What is everyones favorite STALKER game?

I've only played Call of Pripyat, and boy was I sure impressed after doubting the STALKER series for years. I gave it a try, and instantly fell inlove with the entire thing, the atmosphere, the greatness, the gameplay. With that being said, I haven't played any of the other games in the series other than Pripyat. So, I wanted a poll, which was your favorite game in the series, and why? 

I have Shadow of Chernobyl, I've just never bothered to play it. Is it worth installing and playing it given that I've already played Pripyat and it is old, or should I play Clear Sky first? 

Many will probably say the original and it's certainly excellent. The original has multiple endings and was the first time in the zone for many. It also did the forays into the science labs rather well. CoP introduces some great anomalous areas and a couple of very large zones as opposed to SHoC which was smaller areas connected together.

Clear Sky is the odd one out in the series for me, they didn't get the whole faction war thing right and was very buggy. Most of clear sky is the same areas in SHoC too.

If you enjoyed CoP then you'll love the original and should play it immediately. There are numerous visual or gameplay mods you can try out or just do vanilla. Clear Sky is for ultra fans of the series (which is me) 

I only have one which is Call of Pripyat. I guess that's it. Got it for $10 at Staples.

It's a tie between Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat. Call of Pripyat had larger areas and a bigger focus on artifact collecting and side missions, but was lacking in story compared to Shadow of Chernobyl.

Easily the first one, but mostly because It was my first experience with the series and it really pulled me in. It had good variety between the regions and it felt like each one was hand crafted. I love how you start with absolutely nothing and need to work your way up as well. 

I loved Call of Pripyat on the first playthrough but going back to it, the game feels a bit empty compared to the original.

clear sky.

After fully patched up, the game is fantastic.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]Please don't hit me but I didn't like ANY Stalker games? Is that bad? Toxic-Seahorse

Have no idea why exactly, but Clear Sky I enjoyed the most. Then the first one.

Shadow of Chernobyl was the most special to me, but I would recommend Call of Pripyat to a newcomer.

Call of Pripyat with SGM 2.1 mod.

SoC maybe story-wise, but CoP because it has the latest, less buggy version of the game engine. voted for CoP.

like G-Lord said, Pripyat is probably the best experience for a newcomer.

I tried like 3 times to get into it, tried Shadow of chernobyl, also the prypiat one but just can't understand its popularity.

I admit that it catches very well the russian/ukranian nuclear grey atmosphere, but apart from that feels a lot like 2001, with poor ai, and the dialogues are a bore and a pain for the eye.

Do mods make a good difference?

I don't care what anyone says. Clear Sky, for me.Elann2008

I had heard somewhat bad things about it when it first came out, but when I got it I sure was pleasently surprised :P

I tried like 3 times to get into it, tried Shadow of chernobyl, also the prypiat one but just can't understand its popularity.

I admit that it catches very well the russian/ukranian nuclear grey atmosphere, but apart from that feels a lot like 2001, with poor ai, and the dialogues are a bore and a pain for the eye.

Do mods make a good difference?

alan_carter

that's true. it doesn't have the production values to match other triple-A shooters of it's time, but it's the gameplay and atmosphere that made it appeal. i loved the freedom of exploration and finding loot, but it could certainly be done even better. it's a shame you rarely come across games like that, but atleast there was Far Cry 3.

i only briefly tried CoP with a Complete mod wich improves the graphics and does some minor gameplay tweaks and while it was definetly an improvement, it still looks old.

Do mods make a good difference?

alan_carter

... You played the STALKER games without any mods?

Man.. For Shadow of Chernobyl alone, tap the Mod Pack 2013 ASAP. It's much better than the outdated Complete Mod, and not only does it has vastly more advanced shaders, but vastly better AI improvements than in the Complete Mod.

It basically polishes the game to perfection, and balances the gameplay with some tweaks here and there to be much more immersive. Practically, it's what the game was meant to be if they had a bigger budget, in my opinion.

Playing SoC without the 2013 mod pack, is like playing KOTOR2 without the Restoration Project. A.K.A, you've played a unfinished mess.

[QUOTE="alan_carter"]

Do mods make a good difference?

Lucianu

... You played the STALKER games without any mods?

Man.. For Shadow of Chernobyl alone, tap the Mod Pack 2013 ASAP. It's much better than the outdated Complete Mod, and not only does it has vastly more advanced shaders, but vastly better AI improvements than in the Complete Mod.

It basically polishes the game to perfection, and balances the gameplay with some tweaks here and there to be much more immersive. Practically, it's what the game was meant to be if they had a bigger budget, in my opinion.

Playing SoC without the 2013 mod pack, is like playing KOTOR2 without the Restoration Project. A.K.A, you've played a unfinished mess.

what if he played it after it was released? it's not like there were mods back then... mods improve the game greatly, yes, but it's still essentially the same game.

like you said yourself: it's just polish.

Please don't hit me but I didn't like ANY Stalker games? Is that bad? I really tried to get into the first one but just couldn't. Then I tried the other 2 and still no go. :(FelipeInside

I only player SoC. Disappointing game. I thought it would be good fully open world survival game, and it wasnt. Boring story, repetitive game, even the graphics were not good. As for mods i havent tried any, but improving the graphics aint gonna help this game. After this game and many other boring generic single player shooters, i learn to avoid games like Crysis 3 and Metro. Only beast online shooters for me like KZ SF :)

Shadow of Chernobyl

I only player SoC. Disappointing game. I thought it would be good fully open world survival game, and it wasnt. Boring story, repetitive game, even the graphics were not good. As for mods i havent tried any, but improving the graphics aint gonna help this game. After this game and many other boring generic single player shooters, i learn to avoid games like Crysis 3 and Metro. Only beast online shooters for me like KZ SF :)

KillzoneSnake

The mods help alot more than just graphics...... bugs, optimizatin and yes, graphics make the game alot better than its original state.

SoC has a special place in my heart.

CS was incredibly ambitious. I love it for that. It does more right than wrong. The engine got some nice upgrades. I really like the rain effects and the interactive smoke is amazing but it only shows up in like two places and nowhere in CoP.

CoP has the best mechanics but that special something is often missing.

They're all excellent games. CS haters are crazy.

CS or COP, not sure
COP is the best when you get past the beginning which is so bad
but that beginning madness of fetch quests

The graphics are noticibly worse in COP which is weird though. CS looks noticibly better.

[QUOTE="alan_carter"]

I tried like 3 times to get into it, tried Shadow of chernobyl, also the prypiat one but just can't understand its popularity.

I admit that it catches very well the russian/ukranian nuclear grey atmosphere, but apart from that feels a lot like 2001, with poor ai, and the dialogues are a bore and a pain for the eye.

Do mods make a good difference?

feverberries

that's true. it doesn't have the production values to match other triple-A shooters of it's time, but it's the gameplay and atmosphere that made it appeal. i loved the freedom of exploration and finding loot, but it could certainly be done even better. it's a shame you rarely come across games like that, but atleast there was Far Cry 3.

i only briefly tried CoP with a Complete mod wich improves the graphics and does some minor gameplay tweaks and while it was definetly an improvement, it still looks old.

I know people think that the game looks old and crappy, but seriously man it looks fantastic! in Call of Pripyat for me, if you could look past the terrible character models, and the horrible grass and foliage, the game really looks amazing. So atmospheric, and there is no other lighting quite like Call of Pripyat, still to this day for me. The building models also looked incredibly realistic as well as metals and other various things in the game, especially if you used the complete mod, or anything that improved the graphical fidelity of the game. The major appeal for me was the realistic look of the buildings, the way light rays went through windows, and the fact that it could get quite scary, and tense at times. You always wonder what was going to happen around the corner.

Does anyone agree that the building models are the best looking building models you've ever seen? 

[QUOTE="KillzoneSnake"]

I only player SoC. Disappointing game. I thought it would be good fully open world survival game, and it wasnt. Boring story, repetitive game, even the graphics were not good. As for mods i havent tried any, but improving the graphics aint gonna help this game. After this game and many other boring generic single player shooters, i learn to avoid games like Crysis 3 and Metro. Only beast online shooters for me like KZ SF :)

kozzy1234

The mods help alot more than just graphics...... bugs, optimizatin and yes, graphics make the game alot better than its original state.

CS or COP, not sure
COP is the best when you get past the beginning which is so bad
but that beginning madness of fetch quests

The graphics are noticibly worse in COP which is weird though. CS looks noticibly better.

JigglyWiggly_

cosign, I was always wierded out by how it looked worse to me than the first two stalker games did.

And about the start of COP, I felt the same way. Ended up enjoying the game, but that begining sure wasn't very fun. Definatly my least favorite of the series.

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

[QUOTE="KillzoneSnake"]

I only player SoC. Disappointing game. I thought it would be good fully open world survival game, and it wasnt. Boring story, repetitive game, even the graphics were not good. As for mods i havent tried any, but improving the graphics aint gonna help this game. After this game and many other boring generic single player shooters, i learn to avoid games like Crysis 3 and Metro. Only beast online shooters for me like KZ SF :)

Toxic-Seahorse

The mods help alot more than just graphics...... bugs, optimizatin and yes, graphics make the game alot better than its original state.

Did not see the KZ SF :lol:

Stalker generic :lol:

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"]

CS or COP, not sure
COP is the best when you get past the beginning which is so bad
but that beginning madness of fetch quests

The graphics are noticibly worse in COP which is weird though. CS looks noticibly better.

kozzy1234

cosign, I was always wierded out by how it looked worse to me than the first two stalker games did.

And about the start of COP, I felt the same way. Ended up enjoying the game, but that begining sure wasn't very fun. Definatly my least favorite of the series.

Definitely the original followed by Call of Pripyat. 

I played Shadow of Chernobyl the first couple of minutes, and got totally emerged in the world and excellent atmosphere, especially the creepy music - which I still listen to sometimes when I want to reminisce. Blue Sky was an awesome follow-up. Hell, I thought Call of Pripyat was cool as well - but just not as good as the first 2. I'm looking forward to getting a little bit of the same feeling when I get Metro Last Light.

Most people will say SoC, just like me ;) mainly because it was het first time into The Zone, and thus had the biggest impact on me.

But SoC is the longeest of the games, most thought out game.

It had the best pacing, and were the game that managed to make you feel like complete trash at the start, advancing up the list of guns and armor, felt far more like real treassures. The first time you get a decent assault rifle feels better in SoC then winning in most games, you basicly get the "Oooooh now its on MoFo's!" Or the ability to not die near instantly by bullets, always tends to make me do haphazard things.

And yet, the game always made me feel extremely valnurable, the sense of Imortality only lasted till you were near dead in a ditch, clampering for the last medkit, while counting the last handful of bullets, watching out at the pack of dogs outside the rain which may well be the thing that kills you, no huge Mercs, no Monsters from the beyond, but dogs.

On the gamelplay front CoP is far better, in nearly all areas. I will say that mods go a long way for SoC, complete mod, or the above linked one.

CS is as someone else stated the od one out, priced and released as a stand alone expansion, people did not like it as much, and it is far more centered about fighting humans. I think part of why it caught the flak it did is because it was the same areas, if one had playied CS first, then SoC might have been called the worse game of the two.

CS is also the est looking of the games. But As it I still would put my faith in SoC before CS

None of them were that great.  But SoC had the most hints of greatness.