Poll: Which STALKER game is your favorite?

[Ambient_Malice]

I personally have to say Call of Pripyat, because it's the most polished of the series, despite being a bit thin plot-wise. It feels like a refinement of the formula the developers had been struggling to grasp. The open world where anything could happen at any time, in theory. Who knows what monsters lurk in the dark places that are, in fairness, largely cut content from Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl.

 

[B-Cell_v1legacy]

Shadow of chernoboyl by far. when i played it first time ever I was completely blown away by it. it was most unique innovative and most atmospheric and immersive game at that time. quickly become one of the best FPS of all time. and only FPS/RPG hybrid to have a really really amazing Gunplay since as much as i love Deus Ex/System shock 2 they have weak shooting mechanics.

Since GSC are back i hope they will make Stalker 2 in future.

 

[the December King]

Shadow was my first, and it was the one to give me that special thrill of stumbling onto an amazing game out of nowhere. However, I find that each has strong points... Clear Sky had some interesting attempts at innovation, like the implementation of factions, and a much more active and persistent evolving world around the player, and Call of Pripyat, which was to me the most solid game in terms of actual gameplay (if a bit short). Still, I'm replaying Shadow Of Chernobyl now, with the "Oblivion Lost" mod, and I'm having a blast.

 

[Bernzz]

Shadow of Chernobyl for me, being my first. I've also not yet played Pripyat, nor finished Clear Sky, so obviously my choices are limited. I like some elements introduced in Clear Sky, any game that gives me the ability to mod my guns is gonna get a lot of attention from me. I love the series so far though, always hoping for a proper STALKER 2.

 

[Mcgeezaks]

CoP for me as well, the first game in the series that really pulled me in.

 

[Zombie Proof]

SOC and COP with their different strengths and weaknesses end up about even for me. I love SOC's pacing and story but COP's world design and refined gameplay just feels so damn good to play.

Clear Sky was actually my first Stalker of the three but I ended up not beating it due to a bug that happened late-game that kept artifacts from appearing. I'll get around to it at some point I'm sure.

I also LOVE the emissions in the COP 2012 complete mod
The nuclear wave effect in the Misery mods emissions is pretty nuts too.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Shadow of Chernobyl was my favorite, though I never did beat it due to some glitch that killed me every time I entered one of the late-game areas.

Call of Pripyat was interesting as well, but I didn't get a chance to play it much. I guess I could always go back, but I haven't been in the mood to play that type of game lately.

 

[Ravinoff]

Having played all three (okay, like half an hour of Clear Sky, never made it out of the swamp), it's really hard to pick one. In the poll I gave the edge to Call Of Pripyat, for its depth and much cooler anomalies, but the truth is both of the main ones were amazing, and some of the few games to absolutely scare the hell out of me. The labs especially, and the pack of wild dogs hanging out in the middle of Pripyat in CoP.

They're also notable for being really, really good with gun stuff (I think even the base versions, I played with the Complete mods). I once tested the HUD reticle rangefinder (engine-side, displays distance to what you're aiming at next to your crosshair) against the ranging tool on the PSO rifle scope, and it lined up really well. I think the drop compensating marks were even pretty close on.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

they're all kind of even for me, I gave shadow of Chernobyl my vote because I remember more of it, but they all were excellent games

There are so many little things that the game does to get you immersed. It's awesome to realize that there are no ambient sounds, so every time you hear a wolf howl or a mutant growl it's from an actual wolf or mutant somewhere in the game world

 

[chrissx2]

I like the structure of CoP the most.

 

[Recusant]

I can't pick just one. I think pretty much everyone (there are always dissenters) will admit that Clear Sky was the weakest of the three, but even it had charms that the others didn't. One of the few weaknesses that Pripyat had that the others didn't is one that's not ordinarily a weakness; it ended the story. I was flummoxed when I read that GSC was planning on making STALKER 2; Pripyat wrapped things up very thoroughly. It didn't explode the world or anything, granted; but it put enough of a seal on things that any subsequent game would have to either diastically change the setting or work with a radically different atmosphere.

 

[Freyr]

I don't think anybody is going to say that SoC wasn't a great game, because it got most people hooked on the series.

On the other hand Call of Pripyat did improve on pretty much all of the gameplay mechanics and while this is really subjective I had the most fun with it of the entire series. The only downside to it really is not having that good a storyline compared to SoC and obviously being shorter, or at least easier to complete in less time.

 

[Major_Tom]

The modded one, i.e., the one without the retarded ejection ports.

 

[Poetic Nova]

First one is still the best imo.

CS was too buggy to gett even to run, and CoP didn't give me the same atmosphere (but it is a good game in its own right).

 

[BrotherSurplice]

Oh you shazbot, this is a tough one.

After much consideration, I have to say that Call of Pripyat is definitely the best un-modded game in the series. It combines the brilliant atmosphere from Shadow of Chernobyl and the few good ideas from Clear Sky (actually having to look for artifacts, blowouts, weapon/armour upgrades etc.) into something that feels like exactly what the original game should have been like. In addition the game is incredibly stable and well polished compared to the other two. I didn't encounter a single crash and only a couple of bugs in my whole play-through.

One criticism I do have is for the story. It starts well but eventually becomes just as dumb as that of Clear Sky, so Shadow of Chernobyl still has it beat there. That said, the way the game has multiple different endings for all of the characters and factions that you meet (? la the original Fallout games and Fallout: New Vegas) is a nice touch. Getting almost all of the good endings gives one all the warm fuzzies.

 

[Inazuma1]

I've only ever played SoC once before on a pirated vanilla version that I couldn't mod. Now I have the whole series on Steam and put the Stalker Complete 2009(v2) mod on SoC and am currently playing through it. I dipped my toes into CS and CoP, but I want to go through the series in release order so I can have the full experience.

 

[The Madman]

I feel like the STALKER formula works best in an open-world environment, and seeing as Call of Pripyat is the most open-ended of the games, that's the one I most enjoy.

 

[Chaosian]

Really hard toss up between Pripyat's giant areas and fantastic mods support, and Clear Sky's bustling factions systems. Probably have to go with Pripyat though, because it's story was the first good one of the series...