S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series
What is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an acronym, standing for
Scavenger,
Trespasser,
Adventurer,
Loner,
Killer,
Explorer, and
Robber. It is a series of three games, based loosely off the film
Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky, released in 1979. All three games are based around the Chernobyl NPP and a fictitious second emission of radiation that occurred leaving an area around the Chernobyl NPP (referred to as "The Zone" in all three games, also the setting for all the games) littered with pockets of intense radiation along with mutants, artifacts, and strange and deadly anomalies. The games also draw slightly from the 1972 book
Roadside Panic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Could I get some more information on the games?
Most certainly.
All three games are made by Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. The first game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was released in 2007 and published by THQ. The secon, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky was released in 2008 and published by Deep Silver. The most recent intallement, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat was released in the Commonwealth of Indepedant States (most former countries of the Soviet Union) in late 2009 and in North America in February of 2010 and was published by Viva Media.
Game specific breakdown:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
The first and perhaps strongest installment in the series was released in 2007. Still played today with a cult following of fans, modders, and players, the game has a variety of "overhaul" mods focused on taking the original game and improving it with minor tweaks, UI updates, gameplay improvements and overall polishing of the original (but definitely still good) game.
The game fallows a Stalker called Marked One and his quest through the Zone to find and kill another Stalker named Strelok. Even before I modded the game, I got about 30 hours of play time in. It's a fantastic game, and the lengths GSC Game World goes to craft a very creepy, bleak and sometimes terrifying in the underground stages is amazing. The story is rich and I'd recommend it immensely. You can buy it on Steam for $20.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
The second game in the series, receiving slightly less positive reviews receiving a cumulative score of 75 on Metacritic. The game takes full advantage of DX10 providing a beautifully crafted (although slightly less atmospheric) rendition of the zone.
The game is a prequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, and although the events in this game start before S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, the stories will eventually overlap and your character in this game indirectly interacts with Marked One, from the first game. You control a veteran Stalker named Scar, different from other Stalkers due to his ability to resists the lethal effects of radiation released during emissions from the Chernobyl NPP.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
The most recent and perhaps final game in the series is a sequel to the first game (and subsequently the second game). One of the first Direct X 11 games, it creates beautiful lighting effects to bring The Zone to life like never before. More strongly received than the second, this game almost parallels the first in quality.
The game takes place after the events in the end of Shadow of Chernobyl, and involves protagonist Alexander Degtyarev of the Russian military scouting the zone disguised as a Stalker to discover the cause of several mysterious helicopter crashes around the Zone.
In Conclusion
This is some quality gaming here, folks. If you haven't treated yourself to any of these games, I'd recommend picking up Shadow of Chernobyl and giving it a try. Have fun, and discuss this terrific series in the following posts.
