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[DragoonKain]

I'm interested in it, but can't tell from previews exactly what type of game it is. Is it like Far Cry where you have an open world and tackle side quests and have some light RPG elements to it?

Is it more traditional old school shooter that's more bare bones and all about combat?

It's categorized as a survival horror game as well, so not sure how that factors in.

Is it something else entirely? I never played the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R so I'm not sure what to expect.

 

[The Cockatrice]

open ended rpg first person shooter. you explore semi-open areas following a non-linear story(not sure how it is in stalker 2), looting things, uncovering random things and shooting a lot. Exploration is the main focus or at least it should be in STALKER2. Think Metro Exodus but with more rpg mechanics, I think/hope.

 

[Puscifer]

Old school shooter with survival aspects. Very of the time, aged very well with a great atmosphere.

 

[Punished Miku]

Demon's Souls x Call of Duty x Track Suits

 

[Alexios]

Three games came before #2.

 

[Rosoboy19]

It is an open world survival shooter. There are main missions and side missions, lots to explore. But overall the best thing about STALKER games for me has always been their thick, oppressive atmosphere. There’s very few games that can make you feel alone and vulnerable like an underground bunker in STALKER. Hopefully the new one can still capture that magic.

 

[DaciaJC]

I don't know that I would class the series as an RPG at all, you don't level up or have character-defining stats. There are quests, for sure, but what game doesn't have those at this point.

"Open world survival shooters" is probably the single best label I'd give them: emphasis on exploration, immersive atmosphere, independent AI (NPCs and creatures will wander the world and operate separately from the player), and survival elements (need to manage hunger/radiation, maintain weapon condition, etc). There are elements of horror as well, since mutants inhabit the radiation-heavy Zone. In some parts, Call of Pripyat was one of the scariest games I've played.

 

[Fess]

It is an open world survival shooter. There are main missions and side missions, lots to explore. But overall the best thing about STALKER games for me has always been their thick, oppressive atmosphere. There’s very few games that can make you feel alone and vulnerable like an underground bunker in STALKER. Hopefully the new one can still capture that magic.

That sounds awesome! Never played any STALKER game but instantly preordered S2 because the devs deserve all support they can get for the hell they’ve gone through.

 

[The Cockatrice]

you don't level up or have character-defining stats

Whats funny is that the same applies to modern games that have those. modern Far Cry games have those for example and theyre not an rpg either. I always considered the og stalker sorta of an rpg, not sure why tho.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

A lot of people call STALKER a survival game of sorts, but I would disagree with the label. You're trying to survive in a world where seemingly everything is dangerous and/or actively trying to kill you, but you're not going to be spending a lot of time crafting or doing the other boring stuff in survival games. I think the Far Cry 2+ comparison is apt, but it's a more serious game that feels like it was designed for older-school PC gamers.

The first game was rough when it launched but improved dramatically, the second game was fine but more action-y, but the third one, Call of Pripyat? Legendary.

It's been 14.5 years since that one came out and obviously a lot's changed, but I have high hopes for STALKER 2.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Played SoC and here's my overall impression:
>Top notch atmosphere, probably the main reason people liked the games
>There's a exploration element but i don't consider it to be particularly strong, kind of falls into looter rpg territory where you end up coming across 300 items but barely ends up changing much. You'll also be managing inventory quite a bit.
>Shooting is ok. Found the enemy AI to be surprisingly smart (i was using a fan patch that fixed a bunch os stuff tho) but it bothered me quite a bit how shooting anywhere that wasn't the head felt like throwing peas at the enemies.
>Questing is interesting, with the game mixing up random missions with main ones, i'd often find myself in unexpected places without realizing i was actually progressing the story. I liked this approach since it made everything feel seamless.
>Last bits of the game were quite frustrating to play through. They basically throw you into a over-the-top COD scenario except you've been playing ARMA until then.

 

[IllegalLemon]

Open World, open ended post apocalyptic fps with survival horror elements. Realism focused, set within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone where tons of unpredictable events like unpredictable weather involving radiation can occur(seek shelter for that one). Featuring a day & night cycles with night turning things into survival horror with more mutated monsters (watch out for the bloodsuckers) and enemies doing patrols mostly at daytime. Keep your eye on that weapon, because it'll be like your girlfriend, you'll need to maintain it and customise it and be mindful of how much ammo you use, as keeping count of it will be important and reloading during a tough firefight(those can get chaotic as the noise can attract more enemies) can mean certain death. Be on the lookout for anomalies and use the screws you'll be supplied with to find safe spots in the anomalous zone until you reach the artifact, which, after collected can be incorporated into your various gadgets, weapons and armour to improve it. Enjoy your adventure S.T.A.L.K.E.R!!!

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Open world'ish, Cheeki breeki, Nuclear fallout, guitar playing NPC's, nightmarish monsters, excellent weather effects, awsome ambient sounds and guns. Lots of guns

Basically, all the good stuff you want in a game

 

[Woopah]

Only played Call of Pripyat and it was amazing. Lots of freedom in how you do things but in a very natural way, rather than an RPG way.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

you creepin
you shootin
you inventory maintainin
you explorin
you lootin
you upgradin

open world, bullets hurt a lot, radiation constant danger, and you more or less alone

 

[pudel]

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

1. Find a bush

2. Hide

3. Shoot.

 

[xVodevil]

I do remember to first one that I've played had some very welcome horror segments too, hoping we'll see more of that in some darker places.

 

[Bojji]

SoC was hard but amazing (played in 2007), one of the best FPS games of all time for sure.

Never had chance to start playing sequels properly (I have them on stream for years now).

 

[Lorianus]

Fallout Ukraine Edition with better shooting mechanics and more horror.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Its a hardcore title. I dropped part 1 in a few hours cause I didn’t understand the game.

1. Find a bush

2. Hide

3. Shoot.

I was basically doing this.

Make sure you understand how guns, armour and physics work in it.

 

[Paasei]

It's like the older Fallout games (3 and NV) but more hardcore.

 

[tylrdiablos]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R was an interesting but janky game. If you like that setting/gameplay style, well it's pretty cheap these days and has some good community mods.

I'd wait on reviews before splashing out on S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 though. (Or GamePass it.)

 

[Warablo]

Open world where missions take you from point A to B in the world, while trying to survive random encounters to get there. At least that's what the first one was like when I played it like year ago. Grid inventory system with weight management.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Demon's Souls x Call of Duty x Track Suits

And acoustic guitars.

 

[Wolves hunt in packs]

Game gone gold, no more delays

 

[Krappadizzle]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly is completely free and is essentially a giant compilation of the first 3 games. Anomaly runs better than any individual game comes from any of the platforms you could get it. It gives you a general gist of what the series is about. And again..Free. But as a basic breakdown, kinda like Fallout, if it was more realistic and miserable. And it's really hard to start, you're gonna die a lot, to some bullshit, but if you stick it out....It's a crazy immersive game that is thrilling and stressful and relaxing(in a small amount) and awe-inspiring. It's a great series, with a ton of euro-jank.

 

[asker]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly is completely free and is essentially a giant compilation of the first 3 games. Anomaly runs better than any individual game comes from any of the platforms you could get it. It gives you a general gist of what the series is about. And again..Free. But as a basic breakdown, kinda like Fallout, if it was more realistic and miserable. And it's really hard to start, you're gonna die a lot, to some bullshit, but if you stick it out....It's a crazy immersive game that is thrilling and stressful and relaxing(in a small amount) and awe-inspiring. It's a great series, with a ton of euro-jank.

It also adds a shit-ton of bloat, clutter and a tacked on crafting/repair system, because every game needs to have crafting now. To complement this, it has you constantly fight weapon/armor degradation, lots of new ammo types at different degrees of shittyness that will mostly serve to clog up your inventory because they don't stack. For some reason the developers think "the more grueling and unforgiving the gameplay, the better". Not a good place to start for someone new to the series, in my opinion.

 

[bati]

It also adds a shit-ton of bloat, clutter and a tacked on crafting/repair system, because every game needs to have crafting now. To complement this, it has you constantly fight weapon/armor degradation, lots of new ammo types at different degrees of shittyness that will mostly serve to clog up your inventory because they don't stack. For some reason the developers think "the more grueling and unforgiving the gameplay, the better". Not a good place to start for someone new to the series, in my opinion.

The performance and other advantages make it a good starting point. The problem is that all the other mods are outdated or make the game too easy (see the entire Complete series).

My personal favorite is still Misery, even though it had AI problems (eagle eye vision and shotgun sniping bandits from 300m+). The addition of classes was phenomenal, and when you completed the game it really felt like you went through the grinder and came out on top, making the endgame cutscene that much more impactful.

 

[Wildebeest]

It was a sort of unusually realistic shooter at the time since you had iron sights, inventory and some survival elements. Now those things are more common. If you want an introduction to fictional things like anomalies and "the zone" then there is the 1979 Tarkovsky fantasy-horror movie. Basically, the film Annihilation is a cheap rip-off.

 

[wipeout364]

It’s kind of like Skyrim. Large open world that you can go most places. You are pretty fragile and there is no level up but you do get better gear which can help.

The world has a lot of immersive gameplay which feels novel even today. The world and atmosphere feel very foreign in a good way.

The game is clunky though, as mentioned above you will die a lot, many situations can be kind of cheesed to survive which damages the immersion.

It’s a game you will think about for a long time after you play it. I would say far cry 2 is a game that feels very similar and evokes a similar love hate response from people.

 

[asker]

The performance and other advantages make it a good starting point. The problem is that all the other mods are outdated or make the game too easy (see the entire Complete series).

My personal favorite is still Misery, even though it had AI problems (eagle eye vision and shotgun sniping bandits from 300m+). The addition of classes was phenomenal, and when you completed the game it really felt like you went through the grinder and came out on top, making the endgame cutscene that much more impactful.

For sure, I appreciate the work they've done to spiff up the engine, it's just a shame it comes with so much baggage.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Oblivion Gothic with guns.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Its a hardcore title. I dropped part 1 in a few hours cause I didn’t understand the game.



I was basically doing this.

Make sure you understand how guns, armour and physics work in it.

It is a combat strategy specialized in STALKER, when you hide the enemies' AI is altered and their field of vision is reduced by 40%, basically it will be sporadic that a shot will hit, even when close to them. You can even kill them and they don't notice... To a certain extent.

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

I'm going in completely blind to STALKER 2, I've managed to avoid everything beyond the first reveal. STALKER is probably my favorite sci-fi movie next to Blade Runner. That alone is enough for me, can't wait to dive in. Survival horror immersive-sim in the STALKER universe? Count me the fuck in.

 

[DaciaJC]

The performance and other advantages make it a good starting point. The problem is that all the other mods are outdated or make the game too easy (see the entire Complete series).

My personal favorite is still Misery, even though it had AI problems (eagle eye vision and shotgun sniping bandits from 300m+). The addition of classes was phenomenal, and when you completed the game it really felt like you went through the grinder and came out on top, making the endgame cutscene that much more impactful.

Agreed, Misery was a brilliant experience.

 

[teokrazia]

Open world FPS done right.

 

[matty3092]

How are the console ports of the stalker games are they good?

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

STALKER in consoles

Switch version. - Low Graphics
XBOX Series s - Médium Graphics
PS5- High graphics
PC - Ultra Graphics

 

[havoc00]

1. Find a bush

2. Hide

3. Shoot.

sounds boring

 

[bbeach123]

Its like the post apocalyptic game that I always want (while its not) .

The world is dynamic , there are different factions , monsters , bandits . And they not just sitting there waiting for you (welp some NPCS do ) , they're roaming the world , attacking , defending , fighting eachother , human vs human , human vs monster . Human vs monster vs human . Human vs weather .

You as the player can join different factions to fight others faction , treasure hunting , exploring n stuff . Or just as simple as hiding somewhere watching two factions killing eachother(or bandit) ,kill the survivor and loot all of the good stuff .

That the stalker in my memory , not sure about this Stalker 2 game tho .