Right. First of all. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. IS a good game. It’s fun, clever and generally enjoyable. It is also broken, frustrating and a tribute to why publishers should NEVER rush developers. The good:
Graphics: It’s no Oblivion, but it’s pretty close. Terrain, character models, day/night cycles, weapon models…all good.
Sound: Just brilliant. Everything fits in perfectly with the game world. Characters talk amongst themselves (albeit in Russian), play guitar and mutter to themselves. Weapons sound bang on, environmental effects give a great sense of unease.
Storyline: Not bad. Not bad at all. There’s no plot as such. More a collection of missions that make you go into a series of varied locations. That’s fine though. It all adds to the impression that you’re unimportant in the context of the game world. You’re just a man trying to get by.
Atmosphere: this might be the first FPS I’ve ever played that has atmosphere. On top of that, it’s just brilliant. Everything around you adds to your feeling of impeding doom or general unease. This is GSC’s triumph.
The bad:
