Does the latest STALKER. game tackle some of the critical flaws with the survivalist franchise, such as stability issues and indulgent acronyms? What exactly does DirectX 11 bring to the table? The only way to find the answers to these questions is to check our review! http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2010/02/04/stalker-call-of-pripyat-review/1 And look, no stupid full-stops any more!
Mines been posted today apparently. Looking forward to playing it. Then playing Clear Sky, Shadow and then this again.
get out of here stalker. I played a dodgy Russian translation ages ago. was great, will be buying it.
English localisation took longer I guess. Quite a lot of games from Eastern Europe or further out that way do German first. Seems odd that it would take that long, yet still have so many issues. Downside of a small developer I guess. Given this Stalker isn't getting the OMG IT'S BROKEN! treatment that Clear Sky got (deservedly so) I'm going to give it a punt. Particularly as the AvP demo didn't inspire confidence, I need to get my fix of scary game from somewhere.
My copy should be here tomorrow , really looking forward to it , played the Russian version breifly last November , loved it but got very confused due to the obvious language issues...
i really do like the atmosphere stalker manages to portray. does anyone know anything about the AI's grenade throwing ? is it as deadly accurate as clear sky ?
i dont know how you can complain about it being clunky and unpolished, personally i believe it adds charm to the game.
Like a hobo? I will admit that it can add charm, but when I am paying for something clunky and unpolished, well, that **** just don't fly. I gave up on the first one after the bugs got the better of me. I just couldn't take them anymore. And this was after one or two patches as well. Didn't even try the second. And it's a shame, because I wouldn't have put up with any other game that had that many problems. which goes to show just how amazing the core game can be. This is what is so damn frustrating. They literally have an amazing game, better than a lot of recent triple A ones, but it is held back by some really stupid issues that I can't believe made it to the shipping version of the game. Having read this review, I might have to give this one a go, but I am still not holding out much hope. Speaking of the review, I was kind of hoping for a look in to the graphics (rather than just a "They're well good" kind of assessment). Any reason why this wasn't done? I mean, I can appreciate that no one wants an epic long section for every damn game, but for one of the few DX11 titles (and from the looks of it, the best implementation so far, especially becuase of Dirt 2's lacklustre use of it) out there, I was kind of hoping for a decent look in to it.
Really been looking forward to this game been a huge fan of the stalker based games, its a shame the sound inst fixed developers say this is due to the sound emmision sphere not being restricted by objects and because of the way they coded the game this cannot be fixed. Weird excuse, yet they seem to be able to update the graphics engine easy enough (1.6 xray isnt it). Looks like a ini file tweak will be needed again to shrink the sound range sphere again. Also for being one of the first dx11 fps types i was looking for a more indepth review into the graphics differences between dx versions and how it runs on more mainstream p.c's We cry that we dont get many P.c only coded games (not poor console ports) and when one that has state of the art rendering paths its not even looked at ?? Please revisit this title with a more indepth look at the graphics I,m quite sure very few people have 5970's yet and the 5770 more mainstream dx 11 card so lets see how it runs
Is there any stuttering apparent? I used to get OK fps, but the stuttering killed the experience, never understoud what it was. What hardware are you guys having "success" with? At a descent resolution that is, and no, I don't have 5970 ^^
there was a bug in the first one that meant if you had artefacts that made you bleed they were coded in reverse and stopped bleeding, so i equipped two that stopped bleeding completely and the game was a good'un! i chuffing hate the bleeding, without that i would have kept playing clear sky, but every other second i was getting hit by a ricochet and jabbing the bandage button like i had OCD!!! GAAH!!!! does anyone know how to turn off the bloody bleeding? it completely ruins it for me, it's just too often to add anything to the experience.
I liked the first two games a lot even though some bugs were really frustrating. I'll maybe wait to buy this after it has has a couple of patches and the modders have gone to town on it. Its a shame the developers don't listen to gamers feedback properly and fix the niggles.
This review sucked!! Next time you review a PC only Directx 11 game I would hope you add more pictures so we can see the benefits of the new tech versus the old.. This is a PC website still I guess. I bought Stalker Call of Pripyat from Germany 3 months ago and installed it with NO problems, bugs, or crashes (unlike previous version of the series) I don't speak Russian or German so all I had was a "usable" English patch. The game play is more along the line of Shadow of Chernoybl where you are rewarded for exploring the Zone and that is the beauty of this franchise. You need to explore the Zone for armor , weapons, artifacts, and medical supplies if you gonna leave the "Rookie" stages and head deeper into the Zone where fiercer mutants and heavily armed NPC await you. unlike Clear Sky where you were in a Fallujah type shootout every 10 meters. In Call Of Pripyat the constant gun battles have been toned down but when you do engage the enemy you better be prepared. The A.I. is better as NPC will constantly flank you, distract you, even use hit and run tactics. NPC's will use cover and are smart enough not to blindly charge into anomalies because now they use they same equipment as you "NpC even throw bolts to detect invisible dangers. The atmosphere in the game is still one of the best in any game ever. You really get the feeling of being alone while navigating your way through beautiful but dangerous wide open landscapes or dark and radiated underground lairs filled with puss dripping SNORKS. The Lighting effects are top notch as the 24 hour day/night cycle with weather constantly changes your view of the landscape. There is nothing more chilling than the sound of a lurking pseudo dog nearby as you crawl through a foggy swamp at night. wondering if the screams of death in the distance will be echoed by your own. The game's atmosphere is so well done that you will adjust your exploration habits depending on what time of day it is. Even though you are equipped with a flashlight and can upgrade to night vision, exploring the zone at night is still SCARY. If you survive the night you will be greeted by a gorgeous sunrise (if it isn't cloudy and raining) and those brilliant god rays that render in real time and constantly change brightness and shadow effect as you move or stand still and the sun moves. This part of the game has been refined a bit and wont lower your FPS as much as it did in Clear Sky. Upgrading your gear and finding artifacts is fun but it all comes down to your weapon of choice. You may want to carry everything that you find but then you wouldn't be able to walk because you would be too heavy so this brings balance to the game by making you plan out what you are going to need on your journey. Sure you can stash items away in hidden areas but I wouldn't stash weapons on deceased bodies because a hungry pack of dogs may drag it off or a NPC may loot the body for your wares. Once you decide on your favorite weapon make sure you keep it in tip top shape. Journey too long without proper maintenance and YES your gun will jam on you in a fire fight just like in real life. The game is flat out fun to play and the more you reveal clues to the story the more intriguing it gets as it pulls your character deeper into the world of a STALKER and you may even forget you are a MILITARY soldier. I had only text so I can't comment on the voice overs until this weekend when I go and buy the English version but as far as graphics and game play, it's a top notch game on a system with power. If your familiar with the series and have played some mods you will quickly realized that Call of Pripyat has all the best features of the two previous games and some of the best features from the modding community except the Faction Wars. You can join a faction at certain points of the game and increase your friend/enemies status but there are no stats on the faction wars like Clear Sky. the Tessellation in the details of bricks, wood, concrete,rust and water is photo realistic at times. Some trees even look like photographs while some grass and bushes look like bleached fabric. Environments are nicely drawn and the detail is high most of the time. The atmosphere is drab and dreary because remember you are in a Radiated area NO RAINBOWS AND ROSES here. YES you will get an occasional glitch like half a NPC sticking out of the wall but they are rare. I can't say enough about the lighting effects. Firing off your weapon at night creates some unbelievable flashes of light that reflect nicely off wet and dry surfaces. Just don't stand too close to an explosion while using Night Vision as it will blind you (literally)!! Mutants are nicely drawn and you can almost smell the blood dripping out of a pseudo dogs mouth, The cloaking technique of the Bloodsuckers would make the Predator proud. The game offers about 30 hours of game play because you won't survive Mercenaries without proper equipment you'll spend time above and below ground looking for clues to your mission and ways of making cash for upgrades. There are side quest but this time they have meaning and not the go get this or go kill this person because these side quest lead you closer to a piece of the puzzle and can update or change on the fly with WARNINGS from your PDA. Overall the game installs and runs great. The graphics are excellent and the Directx 11 features or noticeable even though they were just added in. For a small company this is another Big game in the series and with the right financial backing this series could sell millions. Now i didn't have the English version so I'm gonna agree with the editor and assume the voice overs suck. I enjoyed the game with less than that I would give the game a solid 8 because it's mechanics and control are solid as far as a Tactical FPS ( you can run n gun but that means your light and not carrying enough supplies to survive long excursions in the zone), the menu interface is very easy to use considering all the items and information your character posses (you can assign HOT KEYS) . The graphics and game play are top notch and the atmosphere, story, and multiple environments immerse you into the game. I deducted a point for the acting, voice overs and I deducted another point because I felt some things like animation and over all quality could use some more tweaking. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat is a Solid 8 and a great game.
I gave up on Clear Sky ~half of the way through, it wasn't as interesting as Shadow of Chernobyl, although it might've improved if I stuck at it. I might pick this up when it hits £15, and when I've got a lot of spare time... score or 7 or not, it's not a priority, what with Stalker being quite an odd series. Nice review though, wish it had a bit more detail on the graphics though.
