Unusual FPS that often feels like an RPG, very hard and very rewarding, offers a unique experience even for FPS haters.
Even with the graphic settings maxed (dx 11 and all), i was not very impressed the first few minutes, but soon i was completely immersed in this unique game world with an incredible atmosphere.
I think players expecting to find a game similar to Crysis or Far Cry will be disappointed, Pripyat is a lot harder, has a certain RPG flair about it, and its more about survival and figuring out the world around you than heroic gun fights.
Talking to the NPC's is very important, thats how you learn about the area, get missions and find out important information that will save you a lot of unnecessary deaths.
Money is very hard to come by and the equipment and ammo is very expensive, the equipment wears out very fast and it costs a fortune to repair, loot is scarce.
Fights are tough (actually very tough for non FPS players like me) and the environment is full of unusual hazards so it feels a lot like a survival game.
When exposed to some of these hazards (like radiation) you will get radiation sickness that will drain your hp over time, unless you use items to cure the condition (vodka works wonders *cough) or see a doctor. If you dont take your time to find the doc at the base (he looks like an ordinary stalker btw) you will have a hard (and expensive) ride.
Its a hardcore game (at least for novice fps players like me) but very immmersive and rewarding, and the RPG flair is great.
The only minus for me was the english voice acting, i mean hey, listen to these guys talking russian, they sound great, now why on earth they would speak english with that whiney pitch and dumb voice? I think they should have left the russian voices and just add subtitles....especially since some of the russian jokes they say are quite funny :P.
And come to think of it, another minus would be the excessive difficulty, but then again for some players that would be a plus.