Rutar

Gameplay:

The RPG elements blend in perfectly with the FPS and are not too complicated, there are plenty of storage places where equupment can be stored and ammo is not too short either. Equipment wears down, jams sometimes and there is plenty of different things to do.

The game is meant for people who like to wander around, look at stashes of other NPCs. Finishing missions stealthy is often not possible but there aren't any that would really require that.

Strongpoint is definatly the AI:

The game tracks all NPCs and dead bodies, so if you sell a NPC something he will keep it when you come back and they NPCs even fight each other and are not randomly spawning but gather at their bases.

In a firefight, it is the best AI I have ever seen. The AI reacts to surpressive fire, tries to flank and when fighting several soldiers they try to encircle the player. This is supported by a good weapon model where the weapons have an indidual feel to them and behave realistic (you even aim them flashpoint style most of the time). The need for headshots for quick kills really makes the fights more interesting.


Sound, Graphics and Atmosphere:

Keeping dynamic lights on full is a must. The day and night change as well as the weather effects are simply awesome (if you are still looking for the WOW of Vista, I think the guys from Stalker took it).

Not only is the game really close to the real looks of the chernobyl area, it also succeeded in variety. The different places can be easily remembered because they have elements that clearly set each other off.

The atmosphere makes it a requirement to keep the lights off and the sound up. Then it is simply brilliant.

The environmental sounds are again some of the best I've heard in a game. Sadly, there isn't that much russian voiceacting as it really gives a good atmosphere. The weapon sounds are lacking, but quite realistic (judging from the Swiss Army Assault Rifle SIG 5K in the game).


Performance:

This is pretty much the only downside of the game, it requires a powerfull CPU and 2 GB of ram to be played in full glory. It doesn't seem as harsh on the GPU if the resolution is not too high.


Conclusion:

If you know you are into such FPS/RPG exploring games, it is a must have.

jmke

interesting, will have to look into it

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munter

the AI is indeed very good, I like how relentless they can be once you become their target. However, several times when I have been fighting in a group of other stalkers and I have a good position, the NPC's will push me out of the way and in to the line of fire so that they can have my good position lol. But yeah its a great game, expect for the endings which are a real let down.

Rutar

the underground labs are just mindblowing, the atmosphere created by the graphics, the mapdesign and the sound are just awesome