Bethesda bought S.T.A.L.K.E.R (?)

[Roentgens]

Stalker SoC was a unique one of a kind game. Entering Rostok and Pripyat for the first time was a breathtaking experience. To this day its atmosphere, audio, graphics, art design is still top notch. The game never got too easy, and arrogance is always punished no matter what your equipment is. The deeper into the zone you get, the more you will have to prepare. But after a long foray into the wilds, you can always return to Rostok to wind down, grab a drink and listen to a guitar by the campfires. Its why the game is still a cult classic.

 

Whatever Bethesda does, I hope they'll at least try to continue the franchise instead of just sinking it. However, using the Creation Engine for a Stalker sequel would be a step back compared to the Xray engine. The poor shadowing and lighting would ruin the atmosphere. The lack of bullet physics will also be a major loss, especially for modding.

[ankerous]

I bought SoC on a whim after it was released because what I read on the back of the box drew me in. I was glad I did and have enjoyed the series as a whole. I am not really in favor of this news, but I'm not going to completely thumb my nose at it without giving Bethesda the benefit of the doubt with what they do with it first. If they end up just not making it period or release a stinker, then I will be unhappy.

[beeblebub]

i loved s.t.a.l.k.e.r please dont ruin it bethesda.

[nathanj]

I still play STALKER SHoC and mostly CoP to this day. It simply blows Fallout 3 and Fallout NV out of the water in gunplay mechanics, monsters and environment. It has obvious weaknesses in that the xray engine is perhaps the only game engine that is actually worse than gamebryo when it comes to optimization. STAKLER CoP was fairly well polished but STALKER SHoC was buggy as hell and Clear Sky is almost unplayable with all of its bugs. Its quests also are a bit lacking as they are just basic fetch something or go talk to someone quests for the most part. Not terribly complicated. The Fallout games have more fleshed out worlds and better quests overall its just that the actual gameplay mechanics suck so bad. I hope that Bethesda hires developers that have actually worked on FPS games for the next Fallout.

 

I am both excited and worried at the same time. I am excited because that means there is a possiblity that there will be a new STALKER game. Yeah! :D

 

I am worried because it is Bethesda. One of the reasons I liked STALKER is because it was created by a developer that is the antithesis of Bethesda. STALKER was more difficult than most shooters on the market. You couldn't fast travel everywhere. You could be killed in seconds at early levels by most enemies and even on high levels some enemies would own you if more than one of them showed up..........bloodsuckers and controllers anyone. :) You could die just skipping along and not noticing the gravitational or electrical anomaly in front o you and ZAP! your dead. :devil:

 

Bethesda games are fun but they are designed for little children and their mommies to play. Everything is easy and "accessible" so that anyone can play and not get stressed. This is probably good marketing and maybe it sells more copies overall but it completely ruins the game in the long run. I always end up having to use lots of mods to increase the difficulty in Bethesda games. STALKER CoP I could just throw on Master difficulty and I was set to go. Not much else was needed. The mods I use for my STALKER games mostly just add new guns and armor and new quests.

 

I also LOVE the STALKER mythos and the gameworld. I literally freak out when blow outs occur and the mad scramble to find cover simply has no equivalent in any other game I have played. For those of you who haven't played STALKER yet. Every day or so at random times an emission will occur and will kill everything including the player if they are caught outside. When you hear it coming you have to immediately find cover within 30 seconds or so or you will die. It is simply one of the simplest, elegant and best additions to gameplay in a long time.

 

Oh and you have to repair your gear or find new stuff......something that Bethesda decided was to difficult for Skyrim players. :rolleyes:

[Flamdring]

My son has told me Stalker is an excellent series. I LOVED Fallout 3 and Liked FONV but I always felt it would have been much more fulfilling if wasn't so... stupid? Maybe that's not the right word but although "Fallout Boy" etc. were sometimes humorous it was a bit absurd. Kinda killed the immersion for me. Always wished it was based on an actual holocaust in this world and not some alternate reality. Yes, I am aware that an actual holocaust would be the end of everything (gimme a break :tongue: )

 

If Stalker is like a more serious version of FO3... I'm all ears. :biggrin: If beth is taking it over as stated... I'll be... reserved but definitely interested. I'll be looking into the last version of it. Getting burnt out on Skyrim for now anyway. Thanks.

 

You might enjoy S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The whole game concept behind the Zone with all its anomalies and Stalkers is based on a sci-fi novel by brothers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky called "Roadside Picnic". It was later adapted into a film by a Russian director Alexander Tarkovsky which decades later was transformed into the game.

 

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R., the game, the Chernobyl reactor exploded for the second time sometime in 2012 creating a barely inhabitable territory called the "Zone". Due to large amounts of radioactive waste having been released into the atmosphere, the people and animals who lived near the reactor began to mutate turning into various monsters. Along with the changes in the environment came various anomalies, and while they were dangerous, they were also responsible for creating powerful artifacts which were hunted by Stalkers, the Ukrainian Army, scientists and various other groups. Everything is explained in the game, but the atmosphere it offers is very sombre and even scary compared to Fallout series.

 

I agree that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. provides a very challenging and immersive experience. I remember preferring to escape some battles against bloodsuckers than facing them (they are very nasty!). On maximum difficulty a couple of shots is all that is needed to kill your character, even if he is wearing powerful armour. In SHoC there was at least one encounter with a nasty Controller who killed my character about five times with his mind attack until I realised where the bastard was hiding. :S

Edited August 14, 2012 by Flamdring

[NodTuGud]

Have any of you tried METRO2033?

The one thing I have to mention - just as a warning to the run and gunners... there is no QUICK SAVE you either make it to a check point or you don't I know this can kill a game for some people but then that's why there's checkers and chess. Edited September 9, 2012 by NodTuGud

[Wraithofdoom]

its good news but i hope they keep it serious and scary.

[Brandy1123]

A more serious game but FO3 style. I would be very interested in a product such as that. If it has anything to do with STEAMypile, I pass.

[Wraithofdoom]

If it has anything to do with STEAMypile, I pass.

 

second that

[Blu02]

Have any of you tried METRO2033?

The one thing I have to mention - just as a warning to the run and gunners... there is no QUICK SAVE you either make it to a check point or you don't I know this can kill a game for some people but then that's why there's checkers and chess.

 

Yeah, it has great graphics and share the post-apocalyptic theme, but it's a linear heavily scripted shooter, not an open world RPG as Stalker or Fallout. I have at least tried it, but I didn't like it enough to finish it at the time. Might give it another shot this winter before the sequel is released next year. It's just too bad I can't activate PhysX with my current AMD gfx-cards :P F*ck you Nvidia!