Recent reviews by Corp. Dunn

Call of Pripyat is by far the easiest of the STALKER games and a breathe of fresh air after the nightmare that was CS's difficulty. It also features the first brand-new map in the series, which is a complete joy to explore after going on two consecutive treks from the Cordon to the CNPP. While this does mark a massive decrease in difficulty and scale that could put off those looking for a challenge, CoP quickly became my favourite in the series thanks to its interesting story, locations, and characters, which are all vast improvements.

CoP begins in Zaton, which feels like the map that the devs wanted the Swamps from CS to be. Additions include everything from new anomalous areas, like huge scars in the landscape, to monolithic ships make this backwater exciting to explore. Soon you'll run across the Skadovsk, one such ship that serves as the area's hub. The side quests here are the first major improvement over previous games. Gone are the endless fetch quests that existed only to help you earn cash. Each side quest here is hand-crafted, and will see you going on unique missions with their own stories. For example, you might need to help a group of stalkers find a missing comrade accused of betrayal, leading to horrifying revelations. Or you might have to investigate a lair of bloodsuckers, infiltrating their depths and sneaking between them as they sleep. You might need to help a group of Monolith soldiers find a new home, or track down a terrifying new mutant to avenge a retired hunter. Even something as simple as getting mugged after you've found a strange artifact in a haunted ship feels fresh for the series. Each one is engaging and well-written, a much-needed addition that makes the world feel more personal and alive.

The three main areas feels vast and open, and each has a hub with traders, technicians, and likeable characters. You're never too far away from a place to sell off your loot and resupply, unlike in previous entries where it was easier to get stranded in the vast world. This not only makes the game easier, but it's also nice to not have to trek across the entire map just to unload. CS's problem of an expanded map with expensive fast travel has been solved, as you can cheaply move between all major hubs as you unlock them.

For those that prefer spontaneous action, CoP might disappoint. Even bandits are neutral this time around, and won't attack unless you shoot first. Within all three areas there are very few opportunities to find fights that aren't against mutants or a few roaming zombies. Almost all large firefights are contained within side quests, which are fun in their own right, but feel more like scripted Call of Duty-esque set-pieces.

CoP is the closest STALKER has come to imitating the rewarding exploration of the Fallout series. In previous games, most areas were quite small, always leading you to the next loading screen that would take you closer to the CNPP. There was little interesting loot to find, and most areas existed to be filled with enemies rather than to be explored. In CoP, there are a handful of unmarked locations that truly reward you for going off the beaten track. This could be a legendary artifact, unique weapon, or rare set of tools, and I wish there were more areas like the Oasis and Controller Cave that gave you a jolt when you stumbled across them. Also, the final slideshow that details the fates of characters, factions and locations based on your decisions was very reminiscent of Fallout.

While the more relaxed atmosphere was enjoyable, it becomes apparent that each marked area on the map was specifically built for set-pieces. This makes the major areas quickly start to feel empty. For example, the Kindergarten area in Pripyat exists solely for a side quest, and you can't even go inside without starting it. There's multiple interesting areas that are used in a large firefight as part of certain missions, but are otherwise empty and not worth exploring. There are even marked areas that are completely devoid of enemies or buildings to enter, instead being reserved for a certain mission. It makes the game feel a bit empty after you realise that there's no point exploring the map, since there's probably nothing to find unless you've been specifically told to travel there by someone else.

Which is a shame because this game looks amazing. The third and final area, Pripyat, is particularly spectacular, with it's brooding lighting, fierce storms, and monstrous, overgrown concrete skyscrapers. And it's even more of a shame that this is the least utilised and most deserted of the game's areas. Almost all major enemy encounters are tied to a quest, which makes the game here feel like a linear FPS. You'll struggle to find any patrolling Monolith, even though Pripyat is built-up as their stronghold.

The main story, thankfully, is actually pretty good. Previous STALKER games suffered from forgettable characters, and the story boiled down to 'Get to the centre of the Zone'. CoP puts you in the shoes of a new character, Major Degtyrev, who needs to investigate downed army helicopters and get the survivors out of the Zone safely. Along the way there are numerous interesting characters to meet, thanks in part to the side quests that help flesh out their stories. From the local scientists to Duty and Freedom, from stranded soldiers to drunk technicians, CoP puts these characters and their stories first, immersing you in this small yet dense part of the Zone. You'll even get the chance to recruit your own squad of stalkers, and the majority of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. characters I fondly remember come from this entry.

Another addition to the series is the large amount of new enemy types, which are a mixed bag. Chimeras are the standout, a terrifying creature of speed and power that can pounce massive distances and deliver heart-stopping jumpscares, especially when ambushing you at night. Pseudogiants aren't new but have been made significantly tougher, and even have their own unique attacks. Burers are my least favourite, especially when you find three in the same room in a tight underground lab. They take a ridiculous number of shots to kill, making peeking and shooting a chore, especially when the room is filled with flying objects that keep knocking you around and getting in your way. You're forced into running a them with a knife and hoping you don't die and have to reload, which is just unfun and frustrating. Hamsters are a welcome creature for small areas, although their novelty wears off after the first few encounters.

The final point I'll touch on is the gameplay, which is leagues better than CS. CoP allows you to extensively upgrade your weapons and equipment without making the guns completely useless in their base forms. Medkits and bandages are now reasonably priced and not hard to find which, combined with the fair wound and bleeding system, reduces the number of times you'll get frustratingly insta-killed from long range. There are plenty of weapons to use, and all are easy to find due to the smaller overall area, meaning the progression of loot is less spread out. Unfortunately, like in previous games, the final section comes out of nowhere and is over in an instant, meaning you'll barely have a chance to use any of the more powerful late game weapons.

Overall, Call of Pripyat enjoys success where previous games fell short, with its memorable characters and story, quality writing, and tight gameplay. On the other hand, the more linear quests, scripted set pieces, and smaller, emptier maps won't fully appeal to those looking for a more classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sandbox shooter. It's an fitting send off for the trilogy, putting you in a smaller and more fleshed-out Zone than the constant battlefield of CS or the bleak wasteland of SoC. Unlike those games, it feels like the devs finally got to execute all their new ideas and bring them to life in their cleanest and most streamlined entry yet.

There's definitely fun to be had here, and it's a great way to introduce new players to some of the core mechanics of fighting games. Unfortunately, I don't think the removal of other mechanics leads to the longevity of the game as it significantly decreases the skill ceiling. Once you've mastered the basics, you can't go much further.

In other fighting games, getting to an intermediate level usually requires you to start learning things like frame data. This is such an overwhelming jump from learning the basics that most people don't know where to start and don't continue further. The limited number of moves available to each character in Fantasy Strike makes learning frame data a fun and engaging experience. You can see your entire move list on a single screen, along with important frame information and frequently an explanation of the move and its advantages. This makes understanding what your doing much easier than in games like Tekken, where you're hit with 100 variations of punches and kicks, each slightly different from the last, and have no idea what to use and why. For example, you can easily start performing things like frame traps, because the game tells you what that is, why this move is a frame trap, and the advantages of using it.

Most of the characters here fall into very familiar tropes and gameplay styles that are borrowed from other fighting games (Lum - Faust, Rook - Potemkin, Setsuki - Ibuki). Thankfully there are a few that offers something unique and interesting to play around with. DeGrey immediately caught my attention because he can send out a ghost that stuns your opponent if it hits, acting like a slow projectile on cooldown that does no damage by itself, but leads to some amazing mixup opportunities. Quince lets you summon copies of himself to attack your opponent from two directions at once. I would have loved to see more unique characters like these. At least it helps you easily find someone with a style you enjoy to main. And everyone is split up and labeled according to their style (zoners, grapplers, etc.) to streamline the process.

At least to me, the game's biggest positive and negative are one and the same. It takes much less time to learn your character completely than in most other games. This gives the game the entirely unique advantage of letting you feel like a god-tier player without wasting hundreds of tedious hours in training mode. Understanding, learning, and executing your character's game plan is a one-of-a-kind feeling that most people don't get to experience because of the barriers to fully getting into more complex fighting games. There's truly nothing more fun than winning a match because you had the opportunity to do everything perfectly, without worrying about complicated inputs or not knowing what moves to use or simply because you have no idea what's happening on screen.

However, the problem with hitting the peak early on is that there's little else to strive for. Players that enjoy constantly finding new interactions and aspects of the game might get bored quickly of matches that play out so similarly. There are just not enough options available to everyone. I haven't played a fighting game yet that strikes the balance between overwhelming and underwhelming, but Fantasy Strike to me removes a bit too much to keep it engaging in the long term.

But hey, it's free, so there's no reason not to play it. You'll want to purchase the Core Pack to play matches against friends, which is the best way to learn and enjoy any fighting game. If you find a character you enjoy, and have someone to play with, it's a worthwhile purchase (plus you can split the cost with a friend if single-player content doesn't matter to you, since you both have to be online anyway to make use of the friend-invite feature). Whether you're a total beginner or have some experience under your belt, Fantasy Strike provides plenty of fun and an experience that is totally unique, letting you enjoy the thrills of high-level gameplay without needing the often unreasonable time investment. Of course, the downside of climbing to the top is that you'll be left wondering where to go next.

I really didn't like Fallout 2 at first. Fallout 1 had such a grimy, dark atmosphere that the tongue-in-cheek style of 2 was really jarring and didn't meet my expectations. Everything from the exaggerated tribals and comedic quests to the pop-culture references really threw me off. And, of course, everything looked and played (at least initially) exactly the same as its predecessor. Still, I kept going, and I'm so glad I did because Fallout 2 really opens up when you realise how overwhelmingly massive the game is.

For me, this was when visiting New Reno for the first time. I was just visiting all the new locations unlocked on my map one by one, and I kind of just stared at the screen and thought about how much stuff there was to do. And I'm not talking about fetch quests and collect-a-thons that so many games use to extend their length. I mean random sidequests leading to self-contained, yet still immensely engaging and significant storylines. Whether it was working as a triple-agent for a trio of organised crime families or becoming a diplomat trying to keep the peace between two settlements, Fallout 2 is like a vast library where you can stumble upon amazing story after story. For a moment the game really seemed limitless.

The key here is that every location is hand-crafted to make it feel like its own place, with its own atmosphere, major players, side characters, music, quests, and secret areas. And there are so many areas like this for you to explore. Fallout 1 might have felt confusing and overwhelming in the beginning, but the game becomes pretty small once you've beaten it. I can easily see myself coming back to Fallout 2 again and again thanks to the immense number of choices you have. While the dialogue isn't as refined or open-ended as New Vegas, the amount of diverging paths you can take more than makes up for this. It successfully fixes the problem I have with older RPGs, where you're quest log is quickly filled with linear objectives that you simply can't complete until you've spent time grinding for levels and equipment. Fallout 2 always engages you with quests that you can accomplish in loads of different ways.

While combat is harder here, it's actually more tedious than anything. It seems everyone has had a health boost, leading to fights that drag on forever. And for the first portion of the game, the low hit chances make every encounter a drag. I'd say combat is the one aspect that isn't near-perfect, and more often than not acts as an annoying barrier to whatever you want to do. Equipment isn't distributed properly across the game. After upgrading my armour to a better item twice in just a few hours, I found nothing new for a significant portion of the game. If a combat encounter was too difficult, there was very little you could do about it until much, much later on.

Like the original, Fallout 2's main story is expertly crafted. The Enclave is used brilliantly to create a mysterious, unknown entity that may or may not be a threat. They appear incredibly sparingly, but you'll never forget the times that they do. Everything just makes sense and fits together perfectly. Unlike some other Fallout games, everything has a purpose and a reason to be here, drawing you in as any questions you may ask yourself while playing probably have an in-game answer for you to discover, rather than "Well we just searched 'Fallout' in Google Images and added everything that came up."

Overall, Fallout 2 quickly became one of my favourite games, and I haven't even scratched the surface. While I still prefer the oppressive (green) atmosphere of Fallout 1 (3), the darkly-humourous-and-silly-yet-still-dirty-and-desolate (yellow) atmosphere of Fallout 2 (New Vegas) really gives the series its unique style. If you managed to complete the original, you'll be able to manage the gameplay here, and hopefully you'll also have the epiphany like I did that this game is truly a vast masterpiece that never stops throwing something new and exciting your way.

Amazing game that's brought down by tonnes and tonnes of frustration. In a game like Enter the Gungeon, you know it's your fault when you die. You can take a certain number of hits and, if you fail to position and maneuver yourself properly, you die and that's entirely on you. You know what went wrong, and you know how to try and improve next time. In Synthetik, you frequently just die and have no idea wtf just happened. No matter how good a run you're having, there's always the chance of getting insta-killed in any number of ways. You'll get stuck on invisible walls when it looks like you should be able to pass, you'll get rushed and stun-locked out of nowhere, you'll get destroyed by splash damage through walls, you'll get forced into impossible bullet-hell sequences in a game that's designed to be slow and tactical. It makes the tonnes and tonnes of weapons, attachments, perks, and bonuses feel pointless because you're always 1 second away from losing your entire health bar out of nowhere. It's a fun game, but it feels very bad when you're suddenly staring at the game over screen and you have no idea why.

UPDATE: Yeah, no. The game design is so all over the place. There's so many random elements and ideas thrown together with no regard for how they interact. If you like the randomness, go ahead, but the game relies so much on RNG for you to get anywhere (or even just stay alive) that all the fun has been completely sucked out of the game for me.

With Clear Sky, the devs tried to expand on almost all mechanics and features of SoC. While it does bring some unique ideas to the series, many of its 'improvements' that might have seemed good on paper end up being very frustrating in practice. Of course, it's still a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, so there's still loads to love and appreciate, even if it does fall short of its predecessor.

The first thing you'll probably notice is the graphics, which are a major upgrade from SoC. Things like sun rays really stand out to illuminate the beautiful and detailed environments. The starting area, an expansive swamp full of outposts and roaming bandits, is a visually stunning area that sets itself apart from the traditional dreary wilderness. The rest of the game features largely the same map as SoC, which seemed lazy at first but grew on me the more I played. It was a great experience to explore the Zone before the events of SoC. It's not as dark and spooky as before, which works to the games advantage by showing off a more populated and lively Zone, a fantastic contrast to the bleak and horrifying environment you know it will eventually become.

Unfortunately, you won't be spending much time in the swamps. After a few mission for the new Clear Sky faction, you'll likely never come back here except to maybe sell some gear at their base. The fast travel system involves you paying certain guides (you can find one in every friendly base), to take you to any previously visited location. This quickly becomes very expensive as you progress through the game world, as the price increases with distance. Travel in general becomes very tedious due to the game's larger number of areas and very limited stamina bar for sprinting. In SoC, the game's main hub, Rostock, was situated right in the middle of the map. The removal of this hub in Clear Sky sees you frequently stranded in isolated areas, meaning you'll have to constantly make long and arduous backtracks across the map to offload and resupply.

CS somehow takes the series's infamous difficulty to new heights with its baffling health system and shooting mechanics. Due to the new feature of upgrading guns with extra parts and attachments (a great addition in theory), most weapons start off with low bullet velocity and poor accuracy to allow room for improvement. This makes everything feel like a paintball gun, your bullets travelling slow enough for you to watch them travel and drop off, often landing nowhere near where you were aiming. For some reason, these mechanics don't apply to enemies, who can easily snipe you with a pistol, while your upgraded guns will still miss dramatically.

And all it takes is one pistol shot for your character to start bleeding. While I can see how the devs tried to make the difficulty more realistic, the managing health in this game is a chore. Bandages no longer heal you at all, they can only stop bleeding. If you don't apply them soon after starting to bleed, you'll start to lose health more quickly over time. For some reason an entire medkit, which CAN refill half you health bar, won't do anything to stop bleeding. This leads to annoying resource management as you have to keep stacks and stacks of two different healing items in your backpack, when they should do the same thing. The frustrating gunplay and difficulty combine to give CS the weakest gameplay in the trilogy.

One massive improvement was the way anomalies are handled. While SoC featured mostly small and static anomalies that just acted as obstacles, CS added many unique distortions and anomalous points of interest that make the Zone feel even more uneasy and mysterious. Random houses out in the wild can contain everything from unsettling black-and-white colour distortions to cursed ovens that endlessly spew out flames. Apart from these random encounters, the missions also make much better use of anomalies by having you use ominous portals to teleport to new areas.

Of course, every positive comes with a negative. The returning standard anomalies are now almost invisible and your sensor rarely gives you enough time to avoid instant death. I can only assume this was supposed to increase immersion by forcing you to actually use your bolts to safely traverse the Zone. In a game where you can save anytime, this ends up as just another annoyance.

One aspect I have to point out is the enemy's completely inhuman ability to throw grenades with pinpoint accuracy. Again, I can see the reasoning for this change, as grenades are supposed to force you out of cover in a fight. It's implementation, however, gives you barely anytime to react before the grenade lands on your head and kills you instantly. The only way to avoid them is to listen for the enemy grenade-throwing voice line, which lets you know to immediately start running in a straight line until you hear an explosion behind you.

Faction wars is another addition that would have been fantastic if it worked. As it is, factions will almost always bug out and refuse to capture or recapture territory, bringing the entire system to a halt. Setting up the Loner's main base in the Cordon actually caused almost every Loner to disappear from the area, as no one would leave the base to occupy the territories they already owned, leading to all garrisons being whittled down to zero and never being replaced. In the beginning, before it bugs out, you get a glimpse of what it could be. The frantic battles over territory, roaming patrols, and surprise attacks really make the Zone feel more alive than the more deserted SoC. If only it worked as intended, it would elevate the series's iconic atmosphere even further.

One change that did end up working out for the better was the game's side content. In SoC, the majority of side activities were endlessly repeatable fetch quests that simply existed to provide extra cash. In CS, side mission are given personal touches that make them feel more important and unique. Instead of going to traders and getting told to bring back the same artifact for the hundredth time, you might meet a Stalker who needs help rescuing his brother from Bandits. While it may seem small, it gives personality and character to a game that isn't know for its characters.

This improvement extends to all NPCs in the game. Everyone you talk to has multiple dialogue options which, while repetitive, add so much more personality to the world. Each faction will offer their perspectives on the game's current events and even give their own personal stories (which also get repeated unfortunately). Changes like these really reinforce CS's aim of fleshing out the Zone and its inhabitants.

While these negatives can make for a frustrating experience at times, the series has always been full of them. In my opinion, CS's goal was to expand upon the world set up in SoC, and it does this well enough. It takes the Zone we all know and offers a fresh and unique take on it. Anyone who loves the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. can appreciate this younger and more populated Zone, full of new takes on old areas that create the feeling of a time when the Zone was more like the Wild West than a wasteland. I commend the devs for trying to rework every little aspect of the game to give it a more realistic style. In true S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fashion however, it all ended up as a buggy mess with an unpolished gem hidden inside.

If you're looking for your next roguelike that you can sink hundreds of hours into, Loop Hero isn't it. While the game plays out like any other roguelike (getting as far as possible in your run before dying and starting over), Loop Hero instead uses this style of gameplay mainly to complement its story and worldbuilding. You're always progressing over the course of your runs, unlocking new classes, bosses, and story beats, until eventually you reach an ending of sorts. Yes, you can always keep grinding out runs for resources, but there really isn't much point. Loop Hero's best feature is it's story, aesthetic, and world building, rather than it's unique yet polarising gameplay.

Loop Hero's gameplay combines deck building, base building, puzzles, idle games, and management sims. There is plenty to love about this mishmash of genres, as there's always something new and interesting to do during your loops. You don't control your hero as they fight, but you will control everything surrounding them. You'll fill in the blank landscape, spawn in enemies, and choose your hero's gear. Once your loops ends, either by dying or retreating back to base, you can spend in the resources you've collected to expand your camp and unlock upgrades for your character, including new classes. Defeating bosses during a loop will progress the story and unlock new chapters to take on.

The reason I call this polarising is that not everyone will enjoy this hands-off approach. The game can sway between frustrating, where you feel like you have little control over your wins and losses, to potentially boring, once you figure out an optimal build that you barely need to interact with. While the various genres are charming, I can see how some players may lose interest quickly, as no single part of the gameplay stands out as particularly groundbreaking or engaging.

I believe your enjoyment of Loop Hero will mostly depend on everything surrounding the gameplay. The beautifully-designed and charming characters, immersive world, minimalist story, and surreal setting all combine to create a game that I instantly fell in love with. The brooding retro soundtrack creates an uneasy yet captivating atmosphere, while the stunning pixel art brings the diverse cast of characters to life. The setting itself is breathtaking, dropping you into a world that no longer exists and tasking you with rebuilding it, one memory at a time. It's a unique take on a post-apocalyptic setting, replacing the traditional violent nuclear wasteland with a more cosmic, fantastical world, where everything has simply ceased to exist, being replaced with an endless, otherworldly void. This cosmic aesthetic inspires sense of vastness, sadness, and wonder, all with just a handful of sprites, backgrounds, and some wonderful writing.

Everything ties back into the gameplay, giving the individual features an extra layer of intrigue. Placing landscape cards allows you to bring back the natural world, and watching the rivers, trees, and mountains slowly take over during your loops is quite beautiful. Combining certain cards will create new landscapes and enemies, encouraging you to set aside pure optimisation and explore the world through interacting with it and trying out new things. Each new creature you encounter on the road has something to say, which helps paint a picture of a sad and struggling world, in which your hero shines as the only beacon of hope in the face of an all-consuming, fantastical void. There are mini story arcs to discover, places to visit, and secrets to find, and it all occurs naturally as your hero automatically travels along the road.

Loop Hero also has an excellent minimalist story, starring a set of awesome bosses alongside a team of allies you'll recruit during your journey. An air of mystery hovers over everything until the last moments, and there's a fantastic sense of overcoming literally cosmic odds to get to the bottom of everything and start piecing the world back together. If philosophical ramblings, quiet contemplation, determination, and metaphors that might mean everything or nothing sound interesting to you, Loop Hero might well deliver.

In the end, Loop Hero won't be for everyone. It's not much of a roguelike despite the tag, and it's mixed gameplay might bore the hell out of some. The easiest way to tell is to load up the game, check out the gorgeous title artwork, and listen to the soundtrack. If the site of this tiny, insignificant knight standing in the middle of a warm, ancient valley that slowly fades away into an infinite void fills you with a mixture of wonder and awe, or any other strong emotions really, then I think you're in for an unforgettable time.

Started at 10 pm, finished at 2 am
Worst experience of my life

There's definitely a more forgiving type of player that will love this game. Wizards101 is built solely around its battles and its story and, unfortunately, I didn't care for either.

The main attraction of the game is its wizard battles, where you and your opponent take turns casting spells. The amount of spells is staggering and I'm grateful to the friendly high-level players who showed me all their cool stuff. While there are tactical spells like buffs and debuffs, the majority are straightforward damaging spells. The most impressive part is that every single spell has its own animation. I'd say this is the game's biggest achievement. Each spell card comes to life when cast, with the depicted creatures entering the arena and tangibly attacking the enemy. I was blow away when starting my first playthrough, although the actual gameplay and missions quickly turned a great idea into a chore.

The game is divided into 19 worlds, each with its own unique setting. I only got up to the 3rd before deciding this wasn't for me. The worlds I played overstayed their welcome for so long that I became sick of them. Every quest seems to be artificially extended, making you run in circles just to fill up time. Some of the worlds have really interesting themes, but after the first few quests you've already seen most of the environments and enemies.

Turn-based combat combined with the animations bring everything to a crawl. When the only gameplay available requires you to lock yourself into combat and watch multiple animations to defeat even the weakest enemy, there really isn't much interaction that can be put into the environment.

The environments come in 2 types. Safe areas for NPCs, and areas where enemies spawn. All enemies roam around in their designated space, with safe pathways around them that players need to travel on to avoid combat. As there is no gameplay besides the combat, quests either have you slogging through endless minions and bosses, or just running around the large, empty maps and talking to NPCs. It's not uncommon to have to run continuously back and forth between characters for no real reason. No matter which option the quest chooses, both take forever to complete and just end up being boring.

It only took a few hours before I had seen every spell animation that I would encounter for awhile. Combat became something I actively avoided and, as I mentioned, there is nothing else to do besides combat. Granted, there are extra gimmicks like pets, but they really don't add anything other than more spells, and that's only if you invest tons of time into the game. Even the act of avoiding combat is a chore, because you have to take the longest route around every enemy to be safe from combat. I feel bad for anyone who doesn't have a mount as you'll spend most of your time just running around.

I haven't mentioned the story because once I realised that every quest is extended to waste time, I started skipping everything to get to the next world faster. If you can get into the story, I'm sure you'll have a much better time.

I played most of my time with a friend, and even then it felt like I was just holding down W without even looking at the screen. The grind is just too much with no real reward. Also the membership is expensive, but there is a lot of stuff to see for those who enjoy it. Overall, I'm glad I tried it, but after a couple hours the progression becomes so painfully slow that I was falling asleep at my computer.

I loved this game when I started, but now I've realised that it's just unfun. I can't remember a single enjoyable moment in the last 100 hours I've played. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you can learn how this game works, but it gets to the point where it's just not even worth trying anymore.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: SoC is kind of a mess. On the surface, it's very unpolished with frustrating gameplay. The default difficulty makes everyone into a bullet sponge that can soak up entire magazines. Turning it up leads to lots of cheap deaths that can occur every time you turn a corner (I do recommend playing on 'Master' anyways for the true survival experience). The animations, models, and weapon sounds are very outdated, and the game turns into a pretty bland linear shooter during the second half of the story. If you are looking for something that falls under the standard definition of quality, this game might not be enjoyable for you.

So why play S.T.AL.K.E.R.? In a word: Atmosphere. This game brings to the table something unique that I haven't found in anything else. Simply existing in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a special experience that I think warrants having to push through the facade of an incomplete and rushed game. The ideas, concepts, and passion that the devs had for this game truly shine through.

The story places you in The Zone, an area surrounding the Chernobyl NPP where the laws of physics have stopped functioning correctly, producing an environment full of horrific mutants, lethal radiation, and alien anomalies. These anomalies produce valuable artifacts that we have yet to fully understand. They also fetch a high price, and thus The Zone has become a lawless wilderness of artifact hunters (Stalkers), bandits, military, scientists, and religious fanatics, all with their own goals and agendas. It is a setting that is immediately interesting and has been realised wonderfully.

The Zone has an ethereal quality to it that is both relaxing, mesmerising, and terrifying, all at the same time. I've spent so much time just standing in the middle of a road, staring at the trees and the rain and the clouds, wondering what exactly makes this environment so one-of-a-kind. Maybe it's a combination of the ominous sky texture, the realistic and immersive weather sounds, the tall, looming trees, and the beautiful lighting that still holds up today. Whatever it is, I'll never be 100% sure of the details of what makes S.T.A.L.K.E.R. feel so different.

The unforgiving nature of the gameplay combines perfectly with the world to create a unique and intense survival experience. Ammo is limited, and I would almost always have to scavenge enemy weapons and ammo during missions. Running to the body of an enemy to grab half a magazine for a broken gun in the middle of the fight is an engaging experience that you won't find in many other games. Weapons are weak and inaccurate for the first few areas and, combined with the potential to die from any enemy that happens to be lurking behind a corner, the game makes it clear that this isn't meant to be played with a run-and-gun playstyle. Later on, the game gives you access to much more powerful equipment. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of freedom to play with them anywhere other than the last few levels.

The game world is split into a handful of small to medium areas that can be travelled between freely (for the most part). Early areas have a healthy mix of friendly camps, bandit outposts, and places to explore. It is here where you feel like what you are supposed to be, a simple treasure hunter doing their best to survive and traverse a harsh and dangerous yet visually spectacular wilderness. From the larger hubs filled with people to simple campfires where a few loners have stopped to rest in the middle of nowhere, there is something especially immersive and calming about listening to them joke around in Russian while one plays guitar with the rain pummeling down on a flimsy shelter. Some of the underground areas allow the horror aspect of the game to show itself with unsettling, claustrophobic spaces and genuinely scary creature designs. Later areas become much more hostile and linear. After a point, the main missions become more about making it from point A to B through a horde of enemies, with not a lot of room for exploration due to mission requirements, layout, or simply the endless stream of enemies with heavy armor and weapons that the game sends at you.

Although the bulk of your playtime will probably come from just exploring The Zone, there are a few side mission that can be picked up from people in the world. Major traders will give out endlessly repeatable objectives that mostly amount to go here, fetch/kill this. One thing I will recommend for the main story is to look up a walkthrough for the final mission. There are multiple endings and, for some reason, the one that is easiest to achieve is the most anti-climatic. I was waiting for something else to happen and could not believe that it was over when the credits rolled. The true ending requires you to take a different path from the main objective and is effectively tied to an optional series of missions. Finally, although I knew about the reputation this game had for bugs and crashes before playing, I personally barely encountered any. In over 70 hours of play I had a single crash, and any bugs that occurred were very small and far from game-breaking.

This is not a perfect game that will tick all the boxes you might want, but if you aren't bothered by the unfinished design and can look past the shortcomings, you will find an experience that cannot be found anywhere else. Play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for that experience, that immersion in a world that is unlike any other. Good hunting Stalker.