I PLAYED 15+ Hours Of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - My Honest Impressions...

[@MrMattyPlays]

Use code 50MATTYPLAYS to get 50% OFF plus free shipping on your first Factor box at bit.ly/3U47hAG!

[@thedude8128]

You're a schill

[@abeaconintheoffice]

@@thedude8128 A _grifter_

[@FussyPickles]

f your code

[@Daveforever]

@@thedude8128 if you coud get 5k for shilling overpriced garbage you would do it to!

[@MyDogBlu]

You failed to mention that the game is unplayable on console. Please actually give a full review and not a full impression. Learn the difference ree ree

[@kannon0216]

Review starts at 2:50 if you don't want to hear about a sponsor you'll never use.

[@marcussinclaire4890]

You are the best!!

[@morepoppunkthanpizza]

cheers bud

[@JD-vj4go]

Thanks

[@lorddrifter7296]

Hero

[@BFG-rr9cv]

thanks!

[@ivandesiigner]

13:30 those dogs are not a bug, it's called a psy dog basically they affect your character mind making you think there are more dogs but those are phantoms or fakes they don't do damage unless they do in stalker 2 just the original do damage and is always trying to bite you, such a cool concept.

[@ms6653]

The West hasn't been fully culturized, Ivan.

[@qthemerrybandofanons4481]

A perfect example of why I wont take ANYONE who has never played an original Stalker game's review on Stalker 2 seriously at all.

[@Jasondurgen]

Yeah, that’s hilarious.

[@therealmvpls1149]

Reminds me of the guy who said the game was bad because he kept dying to an anomaly lol

[@BiLLz66614]

Here comes the experts guy lol. Look at them on their pedestal. Respect their pedestal. He literally said at the beginning he never play them before. So chill out. Snobby little weirdo fan bases lol

[@IDAssassin]

Those are not bugs. They are anomalies like the softlock anomaly

[@Justdont693]

😂

[@planetofthegames2843]

It's features!

[@thedude8128]

You guys are r word.

[@ADukesJustice]

​@@thedude8128it's a joke regard

[@HumanTimeCapsule]

​@@thedude8128 Maybe make sure you understand someone's intent before calling them an "r word". Clearly a joke (not an original one, but a classic among Stalkers)

[@RebelRouser91]

Adulting is choosing to come to work even though the zone is waiting for you

[@amx9122]

I’m really regretting not calling out rn

[@RebelRouser91]

@amx9122 same bro!

[@GeorgeMorales-jj7hw]

Nah guys, we get PTO for a reason 😂

[@autistikpickles1018]

PTO? Sorry I don't know what that means. I'm going to have to request time without pay just to go to my own funeral.

[@shanemcentire1031]

@@amx9122fucking facts 😂

[@deebee4575]

I would say that using your weapon light in total darkness and getting one shotted is pretty damn realistic.

[@SpliffyHusk]

It is, he has never played a stalker game

[@tdmanus]

No, the problem is when I'm crouching in complete darkness with no flashlight on getting spotted by enemies constantly. Even behind cover.

[@rafasw6309]

0:01 I've heard enough it's a buy for me.

[@myferretollie9235]

BAHAHAHA I love how you're one second in. I'm So happy that GSC pulled it off. They truly deserved this win. AND I can't wait to play.

[@DovahVokuna]

I will try it on gamepass

[@Hunter-zf7rt]

It's time to return to the zone,grab the vodka and let's go

[@jasonarnold1990]

Lmfao

[@Stalker950-l3x]

@@myferretollie9235What win? The game’s performance is pathetic and the graphics are a massive downgrade when compared to the trailers. I hope they get to feel that they released an unfinished game. But that somehow seems to be a trend nowadays.

[@LoneWolfFromEast]

30 deaths for 15 hours? That's a good NUMBER, for rookie S.T.A.L.K.E.R 👍

[@keesingh2031]

Man I remembering playing stalker for the first time and Holy shit. Kept dying to those guys at the border crossing under the train track. After so many saves I finally killed them all haha

[@LoneWolfFromEast]

@keesingh2031 Clear Sky, yes, I did the same😁

[@Yeethaw69]

I’m a stalker vet and I’m playing on veteran difficulty. Getting my ass handed to me. You’re already doing better than me 😂

[@puddingsimon2626]

@@keesingh2031you could have also just paid them to leave you alone.

[@Mauro019]

Yes they are I have seen reviews of really good gamers playing on xbox series x that got like 40 deaths in 8 hrs

[@marinebymistake]

I'm from Ukraine and I'm happy I survived to see this game released, preordered it god knows when and even if the game is bugged I don't care

[@daubytheelf2105]

Aren’t you worried about like missiles and shit irl

[@roskcity]

Support from Finland

[@marinebymistake]

@@roskcity thank you 💙💛 finished playing Alan Wake 2 a bit ago, Finnish language is so cool

[@marinebymistake]

@@daubytheelf2105 I am but what can I do about it? It's been 1000 days since the start of 1nv4510n, sooner or later you get used to air raids and planes/drones/missiles flying over

[@MarluxiaX2]

​@daubytheelf2105 Are you thick? Just because he's Ukrainian, doesn't mean he's STILL IN Ukraine lmao

[@jeremywadian310]

• Puts the Series X game box in the thumbnail. • Reviews the PC version.

[@cheeseboy2603]

KZbinrs are known liers and clickbaiters

[@SDSOverfiend]

Straight 🤡

[@ronniepatterson2827]

Lmfao. Poor Xbox content creators. They try.

[@Brandon_J]

The xbox version will be no different than the PC version. He's still reviewing the same game.

[@LaWeezii]

arent they the same game? or is it different version I genuinely don't know

[@OmegaEnvych]

Funny that Fallout 3 came out after Stalker, so technically it's Fallout that does Stalker style gameplay rather than backwards. But then again, Fallout 3 was copying Oblivion's gameplay loop while Stalker was figuring things out on its own, so there's that, eh. Game technically has fast travel - special guides will guide from place to place for money, though I only found 3 - one in Zalissya, one in Terrikon and one at the Concrete Factory. I also managed to find big anomaly field in game - the giant firestorm rampaging through unfinished Coolant Tower, game depicted it and poppy field as Anomalous Zones, so likely there might be something interesting there, but I was clearly underequipped for that trip, wearing only basic gas mask and armored vest and sporting basic detector, which can be a problem as basic detector can only find very simple run-of-the-mill artifacts that barely cost anything.

[@ReasonedFaith]

Been playing Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl for a few hours, and it’s incredible. The story hooks you, the Zone is haunting, and the gunfights are intense. No bugs so far-just pure immersion. Huge respect to Ukrainian studio GSC Game World for delivering this masterpiece despite the challenges of Russia's invasion. A must-play!

[@tomigun5180]

OK Ukraine shill.

[@Daveforever]

i doubt it was actually made by the Ukranian studio though

[@ReasonedFaith]

@Daveforever sure. I doubt the earth is round

[@tomigun5180]

OK Ukraine shill.

[@tomigun5180]

OK Ukraine shill.

[@jamesbown566]

I'm Playing on series x now, graphically I'm impressed, the best ue5 game I've played on console thus far in terms of image quality in performance mode.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Nice. I was hoping it wouldn't look too bad in performance mode unlike silent hill 2 which looked awful in performance mode

[@gokucanfly4593]

​@@HugoStiglitz88 sucks to be console player then😮

[@firstlast-wm3li]

​@@gokucanfly4593 Pound sand.

[@JboBakey]

How? It doesn't release for another 55 minutes🤔

[@HotFiya05]

Hmmm. The graphics don't look that impressive to me. Looks like just a notch above Fallout 4 IMO. I'm shocked this is UE5

[@caesurabreak3528]

Lol getting jumped by a pack of dogs just to have another pack of dogs hop on the opportunity is par for the course. Usually, its those two events, plus some enemy gunfire, and a bloodsucker on your ass. Stalker goes hard in the "fuck you"

[@PsyOpCitizen]

My experience my entire first 10 hours of the first stalker

[@terminatortarnas5804]

With a capital F. Figured it would be toned down for this game, started on normal and nope. I get shafted after picking up the anomaly for the sensor. Good times🤣 So far enjoying the game.

[@erikbo2128]

It's going to be my first stalker game too. I'm looking forward to trying it after work today and spend the weekend with it.

[@Sqishamellow_lover]

You say this like there’s a vast array of previous stalker games

[@Trodai2020]

I watch their documentary trying to make this game while their country devasted by Russia. I bought 3 copy’s just to support.

[@Sqishamellow_lover]

Dork

[@RoboticPope]

You spelt Blackrock wrongly.

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

If you have a pc code can i have one?😂 no money atm

[@THEJimmiChanga]

100% various night vision attachments on the form of different scopes, helmets and helmets attachments. Better yet, there's actually tiers of quality for night vision. 1st gen-3rd gen, increasing the level of clarity each tier Also, there is fast travel. You find a guide in the main areas and pay them to take you to wherever you've previously been, for a modest fee. Lastly, you can offset the radiation an artifact gives you by equipping an artifact that gives you rad resistance (such as a bubble)

[@The_Maf1a]

Can't wait to play this tonight when I get off of work 🔥🔥🔥

[@PsyOpCitizen]

Call off work, be a real one 😂😂❤

[@Harshhaze]

Same

[@leonsqueezy8691]

Why u watch KZbin at work 🌚

[@Theoadreou]

I cant wait the 1:30 hours it takes to download it ( its gone live as of 18 min. Ago go download)

[@TalonAmber]

me too, this guy says he played 15 hours but the game just came out 3 hours ago. so his video is bullshit

[@mniakan754]

The clear sky grenade spam is back baby!!!

[@zDeadHeadFredz]

lol "i was getting killed in the dark" has a headlight on, well yea.

[@JonathanMarshallbonez]

yo my thoughts exactly... im like "turn your light off maybe??"

[@kennypowers1945]

Yea but you can’t see them so it’s kinda unfair lol

[@terminatortarnas5804]

Matty the first Stalker came out before Fallout 3 and it was literally like this in the sense it threw you in the heat of the battle right from the start with groups of enemies attacking you right from the start. The animations were also similar. I dont think it is copying Fallout even though there are things similar.

[@L_ryan13]

Matty please do not microwave plastic I’m begging you it’s for your own good

[@L_ryan13]

Great video though

[@grahamsiebring5227]

Yeah when I had factor I would put the food on a plate first

[@MindFluxx]

And from experience, don’t bother with the chicken dishes, factor uses horrible quality chicken just get the beef/pork or meatless dishes

[@Dontae_777]

I use the toaster oven for everything now

[@DomyWomySalami]

U should only bake plastics

[@Lou_Tenant1]

I shit you not, I wait about a year after a games release before I even think about buying it. Developers nowadays are incapable of releasing a finished product on time. However, this game looks like it needs another 2 years worth of updates.

[@HybOj]

4:00 screw the bug, look at the draw distance, the distant forests, so many trees with a volumetric fog at the ground... u can see the big antenna array kilometres away. The details in the short range are fantastic in the shot as well.. just pause at 4:02 and realize what u see... The atmosphere of that shot is crazy. I will wait roughly 6 months and jump on it hard core.

[@DumbDare]

I think it'll be patched up well enough to buy/play in a month tbh.

[@HybOj]

@@DumbDare maybe, they release updates fast so its possible

[@puddingsimon2626]

It should be patched up good in atleast 2months, 6-12months and you’ll have the first mods show up.

[@jothain]

Imo it looks bad. Walking in woods trees change and pop up constantly. Even Arma3 doesn't have such weird behavior and it has far greater draw distances.

[@sagadellic6616]

@puddingsimon2626 I doubt it would happen, but I can only wish for a CoC equivalent for this game. More likely to see backwards porting for anomaly though or misery in all honesty.

[@KristianKumpula]

8:45 It's probably pretty easy to hit you when you're using your flashlight to paint a target on yourself

[@tevocity4673]

The book that inspired Stalker is really good and is a shorter read (around 200 pages). I think Matty would enjoy it as Tim Cain (the creator of Fallout) said it was a piece of inspiration while creating Fallout.

[@headknocker2020]

I just watched the Stalker movie from the 70’s, it was also very good but probably something I’d only watch once because it was extremely slow paced.

[@vabbi_1]

Fallout sucks

[@gamehours5751]

I mean, adding the title of the book also helps those less experienced people, but I agree

[@tevocity4673]

@@gamehours5751 Name of the book is Roadside Picnic, that’s my bad

[@shaggytoph]

turn off the headlight in the dark, they won't see you, they won't shoot you

[@jothain]

No. View cones of the enemies is absolutely broken. They can pinpoint you no matter what you do. This game is complete trash compared to previous Stalker games, which were great.

[@R3TR0J4N]

@@jothain i play Stalker diff. its a tactical game, yea like the previous they can hear you, walking or crouch helps.

[@runnymedeworks6326]

The movie and the book (Roadside Picnic) the game is based on are incredible and why I initially played S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

[@russianFB7442]

Wasn't there a 79 movie called stalker as well ? I remember watching that strange pretty interesting slow paced movie

[@CrimeFighterFrog]

@@russianFB7442 Yeah, it's one of the greatest films ever, but it's very different from the book which is very different from the games. It's on KZbin for free.

[@runnymedeworks6326]

@@russianFB7442 Yup. Andrei Tarkovsky. Legendary film.

[@sampmachine520]

@@russianFB7442 yes,the soviet movie encouraged the creation of games and books

[@taylorp3685]

This is exactly how this game is supposed to be. It’s far better than its predecessors and that’s all that matters. A lot of developers can’t even achieve that these days. GSC deserves a lot of grace with this game, even with its bugs and glitches. Let them fix it. It’s still a good game regardless.

[@johnrehak]

As a big fan of Stalker and Metro series I must say that I am not touching this game until it gets in to discount and get several patches that improves literaly everything.

[@SpliffyHusk]

If you’re on pc I agree, on series x my experience has been solid, bugs but nothing ridiculous.

[@vabbi_1]

Wise choice. 6 hours in and this is worse than Metro series in every way.

[@needum9212]

@@SpliffyHuskthis is why I hate pc gaming I swear pc always has more issues then console

[@needum9212]

It’s also on gamepass

[@jimmythegamer2231]

​@@vabbi_1 it's not similar to the metro series you dolt

[@lasvegasnextexit1230]

I've been trying to play it for the past 2 days and I don't know what the heck I am doing. I can't make it past the first enemy after you pick up....whatever that rock thing was. After I died 5 times from being killed by something that pops in and out of sight, it was then I realized that I'm not sure how to do anything. Don't get me started on how dark the game is either.... Maybe I need to watch videos on how to play the game because it seems like a high learning curve.

[@IlluminatiReign]

I am new to the series and had the same trouble. That enemy is common, and the combat is not incredibly optimized. What I did was equip two assault rifles and position myself by the building. Ensure you have some medkits, and just unload on the fucker.

[@zoewilkins2896]

Yeah, same, and I am going to go and play something less boring. Hard is fine, but I have a limited number of hours I can play games and doing the same thing for hours is just dull and a waste of that precious free time. I have tried just standing with my back to a wall and unloading all the bullets I have into it and it still just killed me. Can’t be arsed to continue now- a shame because the premise is interesting.

[@alexrogers9051]

Turn on single fire mode, should help.

[@lasvegasnextexit1230]

@@alexrogers9051 I'm not sure how that will help but if I can figure out the menus in the game, I will give it a shot

[@thirdeye5718]

Same exact problem here too. I ended up quiting

[@igortolstov487]

30 death? I remember my first 2 minutes of Elden ring

[@tgwille3505]

That damn tree sentinel

[@74Spyderman]

You lasted 2 minutes?!! lol.

[@vabbi_1]

I think you should find a new hobby 💀 maybe crocheting?

[@tonypajamas3455]

As someone who is playing this on xbox series x, I can say the game plays well enough in performance mode on my sony bravia 120 hrz tv with VRR. I do know from what I have seen on digital foundrys crititque of the game on console is that if you only have a 60 hrz tv or monitor the perfornance mode is not the way to go, but the quality mode is an almost locked 30 fps with a 1440p to 4k upcaling. I havent witnessed any game breaking bugs or glitches, just the occasional jank as our wonder Mr. Matty has stated, but thats about it. Hope this is helpful for those on the fence and only have xbox to play on!

[@subzero2678]

Kinda interesting about the darkness bit. The more realistic approach would be AI that is just as hindered as you. Spamming fire when they see a flashlight, etc rather than having an advantage and dropping you with ease Something Insurgency Sandstorm does is lower the accuracy ratio of bots on night maps depending on detectable light in the area. Pretty neat. The devs here seem to be going the more hard disadvantage route. I can respect that.

[@armandoriosfragoso6726]

In the original games, there is a visibility meter and a sound meter. I assume is the same here, in darkness enemies can't see you, but they can hear you. Matty is a Bethesds enjoyer, I doubt he has the ability to disern these subtle details. Otherwise he would not really love Bethesda the way he does. He also failed to understand why shacks can't protect you from emissions compared to buildings. Or that there is a difference between walking and running. The fact that he spent a lot of time crouch walking tells me he never noticed that walking also works as a stealth mechanic, because stealth is based on sound and vision, not if you're crouching or not, again, just a Bethesda thing.

[@martin-pz6ds]

i did notice that in the video while he was getting shot in the dark he had his flashlight on the whole time lol

[@terminatortarnas5804]

​@@martin-pz6dsit literally tells you to turn your light off as a tip in the game 🤣🤣🤣

[@SpliffyHusk]

He has his flashlight on, they fuck you up that way

[@WVRLORD]

@@armandoriosfragoso6726nah sounds barely has an impact in this one sadly, kicking cans or jumping doesn’t really catch attention if you’re behind someone for example but a lot of enemy’s have hawk eyes if they’re facing your direction.

[@drusik]

I REALLY recommend the Standalone Mod called "STALKER Lost Alpha" which includes English Localization (as most Mods are not on ModDB and are in Russian), and S:LA is a recreation of the first STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl with all deleted content from their original "Oblivion Lost" project (including adding cut out maps, drivable cars, and upgrade to the latest X-Ray 1.6 Engine, such as the Modders making it 64-Bit which is very impressive).

[@pablopablo3834]

The AI spammed grenades in Clear Sky too. It was mainly the bandit enemies that did it. I hope it isn't as bad as that and grenades have never had warning like in CoD for example.

[@quantras2673]

I legitimately didn't finish Clear Sky due to the final stretch. The enemies coming out of portals already shooting me before I could see them, and then ducking into cover and three seconds later I'd have five grenades at my feet.

[@caiooca5793]

They wanted you to feel nostalgic, like Bethesda with bugs.

[@skiddzjust1389]

there's a mod to reduce the spam

[@devonwarnock2625]

Feels like someone turned on the catch skull in halo for a comparison. I am on stalker difficulty though so idk if that has anything to do with it. Regardless the grenade spam needs to be toned down a bit.

[@skimpy105]

As a deaf person the grenades are loud as fuck when they land next to you. It's dope to scurry away😂

[@theakspud]

Can't wait to get off work and no life this all night. My uncle got me into gaming as a kid and played these all the time. He never got a chance to play this so my first walk-through is for him. Trying to play like he did. No hand holding and hardest difficulty options.

[@TheShismo]

👏

[@williamconwell6105]

trust me matty the dogs always come in large packs minus quest area enemies

[@tinmen5943]

The new stalker has that Farcry 5 feel

[@ALiberalVeteran]

This game needed to be better than Metro Exodus instead, the stealth is useless, hunger is useless, anomalies are useless, injury system is useless. There's just no immersion. It feels like, a 2007 game in 2024.

[@robertlauder303]

2007 was an amazing game for video games though! BioShock 2007 Portal 2007 Assassin's Creed 2007 Halo 3 2007 Super Mario Galaxy 2007 Team Fortress 2 2007 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 2007 God of War II 2007 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2007

[@stanislavkimov2779]

@@robertlauder303 2007 was the best year

[@Yeethaw69]

L take

[@WVRLORD]

Stealth definitely needs to be better

[@devonwarnock2625]

I was gonna disagree with you, but then I noticed your name. You just like to complain.

[@lazydgsf7429]

Once I got hooked a fell for it hard. Just like back in the day. It’s so good.

[@HikarusukeShindou]

Matty I love your Dragon Ball Shirt 😍

[@bennja010]

3:10 this whole sequence just made me burst out in laughter. The facetanking 3 guys in point blank range, the gta time slow weapon wheel. What has this game become 😂😂😂

[@SpliffyHusk]

He’s playing on easy. On veteran you’re not face tanking, sometimes one round puts me down to 20#

[@buddybarlow9604]

100,000+ people playing and great reviews on steam.

[@deonisious1374]

@@SpliffyHusk It depends on weapon npc have, for example bandits can spray you with their smgs and you would be fine as long as you have medicine, which is too much for my taste, literally dead space 3 situation. But snipers and ak dudes are painful to meet without cover.

[@GertMega]

5:02 "and that's with the drivers installed" bro is usually playing with out drivers lol

[@shaggytoph]

NVIDIA always releases "day 0" drivers for specific games, a lot of people miss them & have awful experiences running the game without those drivers. In this case, Matty had the day 1 drivers installed for stalker 2, they came out November 12, 2024. (version 566.14, also work for microsoft flight sim 2024)

[@riggedforepic6293]

Nice review Matty. Can I ask you what camera you use to record your videos?

[@tholomewplague7732]

It makes sense this game reminds you of Far Cry 2, because FC2 was heavily influenced by the original games

[@DaCashRap]

FC2 came out 1 year after stalker

[@tholomewplague7732]

@DaCashRap you can find interviews of FC2's director talking about it

[@DaCashRap]

@@tholomewplague7732 no doubt, send me the link

[@R3TR0J4N]

damn that's cool info

[@Curt_Randall]

How's the save system? Is it as obnoxious as a game such as Pacific Drive which totally disrespects the player's time? Or is the game saving adequate enough to not be frustrating?

[@bryanudi]

It's usual Skyrim save. Do where you want when you want.

[@RedMenace0]

i really want to know how a fan of the original games feel about it. I just played Shadow of Chornobyl on Xbox after buying the trilogy and I think its legitimately one of my favorite games of all time, let alone the best open world game ive played. i will never forget the frustrating yet rewarding and incredibly atmospheric experience, and i wish i could just so i could do it all over again. I'm begging old fans of the series say its a must.

[@denkravtsov6009]

The game Stalker became a small problem for me, which caused gaming impotence. After I beat Stalker a few times, I wanted to play something different. But every time I deleted the game and returned to the Zone again. Compared to Stalker, other games looked unrealistic and made no sense. I called it "Stalker Syndrome".

[@vabbi_1]

Pretty much zero changes or improvements on the first game. Go buy it

[@sagadellic6616]

The Grenades ARE crazy. BUT. This aint shit compared to the trees speaking russian and a bunch of rock lickers throwing the grenades PERFECTLY at my feet every time. God bless monolith.

[@GregoryMcStevens]

God i cant wait to play this. Being a skyrim enjoyer i am fully expecting bugs and given the circumstances of the games development that's fair enough

[@3ns0mh3t]

Early Access AAA gaming. I'll buy this game in 2026 when it's polished and ready.

[@sumsum7747]

Litterall a 3 minute dialog about some microwaveable food, my fav.

[@Kris.G]

I don't see how getting shot in the dark is realistic unless all the enemies are using night vision. Night/rain/storm should be perfect for stealth, not the other way around.

[@levibull6063]

Has a bright flash light on ..... I wonder why the enemy knows where he is

[@Kris.G]

@levibull6063 storm - sound wise fkin obviously!

[@ivilivo]

He's a walking lighthouse with that flashlight on

[@leopoldbuttersstotch73]

@@levibull6063is it really that realistic?

[@david12278]

​@@leopoldbuttersstotch73Yes that's not a hard mechanic to implement

[@JocularMonkey]

12:20 theres is a fast travel system. There will be guides in some locations like the Bar and such that you can pay to have him "escort you" (fast travel) to another set location.

[@denissorn]

Many Stalker fans like to compare the games with Fallout, and state it's better Fallout than Fallout. They're just being ridiculous. The lore, and Fallout surrounding and/thus the atmosphere are very different. I have liked, read, watched post post apocalyptic stories since my childhood. I mainly found these in comics, books and occasionally TV, and I guess I am being a weirdo here, but I like different settings for different entertainment mediums. E.g. Stalker, I could watch a TV show, or a movie, but it's not a setting I enjoy in a video game. With Fallout it's almost the opposite, I like the games, and the TV show is just meh. Although that's probably b/c of the adaptation. If they had actually made a serious TV show instead of colorful 76 style comedy, I might have liked it. Anyhow, Stalker is not Fallout and I personally don't see/feel a post apocalypse in the exclusion zone. They should have made the zone the only 'good' place on Earth lol. That would be post apocalyptic.

[@Hunter-zf7rt]

Sounds like classic stalker, it's time to return to the zone stalker's

[@natel7382]

Classic stalker was 20 bucks. 20 dollar games can be janky. Games eith multiple editions selling for 100 is not good. But you waste your money ill grab it on sale in a month for 40 bucks for the ultimate edition. Winning.

[@hardliketissues7463]

@@natel7382which shouldn’t be long. This game is gonna get ripped apart outside of fans of the series the are desperate for something

[@Hunter-zf7rt]

@natel7382 wow rude much? What's wrong with having multiple edition's? Also who said I'm buying it at full price? Also there is nothing wrong with a game having a bit of Jank.

[@shaggytoph]

@@Hunter-zf7rt nah he's right, the review embargo was kept until two hours before the game launched (Absolutely massive red flag). The embargo has lifted and KZbinrs/reviewers are reporting sub 60 frames with a 4090 and DLSS on, and the game is riddled with lighting glitches, pop in, UI bugs etc. And people in these comments are still saying "yeah, that's stalker for you", etc. He's right, og stalker was 20, this is unacceptable from GSC pricing it at $60 while is still unfinished. They're being scummy, remember the game is $30 for ukranians, only $10 more. Don't forget GSC also participated with "NFTs" back when that was all over the place

[@VinylMorpheus]

If you wanna play a fun game where you slowly explore huge areas and gets to find critical resources and play style changing gear/weapons then you should try out Blood West. Technically came out in December last year but it’s absolutely my game of the year. So damn good. Graphics are intentionally retro as fuck. Trust me when I say that it’ll scratch your scavenging for loot itch.

[@AlphaGuanaco]

how about we stop saying its okay to buy games that arent done yet?

[@ashtongarren8206]

I fired it up last night on my series X and I shut it down probably 2 minutes into playing my character was aiming as if my sticks were drifting but come to find out the controller was fine and the game is just bugged… I will redownload when I hear it gets the cyberpunk makeover and finally lives up to standards. Super excited for that to come

[@harveyrobertson1319]

Remember a game made for everyone is a game made for no-one

[@erey214]

Cod says hello

[@harveyrobertson1319]

@erey214 😂

[@Hauerization]

Fallout is a fair comparison but Metro is the real cousin to Stalker I feel.

[@GameOnJesse]

The reviewers got builds before the three updates. The rest of us will be experiencing the updated version. I expect another solid addition to the Stalker series

[@TheParentYouNeverHad]

It's not

[@skinscalp222]

Nah performance is still bad. 7800X3D, the second best CPU right now will drop down to 40 fps in settlement area with 4 friendly NPCs.

[@TheParentYouNeverHad]

@skinscalp222 I have 7800XT and 7800x3d and yeah... horrid performance. Worse then starfield and that says something.

[@SpliffyHusk]

@@skinscalp222yeah for pc yall are cooked, it’s stable over on console when compared to your issues

[@juststained]

um this is the third time I have seen this EXACT comment here. Whats up with that? Not talking about the sentiment, I m talking about the obvious spam comments

[@VampireNoblesse]

it has Chernobyl Lite vibes early (loved that AA game!..)

[@jetm0t0moto68]

Poor Matty, haha I can only imagine what you were thinking while encountering the "excentricities" of The Zone. Dunno of course, but that pack of dogs that seemed to keep expanding sounds like you ran into Psy-dogs or Psy-Psuedodogs. There is a lot of enemy variety in STALKER. Edit: pray you never run into Fractures. Honestly more scary than Bloodsuckers IMO.

[@anthonyreed1029]

Honestly don’t think you should have waited, you should have checked out the community mod called anomaly that combines first 3 games maps and characters all for the low price of free. With any of the big mod packs out there you get visuals that rival and beat stalker 2 in some cases, and depending on the mod pack you can get one of the deepest most impressive survival shooter experiences in gaming to date. Not hating stalker 2 saying it’s bad at all, im saying you would have seen what the insane modding community for this game is capable of and maybe a glimpse into the future of what stalker 2 will become.

[@James-u1y]

This definitely seems like a game we’ll be playing for years like a Skyrim as mods come out and the fixes come on alongside the 2 DLC they have planned. I'm glad it reminds me of the old trilogy. I expect better from their future projects technically, I wont give anyone more than 2 chances in $70 game releases.

[@ZafVirex]

As someone with only Fallout as my reference, this game has grown on me because of the similar elements. Just completed the Lesser Zone and a bit of Garbage. I don't mind the survival mechanics, but one thing I did for combat is change aim assist to "Full" to make it work more how you'd expect an FPS to be on console. Free aiming on a controller during an intense encounter is no fun.

[@chaningdodson4245]

Are you gonna do some atomfall coverage? Really curious about that game too

[@WiseCity]

i didnt have as many bugs as you guys claim to say it has and i already have 15 hours in it. this game is way better then i expected to be for a stalker game. and in regards to buying it at full price : I bought the deluxe edition full price and i do not regret it a single bit for the following reasons : - the game is really good and the dev team has s really good track record with its audience when it comes to correcting bugs so i highly trust them to correct the bugs that it currently has, which I might add are 0 effect compared to most western titles in the same genre. - one person in the dev tesm actually died in those very same regions defending Ukraine against Russia. This was my personal way of showing them my thanks and my love to the dev team by buying a higher priced version. - This game is very replay-able (atleast for me). - No microtransaction! You have to EARN everything in game! - No second game launcher: just Steam or Epic Store , depending what platform you bought it on (im a epic store person, we get alot of discounts on Epic Store in Romania my country as opposed to Steam)

[@kingheffy9044]

One minute ago is crazy. Hi Matty!

[@DaveT-1968]

I wish I could play this Game I'm on PS5 and my Pc wont handle this Game

[@doxthafox1138]

Finally some STALKER 2 coverage!! I can take the technical issues, they get fixed. I am excited to get roped into the atmosphere and world building they did here, it looks beautiful.

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

As long as you have a high end PC I played an hr on Xbox and it looks poor and a low end pc for a few minutes and more of the same

[@rhodan74]

There is fast travel in the form of Guides, people you can give money to that take you to specific locations.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Damn so you havent played the originals? Youre missing out. Honestly theyre still an absolute blast man. i understand if you dont have time to go back but its worth checking out

[@Mythicalgoon]

While the originals are good games for the niche community you cant really believe the vast majority of people would enjoy its almost simlike unforgiving natrue?

[@droid4d279]

Bro is living under a rock he hasnt even watched Indiana Jones

[@SpliffyHusk]

@@Mythicalgoonyeah but why review a game you don’t understand and probably won’t like? This review could’ve been a “not for me”. When he complained about being shot in the dark like they were locked onto him? They were, he had his flashlight. Even the AI shuts their flashlight in firefights

[@R3TR0J4N]

@@SpliffyHusk the nade spam was in the previous even, if not his getting flanked.

[@LukeWarm612]

I think this is the best game pass release this year.

[@Brokenlance]

I swear to god if people praise the up close camera on these NPC interactions, while still trashing Starfield for having the same thing, I'm going to lose it.

[@specrtre]

Havnt playe Stalker but, Starfield is annoying because the NPCs just walk off when it does it lol as well as the NPC are creepy looking. Also Bethesda is much larger company with more money so, realistically Starfield should have really good looking NPCs,Dialog and, etc. In my opinion it falls short in a lot of those aspect.

[@Brokenlance]

@ I don’t knock games for a little jank but I couldn’t disagree more on the look of the NPC’s. I think they look great and the facial animations are genuinely impressive with a lot of micro expressions and very good modeling. People act like they look like Oblivion NPC’s which is insane to me.

[@vabbi_1]

First law of gaming: Bethesda bad, obscure low budget indie devs good. I don't make the rules. /s

[@pixelcount350]

​@@BrokenlanceCrazy aint it. It just comes to show you how weird and hypocritical the gaming community has become.

[@deonisious1374]

Well, GSC devs have lots of good guy points cause of war, but Todd an co spent all of theirs and gone past 0 right to negative numbers.

[@Neovalen]

Definitely going to try it out, will be my first STALKER experience.

[@doalwa]

Sounds like a diamond in the rough, just like the first one. I’m in!

[@OutsidersLaptop]

Ahh, I can remember all the way back to when the subtitle of STALKER was "Oblivion Lost." They were showing off these impressive tech demos of their big ambitious open-world game. Final game ended up cutting a lot of the features they wanted, and a whole ton of jank. I remember feeling let down, because one of the things they were supposed to have was a seamless world (Looking back, it may not have been a realistic expectation at the time). That's tech demos for you. I've been looking forward to AND subsequently forgetting about STALKER 2 for quite some time. There was even a handful of "spiritual successor" projects I followed for awhile. Looking forward to revisiting The Zone.

[@KeyboardSavant]

This game needs another year for optimization passes and opportunities for the developers to improve core mechanics to the gameplay loop. Based on a number of other reviews I've read today -- initial impressions are largely the same. Performance is a major issue, bugs are ranging from audio cutting out completely, to environmental textures vanishing, NPCs clipping through other assets, and classic T-posing everywhere, just to name a few. It isn't 2007 anymore.

[@SpliffyHusk]

You’re right, it’s 2024, and only one game launched stable, dragon age veilguard

[@pixelcount350]

Iffy gameplay, Terrible story, lack of mission directions and the game is overall pretty broken. This needs some more time in the oven.

[@Ronuk1996]

Yeah should come out July 2025 get it polished.

[@Phublup-]

The input from both my controller and MnK felt really bad and was always slowly drifting around for me.

[@donclay007]

"Give them the time they need? How about they don't release an UNFINISHED game and just finish it beforethey ask peopleto give them $$$!!

[@brokeneffect7464]

I really happy with what I hear about this game, I love stalker games, and now this one looks exactly what I want from stalker game

[@prestonwinters9656]

I’ve seen a couple reviews and you are the first to mention the massive patch coming in, god I’m so ready

[@ToeMcTaggins]

Playing pretty damn good on series X playing since released in my zone bug free so far. It did take me a while to get into what the game was putting down but I never played the previous titles.

[@HiHelloHi]

2:37 I think the first person to eat a basic steamed broccoli and go "Ah yeah that's the shit"

[@thenormalberries6767]

Broccoli can be the shit ❤

[@GerardJohnBlazing]

He's gotta sell some shit doesn't he?

[@blackhoodie3461]

Delicious stuff idk what you’re talking about buddy

[@charlienoble7862]

If you are interested in the "lore" of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. check out the book "Roadside Picnic" and the flick "Stalker" (should be on Criterion collection and half off till the end of this month).

[@runek100]

Can we stop making excuses for them being Ukrainian studio? This is getting ridiculous, they could delay it, they refused. They delayed reviews embargo 2 hours before release, to milk their fans as much as possible. Thats is scummmy af.

[@bruhtholemew]

They delayed the original for like 5 years too and it still released buggy

[@GehtDürNüxAn]

no we dont stop.

[@thaddeussharp1]

Great take! Very much looking forward to it(and the jank). FYI, fast travel does open up later.

[@novaphoenixx4049]

Please sir, where did you get that shirt?

[@umanoid1523]

There is fast travel. You have to pay for it in game.

[@LKRTM]

Concerned about the comments here tbh So the review embargo was kept until two hours before the game launches (Absolutely massive red flag, you're putting your head in sand if you think otherwise) The embargo has lifted, and KZbinrs/reviewers are reporting sub 60 frames with a 4090 and DLSS on, and the game is riddled with lighting glitches, pop in, UI bugs etc. And people in the comments are just like 'Yeah bro, lets goo!" I feel like I don't even need to say it, but if EA, Ubisoft, Activision etc released a game in this state, keeping the review embargo literally as long as possible, people would be (rightfully) outraged. But I guess as soon as its a niche title, all standards go out the window and we're happy to accept broken products again? I don't get it.

[@saifojio2259]

Media didn't have access to a massive patch that may fix a lot of stuff, its yet to be seen. Aside from that, ubi and ea dont really get a pass cause not only is their stuff buggy but also garbage.

[@Esteban_907]

​@@saifojio2259 that patch didn't fix everything wrong with this game.

[@Talulah_Artorius]

Even in your replies you are having people defending it.... Un fucking believable. People also like to forget that this game has had massive red flags since years ago, these devs were one of the first ones to jump into the NFT meat riding wagon for example, show you what their true intentions were, even if they backed down. Also people expecting a day one patch to fix all of this are either blatantly ignorant, weren't around when cyberpunk came out, or are outright negligent, no other expoanation

[@Esteban_907]

The conditions this game was made in made it hard for the devs to get anything done (Russia-Ukraine) And the fact that despite its issues there is still something great here. And with ubisoft and EA, they can make a polished AAA game but refuse to do so.

[@TheThreatActor]

@@Esteban_907 what conditions? they escaped to poland lmao

[@MrRiceGuy95]

Matty, you can put your rifles into single shot via the weapon wheel, great for use with a scope and popping headshots 👍

[@jean-alexandrethibault3892]

12 hours in ... the game is INCREDIBLE

[@valor3918]

I’ve got a RTX 4070, Ryzen 7 5700x and 16gb of ram, what kind of performance/graphic’s could I be looking at? Would it be worth it to pick this game up?

[@vanceg4901]

The recently released Stalker Trilogy on Xbox is the worst unplayable button presses don't register streaming game I have. Hope Stalker 2 has far less jank.

[@hardliketissues7463]

It’s eurojank you’ll love it. But honestly it’s part of the stalker experience. Those games playing like shit is part of the reason people like them.

[@saltycarl6581]

@@hardliketissues7463 "eurojank" is the best way to put it. I remember playing some deep sliver games back in the day, absolute jank but i had so much fun still.

[@garethsmith6611]

People say they have completed this game but thats impossible. Devs say theres 100 plus hours of content to do everything. possibly the story can be complete, but by no means the entire game experience

[@deonisious1374]

Well, it's 30 hours of main story, and probaly 15 of side quests. Other 55 are repeating quest. Not bad at all, especially if you consider mods.

[@Venedraa]

Besides the technical issues, which i expected tbh, i am really glad the game is at least a good game. Maybe not perfect, but i also enjoyed prior stalker titles without ever listening to any dialogue

[@mykolabondarchuk7998]

Give this game some time

[@Venedraa]

@mykolabondarchuk7998 I will give them all the time they need They went through literal war while developing this. I will play it tonight regardless of its technical issues

[@scyphe]

When I see criticism of Stalker 2 having bugs, not being finished etc. I am reminded of the release of the first game, Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. That game took 1-2 years of patching to fix most bugs and balance/performance issues.

[@HybOj]

MrMattyShills (but only for Bethesda)