Poll: What S.T.A.L.K.E.R game do I start with?

[Dectomax]

If you're playing CoP - I highly recommend the 'Misery Mod' for it. That thing makes the game unbelievably punishing, but also rewarding. You feel like you earn every item, every weapon and every step you take. Lo-and-behold if you go out unprepared.

As for the others, Clear Sky is buggy but still worth playing ( Just save often ) and SoC is a damn good game. ( Complete mod ) I'm currently doing another play-through of Shadow on the hardest setting...and by the gods, is it damn fun ( If mind-destroyingly hard! )

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Start with CoP its the best stability wise and get the complete mod for it

This. The "Complete" series of mods for the three games add a lot of beneficial and under-the-hood changes, tweaks and bug fixes that greatly improve both the gameplay and performance. IMO they're some of the best player-made mods out there for any series. They do not in any way detract from the overall game or developer's vision for it.

 

[Lygus]

Speaking of mods, Misery 2.0 will be released on July 31 for CoP. Very much anticipated and worth a replay. Which is exactly what I'm aiming for on August.

For SOC, I recommend Oblivion Lost 2.2, Priboi Story (it features an alternative storyline, which is awesome and refreshing) and Stalkersoup.

For CS, give Faction Wars a try. It introduces team management mechanics and kind of innovative overall.

And don't forget the biggest of the mods - Lost Alpha (actually, it's already a standalone game with potential to be released by GSC themselves as the next official STALKER title).

Ooooh, man, this totally lifted my spirits! I've been waiting for the Lost Alpha stuff for a looong time. And I might grab that Oblivion...

are all of these mods accessible through Steam, or do I have to go 'off road'?

Check some moddb.com pages and official GSC Game World forums under STALKER titles' subforums for "Mod discussion" sections. There's plenty of great but not well-known content, made by Russian community (Secret Trails 2 for SoC, anyone?).

With STALKER mods, I'm always trying to keep an open mind. Surprises are always there.

By "accessible through Steam", you mean published on Workshops? I know many modders don't trust it at all, including myself.