"A quirky, yet incredibly new and refreshing gem of a game"

I had never even heard of this game up until a few weeks after it came out when GameSpot's review popped up. The game caught my eye from the moment I read the title. A survival horror-shooter set in the irradiated Zone around Chernobyl? Mutants? Russki accents?!? I'm in! Stalker sounded like just about the coolest game ever to me. And because you can't really rent PC games, I went out that day and bought it. And I'm glad I did.

Graphics 9/10

I'm not going to lie. You need a REALLY good computer to run Stalker on high settings with dynamic lighting and everything. But it's worth it, if you're willing to spend the dough on expensive PC parts. Stalker has THE best dynamic lighting and shadows I've seen in any game. You won't find any overly bright, glowy, Far Cry-esque HDR here. No, this is quite possibly the most dreary, dank, and overall dark game I've ever played. Skies in the game are generally overcast, with a soft whitish fog oppressing the landscape. Shine your flashlight on a character (or monster) to observe some truly expert self-shadowing effects that look much more natural than Doom 3's grease-slathered shiny-fest. It should also be mentioned that players with less-able computers can simply turn off dynamic lighting altogether, which takes away much of the mood but delivers a GIGANTIC framerate boost. I applaud the developers for thinking of people stuck with older systems.

But no one's perfect. Stalker's graphics do have their downsides. The character models look like something a middle-schooler would make out of clay; rather lumpy and disproportioned. Weapon models look similarly.... wrong. And at least in my experience with the game, there was often a TON of popup when it came to grass. But graphics definitely aren't everything, especially in a game like this. Moving on.

Presentation (Environments/Atmosphere) 9/10

I normally wouldn't cover a game's environments and atmosphere, but they're such a huge factor of Stalker's success that I have to. This is a downright depressing game that never lets up. There is not a single moment of happiness in the entire experience. This may put some people off. Look, you play as an amnesiac mercenary who awakens in the Zone, a sparsely populated radioactive wasteland where death is always just around the corner, may it come from a soldier's rifle, the crushing gravitational force of an otherworldly anamoly, or at the teeth of a rabid dog. Not exactly uplifting stuff here.

The environments hold up their share of the score, too. Mostly you'll be navigating barren outdoor landscapes sprinkled with overgrown grass and the occasional tree. The sight of a green wooded field may be beautiful one minute, but often it's right next to a scummy, mutant infested pond or a radioactive junk pile. When you're not outside, you'll find yourself in dark, abandoned industrial buildings and apartment complexes. Many times only a few of the rooms will be populated, with the others left uninhabited. But the game doesn't funnel you into important areas. You're completely free to explore any side passage or empty room you want. To me this is one of the game's most impressive elements. Today's games tend to be linear affairs in which you play through set piece after set piece with no opportunity to explore in between. But Stalker's landscapes and warehouses all feel completely natural.

Once again, even Stalker's best element has it's flaws. Yes, it is atmospheric to explore lifeless plains and structures, but it also can be somewhat monotonous. There just really aren't a ton of people in this game. And you also explore a fairly small area for an open-world type game. But these are really small complaints.

Sound 10/10

Stalker's sound matches it's graphics perfectly. There is hardly any music to speak of besides the haunting menu theme, but the little that's there is mostly Eastern European-style pub music, and tunes that come from resting stalkers playing acoustic guitars. None of that ridiculous metal you hear in many modern FPSs today. The other sound effects also impress. Guns are appropriately punchy, howling wind accompanies blowing vegetation, and creepy mutants let loose with their expected screeches and howls. It's good stuff.

Most of the speech in Stalker is in English, but nearly everyone has an endearing Russki accent. You'll hear casual banter among comrades, screams from wounded men, and snarling insults when executing a dying enemy. It should be noted that people with gas masks DO have muffled voices. Nice touch.

Story 6/10

This is perhaps the only area where Stalker falls short. Very short. To put it simply, you really will not care about any of the characters you meet or the journals you find. It's kind of like most Tom Clancy games in that you'll find your eyes glazing over during story sequences, or at least until the action heats up again. After beating the game I honestly could not remember what the plot was even about. The main reason I give Stalker a 6 for story is it's setting and backround. The radioactive Zone surrounding the devastating Chernobyl nuclear accident is a very refreshing and effective backdrop. It's also the perfect place for a game set among mercenaries and mutant dogs, for sure.

Gameplay 9/10

Ah, yes, the most important part of any game. I'm glad to say that Stalker offers an almost completely unique gameplay experience as of now: survival horror first-person shooting with RPG elements. The majority of the game is spent exploring new areas, gleaning them for extra weapons and supplies, and speaking through dialogue trees with friendly mercs. There are story missions of course, but the main game is rather short. Usually you'll complete a plot point, do a few side quests, and move on. I'm going to split each gameplay element into a different section for this review.

The RPG elements are very weak, so don't buy this game if you're looking for a role-playing fix. Most conversations you have boil down to "Give me a job" or "tell me an interesting fact." Dialogue is usually short anyway though, so it isn't really a bother. If you do happen to accept a side-quest, you are equipped with a PDA which has a map along with a list of your current quests and their respective locations. Most jobs either find you killing a person, killing some monsters, or retrieving some sort of rare item. Your PDA shows you where to head when you finish a quest. Usually the reward is just money that you don't REALLY need, but the prospect of exploration is fun enough to accept most jobs. Another RPG-ish element is your inventory. Your items inhabit a visual grid that allows you to point and click to equip them at your desire. It's not quite Resident Evil 4, though: you only need worry about how much weight you're carrying, not how the items are arranged. Moving on.

The "survival" portion of Stalker is of major importance. There are many different types of armor, each with it's own merits. You need to have the correct ammunition for each weapon, and you can only carry as many rounds as your maximum weight dictates. If you are hit by an enemy, you'll bleed, which slowly depletes your health until you use a bandage. Mysterious "artifacts" found in radioactive anamolies can be equipped for bonus stat effects. And you do need to eat food every once in a while in Stalker, despite the fact that you never go poo...

Shooting is obviously the main gameplay element in an FPS. Stalker may not satisfy Halo or Call of Duty veterans simply for the fact that the game's firefights are far tougher and more slow-paced than most of it's peers. Rainbow Six is often touted as a supremely realistic game, but many fail to see that you nearly always have perfect accuracy in those games. When encountering an enemy in Stalker, you'll usually sprint for cover, aim down your sight, and fire short, controlled bursts, adjusting your aim to account for distance and wind as needed. No weapon is perfect in this game. You WILL miss much of the time. But it you stick with bursts and aim for the head, combat will become very rewarding and entertaining very quickly. Occasionally your weapon will jam, forcing you to reload before firing again. And your weapons take damage over time, though it's so slow that you'll probably never need to replace your favorite gun. About the guns: Stalker provides a small arsenal of pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, a single sub-machine gun, grenades, and a butt load of assault rifles. This should appease any gun-nut, including yours truly.

Overall Score 8/10

Stalker is literally an outstanding game in terms of how different it is. It's not really for everyone though. Like I said, if your main poison is Halo or Call of Duty, you'll have a tough time adjusting to Stalker's slow, exploration and survival-based gameplay. But if you're open to new experiences, give it a shot. You can probably find the game for little more than twenty bucks at a game store.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/07

Game Release: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (US, 03/20/07)