Need a STALKER substitute

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michael.pa2

2[H]4U
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After spending the last few months playing the STALKER series,I've just about stretched it out as far as I can,playing through all three games and the various mods and conversions available. With the next installment not due until 2012,I need a substitute to tide me over.The problem is that though I'm a diehard FPS fan,after the open world,non-linear gameplay of STALKER,the standard "corridor shooters" just don't appeal to me as much.Are there any other FPS games that come close to the type of gameplay STALKER has?
 
ARMA may have some appeal, but I never got into it so not sure how comparable the two are. While a tad different have you considered Fallout 3? It is an RPG that can be played like a FPS and there are a variety of mods for it and you can easily put 75+ hours into the game and DLC available for it.
 
Borderlands if you want more shooting and a little RPG elements.
Fallout 3/New Vegas if you want less shooting and more RPG elements.
 
Farycry 2, Arma, Borderlands, Fallout 3/New Vegas are the games that I can think of that have FPS elements and are relatively open.
 
I agree, Fallout 3/New Vegas is the closest you can get - not that it's actually close. Not much like Stalker out there. Have you played Metro? Even though it's a linear corridor shooter, I liked the atmosphere, that Eastern Bloc vibe shines through in that game just like in Stalker.
 
Stalker is my game as well. Oddly enough, I am contemplating installing SoC...again... so I can try the new Morphological AA with my 5870.

People will flame me but, as a Stalker fan, I liked Farcry 2. It doesn't have the looting and stuff like that but it is open and non-linear. If you use the boats and side trails, it is not as repetitive as people say and I needed a break from nuclear wasteland which the lush vegetation provided. Borderlands IS a better game but FC2 aint as bad as people say and worth a shot if you like Stalker. Their both cheap as dirt so pick up both.

BUT...If you haven't played Fallout 3, then thats your winner. I didn't like VATS at first but I got used to it and ended up loving it. Get the whole shebang if you get it though with all of the DLC right up front. Same with Borderlands.
 
they arent quite the same but if you havent already give Deus Ex and Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines a try
 
wrangler said:
BUT...If you haven't played Fallout 3, then thats your winner. I didn't like VATS at first but I got used to it and ended up loving it. Get the whole shebang if you get it though with all of the DLC right up front. Same with Borderlands.
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My gripe with VATS is that it's useless long range. Why is it that when I don't use VATS stats don't mean shit? I can have very low on guns and accuracy but still I can consistently hit people in the head with a 9mm pistol, LONG RANGE, and if I do use VATS with a character with great stats, they only matter when it's close range. Otherwise it's still 0% chance to hit.

The game just doesn't know whether it should be FPS or RPG.
 
I'm a big fan of STALKER (you may have seen my installation post) and the game I'd recommend for you next is Just Cause 2. It's a great big open world, it's got a gloriously campy plot, and it is, most importantly, refreshingly fun. Far Cry 2 had very mixed reviews but I enjoyed it anyway - and Just Cause 2 is everything Far Cry 2 should have been.
 
I considered Just Cause 2,but I just can't get into third person shooters. Fallout 3 sounds much closer to what I'm looking for,STALKER has a lot of RPG elements as well. And if I decide I like the game,maybe by the time I've played through it they'll have worked out the bugs I've been hearing about in New Vegas.
 
Yeah, Fallout is probably your best bet to fill the niche Stalker is leaving behind. Of course you could give Metro 2033 a shot. It's not an open world FPS/RPG, but if you miss having guys yell at you in Russian (or at least heavy Russian accents), then this game is for you lol.

Now, get out of here Stalker.
 
Stalker is one of my all time favourites and there is little else out there that compares. I've always referred to it as "fps oblivion" because they share a lot of the same elements. If you've never gotten into Oblivion (or fallout 3 GOTY) I suggest you make those your next stop.

Borderlands is FPS Diablo II. It's not even remotely similar to Stalker. ARMA series is hyper realistic battlefield warfare where you can take an hour or two to plan a mission and then travel a long distance to an objective only to be wiped out in a few seconds by an ambush or a mistake. Fun (to me), but not similar to Stalker.

Metro seems like Stalker vibe and very immersive but linear. Haven't beat it yet (barely even touched it) I'm just too busy with other games.
 
odex said:
My gripe with VATS is that it's useless long range. Why is it that when I don't use VATS stats don't mean shit? I can have very low on guns and accuracy but still I can consistently hit people in the head with a 9mm pistol, LONG RANGE, and if I do use VATS with a character with great stats, they only matter when it's close range. Otherwise it's still 0% chance to hit.

The game just doesn't know whether it should be FPS or RPG.
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I went through both FO3 and NV without using VATS. I think the VATS system is pretty lame.
 
Far Cry 2 on hardcore - only way to play it.

People said it was a bad game, but they played it on the normal level, which is god mode. On the hardest level, you'll be a wrack of nerves the entire time. Enemies will actually flank you. If you hear a car or a jeep coming down the road then you'll run into the jungle, since just one or two shots will kill you.

If you already have Far cry 2 then go back to it and notch up the difficulty slider to the highest setting. It's a different game when played that way.
 
Far Cry 2 is one of the worst pieces of shit ever made. Stay as far away from that turd as humanly possible.
 
Fallout New Vegas without a doubt, that will give you the same free roaming and large desolate landscapes you're used to.

If you want to go a more Russian post apocalypse then definitely get Metro2033 for a really solid single player, that will give you the same kind of atmosphere and setting, but it's an incredibly clostropobic and linear game, there's no wandering/exploring.

You wont get long out of Metro2033, maybe 8 hours(?), New Vegas you can get 70+ if you do everything.
 
SixtyWattMan said:
Far Cry 2 is one of the worst pieces of shit ever made. Stay as far away from that turd as humanly possible.
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That's an overstatement if I ever read one. The most disappointing thing about Far Cry 2 was the potential to be so much more. If the map was populated with non-combatant NPC's and the different factions meant anything, the world would feel more real. Besides that, I'd like if the game had prone and if the checkpoints didn't respawn so quickly.

Other than that it was a decent and absolutely beautiful sandbox style game. Every now and then I'll boot it up and just get into a gunfight in one of the cities for fun and see how much destruction and chaos I can cause.

As a huge STALKER fan (SoC is my 2nd favorite FPS after the original Half-Life), I found Far Cry 2 enjoyable. You can find it nowadays for seriously $5.

As for Fallout 3, it was good fun until I realized it's a stats game like every other RPG. I prefer more realism to min/maxing crit chance and damage. It makes me feel pigeon-holed with my playstyle choices.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
Damn, you know I still have never beaten that game. Are there any must-have mods for it that work with the Steam version?
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Yeah, pick up the DX10 renderer for the unreal games (works with deus ex) and also get the high definition texture pack. Although the texture pack isn't 100% finished.

Oh, once you beat it, consider playing The Nameless Mod, which is a total conversion for Deus Ex.
 
There's a Russian game called The Precursors that you might like.
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The text has been translated to English, if you don't mind subs.
 
The 2 most similar are Borderlands/Fallout3, but STALKER is the only one that gets the RPG/shooter mix perfect IMO.

I actually wasn't that in to STALKER the first time I played it, but it really grew on me. Now I'm a serious STALKER addict. :) The pacing of the game is so immersive, and it's actually a challenge which is rare these days.

Just Cause 2 isn't at all similar IMO. It's basically like GTA : Island Edition. Even the shooting mechanics are the same as GTA (ie, terribly easy). I'm not saying you can't like both, but I really don't see any similarities except that they are both "open world", but hundreds of games fit that description.
 
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SixtyWattMan said:
Far Cry 2 is one of the worst pieces of shit ever made. Stay as far away from that turd as humanly possible.
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I find myself agreeing with you!!

There is nothing much out there that is like STALKER. The trilogy is unique and beguiling.

Metro is the only one that has a similar setting but plays very differently, linear set pieces mostly and no free roaming.
 
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I really enjoyed the original Far Cry,the jungle setting gave it an open world feel. There was so much negative feedback on the sequel I gave it a pass. It doesn't seem developers are willing to take the next step and really open up games with the non-linear,RPG type elements STALKER introduced. Crysis is another example,like Far Cry it had an open world feel,but the sequel looks like it will be another standard linear shooter. I think developers are letting the limitations of the consoles influence them too much these days.
 
michael.pa2 said:
I really enjoyed the original Far Cry,the jungle setting gave it an open world feel. There was so much negative feedback on the sequel I gave it a pass. It doesn't seem developers are willing to take the next step and really open up games with the non-linear,RPG type elements STALKER introduced. Crysis is another example,like Far Cry it had an open world feel,but the sequel looks like it will be another standard linear shooter. I think developers are letting the limitations of the consoles influence them too much these days.
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Well the problem is how many people bought STALKER compared to a linear game like Black Ops (the "biggest entertainment launch ever")? Developers will make whatever sells.
 
travbrad said:
Well the problem is how many people bought STALKER compared to a linear game like Black Ops (the "biggest entertainment launch ever")? Developers will make whatever sells.
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Stop.....just.........stop......it makes me want to cry. :(
 
The Stalker series has sold over 4 million units.

Games like Stalker move units at a steady pace, as they gain more recognition and fame, much because of their cult-following with mods and all.

Games like Black Ops "only" sell the first week.
 
Bloodlines isn't a shooter until you max your gun skills. (which doesn't have to take long if you set it up right). And it's not super open either, though it's a lot more open than most shooters.

But man, that game is awesome.
 
anyone mention system shock 2? in some regards it is well worth revisiting especially with the new mods that are available.
 
(sorry to hijack, but...) for Far Cry 2 the biggest thing preventing me from getting into it was this mouse lag type issue, as though vsync was always on (despite shutting it off). Was there ever a solution found for this!?
 
Far Cry 2 is a painful STALKER-wannabe, so maybe that's the one to go with to get you back into STALKER.

Metro 2033 isn't open-world like STALKER, but it definitely is the most similar game in terms of atmosphere and aesthetics.
 
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