good game, but still needs to be worked out...
After playing a couple of days, it became clear that the game has not "suffered" too many changes as it should be.
Graphic engine: pretty antiquate, now a days. seems to work well, so far. but it lacks many new features, and it seems, that it is unable to take full advantage on modern graphic cards (I have nvidia GTX 295 with 1792 Mb of ram, and the game freezes, sometimes for some moments, which has never happened with other games) I guess it could be attributed that the game was optimized to run on ATI chipset.. Amen. However, the graphic engine seems to suit well to the atmosphere of the game: good atmospheric effects, lightining, heavy grey clouds, endless rain, all that stuff creates amazing creepy environment, that makes you forget for a while for some flaws of the game.
Some notes about animation. Movements of characters seem somewhere "stiffy", most of all regarding the beasts: they look like cheap animated androids, in one of first releases of Jedi Kinght... hehehehe besides, they are pretty stupid... it makes you to think that they are no more than some kind of animated "furniture".
Nature. creepy, appropriate to environment of the game, but looks pretty old "fashioned", like Tomb Raider 2 or something...
Movements of character... I guess prolongated exposure to high radiation levels, affected joints & articulations of the character, so he has a lot of difficulties to move around. Try to crouch and you`ll see.
Gameplay. a bit boring because of long walks through the emptiness. pretty simlar (and boring) to prior releases. however there are many additional missions and tasks to be complied, so: have fun. As always in STALKER, a terrible lack of ammo... makes you think twice before you pull the trigger.
Storyline: I guess this part is the most important, and it saves (in certain sence of word) this games, from being just another "a game, released on 2010". The game is immersive & addictive, despite of all technical flaws, all graphic engine, it makes you go & go.. all the atmosphere is creepy & creates a post apocaliptic, spooky environment, and the best part, is the player has a sensation that the worst is yet to come...(but actually, it will never come). The end of the game is quite disappointing, since... nothing happens. some guys were picked up by a couple of choppers and... game over... Looks like a pie, that has many ingredients, but got out of stove without being baked well...
Concluding all this, I think, this game deserves to be played for a while, you have nothing better to do...