S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - GOLD


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Stop with all the pirating b.s. All you people that rant about pirating being wrong will just be dissed and made fun of. You have it coming. Nobody will listen to you when you call somebody a sh*tbag for pirating a game. So let it go .

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I bought the game yesterday and had a good few hours playing the game and heres my small review on it so far.

Firstly the game runs pretty good on my rig with high settings and resolution, however I don't have hdr as it greatly reduces the performance. My specs are: AMD 2500xp, 1gig ram, 7600gt and I am getting an average of 75 fps. The game looks pretty good indoors and is comparable to HL2 however outside the visuals are a lot less impressive. I tried the HDR and the game looks quite amazing but I only get 15 fps so I turned it off. In terms of fun and game play I was impresses at the beginning but it wore off eventually.

Heres some pros I found so far:

The Russian language is excellent and I am glad I speak it fluently as it helps understanding it. The npcs tell jokes, usually involving stalkers, shout comments when attacking you and just general chit chat.

The AI is good, they duck and run for sensible cover as well as sneak up on you and try to surround you if you don't move for a while. They call for backup and on one occasion while in an institute while reading some documents they called in for a helicopter.

There are a lot of guns it seems and there is plenty of ammo to be found from dead bodies. The further you progress the better gun you find, my latest acquisition is a sniper rifle, however after closer inspection it appears to be the ak74 which I already use but with a sniper scope which is removable.

The visuals inside caves and buildings are impressive imo, the lighting and shadows are well done specially with the flash light you use.

Cons I found are:

Definitely the small amount of stuff you can carry in the inventory, I constantly stock up on stuff I need and then have to decide which is least useful and throw it away. Having too much in inventory exhausts the character and you can't run, or even walk.

The visuals in the outside environment are quite average without HDR.

There are lots of barriers and blockades preventing you from roaming around free.

The game play is starting to feel linear in a way. You get a mission and you go to the same place you have been before a lot.

Also the fact that no one is helping me, so far, is no fun. I have already killed more then 100 stalkers on missions and just traveling with small help from npc who usually get outnumbered and killed. Its as though everyone expects me to be Rambo and tackle a whole base on my own.

The actual map is a lot smaller than what I expected.

I would post a screen shot but I don't know where they are stored using the in game screen shot taker. Overall the game play is new and is fun I am see a lot of potential. The underground areas are definitely creepy, very creepy, the sound of screeching from a rotating light bulb and anomalies all over as well as a dark environment make it quite an experience. My first encounter with a mutant wasn't too bad after reading other people encountering them, but I was surprised nevertheless. The thing sneaked up on me from behind out of no where and attacked me.

So yeah thats my review on the game so far, I probably missed a lot of details I should have mentioned but overall its an interesting game.

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I'm enjoying it, got it from EB yesterday. Its quite engaging, sort of like other RPG's where I want to push on just a bit more. AI as above is usually quite good in that typically they look for cover and if not available they will go prone. It also seems somewhat difficult so far although alot of that is I'm having trouble seeing alot as the games quite dark so you end up walking over enemies at time and even on easy it doesnt take alot to get you killed. Coupled with the early guns lack of accuracy and the stamina being limited so running can be hard and its somewhat challenging.

Heres 2 things I really dislike. Firstly as above it feels alot more linear than I was lead to believe. Sure each section is open but this is open ended as Guild wars/WOW is an open ended world. You do have options inside each area but in the end you always get funnelled into a small barricade to swap section. I wish it had been a bit more free. Secondly I dont like how certain quests have time limits to complete them. I just started but but I've had 3 quest just ring up as failed even though I had actually done them just not returned to the NPC for a reward. With the game being quite linear and movement due to the overly picky incumberance I just didnt feel obliged to spend an hr backtracking just yet to claim my reward. If theres no reas for a sub mission to be time limited then it really shouldnt be.

Ohh 3rd complaints actually the encumberance thing. I feel like a sourcerer playing NWN where every few mins i have to "rest" because im no longer able to walk. Usually Im just carrying the one gun and a pistol, at most 2 guns if Im low on ammo for my primary rifle. In short you really cant carry alot. I think I might look about in a week or so for a mod to remove the encumberance. I think having a limited number of slots should be enough but not being able to carry 2 guns (due to weight) to me is a bit stupid especially in an fps shooter that has a trading system. So much for gun trading.

But anyway the games fun but not stellar. It could have, should have, been more but its not a train wreck either. Its certainly something different.

Ohh and I think the game looks very dated, especially player models which look decisevly pre HL2 even. That doesnt detract alot but seeing as its quite a gritty game so you tend not to notice the somewhat grainy graphics. In some ways it almost ads to the industrial collapse atmosphere.

Not a bad thing so much too but for an nuclear wasteland theres one hell of alot of people there. You rarely are on the radar without some mutant dog, abnomality friend or foe.

And yes, it is the game that I was waiting for.
I got the game last night so played it then and thinking over it at Uni I actually wondered "I wonder what chode thinks of it". Glad to hear you seem to be enjoying it. Edited by Smigit
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I hate this game. It lacks 5.1 support. Lacks Widescreen Support. has no vista games explorer support etc.

If anyone wants to have a look at my blog for my horrid review go ahead! :p

ahhh the game has widescreen support lol

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I hate this game. It lacks 5.1 support. Lacks Widescreen Support. has no vista games explorer support etc.

If anyone wants to have a look at my blog for my horrid review go ahead! :p

5.1 works in XP. Widescreen works in XP & Vista. If you want Vista Games Explorer support then make yourself an XML file. Look in the resources for the games that support it and create one to fit this one.

Edited by Chad
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I will have my pre-ordered collectors edition waiting for me at my local GAME on friday when its released and I can't wait :yes:

Despite the negative reviews of it on here, I still think it looks like a damn good first attempt at making a game like it.....

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5.1 works in XP. Widescreen works in XP & Vista. If you want Vista Games Explorer support then make yourself an XML file. Look in the resources for the games that support it and create one to fit this one.

how would you go about that? would you/someone be able to do this?

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5.1 works in XP.

5.1 works in xp? i cant get any 5.1 out of the game in xp. I've tested other games too and they are working fine in 5.1/7.1.

I have the latest x-fi drivers, x-fi game mode on in audio console, 5.1 selected but still only stereo from s.t.a.l.k.e.r. . weird.

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I don't get why people are slating this game.

I think the graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is so much fun.

However my favourite part of this game is the realism, ie. The enemys' hiding etc. but better than that is the weapons, it's very very realistic such as recoil and if you're shooting directly at someone from a distance the rounds fall true to life :)

i give this game 8.5 / 10 :)

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i haven't played the game yet but in some reviewers i read the reviewer noted to how his gun locked up 2 times during 1 fight he was in, so my question is anyone have that happen yet cause i tell ya that really makes the exsperiance more real.

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It does happen :) just like in real life u get stoppages/jams with your weapons.

I've just found out that the bullets ricochet when hitting a wall or floor.

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I hate this game. It lacks 5.1 support. Lacks Widescreen Support. has no vista games explorer support etc.

If anyone wants to have a look at my blog for my horrid review go ahead! :p

Ummmmmmmmm...

You have multiple non-work safe pictures of "she males" on your "blog" (pornsite). Probably not a good idea to link to it here.

Edited by Chad
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I can't get 5.1 surround to work under XP either, but I do have widescreen support.

So far I'm liking this game, I getting pretty addicted to it. With the lighting set to static and everything else on high at 1680x1050 I can run the game smoothly. It looks okay to me, I wish I had a nice system to be able to turn on dynamic lighting and see how it really looks. The AI is really good imo. I like how they sneak up on you and try to do different things. I don't like the menus or inventory systems at all. You think that they would have put more work into them since this game has been in development for 20 years.

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You think that they would have put more work into them since this game has been in development for 20 years.

That's the problem with taking so long to make a game. You start out with cutting-edge graphics, but five years later they look average at best.

The performance is a little disappointing though, seems like it should have been better considering how much the hardware has improved since ~2002.

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Ummmmmmmmm...

You have multiple non-work safe pictures of "she males" on your "blog" (pornsite). Probably not a good idea to link to it here.

I want to cry :(

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The sound has a lot of static sometimes for me also. I wish that they were speaking English instead of Russian, I would probably understand everything so much better! And isn't it annoying when you have 20 soldiers waiting for you outside and they're all chanting the same thing over and over? lol

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