STALKER: Not sure what all the fuss is about

[jtvang125]

Played it on my friend's computer. Gave it a good hour to see if I can get into it but I just couldn't. Everyone seems to praise it for the atmosphere but I never felt like I was a part of it. Gun ballistics was pretty bad as well. Enemies taking almost a full magazine to take down. No instant kill for headshots? These things really bothered me throughout the game.

I will give it some credit for adding a few elements to make it different from many of the other fps's out there but just isn't my cup of tea. Sure would have been a disappointment if I bought it.

 

[imported_Imp]

If you go into the game with an RPG mindset (i.e. you suck ass upon starting, get raped by rats like all other RPGs) then you'll be able to put up with the first few hours. After you get to the Bar, everything picks up, you get insant kill headshots, better guns, more atmosphere and 'realism'.

Just try to give it some more time.

 

[chizow]

I didn't care for it much either, but at least now I know what you get when you mix a sub-par shooter with a mediocre RPG. An example of this hybrid genre done right is Mass Effect. On the bright side, if there's anything you didn't like about the game, chances are there's a mod to fix it, you'll just have to sort through 6,000 other mods to find it.

 

[WraithETC]

Originally posted by: Imp
If you go into the game with an RPG mindset (i.e. you suck ass upon starting, get raped by rats like all other RPGs) then you'll be able to put up with the first few hours. After you get to the Bar, everything picks up, you get insant kill headshots, better guns, more atmosphere and 'realism'.

Just try to give it some more time.

That's just the problem. Looks like an FPS, feels like an FPS, sounds like an FPS but in reality its like Morrowind with guns, especially at the start.

The further you get in the game the more the game abandons the RPG elements. Later you'll have items that basically make your character dynamics like that of a full FPS.

You can sprint forever more or less, you take a reasonable amount of damage and your guns actually kill quickly.

The only thing that makes stalker different by then is it's open world and quest/mission system. Side missions in the game like in other open world games are also pretty boring and serve no real purpose.

The game as an FPS is average and as a RPG mediocore.

 

[Darklife]

Originally posted by: WraithETC

Originally posted by: Imp
If you go into the game with an RPG mindset (i.e. you suck ass upon starting, get raped by rats like all other RPGs) then you'll be able to put up with the first few hours. After you get to the Bar, everything picks up, you get insant kill headshots, better guns, more atmosphere and 'realism'.

Just try to give it some more time.

That's just the problem. Looks like an FPS, feels like an FPS, sounds like an FPS but in reality its like Morrowind with guns, especially at the start.

The further you get in the game the more the game abandons the RPG elements. Later you'll have items that basically make your character dynamics like that of a full FPS.

You can sprint forever more or less, you take a reasonable amount of damage and your guns actually kill quickly.

The only thing that makes stalker different by then is it's open world and quest/mission system. Side missions in the game like in other open world games are also pretty boring and serve no real purpose.

The game as an FPS is average and as a RPG mediocore.

While both the RPG and FPS elements were mostly sub-par , I personally found the atmosphere to fully make up for it. I remember when I first got to Garbage and there was a bandit attack, the stalkers were actually radoing for help. Now I know it was scripted, but that whole event basically made the game for me. I won't even mention how psychotic exploring Red Forest was or the underground labs. Christ when I get a new PC I am definitely going to replay this game, with all the graphical goodness.

 

[Martimus]

Headshots do kill, they just aren't easy to get since the weapons aren't very accurate.

What is good about the game is the complete lack of scripting in the characters (ok, complete is the wrong term, but it actually feels like the world will go on just fine without you pushing it along like in every other game) I love how a guy I talked to a while back will randomly be found dead somewhere because he got swarmed by dogs or something and couldn't handle it. The AI is awesome that way. the AI goes around and plays the game like you do, which is pretty darn cool. The actual gameplay is just so-so other than that feature though.

 

[40sTheme]

I enjoyed every aspect of the game; pretty much. It didn't really feel like an RPG to me, just a tactical shooter with an inventory. I found it a refreshing change in the FPS genre.

 

[KeithTalent]

I didn't enjoy it much either. I played it for a few hours, then became bored, turned it off, and gave it away.

After reading all of the glowing reviews here and how the game did such a great job of mixing FPS and RPG elements, I expected to love it, but nothing grabbed me and pulled me in.

KT

 

[AstroManLuca]

I didn't get the atmosphere comments either. It didn't have much atmosphere at all. Maybe I'm missing what people mean to say when they tout the atmosphere, but to me it seems like that would mean that it's supposedly good at pulling you in and making you feel a part of the world. But I never felt that way. Probably because the graphics were so bad. Character models look just terrible in this game, and monsters are just as bad if not worse, and there's almost no variety. I felt like I was playing Unreal 1 or something.

 

[Munky]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Open-ended gameplay, gripping atmosphere, convincingly realistic AI, authentic Russian language... it kept my interest much longer than the typical linear borefest, like Crysis. Can't wait for the prequel.

 

[sandorski]

It's been said a million times: You have to play it for 3-5 hours before you can really appreciate it. Until you've made it to the Bar you've bearely even scratched the surface. The Underground Labs missions are absolutely a must have experience.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Thought it sucked, couldn't deal w it for long enough if it gets good later. I usually don't mind Steam but now I wish I had a physical copy so I could sell it. Worst $20 I've spent in a while.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Thought it sucked, couldn't deal w it for long enough if it gets good later. I usually don't mind Steam but now I wish I had a physical copy so I could sell it. Worst $20 I've spent in a while.

Play it more and get your $20 worth.

 

[toadeater]

The atmosphere was fantastic (compare it to CoD4's depiction of Pripyat), and the combat wasn't bad, it was the bugs that killed it for me. I couldn't take it anymore after I got to the bartender and he wouldn't turn around. I don't care what the "fix" is for that, I'm sick of reloading old saves, backtracking and all the other hacks you have to do to get through this game.

 

[Zenoth]

And since when was there any fuss around S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in the first place? It never gained any stellar reviews and it was never considered a contender, saying something like "what was the fuss about Crysis?" or "what was the fuss around H-L2?" would apply more properly.

The game you are referring to had no fuss around it ever, it was even hated before its release, it had been delayed for a minimum of three years and was considered vaporware even by its best fans in the community for a long time, not to mention all the petitions to boycut THQ-published/THQ-developed games in the future for the media black-out surrounding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. a year before its release.

It's a love it or hate it game, the "mass" of players don't all like it, I can't see any fuss for it at all.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Zenoth
And since when was there any fuss around S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in the first place? It never gained any stellar reviews and it was never considered a contender, saying something like "what was the fuss about Crysis?" or "what was the fuss around H-L2?" would apply more properly.

The game you are referring to had no fuss around it ever, it was even hated before its release, it had been delayed for a minimum of three years and was considered vaporware even by its best fans in the community for a long time, not to mention all the petitions to boycut THQ-published/THQ-developed games in the future for the media black-out surrounding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. a year before its release.

It's a love it or hate it game, the "mass" of players don't all like it, I can't see any fuss for it at all.

people on this forum seemed to like it a good deal. i know i did.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

1 hour is hardly enough time to appreciate Stalker. Think about it. You complain about crappy ballistics and not being able to kill enemies. If you are playing from the start you have a crappy ass pistol and most guys (army) have BODY ARMOR and AK's/automatic rifles. They are going to pwn your ass without breaking a sweat. They are also wearing helmets which means that sometimes headshots aren't going to drop them especially in one hit. However the system does detect headshots and you will notice enemies going down a lot faster if you aim for the head but try emptying clip after clip after clip from a pistol to the body won't do you much good. It's once you get use to the system where you have to think about where and how you're shooting with what guns to carry and the amount of ammo you need to bring on a mission that's intriguing.


***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***



memorable moments from the game, these are the things that really made the game stand out and adds to the atmosphere of the game:

-first time meeting a bloodsucker (hell anytime meeting a blood sucker) these guys are invisible and wow they really instill a feeling of fear as you'll never know when they'll hit you. I remember walking into the village that had a couple of them and your mission was to clear them out and wow that was intense. I couldn't do it during night time and had to wait till morning and even then i was afraid to enter the village.

-watching about 2-3 blood suckers attack a group of army(faction) members guard an entrance. It was awesome. I was just waiting with them on top of a car when all of a sudden i hear screaming from the npcs and random gun fire. I thought an enemy faction was attacking us but i couldn't see anyone. The npcs kept firing and some people died and it wasnt till then that I saw the 'predator effect' of the blood suckers. They eventually got put down by the NPCs but wow that was intense and the best thing was it was not a scripted event.

-Watching a faction from one side raid the base of another warring faction. This event was scripted (at least the first time it happens, it does happen unscripted after the first time) but it happened whether or not you took sides or decided to get involved.

-Going through Yantar/zombie areas. Those places were just awesome and dripping with atmosphere. especially the brainscorcher and the laboratories. There's nothing like the feeling you get from going into an abandoned desolated building yet knowing that you're probably not alone.

-Raiding Pripryat with the other group of Stalkers all geared up to kick ass.




****END SPOILERS*


that's just some of the stuff that you don't really get to see in the first few hours of Stalker but will blow you away when you finally do get to them. Sure stalker has a bunch of bugs and is not the most polished game out there but it's still one of my highly rated games of all time. Cant wait for clear skys!

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Zenoth
And since when was there any fuss around S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in the first place? It never gained any stellar reviews and it was never considered a contender, saying something like "what was the fuss about Crysis?" or "what was the fuss around H-L2?" would apply more properly.

The game you are referring to had no fuss around it ever, it was even hated before its release, it had been delayed for a minimum of three years and was considered vaporware even by its best fans in the community for a long time, not to mention all the petitions to boycut THQ-published/THQ-developed games in the future for the media black-out surrounding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. a year before its release.

It's a love it or hate it game, the "mass" of players don't all like it, I can't see any fuss for it at all.

it got an average rating of 82% not "omgwtfbbq!" but realistic, 82% is a damn good score, and I'm more inclined to believe that over Crysis getting almost perfect scores when it wasn't close to as good as Stalker in any aspect except for better graphics.

 

[TheVrolok]

Like others have said, the AI is what I enjoyed. Especially with mods it's cool to see how the AI interacts and things change around you in an unscripted way. Also, you've gotta look up pictures of the real life locations depicted in STALKER sometime, the level builders hit things dead on. There was a thread here at one time that had good pictures for comparisons, it's actually pretty incredible. I loved the atmosphere.. a dreary and drab grey world.

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Gave it a good hour to see if I can get into it but I just couldn't...these things really bothered me throughout the game.

You played for an hour, yet your criticisms bothered you "throughout the game"? Play more then come back and discuss the game. These types of threads aren't really fair to other gamers who may now be deterred from trying the game (which many people thoroughly enjoyed) because you didn't like the hour you played. Great.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Played it on my friend's computer. Gave it a good hour to see if I can get into it but I just couldn't. Everyone seems to praise it for the atmosphere but I never felt like I was a part of it. Gun ballistics was pretty bad as well. Enemies taking almost a full magazine to take down. No instant kill for headshots? These things really bothered me throughout the game.

I will give it some credit for adding a few elements to make it different from many of the other fps's out there but just isn't my cup of tea. Sure would have been a disappointment if I bought it.

Takes more then a hour to to know the game,remember its RPG/FPS hybrid.

Personally I thought the game was great ,better then some of the other overhyped games of last year,I won't bother meantioning their names.

Yes the game had some bugs but its pretty good now with latest 1.00006 patch.I'm actually replaying to get the true ending.

Gun Ballistics you meantion is partly down to weapon you use and enemy you are facing,also remember you don't want it easy with simple one shot kills since no fun in that.I actually prefer to have tough soldiers with head protection and hard fire fights ,makes it more enjoyable.

The game was quite unique for a hybrid FPS/RPG.
Anybody that likes these sort of games should really try it,especially now its dropped right down in price,do give the game more then a few hours,you got to try and follow the story .


I'M FUSSY about my games and STALKER is Mem approved :thumbsup: (Great buy).

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: SexyK

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Gave it a good hour to see if I can get into it but I just couldn't...these things really bothered me throughout the game.

You played for an hour, yet your criticisms bothered you "throughout the game"? Play more then come back and discuss the game. These types of threads aren't really fair to other gamers who may now be deterred from trying the game (which many people thoroughly enjoyed) because you didn't like the hour you played. Great.

QFT.

You cannot approach Stalker as a run and gun and be constantly looking for who you are going to headshot first...it doesn't work like that. Your weapons and tactics will improve throughout the game.

On another note I just downloaded and have been playing Stalker with AMK mod and its amazing, more like Stalker 1.5- I would suggest everyone out there to give it a go!

 

[AstroManLuca]

Are there any sites that compile STALKER mods that are compatible with 1.0000006/the Steam version? I have the Steam version and I think I might enjoy the game a bit more if I installed a few mods, but none of the mods seem to be compatible with the latest version, and I cannot downgrade. Or maybe some of them are, but every site I've found that has STALKER mods is so poorly designed I can't even navigate it.