly after seeing a video about it (pretty sure it was Drewski) and immediately picked up all three original games & modded the hell out of them; I love everything about this series, the premise, the backstory, the gameplay, the characters, the fact the devs were so open to the modding community and all the killer mods that followed, stalker is a crazy world that's easy to get lost in.
Dude, Stalker is still running deep in my veins. I had more jump scares and nail biting experiences in playing this game, than any other following this type of game play. The feel of the game is perfect and the mods are a necessity at this point. Lost alpha is still one of my fav mods. I have replayed so many times, so many different ways. The anomalies are a HUGE part of the experience.
TH-camrs really need to be shouting out the dev team for not only continuing work throughout the invasion, but for a lot of them, they have had to take time off work to literally fight in the war. These guys get a pass for any bugs or delays in my book.
The closest game to the stalker feeling I've played is Chernobylite. Yes, it's mostly linear and has a kinda different focus. But the atmosphere, the feel, the whole thing... is SO STALKER. Also Into the radius VR is another gem. I wish you talked about these two in the video.
Thanks you for bringing up this game to me, I have been waiting for another game similar to the vives that the Metro and stalker series give off, I'll give it a try.
Yea chernobylite is great game from a little team!just playing today!I have 30 hours of game!The ambient and atmosphere is so immersive!i can just wait for Stalker 2!👋🇨🇭
I think a game that does the stalker style really well is into the radius. It's a vr game but you do the same stuff as stalker, you throw bolts at anomalies, you kill non human creatures, you trade, you quest, you loot, but all in vr. The only thing they need is other humans, you are the only one there, your safe zone is empty of people, you trade with and get quests from machines. There are no bandits or factions, there are no distant fights unrelated to you. But it's fun.
I think that actually is what gives it it's feel. A lot of vr games that include interactive NPCs breaks immersion with jank. I also feel like the isolation adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Stalker was part of my childhood, its nice to see everyone start to talk about it, I love the series so much I learned how to play the guitar soundtracks on my guitar and ive never felt proud of myself :))
Did you see that girl Gingertail sing the STALKER song on TH-cam? Fucking amazing. Almost brought me to tears. Luckily I washed my eyes with vodka and used that as an excuse... th-cam.com/video/urK8zFwa-4c/w-d-xo.html
@@decem_sagittae how many 13 year old games do you know of that end up with sequels that get released after half the dev team goes to war and the other half flees the country?
@@decem_sagittae while that country is being invaded, power being knocked out, employees being separated, buildings being destroyed. You seem to be either lying to yourself, or not aware of how just how much effort it takes to "relocate to another country".
@@tarkov666 in ww2 the post office and mail services still worked in Berlin as it was falling to the Soviets. You're being too dramatic and emotional. With these guys they all fled to Czechia when the Russian aggression began and finished the game there so now they're releasing it.
At one point, Real Russian Army fired Cruise Missiles over developers' homes, and still do from time time. Not the mention some of the people DIED in the war. I don't know man, but Stalker devs deserve the highest respect a game developer can receive. Also cap, it is good to see you cover Stalker. More Content like this would be very much appricated.
I remember playing the first STALKER game and i must admit this is the only game that genuinely give me nightmares. Had to dig in deep to finish the game and it was so satisfying 😌
Cant wait. One of my favorite games of all times. The mood and ambience was just amazing. Yes the games had "some" bugs, but back then every game had a fair amount of them. Call of Pripyat was also really good.
This is probably the only game I actually feel comfortable pre ordering, considering the circumstances in which it's being created under. I want to support them.
Still can’t believe I was in Chernobyl at the end of 2021, mainly thanks to the love I had for the first game! Going to be crazy walking around in game recognising things.
@@James-xn6zh definitely man, me and my partner were really upset by it all. Everyone was only nice to us, met some amazing people I’m still in contact with luckily.
Stalker was something I was most hyped about. Even the leaked alpha already had the atmosphere only Stalker had. I remember the early days, when we had the first mods like sleeping bag, drivable cars etc and with Google translate on both sides helped the Ukrainian modders to translate them to English. The stalker special edition box was a proud decoration growing up.
STALKER is great because the world is constantly alive, dynamic, emergent, and more vitally, entirely indifferent to the player's presence, which is simply incidental to it. STALKER has never been a player-focused experience, it's a world-focused one. The Zone couldn't care less about you in the original games, you had as much value as a pack of mutant dogs and were just as expendable. This, unfortunately, doesn’t look to be the case anymore from the trailers released, which are cinematic and script heavy. Like all power-fantasy, player-centric games today, the world is crafted and revolves around the player. Instead of creating their own stories and creating immersion by crafting an emergent world, players are hand-led by the developer through a linear, scripted, cutscene heavy campaign, pulling the agency from the player's hands to be _”immersive",_ and ironically achieving the exact opposite. Cinematics and scripting are fundamentally antithetical to what STALKER is, and it’s very disappointing to see how the developers are making the player the center of the experience, not the Zone. Have to say as a huge fan of the originals, I’m cynical. If anything, at least we have the original games with a far superior game design philosophy instead of one that, I suspect, is designed this way to be more commercially viable to current market trends. This is apparently what modern gamers want so I’m hard-pressed to place it at the feet of the developers. But I predict the original trilogy will continue to be modded upon for years to come while this game will eventually fade……a testament to the strength of the originals’ underlying game design philosophy that has, to this day, yet to be bested.
You're absolutely spot on, man! Finally I've found somebody who thinks the same. Everybody's going crazy saying: "Oh my God, this looks so good, I'm so hyped", but ever since the initial trailer, I just knew something was wrong with the whole concept. STALKER is my all time favorite game, nothing can touch it when it comes to the immersion factor. Only Far Cry 2 comes somewhat close. But gone are the days when developers had the balls to be groundbreaking and didn't cater to the masses. Everybody wans to feel safe and enjoy the ride - that's how gamers are nowadays. Conform, obey, spend - that's world for you today. If you dare to be different, you're an outcast.
I completely loved the original game and put many many hours into it. I remember that years and years of delays before it finally released. Great to see a second on the way, respect to the team for sticking with it through thick and thin.
I been playing STALKER since SoC, I love the mods for it, replay value of SoC is top tier. Even with rampant bugs still present, I love the game. I have made most of a merc stalker suit, I just needed a proper looking gas mask.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R - Clear Sky was the first FPS game I ever played. My mom was very much anti-video games that involved violence, and she was adamantly against FPS games. A large part of this had to do with most realistic/military FPS games on PC being rated "16", "18" or Mature, but when I found a 2nd hand copy of SCS at a game store with it's "13" age rating (my age at the time), I managed to convince her to let me buy and play it (big ups the clerk at the store, he helped convince my mom lmao). I was so excited that I literally played no other game for months, I was totally engrossed in this gaming experience that I had never had before, and it no doubt heavily influenced the kinds of games I enjoy today. I purchased and played SHOC and COP a few years later and enjoyed both immensely :) Ended up replaying all 3, especially SHOC which I modded to hell and back multiple times. Suffice to say - I'm so fuckin hyped for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2! Edit: Saw someone else in the comments talking about Lab X-18! That level was the most terrified I've ever been playing an FPS!
When STALKER came out it was mostly everything I wanted. The game had so many places to visit, had so many different feelings like what story behind this camp? Where this train was suppossed to go? Is this real or just in game thing? It had its own life. You felt the zone. Many mods expanded on it and brought more life to it. It was almost never ending exploration and that atmosphere. Remarkable classic.
someone I watch who loves the oringinal has said. "I have no expectations for the game, the bar is low especially after they were going to add NFTs till the public lashed out on them for it".
My massive concern isn't with the core game (though that is something to be concerned about), it's with modibility. Stalker is only as successful as it is because of the ability for the community to constantly pump out content. The Steam page states that they're keeping modding at the forefront, but I've yet to see any Unreal game be as openly moddable as the x-ray engine was. The most telling sign of this to be a cause for concern is the fact that STALKER 2 has pre-order content, such as skins. If being able to mod the game is such a core concept, then providing user skins seems to infer that some things won't be user accessible. So how moddable is the game really?
1:14 that is an extremely bold statement, given todays gaming culture. That’s not something I had ever thought about, and it’s very true. Excellent video LC!!!
@@vexmyth0clast try gunslinger as well it is considered the king the gun mods for stalker and also add new animations for all the Food, Drinks and Medical item's if you don't believe me here's a example : th-cam.com/video/intUYJgKqPc/w-d-xo.html
7:36 Some of the devs joined the fight. On their channel, GSC Gameworld, they talk about it. Some companies promise the sky and release crap, I give the Stalker devs a benefit of doubt. If un-optimized, I'll wait for patches. One of them, Volodymyr Yezhov, was recently KIA defending Bakhmut. He worked on the original STALKER: CS. The devs that survive will have 1st hand experience of weapons, explosions, fighting, sounds of *incoming* and the actual experience of the *suppression* effect - and I'm sure the game will reflect that. The devs of Tarkov for example have a LOT of first hand weapon experience, frequently visit the range and also many of them actually own the weapons in-game (which considering they're Russian is rare)
First time I played the game was incredible; the setting, the atmosphere/music, gun-play, sneaking in the dark. I really loved playing the game. So, of course I'm excited to get to play *_Stalker 2!_*
Something you failed to mention is the fact that some of the developers have not only fought on the frontlines for Ukraine but also sadly passed away in the process. GSC has every ounce of my respect and i can't wait to jump into the world they're creating. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦
Never played a stalker game before. Only ever watched videos when I was younger on G4. Looked so cool. Can't wait to play this since this type of game is right up my alley. Just hope the team doesn't rush with what has happened over the years
I tried Stalker long ago without mods and didn't like it, but lately, because of the GAMMA hype, I tried that. It was too buggy for me, but I stumbled across another modpack called STALKER EFP (Escape From Pripyat). It runs awesome for me and crashes much more rarely. If you want a modern Stalker experience while waiting for Stalker 2, I highly recommend EFP! It's also insanely customizable, so if the default settings are too painful, you can change things up however you want.
This game is going to be the latest CP2077, everyone is so hyped but it will disappoint on release. I don't trust these devs they still haven't shown any gameplay or overview of the game world and mechanics, how it's played etc.
@@guts4347 if they need to release an unfinished game for financial reasons I will support them. They are a small studio that have had to sacrifice man power to literally fight in a war. They have shown a commitment to after launch support and the modding community will be great. Its the economics of gaming when small studios have to release an unpolished product, they sit there operating at a loss with no income till something is released, in this case they are literally in the worst case scenario so get a pass in my book.
@@capitalist_jesus Bruh, even if the game is a massive disappointment don't suppose modding can magically fix it. Look at CP2077 the game has an amazing modding community and yet the game feels incomplete even with 30 mods installed. The devs are basically trying to cash in from the name and popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R they will dish out a product nowhere near to our expectations, believe me.
Original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are so underappreciated and i am so happy to see now so many ppl having interest in this franchise. Helgate London is another forgothen gem who didn't get enough atention when was released.
I am so fucking uberHYPED about this game! And accually I don't care if there are some bugs or missing features at launch when you consider what the devs had to go through the last year or so. They even had one of their original devs KIA a week or so ago, my condolences to the team. The game so far are looking amazing with some of the best graphics i've ever seen in facial animations etc. This is one of those games that whatever the state of the game is at launch, im still going to love it
The fact that people think Elden Ring is the hardest of hard-core games shows how fast we've gotten from the 90's in which "3 lives" lost doesn't set you back to a checkpoint. You just start the whole game over. Also there was almost never a tutorial, you just figured out out based on the hints placed around you. Players were required to play and experiment with the game to fully learn it
I to grew up on these. If you haven't tried it yet, I recommend Squad. IMO its the best version of Operation Flashpoints style of game, although its fully multiplayer.
@@capitalist_jesus thanks. I’ll check it out. I play some ARMA 3 and star Citizen atm but have less time to play than I did back then. Damn work and responsibilities 😂
Stalker really was a amazing game and was soooo underated at the time. I'm glad it's finally getting the attention it deserves. I never liked FPS games and mostly still don't they're just too cartoony. I am and will always be a sim shooter type of girl. My all time favorites of the genre are America's Army (which kinda started off the genre for me and maybe was the first sim shooter ever?), The Arma series, Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl and DayZ. What stalker does which no other game has been able to do is build a world which feels deep, is genuinely terrifying and filled with mystery. You want to explore the game but with caution lol.
I'd urge you to try Fallout New Vegas. It's perhaps slightly goofier than STALKER sometimes, but there is a similar spirit of exploration and grittiness there. Plus it's an all-time classic
Og stalker here, What i love about stalker is atmosphere of that u know ur nothing in the zone, BUT mainly u can play the game how U want, thats best thing and pick any game
I played the first Stalker way back. Recently I found out the existence of Anomaly and GAMMA through TH-camrs and it hooked me. The combination of hardcore gunplay, survival and adjustability let's you set a very immersive experience. For quite some time I just played several "short stories" (hours to days) of ironman to see how I can fare as a newbie to the zone. You cannot fake the immersion of having just one life in hardcore setting like that. And if some setting does not feel good, you can change it (I up the damage of guns a bit for example). Now I play Ironman with life granter so that lives are still precious, but random screw-up does not end the journey. The recent update in AI is also sick. They are quite competent and in times make impression of real human.
I'll tell ya this, all russians, ukranians and pretty much anyone from russiam speaking countries already knows this all and have been the ogs since day one It makes me happy seeing that it's still alive, that 2 gets the proper recognition and is striving Love to you all stalkers, can't wait for 2
Im currently playing Call of Pripyat - amongst all other amazing things, I have to say the sound design is amazing. The feeling that is created by ambient noise is undescribable.
Both "Metro" and "Survarium" were made by people previously working in GSC. "Metro" was made by people responsible for the first Stalker game engine. while Survarium was created by the main engine-developer, main game-designer and PR-director of GSC.
i have never been so hyped for a release. EVER. And i truly trust GSC vision of the sequel will deliver. And then we can enjoy another 15 years of awesome mods from the community. We all win
I remember 15 years ago.. One of the Employees stole the entire source code and engine for this game, and they had to restart and that original game and what is was suppose to be, got ruined and lost, just like the space Program.. they had to restart and make up for what they lost.
Played all three of them what feels like a life time ago and loved them, didnt even know this was in the works, i hope im able to find the time to play this one as well
Love the video. I just wanted to mention that the original metro devs are ex stalker devs and that the metro games have the same sense of immersion or in my opinion even better immersion than staker and its achieved by the more linear and story focused gameplay. I think it does not matter if its an open world or linear with a great story and atmosphere any game can be an immersive masterpiece like staker or metro games.
Funfact: Many people think that the Fallout and the Stalker series inspired each other, even when thats basically impossible since Fallout was released many many years before Stalker was even close to release (1997 for Fallout and 2007 for Stalker)
I now play Stalker Clear sky, on max settings. I have waited so long to do this! And the mods are so good. Gameplay, graphical, or whatever you want. This series is alive, even after all these years, when games have come and gone, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is still strong! If STALKER 2 has half the gameplay of the original triolgy, it's a winner for me. I'll wait
honestly part of me wants them to push the game back another year just so it doesnt flop cause i havent been able to experience the true stalker feel and i doubt that i will be able to feel it with the older games cause i never grew with it but you have got me hyped for the game and now i can only hope
This is probably the first time where if a game came out broken I wouldn't be disappointed. These devs have been through hell and are still pushing forward.
From a technical perspective, this thing was so incredibly broken for me. It was crashing every couple of minutes, and at one point, the crash came at the same moment in time, no matter how many times I reloaded the save or which place I went to, in order to try and hide from the crash. Also had to add mods, just so that my rifle didn't wear out every few minutes.
Stalker is the Godfather of the genere. Been playing Fall Out, Metro, Skyrim, etc, but never get that feeling of "being inside something for real" that Stalker gives. Agree about the second and third feels like dlc's, anyway they are worth to play as well. Great video
What made STALKER so popular nowadays is the mods...i just hope the devs understand that and give the community an easy and fully modable game...GSC doesn't need to make a perfect game,we just want a stable, release ready game with hopefully little amount of bugs,and the modding community will do the rest
Unreal has never handled large geometrically complex maps with a good framerate, so its going to be interesting to see if this latest attempt finally breaks the performance ceiling.
Stalker 2? Wait, no way. I haven't been able to actually play Stalker because of the current platform I'm on but this gives an entirely new breath to the game. I cannot wait.
There aren’t any bugs in stalker they’re just another anomaly
One of the endings literally crashes your game, and it's intended to do so. So yeah, I guess you're right
@@Slowponeh that's anomaly
@@samargrewal929 Oh yeah, I haven't played original SoC for like 10 years, forgot it had different endings
Such is life in the Zone....
*Todd Howard Intensifies*
By the way, I still remember the mission in original STALKER where you have to go an underground lab (Lab 16?) - never in my gaming experience I was so immersed and scared. Playing it at night, with headphones - I was there! Descending deeper and deeper into a post-soviet, abandoned lab...
X-18 will always live on in my mind as the most terrified I was in a game. I had to stop twice because it was too spooky. X-16 was really good too, loved trying to get into that one with all the zombies and mutants on the surface.
X16 really set the tone for what to come because it's the first underground section every STALKER player experienced when they were first introduced to the game.
But on the scary scale i think X18 is still one level above X16 with all the psychic mutant the player has to face along with a bunch of snork jump scare and a freaking Pseudogiant blocking the way.
@@tuananhhoang7113 you got the labs switched. But I know what you mean. Yeah Agroprom Underground was pretty scary, but then you do X-18 and that was pure terror lol. It really solidified the stalker experience and tone. I'll never forget escaping that lab and getting away from the military after how relieved I was to be back in Cordon.
@@MERCENARIE True words. I had the same experience and rollercoaster of fear and panic. I remember way back going into x18 on my second playthrough, I put on music and tried to rush through that lab. After countless playthroughs you get used to everything in there, until you try out a few mods...you feel like a X18 virgin again.
@@MERCENARIE You're right. Agroprom's underground was probably too small and not scary enough to make such a lasting impression (although the sound of the emergency light at the entrance is definitely one to remember). But then the first descent into X18 was definitely a unique experience, with the terror of the unknown and the joy of finally getting out of there.
STALKER was a unique game in that it really felt like its world had a life of its own and could go on just fine without you. Animals hunted, mutants prowled and roving squads had pitched gun battles that you could sit and watch play out, and you were nothing more than one man with a gun and (hopefully) the sense to know where to stay away from and when to run away. And when you didn't, well... another one lost to the Zone.
Immersive sims are what games like this are called, Deus Ex (the original more than the newer games), System Shock, and the newer Prey games are all examples
Stalker 2 is on Game Pass
Immersion is the future...
Couldnt have said it any better!
See you in the zone Stalker
No it wasn’t
RIP to dev who died fighting for his country
he was a dev for Clear Sky only. Didn't work on the first one, call of pripyat, or STALKER 2. Either way RIP
@@MyOldNameWasTaken He was still a dev
@@MyOldNameWasTaken bruh he still worked on the series fuck off you little troll
Rip
War is such a waste of lives, talent, energy, resources, everything. Fuck Putin and his puppets.
I’ll definitely be playing this game no matter what. These devs deserve all the support they can get from gamers. They have literally lost dev team members to the war because they grabbed a gun and fought for their country.
@@WolfDarkrose Volodymyr Yezhov was a father of two sons. Died in a battle near Bakhmut.
yeah, Volodymyr Yezhov was recently KIA defending Bakhmut, he worked on Stalker:CS too :( Rest in peace
And they still got people out there fighting.
@@carolinagamer2874 Not to mention Yezhov was the face of Loki. It is said that a member of Wagner group got him... fucking mercs...
Devs = not company
15 years ago and we're still talking about this amazing game, that proves how great this game is.
15 years and mods are still being made for the original trilogy. I can scarcely being to imagine what the mods for STALKER 2 would be like, especially ones from the makers of Dead Air, Anomaly, and Lost Alpha.
20 years ago. Didn't you play the Alpha?
wow.. a content creator that knows about stalker and not bc of the recent hype.. love the video. been waiting 10 years for this game. thanks for bringing it to a bigger audiance.
Nothing wrong with stalker getting the attention now, it just means more epic mods and more people to play them.
@@Loy_Otterton never said there was anything wrong which is why I thanked him for bringing it to a bigger audience. Just surprising to see an old fan that is also a content creator
@@wal-bbw of course uwu
I used to watch my dad play this game when I was little. I still play Stalker GAMMA all the time.
He is literally talking about it because of recent hype.
Stalker is not a game, it's a masterpiece. To this day there is no game with such atmosphere.
The best game i' ve ever played. I grow up with this masterpieces😍😍
Half life series unmatched
Metro series
false but it's a pioneer of its genre for sure. Plenty of games with outstanding atmosphere
In my opinion no other game has replicated the stalker atmosphere of feeling like 1 random stalker in a desolate, chaotic world that can kill you at any moment.
The two other stated games in the thread are too linear in design to capture the feeling of walking in the zone.
Id say tarkov can sometimes feel similar with the brutal pvp and the tense atmosphere.
Ive only recently played the vanilla stalker franchise and it has only made me worry and sceptical if this sequel can do it right.
its the music. the music in original stalker was so good it immersed you. People always underestimate the power of music that dictates your mood or feeling and that contributes (in my opinion) the majority of its atmosphere.
That and the sounds, wind rain animals stuff
The music in Stalker lost Alpha's countryside zone is amazing.
STALKER had music?
@@matthewjones39 ambient music yes
@@ZadokSunz Huh.
Volodymyr Yezhov, one of the devs on Clear Sky was recently killed in Bakhmut fighting for Ukraine. Rip.
Земля ему стеклоВатой)))
Not fighting for Ukraine. Fighting for billionaire plutocrat western elites, who orchestrated this war in the first place. Ukraine just happened to be in the most convenient geographical location to launch from.
@@TheVanillatech "Western elites" caused this war huh? Not Russian aggression.... Obviously, how could I not see that before?!?! The west literally commanded Russia's armies to invade Ukraine over Putins head, because they're just that powerful eh?
Yeah no. Russian propaganda is so low level and stupid you'd have to be some kind of moron to buy that shit.
And you don't get to tell Ukrainian what they're fighting for, because you're a nobody with zero authority.
@@nexeos It's great that you have an opinion. But it's wrong. Never let what you want to believe get in the way of reality. Be a critical thinker, not a sheep. Your life will be infinitely better, and perhaps one day you will produce useful children.
Peace.
@@TheVanillatech The most ironic thing I have ever seen anyone write. You should really follow your own advice.
"It's great that you have an opinion. But it's wrong."
Man, that's funny.
I tried Anomaly after seeing a video about it (pretty sure it was Drewski) and immediately picked up all three original games & modded the hell out of them; I love everything about this series, the premise, the backstory, the gameplay, the characters, the fact the devs were so open to the modding community and all the killer mods that followed, stalker is a crazy world that's easy to get lost in.
Dude, Stalker is still running deep in my veins. I had more jump scares and nail biting experiences in playing this game, than any other following this type of game play. The feel of the game is perfect and the mods are a necessity at this point. Lost alpha is still one of my fav mods. I have replayed so many times, so many different ways. The anomalies are a HUGE part of the experience.
It's not jump scares, I can just see further on top of that pipe outlet.
if mods are a necessity then the game far from perfect...
@@paladinleeroy7394 you misunderstand. The game is perfect BECAUSE of the modding community 👌
One of the developers, Vladimir Yezhov, was KIA while defending his home.
F
TH-camrs really need to be shouting out the dev team for not only continuing work throughout the invasion, but for a lot of them, they have had to take time off work to literally fight in the war.
These guys get a pass for any bugs or delays in my book.
The closest game to the stalker feeling I've played is Chernobylite. Yes, it's mostly linear and has a kinda different focus. But the atmosphere, the feel, the whole thing... is SO STALKER. Also Into the radius VR is another gem. I wish you talked about these two in the video.
Thanks you for bringing up this game to me, I have been waiting for another game similar to the vives that the Metro and stalker series give off, I'll give it a try.
Metro series give me pretty close vibes as well
it was fucking horrid.sorry
It reminds me of the game Black.
Yea chernobylite is great game from a little team!just playing today!I have 30 hours of game!The ambient and atmosphere is so immersive!i can just wait for Stalker 2!👋🇨🇭
I nearly cried when i saw there was finally gonna be a sequel 😭
Yeah 3 years ago
It was rumored for years....
Let alone modded, let alone then announcement.
I think a game that does the stalker style really well is into the radius. It's a vr game but you do the same stuff as stalker, you throw bolts at anomalies, you kill non human creatures, you trade, you quest, you loot, but all in vr. The only thing they need is other humans, you are the only one there, your safe zone is empty of people, you trade with and get quests from machines. There are no bandits or factions, there are no distant fights unrelated to you. But it's fun.
I think that actually is what gives it it's feel. A lot of vr games that include interactive NPCs breaks immersion with jank. I also feel like the isolation adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Adding human NPCs to the game would break the lore
gotta say i love ur content, always have, hope 2023 is a great year for you and your channel
Stalker was part of my childhood, its nice to see everyone start to talk about it, I love the series so much I learned how to play the guitar soundtracks on my guitar and ive never felt proud of myself :))
Did you see that girl Gingertail sing the STALKER song on TH-cam? Fucking amazing. Almost brought me to tears. Luckily I washed my eyes with vodka and used that as an excuse...
th-cam.com/video/urK8zFwa-4c/w-d-xo.html
@@TheVanillatech reminds me of how I always went to sidorovich to get a job or trade...good times 🥲
@@elena_abramova-y2s Great game. Haunting and hardcore.
@@TheVanillatech mostly Chimeras in the swamp when they would suprise you
@@elena_abramova-y2s Nothing surprises in the Zone anymore.
The fact this game is still getting released is a miracle in itself.
Why?
@@decem_sagittae how many 13 year old games do you know of that end up with sequels that get released after half the dev team goes to war and the other half flees the country?
@@tarkov666 i don't see anything "miraculous" about that. The devs relocated to another country and finished the game. Big deal.
@@decem_sagittae while that country is being invaded, power being knocked out, employees being separated, buildings being destroyed. You seem to be either lying to yourself, or not aware of how just how much effort it takes to "relocate to another country".
@@tarkov666 in ww2 the post office and mail services still worked in Berlin as it was falling to the Soviets. You're being too dramatic and emotional. With these guys they all fled to Czechia when the Russian aggression began and finished the game there so now they're releasing it.
At one point, Real Russian Army fired Cruise Missiles over developers' homes,
and still do from time time.
Not the mention some of the people DIED in the war.
I don't know man, but Stalker devs deserve the highest respect a game developer can receive.
Also cap, it is good to see you cover Stalker. More Content like this would be very much appricated.
I remember playing the first STALKER game and i must admit this is the only game that genuinely give me nightmares. Had to dig in deep to finish the game and it was so satisfying 😌
Cant wait. One of my favorite games of all times. The mood and ambience was just amazing. Yes the games had "some" bugs, but back then every game had a fair amount of them.
Call of Pripyat was also really good.
Hyped for this, super happy it's on game pass.
This is probably the only game I actually feel comfortable pre ordering, considering the circumstances in which it's being created under. I want to support them.
I’d like to believe developers in a third world country know the value and quality of a great product. I’m sure it won’t disappoint.
It's a eurojank AA title regards it's openwold sandbox survival shooter genre.
@@R3TR0J4N dude you were in another comment section saying this why?
@@HostmorkeCZmetro exodus was made nearly in exact district, and ua is not 3rd world country smh
@shisvi so what is it? I mean you can always go to rural Ukraine and ask those poor people surviving on 100€ salary or 50€ pension.
You and me both, brother!
I replayed all 3 games a few month ago - they are still awesome! Frickin love 'em.
Still can’t believe I was in Chernobyl at the end of 2021, mainly thanks to the love I had for the first game! Going to be crazy walking around in game recognising things.
Wild, I was there December 2021 as well
@@James-xn6zh such a surreal experience right?! And super lucky timing for us both considering all that’s happened since
@jonathan williams surreal and sad - thinking about all those wonderful people I met
@@James-xn6zh definitely man, me and my partner were really upset by it all. Everyone was only nice to us, met some amazing people I’m still in contact with luckily.
@jonathan williams good to hear bud, hoping to visit again in the future if possible!
I’m so happy stalker is getting its recognition in the mainstream back. My first time playing stalker was magical and still is after 1,000s of hours
There's nothing quite like the STALKER series even 15 years later
Stalker was something I was most hyped about. Even the leaked alpha already had the atmosphere only Stalker had.
I remember the early days, when we had the first mods like sleeping bag, drivable cars etc and with Google translate on both sides helped the Ukrainian modders to translate them to English. The stalker special edition box was a proud decoration growing up.
STALKER is great because the world is constantly alive, dynamic, emergent, and more vitally, entirely indifferent to the player's presence, which is simply incidental to it. STALKER has never been a player-focused experience, it's a world-focused one. The Zone couldn't care less about you in the original games, you had as much value as a pack of mutant dogs and were just as expendable.
This, unfortunately, doesn’t look to be the case anymore from the trailers released, which are cinematic and script heavy. Like all power-fantasy, player-centric games today, the world is crafted and revolves around the player. Instead of creating their own stories and creating immersion by crafting an emergent world, players are hand-led by the developer through a linear, scripted, cutscene heavy campaign, pulling the agency from the player's hands to be _”immersive",_ and ironically achieving the exact opposite. Cinematics and scripting are fundamentally antithetical to what STALKER is, and it’s very disappointing to see how the developers are making the player the center of the experience, not the Zone.
Have to say as a huge fan of the originals, I’m cynical. If anything, at least we have the original games with a far superior game design philosophy instead of one that, I suspect, is designed this way to be more commercially viable to current market trends. This is apparently what modern gamers want so I’m hard-pressed to place it at the feet of the developers. But I predict the original trilogy will continue to be modded upon for years to come while this game will eventually fade……a testament to the strength of the originals’ underlying game design philosophy that has, to this day, yet to be bested.
You're absolutely spot on, man!
Finally I've found somebody who thinks the same. Everybody's going crazy saying: "Oh my God, this looks so good, I'm so hyped", but ever since the initial trailer, I just knew something was wrong with the whole concept.
STALKER is my all time favorite game, nothing can touch it when it comes to the immersion factor. Only Far Cry 2 comes somewhat close.
But gone are the days when developers had the balls to be groundbreaking and didn't cater to the masses.
Everybody wans to feel safe and enjoy the ride - that's how gamers are nowadays.
Conform, obey, spend - that's world for you today. If you dare to be different, you're an outcast.
Man I cannot wait to get my hands on STALKER 2. Played the originals for many hundreds of hours.
I love stalker. The most intense and cinematic game a decade ago. It brings back good memories. Thanks
I completely loved the original game and put many many hours into it. I remember that years and years of delays before it finally released. Great to see a second on the way, respect to the team for sticking with it through thick and thin.
I been playing STALKER since SoC, I love the mods for it, replay value of SoC is top tier. Even with rampant bugs still present, I love the game. I have made most of a merc stalker suit, I just needed a proper looking gas mask.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R - Clear Sky was the first FPS game I ever played. My mom was very much anti-video games that involved violence, and she was adamantly against FPS games. A large part of this had to do with most realistic/military FPS games on PC being rated "16", "18" or Mature, but when I found a 2nd hand copy of SCS at a game store with it's "13" age rating (my age at the time), I managed to convince her to let me buy and play it (big ups the clerk at the store, he helped convince my mom lmao). I was so excited that I literally played no other game for months, I was totally engrossed in this gaming experience that I had never had before, and it no doubt heavily influenced the kinds of games I enjoy today. I purchased and played SHOC and COP a few years later and enjoyed both immensely :) Ended up replaying all 3, especially SHOC which I modded to hell and back multiple times.
Suffice to say - I'm so fuckin hyped for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2!
Edit: Saw someone else in the comments talking about Lab X-18! That level was the most terrified I've ever been playing an FPS!
R.I.P Volodymyr Yezhov you are a Hero and will live for ever in your game.....
Земля ему стеклоВатой)))
@@donbass7996 russian shit
@@nickzavodnoy6789 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@nickzavodnoy6789 🤣
When STALKER came out it was mostly everything I wanted. The game had so many places to visit, had so many different feelings like what story behind this camp? Where this train was suppossed to go? Is this real or just in game thing? It had its own life. You felt the zone. Many mods expanded on it and brought more life to it. It was almost never ending exploration and that atmosphere. Remarkable classic.
RIP to the Dev defending his country
Bro your voice paired with background music and the way you present gaming news it's just perfect!
RIP Brother! One of the devs sadly lost his live defending Ukraine
Yeah he lost his life fighting in bakhmut. Left a wife and kids behind, but died defending the things he loved most in this world. 🇺🇦❤️
Земля ему стеклоВатой))
@@donbass7996 udavis` gavnom urod
@@nickzavodnoy6789 😂
someone I watch who loves the oringinal has said. "I have no expectations for the game, the bar is low especially after they were going to add NFTs till the public lashed out on them for it".
Ive been waiting for this game since I heard about it.i was a huge stalker fan,the atmosphere was like no other
Was? what replaced it? 💀
I have waited so long for this.
I am very excited as to what mods will be made for computer realease.
May you find fortune in the zone stalkers.
I've played all of the STALKER games and I'm very excited for this one!
My massive concern isn't with the core game (though that is something to be concerned about), it's with modibility. Stalker is only as successful as it is because of the ability for the community to constantly pump out content.
The Steam page states that they're keeping modding at the forefront, but I've yet to see any Unreal game be as openly moddable as the x-ray engine was. The most telling sign of this to be a cause for concern is the fact that STALKER 2 has pre-order content, such as skins. If being able to mod the game is such a core concept, then providing user skins seems to infer that some things won't be user accessible. So how moddable is the game really?
I hope the modding community embrace this game like they did with the original 3
1:14 that is an extremely bold statement, given todays gaming culture. That’s not something I had ever thought about, and it’s very true. Excellent video LC!!!
TH-cam sent me on a Stalker rabbit hole so I started playing Anomaly yesterday and damn what an incredible game.
You might like the gamma mod pack as well with it it adds so much more to base anomaly.
@@MrJbedoThanks I might just do that, kept seeing videos on that mod and it looks great.
@@vexmyth0clast try gunslinger as well it is considered the king the gun mods for stalker and also add new animations for all the Food, Drinks and Medical item's
if you don't believe me here's a example : th-cam.com/video/intUYJgKqPc/w-d-xo.html
@@vexmyth0clast just a small correction that doesn't really matter, it's actually a mod pack, but still great
Have you played the actual games?
"Horrificly realistic mutants"
I'm glad we have a standard
Finally a sequel to such a groundbreaking game!
If STALKER 2 is anywhere near as intense as the first series, I will be happy with it! I am looking forward to the sequel but cautiously optimistic.
7:36 Some of the devs joined the fight. On their channel, GSC Gameworld, they talk about it.
Some companies promise the sky and release crap, I give the Stalker devs a benefit of doubt. If un-optimized, I'll wait for patches.
One of them, Volodymyr Yezhov, was recently KIA defending Bakhmut. He worked on the original STALKER: CS.
The devs that survive will have 1st hand experience of weapons, explosions, fighting, sounds of *incoming* and the actual experience of the *suppression* effect - and I'm sure the game will reflect that.
The devs of Tarkov for example have a LOT of first hand weapon experience, frequently visit the range and also many of them actually own the weapons in-game (which considering they're Russian is rare)
First time I played the game was incredible; the setting, the atmosphere/music, gun-play, sneaking in the dark. I really loved playing the game. So, of course I'm excited to get to play *_Stalker 2!_*
Something you failed to mention is the fact that some of the developers have not only fought on the frontlines for Ukraine but also sadly passed away in the process. GSC has every ounce of my respect and i can't wait to jump into the world they're creating.
Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦
Absoloutly excited! Waited for that too since the first Announcement many years ago, in the hope, that it become, what the devs always dreamed of!
Never played a stalker game before. Only ever watched videos when I was younger on G4. Looked so cool. Can't wait to play this since this type of game is right up my alley. Just hope the team doesn't rush with what has happened over the years
I tried Stalker long ago without mods and didn't like it, but lately, because of the GAMMA hype, I tried that. It was too buggy for me, but I stumbled across another modpack called STALKER EFP (Escape From Pripyat). It runs awesome for me and crashes much more rarely. If you want a modern Stalker experience while waiting for Stalker 2, I highly recommend EFP! It's also insanely customizable, so if the default settings are too painful, you can change things up however you want.
This game is going to be the latest CP2077, everyone is so hyped but it will disappoint on release. I don't trust these devs they still haven't shown any gameplay or overview of the game world and mechanics, how it's played etc.
@@guts4347 if they need to release an unfinished game for financial reasons I will support them. They are a small studio that have had to sacrifice man power to literally fight in a war. They have shown a commitment to after launch support and the modding community will be great.
Its the economics of gaming when small studios have to release an unpolished product, they sit there operating at a loss with no income till something is released, in this case they are literally in the worst case scenario so get a pass in my book.
@@capitalist_jesus Bruh, even if the game is a massive disappointment don't suppose modding can magically fix it. Look at CP2077 the game has an amazing modding community and yet the game feels incomplete even with 30 mods installed. The devs are basically trying to cash in from the name and popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R they will dish out a product nowhere near to our expectations, believe me.
@@capitalist_jesus You’re what’s wrong with the modern gaming community.
Original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are so underappreciated and i am so happy to see now so many ppl having interest in this franchise. Helgate London is another forgothen gem who didn't get enough atention when was released.
Original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. can be fully appreciated and rated only by people born in USSR. This game brings them a lot of memories.
@@MikhailVolochaev i am not born in the USSR, but maybe helps that i am from Eastern Europe ;)
I am so fucking uberHYPED about this game! And accually I don't care if there are some bugs or missing features at launch when you consider what the devs had to go through the last year or so. They even had one of their original devs KIA a week or so ago, my condolences to the team. The game so far are looking amazing with some of the best graphics i've ever seen in facial animations etc. This is one of those games that whatever the state of the game is at launch, im still going to love it
The Stalker film was filmed here in Estonia. We have a great creative community here. Film festival is called: Pöff. Welcome.
The fact that people think Elden Ring is the hardest of hard-core games shows how fast we've gotten from the 90's in which "3 lives" lost doesn't set you back to a checkpoint. You just start the whole game over. Also there was almost never a tutorial, you just figured out out based on the hints placed around you. Players were required to play and experiment with the game to fully learn it
in stalker there was no auto save,if you didnt save yourself you were fucked
Loved stalker soc, that and operation flashpoint were my jam back in the day.
I to grew up on these. If you haven't tried it yet, I recommend Squad. IMO its the best version of Operation Flashpoints style of game, although its fully multiplayer.
@@capitalist_jesus thanks. I’ll check it out. I play some ARMA 3 and star Citizen atm but have less time to play than I did back then. Damn work and responsibilities 😂
Stalker really was a amazing game and was soooo underated at the time. I'm glad it's finally getting the attention it deserves. I never liked FPS games and mostly still don't they're just too cartoony. I am and will always be a sim shooter type of girl. My all time favorites of the genre are America's Army (which kinda started off the genre for me and maybe was the first sim shooter ever?), The Arma series, Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl and DayZ. What stalker does which no other game has been able to do is build a world which feels deep, is genuinely terrifying and filled with mystery. You want to explore the game but with caution lol.
I'd urge you to try Fallout New Vegas. It's perhaps slightly goofier than STALKER sometimes, but there is a similar spirit of exploration and grittiness there. Plus it's an all-time classic
Og stalker here, What i love about stalker is atmosphere of that u know ur nothing in the zone, BUT mainly u can play the game how U want, thats best thing and pick any game
On a rare occasion i am going to buy this game at launch, these boys deserve our full support
Seeing a Star Citizen video featured at the end of a Stalker 2 video is wild, hopefully one day we'll be able to experience both in a single game
I played the first Stalker way back. Recently I found out the existence of Anomaly and GAMMA through TH-camrs and it hooked me.
The combination of hardcore gunplay, survival and adjustability let's you set a very immersive experience.
For quite some time I just played several "short stories" (hours to days) of ironman to see how I can fare as a newbie to the zone. You cannot fake the immersion of having just one life in hardcore setting like that. And if some setting does not feel good, you can change it (I up the damage of guns a bit for example).
Now I play Ironman with life granter so that lives are still precious, but random screw-up does not end the journey. The recent update in AI is also sick. They are quite competent and in times make impression of real human.
Bandit Radio 24/7 with my RPG-7❤
I'll tell ya this, all russians, ukranians and pretty much anyone from russiam speaking countries already knows this all and have been the ogs since day one
It makes me happy seeing that it's still alive, that 2 gets the proper recognition and is striving
Love to you all stalkers, can't wait for 2
Im currently playing Call of Pripyat - amongst all other amazing things, I have to say the sound design is amazing. The feeling that is created by ambient noise is undescribable.
Can't help myself and have to assume you're hyped for that stalker thing. I can relate to that🤔
Also, Ukraine needs to win, obviously
Both "Metro" and "Survarium" were made by people previously working in GSC. "Metro" was made by people responsible for the first Stalker game engine. while Survarium was created by the main engine-developer, main game-designer and PR-director of GSC.
RIP Stalker developer 🙏🏼
i have never been so hyped for a release. EVER. And i truly trust GSC vision of the sequel will deliver. And then we can enjoy another 15 years of awesome mods from the community. We all win
I remember 15 years ago.. One of the Employees stole the entire source code and engine for this game, and they had to restart and that original game and what is was suppose to be, got ruined and lost, just like the space Program.. they had to restart and make up for what they lost.
Played all three of them what feels like a life time ago and loved them, didnt even know this was in the works, i hope im able to find the time to play this one as well
I think looking at replaying the whole metro series on hardcore survival is worth looking into
The first two games certainly
My advice to beginners - play misery 2.1 mod, it has everything you need - deadly but survivable Zone as intended and a Call of Pripyat's storyline.
I just hope they will let the game to be modded just like the classic is, so it can live on forever thanks to the fans
Love the video. I just wanted to mention that the original metro devs are ex stalker devs and that the metro games have the same sense of immersion or in my opinion even better immersion than staker and its achieved by the more linear and story focused gameplay. I think it does not matter if its an open world or linear with a great story and atmosphere any game can be an immersive masterpiece like staker or metro games.
Funfact:
Many people think that the Fallout and the Stalker series inspired each other, even when thats basically impossible since Fallout was released many many years before Stalker was even close to release (1997 for Fallout and 2007 for Stalker)
I now play Stalker Clear sky, on max settings. I have waited so long to do this! And the mods are so good. Gameplay, graphical, or whatever you want. This series is alive, even after all these years, when games have come and gone, S.T.A.L.K.E.R is still strong! If STALKER 2 has half the gameplay of the original triolgy, it's a winner for me. I'll wait
honestly part of me wants them to push the game back another year just so it doesnt flop cause i havent been able to experience the true stalker feel and i doubt that i will be able to feel it with the older games cause i never grew with it but you have got me hyped for the game and now i can only hope
The new stalker looks absolutely amazing, can’t wait to get the game.
Miss ya from the BF4 days bro. Good seeing you around still
This is probably the first time where if a game came out broken I wouldn't be disappointed. These devs have been through hell and are still pushing forward.
Absolutely loved this game back in the day, for all its faults. I don't think I've ever experienced atmosphere like it. I really got it.
Hope the team is well rested and STILL HAMMERING AWAY trying to get stalker 2 ready for the public to enjoy.
Original Stalker: SOC is still the best FPS I've ever played in over 30yrs of gaming
Same , PC gaming since 1990
From a technical perspective, this thing was so incredibly broken for me. It was crashing every couple of minutes, and at one point, the crash came at the same moment in time, no matter how many times I reloaded the save or which place I went to, in order to try and hide from the crash. Also had to add mods, just so that my rifle didn't wear out every few minutes.
Remember how much 1st game was delayed and amount of bugs in all 3 games on launch. This is pretty much what I expect. Gonna love it.
Stalker is the Godfather of the genere. Been playing Fall Out, Metro, Skyrim, etc, but never get that feeling of "being inside something for real" that Stalker gives. Agree about the second and third feels like dlc's, anyway they are worth to play as well. Great video
Great video buddy! The best content I've watched since your bf3 days :) thanks man
I am just happy that (most of) stalker devs are safe. I enjoyed the game for its atmosphere, that was not done in other games back then.
What made STALKER so popular nowadays is the mods...i just hope the devs understand that and give the community an easy and fully modable game...GSC doesn't need to make a perfect game,we just want a stable, release ready game with hopefully little amount of bugs,and the modding community will do the rest
i expected you to mention that one or two devs died on the front already, not just the rest of the team moving to Prague
Unreal has never handled large geometrically complex maps with a good framerate, so its going to be interesting to see if this latest attempt finally breaks the performance ceiling.
Stalker 2? Wait, no way. I haven't been able to actually play Stalker because of the current platform I'm on but this gives an entirely new breath to the game. I cannot wait.
Woah what a throwback, used to watch your videos back when you played BF3.
Absolutley love the STALKER series cant wait for the next one