Gaming S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky re-review

Got it today and started playing about 10. So far, really enjoying it but I have just had two insta-deaths, one understandable as a barrel blew up next to me, the other was more weird, and then the engine crashed

 

Off topic, but that is the first I have heard of The Escapist or of Zero Punctuation. Fantastic stuff.

 

I thought the original review of Clear Sky was the most accurate and honest on the net - I don't see that you needed to re-review it.
I played both Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky from release and managed to complete SoC in unpatched form which was impossible with CS. They had used the engine for 5 years or more and were re-using a fair chunk of the original games levels and yet managed to make the sequel even buggier - unforgiveable.

I've replayed SoC many times and recently again with the excellent Oblivion Lost mod - now that Ive finished CS I feel *no* desire to touch it ever again. In addition to the bugs there are glaringly stupid game design decisions. Putting a machine gun outside the exit from the first level which is gauranteed to rip many gamers to shreds is utterly baffling. Paying high costs for fast travel is prohibative and lugging loot from level to level just to find someone to sell it to is a pain in the ass. Yantar (with no repair available)and Red Forest were horrible levels in that respect.

The patches IMHO didn't so much *fix* things as remove stuff that caused problems. Cordon was a busy level in its original form with constant mutant attacks and those chests filling up all the time - I was never short of ammo to use and to sell. The same level feels deserted by comparison in 1.5.07. But if you want to find all the data sticks for the Neutral Base mechanic then you have a use a user created mod - the official patches haven't fixed that. I could include a LOT more examples but why bother.

3 out of 10 was accurate - you could stretch to a 5 maybe but 7 is just being plain charitable.

 

After you patched it to the 1.507 version game is a gem.difficulty is brutal.the best
shooter arround.simply this is an ultra realistic game.great fun

 

I'm sorry, but this review reads like it comes from some whiney console fanboi.

"The reality of the bleeding system though is that you end up carrying around a stupid amount of bandages, which completely overrides this sense of realism."

And being able to carry around a stupid amount of ammunition doesn't, "override your sense of realism" either? Why wasn't that pointed out? This isn't a valid criticism as you would have to criticize 99.9% of all other games for the same issue.

"You have to wrap a new bandage on after every scrape, no matter how little damage you took. There’s nothing on this earth capable of simultaneously wearing away our will to live and keyboards like having to tap ‘C’ every five seconds in a gunfight."

It's called, "eye/hand coordination" buddy. If you can't manage that, I'd suggest you find a new hobby because video games aren't your forte.

"Why do medkits instantly restore your health but not stop you bleeding at all?"

Because it's a video game. It's not supposed to be 100% realistic. Why not have one bullet stop you cold, then have to wait X number of minutes before medics can take you away to a hospital for however many months or years it takes you to recover fully from a bullet wound, only to return to the action after the battle you were in ended ages ago, if the injuries you sustained even allowed you to?

"but laughable when you get rushed by twenty-five bandits in identical leather jackets."

I can't think of one single video game ever created that doesn't have multiple bad guys that look exactly alike.

Granted I have some criticisms of this game, for instance that it seemed that someone made an effort to "Americanize" Clear Sky by adding in some "hip hop" slang which didn't fit the atmosphere at all. IIRC, SoC did not have these and gave it a little more "Russian" feel to it, as it should. But the claims of bandages and look-a-like enemies is fluff criticism at best.

 

Wait, you're accusing Bit of being a "fanboi"?

If you didn't like this review, check out this one instead!