STALKER - Reviews

[MinionZombie]

*rolling around in a pool of antici ... ... ... pation* ARGH!!!! Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow (which is the earliest it can get here anyway), ahhhh mate, time's moving so friggin' slowly ... ... it's like I'm mooooovin' in stereeeeeeeeooooo ... and not a topless Pheobe Cates in sight!

[LouCipherr]

Jeez, people have the nerve to tell me that PC gaming is easier than a console. No one ever said it was "easier" - it's "better" How many games on your console stutter? Don't say "none" because I own almost every console on the market up to the Xbox360 (no PS3 yet, and probably never will) and EVERY console has games with issues - stuttering and things slowing down, etc. That may happen on my PC, but on my PC I have hundreds of options to optimize my game so it runs smoothly with my hardware. Each has it's advantages - consoles are "simple" for those who can't be bothered to venture into optimization of their systems, and computers are 1000 times more flexible than a console. Take your pick, but I would rather be able to customize my system for a smooth gameplaying experience than being stuck, for the most part, with the same default settings as everyone else and their consoles - having to deal with low framerates and stuttering issues. Enjoy your console. Back on topic - I played again for about another 30-45 minutes last night. I'm really digging this game! It's a shame I didn't hear about it until just recently (thanks MZ & Neil - without your posts about the game, I would've never realized it was out there). The gameplay has improved a LOT with the backing off of the antialiasing and the antiscopic filtering (or however it's spelled). Almost at the 'smooth as glass' gameplay status. *smacks himself in the forehead for not looking at these settings earlier*

[MinionZombie]

@ Lou ... doi... Anisotropic Filtering and Anti Aliasing are always bitches, they slow shiite way down, I always have them turned the f*ck off, there's no need really. Too much flair. I'll still get a console, just so I don't have to spend quite as much to continue my gaming experience, and I just want some gaming ease for a while, as in not fretting about compatibility and system specs and stuff. As I'm busier now (and hopefully will continue to get busier as I start gaining some work), I won't have time to be fussing about all the tech stuff that I've been doing for the last many years (since getting our first Windows 95 PC). Capn - if you can touch-type you don't need to be looking at the keyboard, only those who don't know where the keys are need to worry about that. And having a keyboard with all the controls laid out is rather nice, it fits your hands better than a joypad I've found. Holding a joypad doesn't feel as natural, you're gripping something, and that takes away some comfort and flexibility I've found. Also, you're just as likely to forget which button does what on a joypad, at least with a keyboard every key has letter or symbol on it, so you can more easily associate a key binding to the key - e.g. "N" for Night Vision, "Shift" for run aka haul ass, "Tab" for scoreboard aka keep a tab on where I'm at, "P" for pause, the numbers for your weapon bindings, "L" for light, "B" for binoculars - and again - touch typing, like most PC gamers will be able to do, is par for the course. And then there's shooting accuracy.

[LouCipherr]

@ Lou ... doi... Anisotropic Filtering and Anti Aliasing are always bitches, they slow shiite way down, I always have them turned the f*ck off, there's no need really. Too much flair. I know, I know, MZ. I can admit when I've been a dumbass, and this is a prime example. With this being a new computer, I hadn't got to all of the video card settings. I was so excited about getting it, I overlcocked the video card and took off and started playing games... but I completely forgot about the AA and AF settings. As homer simpson would say, "D'oh!!!" Yes, that is the benefit of consoles - ease. It's basically personal preference. I, however, prefer to be able to customize to suit my tastes instead of being stuck with what everyone else is (as in the case with consoles) but it's all good, you should use what you're comfortable with and enjoy more. I'm just sayin'.. "shooting accuracy" - that's one of the reasons I enjoy my mouse and kb. I'd love to play a game against a bunch of people on consoles and hadnheld controllers with me on my keyboard and mouse. Can you say "owned in the worst possible way"?

[Neil]

Nope, 4 shoulder buttons and 2 sticks. Better than a wimpy keyboard. PC Manual - To enable Night Vision - Press "N" XBox Manual - To enable Night Vision - While pressing button 1, double click button 2, while also leaning backwards on your chair

[LouCipherr]

XBox Manual - To enable Night Vision - While pressing button 1, double click button 2, while also leaning backwards on your chair Simply classic.

[Neil]

"shooting accuracy" - that's one of the reasons I enjoy my mouse and kb. I'd love to play a game against a bunch of people on consoles and hadnheld controllers with me on my keyboard and mouse. Can you say "owned in the worst possible way"? But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on? Can't see how those little analog sticks would work otherwise. ie: 1-2inches of movement, in comparison to say about 6-10inches on a mouse.

[Tricky]

I dread to think what the console version of operation flashpoint was like,considering on the PC version EVERY button on the keyboard did something!

[MinionZombie]

Lou - damn straight, I prefer the PC, I'm a PC gamer. But alas, I'm at that stage where I've hit a progress wall with my PC, and if I wanna continue gaming the only viable option is a console ... 'sides, it's been a long time since I last had a console. After many years of the effort (which mostly pays off, yeah) with PC gaming, I just wanna chill out a bit and not have to really bother for a while. Then I'll come back to PC Gaming and catch up on old titles (currently new titles) as well as all the hot sh*t that's coming out when I head back to the keyboard to blast away on a game...of course, I've still got HL2 Ep 2 & 3 as well as STALKER to look forward to. *additional* Found a pretty comprehensive round-up of the game, was looking at the textures bit just now, and I can fairly comfortably say I most likely won't be using the low settings, because when I was razzing around the MP Beta Demo, it certainly didn't look this cack: http://www.bit-tech.net/content_imag..._low_large.jpg That's the game on low textures, and I certainly had much more detail than that. The game looks rocking, and from the previews of the options screens, there's a BOAT LOAD of settings to tinker with. And oh yeah - what the fudge is Vertical Sync? Wazzat do? http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/..._review/4.html

[LouCipherr]

But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on? Some games do indeed have that option, yes, but not all of them. Even with that auto-aim, most console players wouldn't stand a chance against good pc gamers with good equipment, but we'll probably never know. I don't know of any games you can play on a console online against a pc player. Besides, they're two totally different ways of playing a game, and probably not much fairness on the side of the console person if they were to try it. I think even the people who prefer consoles to computers can agree that a mouse is a much better aiming system than an analog stick. We may not be able to agree on much else, but I think this is a fact we can pretty much all agree on. How about it, my pro-console-gaming friends? Agree? Disagree? Do you think your analog-stick reaction time can be quicker than mouse-pointer reaction times? Just curious... MZ - (prepared to be scanner-brained!) Vertical Synch is found in many games and allows the frame rate of the game to be matched to the refresh rate of the monitor. If your monitor is set for 80hz, then the game will try to synch at 80 frames per second (fps). If your monitor is set at 60hz, it will slow the game down to 60fps. Make sense? Usually, allowing VSync provides the greatest stability - and turning it off can allow for much higher frame rates. The downside of the greater speed is the potential for artifacts to develop - it all depends on how your video card is set up. This is another one of those options that, if you want max framerates our of your video card, turn this sh*t off. I turn off vsynch in everything, even though my monitor is set at a 85hz refresh rate. I've never noticed any artifacts. It's odd, I never though refresh rates really made a difference until I switched mine from the default 60hz to 85. The difference was INCREDIBLE. Now I can't look at a monitor set at 60hz without seeing a constant 'flicker' on the screen. LC

[MinionZombie]

Tell me about it, one of my housemates got a TFT monitor, but had it set at about 60hz, first of all it just was too harsh on the eyes, but also, the visual quality of everything was cack - like blocky and low resolution. I've got a TFT, and tried it at 60hz just to see, and it did the same thing, so I stick with 70hz, and I find that suits me quite nicely. VSync sounds like a load of wank to me, ha! Let all the other settings determine frame rate I say! I wish they'd explain some of these settings so people didn't have to ask or Google it. And Mouse always wins out against Analogue sticks, it's so inaccurate. I eventually found a kinda 'vibe' with the sticks on Halo 2 multiplayer at uni amongst us chaps all playing it together, and in fact I was the top player in the house, which was good for me, annoying for the rest of them - but when I got beat, it was all the sweater for them, haha! Anyway, I actually have a video of me playing Halo 2 multiplayer on the Xbox, I should upload it for folk to see if I can be arsed. I also must post a screenie of me playing the MP Beta Demo to show what my graphics looked like in game. *rubs hands* Hopefully it'll be here tomorrow, in which case, we're talking less than 12 hours ... but I probably won't be awake in 12 hours time, haha!

[LouCipherr]

Just make sure you kill AA, AF, and the Vsynch, and you should be fine...

[capncnut]

But don't consoles basically have aim help? ie: When you get close to a target, they sort of help you by zoning on? Nope, only what's built into the game engine. It is a billion times easier to aim with a keyboard and mouse which is the reason why I prefer console gaming. The anaolgue sticks can sometimes be pressed in ways that are designed to feel more realistic. For example a game like Fahrenheit required 'pulling' movements and the way you 'swish' the sticks sometimes provided a better cutscene. That would be impossible to recreate on a PC. I dread to think what the console version of operation flashpoint was like,considering on the PC version EVERY button on the keyboard did something! Operation Flashpoint was not good enough for the Xbox as this review says: It's tough to recommend Operation Flashpoint: Elite to anyone in this day and age. If you're curious as to the history of vehicle-based first-person shooters and want to check the game out to see how far the genre has come, then it might be worth a look. There's certainly a ton of content with dozens of campaign missions and stand-alone single-player missions. Given how dated the game looks and plays, though, it would take quite a wargaming fanatic to want to get through all of it.

[MinionZombie]

*ahem* How can aiming on PC be easier? It's ALL YOU, you're the only one aiming, therefore it's tougher, but creates more skill at aiming. With a console game, you press a button and you lock on (like True Crime: NY - you pressed a button and you lock on, it was PISS EASY), that's flat out lame by comparison. With a PC, it's all you, the aiming comes down to you and you alone. As for feel and movement, that doesn't really come down to whichever platform you're on, it's game specific. Like STALKER - you can't sprint & strafe, ergo, realism, there's also a bit of a side-to-side wobble as you run, simulating the feel of running. Weapons have kick back, sometimes lots, also, you have to fight weapon wobble, like in Brothers in Arms - so you're constantly correcting the mouse to improve your aim. Elsewhere, like Call of Duty 2, you hold down Shift to hold your breath, and your aim becomes accurate - and that's realistic, simulating real life - and I can vouch for that, because it's the same deal when holding a camera with no tripod, especially if you're in certain positions. There's more shake until you hold your breath, then you achieve a sort of steadiness that you didn't have before. So ... nyah-nah-nah! Oh yes - STALKER arrived this morning just before 9am, I flew downstairs, grabbed it from the door mat and immediately installed it. I've started it up, got it on medium settings, some things on, some things off, the graphics look pretty decent (took some screenies, will post later). I'll cobble a little photo montage of this morning's joyousness and post it soon. STALKER F*CKING ROCKS!!! The only little "meh" type bits are that some of the translation from Russian to English is a tad iffy at times (e.g. a word comes first when it should be second), and the synchronicity when talking can be a tad iffy - like the audio and their mouth movements don't always synch up, but that's a common thing in videogames, but there are times when - for example - Sidrovich will be sat on his arse staring at his computer talking, but his gob ain't moving. Apart from that, it's LUSH TO THE EXTREME!!! The atmosphere, even from my short stint this morning trying it out, is great. I saw a pack of wild dogs nearby, but I didn't go anywhere near them for fear of them being hungry. I rummaged through the possessions of bodies, and I assaulted a building and nabbed me 5 kills. It's certainly a tough game, but it's just so LUSH!!! Oh, and I did get the limited edition tin - £18, bitches!! Cheaper than anywhere else reet now, haha! It's got a bonus DVD with behind the scenes stuff on it apparently, so I'll check that out during lunch. Otherwise it's got a map you can fold out and a booklet giving you an overview of the game world and all the things in it...and the tin is LUSH too, it's even bumpy where the "rust" is, lovely jubbly!

[LouCipherr]

woohoo! MZ has joined the STALKER ranks. I told ya the game was lush as all hell. I can only imagine what kind of hardware you'd need to run this bitch with the graphics on "HIGH" and everything turned on. I dunno if dual 8800 cards in SLI would even handle what this is putting out.