STALKER: An exercise in masochism?

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Nebor

Nebor

Lifer
Jun 24, 2003
29,582
12
76
I attempted to play Stalker 3 different times. I have the game and all it's expansions. Heck, I had a retail copy of it from back in the day, then bought it all again on a Steam sale. I never made it more than a couple hours in. Guns don't work well enough, you die too easily, you spend huge amounts of time just running around... I never understood what was so great about it. I also tried it with the Stalker Complete mod, and still didn't like it.
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
Some people love Demon's Souls on PS3 too, and make the same "real gamers get it" claims for why anyone preferring Fallout New Vegas or something else fun isn't hardcore enough. Then I read a positive review that mentions casually that you need to spend half an hour grinding one small section before you can cross a bridge.

I have a lot less free time now than when I was a teenager, and a lot more choices of how I spend it. I'd rather watch a DVD or play something fun than beat my head against a wall until the wall crumbles. Even if that is more "realistic."
 
busydude

busydude

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2010
8,793
5
76
After reading this thread; I am intrigued in trying out the series. Probably will purchase it when my next pay check arrives.
 
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stag3

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2005
3,624
0
76
i'd wait for a steam sale, it's been on sale twice the last year i believe
 
JoshGuru7

JoshGuru7

Golden Member
Aug 18, 2001
1,020
0
0
I didn't care for Clear Sky either (didn't play the other(s)?) and prefer both FO3 and New Vegas. On the other hand, I've put probably 200 hours into Demon Souls. Personal taste is subjective and liking or disliking a game doesn't necessarily mean that you are good or bad at it. Some of you guys remind me of a friend who thinks that anybody who didn't like the matrix sequels just didn't "understand them."
 
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Arglebargle

Senior member
Dec 2, 2006
892
1
81
JoshGuru7 said:
I didn't care for Clear Sky either (didn't play the other(s)?) and prefer both FO3 and New Vegas. On the other hand, I've put probably 200 hours into Demon Souls. Personal taste is subjective and liking or disliking a game doesn't necessarily mean that you are good or bad at it. Some of you guys remind me of a friend who thinks that anybody who didn't like the matrix sequels just didn't "understand them."
Click to expand...

This is so true.

Liking or disliking a game is often not related to how well or poorly the game is designed. I know I like some games that were absolutely terrible. Portal was a great game, but not the sort I'd care to play. Emotional payoff does not equal good development. You see this in a lot of other fields. Writers who are really poor at their craft can still have huge fanbases.

I was fortunate that I didn't pick up SoC until around Patch 1.4. I understand it was really buggy up to 1.3. Clear Sky's beginning was good, imo, but it was definitely slanting downhill by the midgame. And faction wars never worked for me. My tastes run to Stealth and Shoot over Run and Gun, so Stalker was right in there.
 
Wyndru

Wyndru

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2009
7,318
4
76
DaveSimmons said:
Some people love Demon's Souls on PS3 too, and make the same "real gamers get it" claims for why anyone preferring Fallout New Vegas or something else fun isn't hardcore enough. Then I read a positive review that mentions casually that you need to spend half an hour grinding one small section before you can cross a bridge.

I have a lot less free time now than when I was a teenager, and a lot more choices of how I spend it. I'd rather watch a DVD or play something fun than beat my head against a wall until the wall crumbles. Even if that is more "realistic."
Click to expand...

This basically sums up how I feel about this game. I think part of my problem is that now that I have limited time, I don't enjoy games where I need to keep dying/reloading over and over again, or feel like exploring for an hour to find a piece of gear or make money to continue. I'm not exactly an "instant gratification" person, but I don't like spending hours and hardly moving either, which is how this game felt to me through a good portion of it.
 
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OCNewbie

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2000
7,603
24
81
I'm confused if Stalker Complete 2012 is out, or is it still the 2009 version of Complete? It appears to be clearly labeled 2012 on the Complete page, but then when you go to download it, it says it was released in 2009. Anybody know exactly what's up here?
 
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Sureshot324

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2003
3,370
0
71
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play. It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
 
Dumac

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
1
0
Sureshot324 said:
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play. It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
Click to expand...

Oh god no, shoot me now.

I never thought I would hear that sentence.
 
dust

dust

Golden Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,339
2
71
Sureshot324 said:
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play. It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
Click to expand...

It only gets easier because you get used to the gameplay, not because of the better weapons/armor/artefacts. Sure you get all of those but so do your enemies.

I have replayed it many times and the starting area doesn't kill me once even, it wasn't so when I first played it. The reason, I adapted my gameplay style to the game requirements.

The same is true of The Witcher 2, I used to die a lot when I started playing it. I finally killed the kayran yesterday and it suddenly doesn't seem all that difficult. On the other hand I cannot get myself to replay Crysis 2, because I fail to see the background through all those tips/hint screens.
 
minmaster

minmaster

Platinum Member
Oct 22, 2006
2,041
3
71
i still haven't spent more than an hour at this game, the game has no AA and when i forced it via nvidia cp, it destroyed my fps.
 
NikolaeVarius

NikolaeVarius

Lifer
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
Sureshot324 said:
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play. It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
Click to expand...
What kind of gamer ever WANTS a level scaling system.

Level scaling is one of the worst mechanisms ever created
 
WhoBeDaPlaya

WhoBeDaPlaya

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2000
7,414
401
126
Sureshot324 said:
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play. It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
Click to expand...
Fuck no. Do you seriously want to have a squirrel capable of taking out an entire regiment of well-armed guards?!
 
BFG10K

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,709
2,957
126
Sureshot324 said:
Games shouldn't start out really difficult and then get easier as you play.
Click to expand...
Um, most RPGs are like this. It’s your reward for sticking with the game.

It should be the opposite. This game needed a level scaling system like Fallout/Oblivion.
Click to expand...
Fallout 3 gets easier as you level. Sure they throw giant radroaches at you, but it’s still easier to kill them than when you’re starting out and have useless gear.
 
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