Are these games even comparable?

[ruben6f]

So a friend told me that there he found some forum threads comparing S.T.A.L.K.E.R to CoD4, I searched the holy internet and found this.

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=627752

After reading the topic and what other people wrote I thought that these people where joking, they are just bashing S.T.A.L.K.E.R ( a semi-RPG as my friend calls it with sci-fi elements) and calling it unrealistic, while saying that CoD 4 (Hollywood style shooter) is a realistic shooter with a well made environment.

I ask if these two games are even comparable?

In my opinion no, comparing an open world shooter based on a book "Roadside Picnic" to a mission from CoD 4 wich is a linear game that tries to mix realism and Hollywood (and fail at it *grabs anti-hate shield) is a stupid idea.

I want to know what you guys think about comparing these two games (or any other different games) and if you disagree or agree with the opinions in the thread.

This is also my first post (YAY!) and my head really hurts because it's really hot where I am and I can't think very well, so any mistakes in this topic are due to the heat and pain... and lack of brain.

Edit: Forgot to mention, the people in the thread are only comparing the Chernobyll section from S.T.A.L.K.E.R with the Chernobyll section of CoD 4.

 

[Erana]

I do have a big problem with people comparing games that aren't really comparable. You can't really compare things that are trying to provide a different experience without going purely on preference.
Well, let's look at fruit.
You can easily compare an orange to a tangerine- the have so many similarities, and they provide a similar sweet, citrus flavor.
I can see where you are coming from.

But comparing COD4 and STALKER is like comparing an orange to a lemon- both are citrus fruits, yes, but one's a sweet experience that can be eaten by itself, and the other is incredibly sour and is best used only as a flavoring or garnish.

Whoever is comparing the two can only say one's better than the other because of what they want to do with fruit. If a person likes to eat their fruit straight off the tree, then they're probably going to hate lemons for being so terrible at what they use fruit for, despite the fact that lemons are about the intense, sour flavor.

 

[Sephychu]

You can't compare them, no, but then following that logic, there are a lot of things you cannot compare.

It does come down to preference really, but a lot of things do. People try to put it down to logic and fact so they can blindly assume that their opinions are correct.

 

[Zantos]

(and fail at it *grabs anti-hate shield)

Why would you need that? Everyone on here either hates Call of Duty or is so used to people hating Call of Duty that they don't care any more.

OT: I think it's tricky business trying to compare games anyway. Yeah you can compare aspects and definitely prefer some games to others, but they're all at least a little different. If there were games which you play where you wouldn't notice if someone changed them out when you went to the loo then maybe you could do an overall comparison, but in context to the question they're completely different and although you can prefer one to the other I can't really think they're that comparable.

 

[StBishop]

It's pretty fine to hate samey grey-brown shooters here man.

The only thing you won't get away with hating on here is Valve, and even then, it's not really a "flame sheild" so much as a "kindly worded disagreement shield".

I agree with you for what it's worth, they're entirely different games.

 

[Hal10k]

I agree with the fact that they're different types of games, but I have a bigger problem with somebody calling Call of Duty "realistic". In terms of politics, technology, and Newton's Laws of Motion, Call of Duty bears about as much relation to reality as a fish does to the General Secretary of the U.N.

 

[Canid117]

(and fail at it *grabs anti-hate shield)

Why would you need that? Everyone on here either hates Call of Duty or is so used to people hating Call of Duty that they don't care any more.

While everyone here hates MW2 COD4 gets much more love. And it should the multiplayer was much more balanced.

 

[newdarkcloud]

That's like comparing Final Fantasy and Fallout. Yeah, they're both RPGs, but aside from that they have very little in common.

 

[luckybreak]

While I agree that two games can be uncomparable that does not mean that you cant compare parts of it. Before I say anything else I would like to say that I have not played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. so anything I say is just an example. So for example if S.T.A.L.K.E.R. contains fps aspects as well you could argue that in comparison the shooting is clumsy. You may not be able to compare the whole game, but you can compare portions of it. Like graphics or control scheme's.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

I stubbornly hold that any two things can be compared

I stubbornly agree. It may not be a particularly useful comparison, and you may not get a whole lot of value out of comparing some things with each other, but of course you can compare anything with anything else, even if the conclusion is that they have absolutely nothing in common with each other. Hooray for pedantry!

The two games in question aren't even that unreasonable to compare to each other, considering that they're both shooters that have sections that in theory take place in the same general setting, or at least ones loosely based on the same thing. There are plenty of interesting things you could look at with how they choose to present that differently, both aesthetically and through gameplay. Just because those people didn't doesn't mean it's not possible.

 

[Spoon E11]

While they can be compared is there any point in doing so, for example:

Bananas are much sweater than roast lamb. While you have made a general comparison the only thing you have succeeded in doing is stating the obvious.

 

[BoredDragon]

Well, I haven't played STALKER so I can't form an opinion about if it's good or bad. However, I recently found my CoD4 disc again after about a month of searching for it. My conclusion about the game is the following:

CoD4 = fun

isn't that really the only thing that matters

 

[anthony87]

I just read a thread here comparing the Golden Sun series to Dragonball Z....same OP perhaps?

 

[Zantos]

The only thing you won't get away with hating on here is Valve, and even then, it's not really a "flame sheild" so much as a "kindly worded disagreement shield".

Valve fanboys are the worst of the bunch. Any time I say something bad about a Valve game on here I keep expecting them to track me down and burn me as a sacrifice to Gabe Newell. Probably to appease him enough to bring out Half Life 3.

 

[Fishehh]

No, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, as far as I remember is almost open world, while COD is not
S.T.A.L.K.E.R, is terrifying and amazing with quite a lot of variation
COD it not
You can't compare them solely based on the fact they are both shooters

 

[badgersprite]

You think that's bad, I've seen friends of mine try to compare fighting games and RPGs in an argument about which is better.

It seems like when people try to justify their opinions, they often just try to compare it to something they greatly dislike without giving much thought to whether the comparison makes any sense at all. Personally, I've never been one to subscribe to the belief that something has to be good or accepted as good in order for me to like it, so trying to prove that my taste is anything more than a personal opinion has never made much sense to me.