A long waited game is finally and again finally out! I started with answering to a topic but ended with this. I was not impressed at all when I began to play, but later after talking to my friend on the phone and discussing the game for a very long time, I decided to give it another shot. We have been waiting for this game forever. I still remember sitting in the dark room together with my friends, reading out loud different creepy, scary stories on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s homepage. I still remember downloading every trailer, every picture that I could get my hands on. Enough of that, lets see what the final game can offer. Of course the game has it's downsides. It's not as open ended as Oblivion. Many side quests can not be completed. When you start playing it's not all that great. You are running around the Zone with practically nothing: bad armour, stupid shotgun. Not until later in the game where you get werious nice upgrades, weapons and artefacts. I love the game for its: superb AI, incredible weather effects, underground levels, creepy monsters, unpredictable anomalies. It feels more like leaving though the game not playing. The game play it self is so tense. There is always something new you have to do, accomplish. Besides that I just love to stop for a moment and listen to other stalkers in the zone, sitting by the fireplace, telling different jokes, stories and playing the guitar. This is a HUGE PLUS that you understand Russian. I can tell you that you miss a lot, by not understanding what other stalker’s are talking about. The mood in the bar felt so real that I did not want to leave that place. For a moment, I was stunned and could not move! Finally the game has 7 different endings, but they are basically the same. I think that this game should be the game of the year. The game graphics are overall great. I am running the game almost maxed out at 1680x1050 (after installing 1.02 patch) on my C2D 6600, 2GB DDR2 and 7900 GTX EE and my brand new 22” SyncMaster 226BW. I still remember them saying “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be very rewarding for the Hardcore gamers that are using all there time and money to have the best of the best.” It’s so true, that I might even buy a new 8800 GTS/GTX for only one purpose, to run this game on MAX. All for now, awaiting for Expansion Pack! Thank you GSC!
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