OurColony.net

absolutely a must for serious gamers!!

Customer Rating:
First off, to enjoy this game, you HAVE to spend time to explore because there is a HUGE amount of stuff out there to see and do. There are many factions and joining any particular one won't change the ending of the game, but it will change how you get there. Also, each choice you make will have consequences, so its important to think before you do something, because you never know how that will effect you later. The most fun thing IMO was that the weapons are very customizable so you can have ALOT of fun with them. There is nothing like a AK-72/2 with 70% rate of fire increase and 70% recoil reduction and a 45 round mag with a grenade launcher to make the bad guys go away!! Or if that isn't your thing, howabout a giant revolving grenade launcher? Tons of bad guys? Boom! Problem gone!!! Scared of the dark? Howabout 2nd generation night vision upgrade and a shotgun?

So, to summarize, if you have the comp for it, this game is a MUST HAVE!!! I had some problems with it crashing, but I got the newest patch and haven't had a problem since.
My specs are: vista 32, Q6600 2.4 cpu, ATI X1300 pro, 3 gigs ram. I highly recommend a good video card thats DX10 compatible because its a world of difference for sure (mine isn't) With my specs it runs very smoothly on low settings. Just to say it again, without a good video card, you can't have the eye candy that this game deserves.

More sorry DRM and as buggy as Shadow of Chernobyl but still a blast! (PC version)

Customer Rating:
This game is very similar to Shadow of Chernobyl in gameplay and story. You revisit many of the same areas so in ways it's like coming home again. Many of the same weapons are there, except they are now repairable and upgradeable. There are still side missions and free roaming. Many of the same mutants and monsters are there, but most have enhanced abilities. The stashes are still there as well. The biggest play change is the clicking of the radiation detector is gone so you have to watch a radiation meter to see when you are in a hot area. Until you get used to that it's very easy to stray into contaminated regions and die without knowing what happened. The option to fix the navigation map in place has been removed so it aways rotates like a compass. I prefer the fixed position option myself. In some areas such as tall grass the map is so transparent it is impossible to see terrain details. There is no adjustment for that, either. The graphics bugs, including periodic stuttering and random slowdowns are still there as well. From various forums about the game I have concluded that multi core processors are not fully utilized, the game used only a single core and SLI video configured PCs do not run the graphics any better than good single video cards. Apparently, just like with SoC it's a matter of adjusting the settings until the game works OK, or is at least tolerable. As with Shadow of Chernobyl, I enjoy the gameplay, the interaction, the missions, and the characters. Was the storyline not so engaging I wouldn't put up with the haphazard performance and bugs. If you liked Shadow of Chernobyl you will like the prequel to that story with Clear Sky. Be aware that it also has a set number of installs as part of the DRM. Had I known that I likely would have passed on the purchase as I did with SPORE. My feeling is this is an infringement passed onto us PC gamers that creates needless problems for us when the pirates DRM is designed to thwart beat it anyway and so don't have the install limit. As long as we continue to buy these limited install games, we'll keep getting that as part of the DRM "reward". People posting in the forums have reported getting the run around and/or no response from the game publisher when the reinstall limit was exceeded. Again, as a PC gamer you alredy know the industry attitude of "You're a pirate until proven otherwise and even then we will doubt you." So, with all that in mind, if you don't have an issue with the install limit and the bugs that infested Shadow of Chernobyl, this is an OK game. If SoC drove you nuts from all the above, skip it because it's more of the same. I gave it a 5 star rating for fun because it is lots of fun when it works! I gave it 2 stars overall because of the bugs and especially the install limit with the DRM.

Great game after it's patched

Customer Rating:
I started this game without the latest patch and had many crashes. I patched it and it played very smoothly on my older PC. The environments and audio are stunning. I highly recommend this for shooter fans.

Not to bad!

Customer Rating:
Nice game- I played the first one alot and was really looking forward to this release. At first I wasn't very impressed it was like you were being rushed. It seemed you were forced along a path, the whole game was pretty linear it kind of lost that free roaming feel that the first Stalker game had. Don't get me wrong the game play is execellent, the graphics are great - better if you have a monster machine to run it. and the atmosphere is still twich inducing. All in all a very good game but if you haven't played the first one yet I would start with that one.

Amzing

Customer Rating:
Great game, fun to play, long story mode, plus the story is really great if you have played the first one. Not much more to say....

Sure their is bugs, but what's S.T.A.L.K.E.R without bugs?