S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is an incredibly atmospheric game with a pretty deep story, interesting creatures, locations and secrets to discover.

Even after so many years S.T.A.L.K.E.R. excels at being both a first-person shooter as well as an amazing survivor-horror game. Just imagine Silent Hill + DayZ + some other military shooter, make it 10 times better and then you have this masterpiece here.

Since the start of this year (2025) I became a huge S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan, by reading Roadside Picnic first, then watching the movie and finally playing the games. I can't fully express how lived-in the world feels, how satisfying it is coming out of the zone not only in one piece, but with pockets full of artifacts, too, and how captivating the whole lore of everything is.

As a game, which came out in 2007, it s quite remarkable how good the AI is - you actually feel the pressure of being cornered between two walls in a gunfight, because you know the only option is to move forward, since standing in one place is a death sentence.

I also truly love how chill the stalkers are - fighting disgusting monstrosities, traversing through dampy, irradiated garbage pens, meeting eye to eye with death and when they finally escape the nightmare they have voluntarily put themselves through, they just sit down and eat salami, while playing the guitar.

The meme potential is also huge - you can make your playthrough as serious as you wish, but at the end of the day, you would still be hearing "Cheeki Breeki" around every corner, which will inevitably make you crack a smile.

Possibly one of my most favorite games ever. 10/10 in my book.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is an incredibly atmospheric game with a pretty deep story, interesting creatures, locations and secrets to discover. Even after so many years S.T.A.L.K.E.R. excels at being both a first-person shooter as well as an amazing survivor-horror game. Just imagine Silent Hill + DayZ + some other military shooter, make it 10 times better and then you have this masterpiece here. Since the start of this year (2025) I became a huge S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan, by reading Roadside Picnic first, then watching the movie and finally playing the games. I can't fully express how lived-in the world feels, how satisfying it is coming out of the zone not only in one piece, but with pockets full of artifacts, too, and how captivating the whole lore of everything is. As a game, which came out in 2007, it s quite remarkable how good the AI is - you actually feel the pressure of being cornered between two walls in a gunfight, because you know the only option is to move forward, since standing in one place is a death sentence. I also truly love how chill the stalkers are - fighting disgusting monstrosities, traversing through dampy, irradiated garbage pens, meeting eye to eye with death and when they finally escape the nightmare they have voluntarily put themselves through, they just sit down and eat salami, while playing the guitar. The meme potential is also huge - you can make your playthrough as serious as you wish, but at the end of the day, you would still be hearing "Cheeki Breeki" around every corner, which will inevitably make you crack a smile. Possibly one of my most favorite games ever. 10/10 in my book.