With Stalker 2 here now, writing a quick review for the OG feels necessary:


Shadow of Chernobyl is the "truest" of the first three games. Its all about the mystery, allure and quite horrific nature of the zone. While the later games would try and explore the bright side of the zone, SoC just oozes darkness, danger, radioactivity, violence and flesh ripping anomalies.

The gunplay can vary in quality. Its definitely a frustrating experience with the starter guns and especially if they have non-green durability. Mid and high tier weaponry is rewarding and second only to CoP.

The story is serviceable. Its not grandiose and altough it follows a protagonist, its definitely world-centered. Its pacing is strange but personally in a good way, keeping enough details in the dark to imagine crazy stuff.

The world itself is a 10/10, no other game in the series has this much detail and evident effort visible in its maps. Textures are raw and cold, the skyboxes are breathakingly overcast, the CNPP looks as mighty as the game hypes you up. Sound design is so iconic even S2, years later, reuses most effects in it.

Game pacing is decent. The beggining can be very slow, the midgame as long as you want, and the endgame is a race to the finish line, depending which ending you get. The second half of the experience is well directed, never overstaying its welcome (except for the true ending, a real ammo-dump).

Personally, SoC is very different to its succesors in tone, in the jankiness of the xray engine, the quality all around. It really feels like an anomaly, a forbidden sight just barely keeping it, always threatening you with a crash, but at least in my case only 2 happened. If you dont know which of the three games you want to try, Shadow of Chernobyl is the CORRECT answer.

My friend said that if I post a review about the game and it gets 200 likes and 50 awards, he'll buy me S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and a RTX 4090. Help a brother out.

Interesting game about going into the Radioactive area: The Zone and finding out what happened after the '86 Nuclear Disaster. Game is partially based on a novel "Roadside Picnic" and I think I will read it before I play next games in the series. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gives an experience of what would it be like to wander into abandoned Radioactive areas.