S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl Review | Jank At Its Best

[@samuelsmith9582]

This captured my feels. I played this game at one of the lowest points in my life, right after I blew out my knee and ended my dream of athletics, and sank so much time into it. My imagination was captured completely. I think the simple story is honestly a high point of the game. A lot of games try to be clever or complicated and feel forced. The simplicity lets you engage with the other characters and the story how you choose without it contradicting the plot.

[@papalegba6759]

STALKER got soul. only way i can describe it really.

[@sneedle252]

It wrestles with such a basic human contradiction in curiosity vs fear, as told by the metaphor of encroching on the zone, though such a simple map device as going north on a road.

[@tarekmoneimsaid]

Another point of the Stalker games I feel greatly enhances the immersion, is that when you're new to the game, you are effectively a rookie, you engage in firefights carelessly, you have bad gear, you die often. As you get more skilled, it directly translates into the game, you know how vulnerable you are, you approach situations with more care, planning ahead, scouting to see how many enemies there are, you manage your inventory more effectively. It's a great feeling :)

[@darthgiorgi4990]

To quote a russian outlet review, the experience doesn't translate to filling some meaningless bars so that your character does better, but you, the player, getting better at doing stuff.

[@myles5388]

This is what they mentioned in the Stalker 2 showcase!! They mention learning the game/world is the ‘skill tree’ which gives me great hope Ubisoft type games are obsessed with showing you the numbers to grind towards but are just lifeless time sinks n add nothing to gameplay whatsoever

[@santiagolescano4771]

1:25 At the very beginning i was chased by a boar and killed by an anomaly, so after reloading I lured the same boar into the anomaly that killed me. At that moment the love started to flow

[@Curt_Randall]

I really liked the creepy atmosphere throughout the game, especially the labs. But I really hated constantly having to use bandages to stop the bleeding, especially in the last hours of the game.

[@vikingyux3491]

Well I suggest you use artifacts because there are ones that can stop bleeding and boom no need bandages anymore

[@ARIXANDRE]

A little "Euro-Jank in the Trank" but a masterpiece of a game nonetheless.

[@AvalancheReviews]

This ruled! Killer stuff man!

[@BoulderPunch]

Thanks Jared :)

[@carcinogenical4389]

Imo yantar has the best atmosphere in shadow of chernobyl, in clear sky its the red forest and in call of pripyat... its so damn hard to pick which area they're all so good and unique

[@nothanksbro4525]

Just played a bit on Steam, decided to take a break and check youtube. This game is a true masterpiece.

[@thesummerofmark]

“Chernobyl? That happened? I saw the movie, I thought it was bullshit.”

[@BoulderPunch]

Nice one!

[@AdamBorseti]

"Cocksuckers blew up their nuclear reactor, and they didn't even warn the people."

[@ageofanxiety6000]

The Russians? They're not all bad!

[@bigt4135]

He was an interior decorator. His house looked like shit.

[@deadstar2692]

"No furries" Oh, You poor innocent child.. (Great video btw, love watching Your stuff :) )

[@vanyaimportant669]

true...true

[@spectralassassin6030]

I don't know what you're talking about and half of me wants to know and the other half doesn't.

[@deadstar2692]

@@spectralassassin6030 Trust me, You really don't.

[@papalegba6759]

getting a scope for the fast-shooting AK was when the game clicked for me, started to feel more like the hunter than the hunted.

[@npcokay]

Same here. I was a lot better after a certain time

[@sabnock31]

The moment I fell in love with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was when in CoP (my first and most loved entry) I ran from pack of blind dogs, shooting from my AKM with crappy aim and ran into Boiler anomaly subjecting two stalkers to death, then died myself trying to find a way out from the cracks in the ground. CoP is my favorite entry because side quests there is gorgeous, they expand the story so well. Also dedicated anomaly spots is kinda cool. Stalkers talk a lot about the world, like I asked someone about artifacts and he told me that some dude found artifact just laying on the ground outside anomalous fields. I then walked few hours on all three maps and found Crystal (one of the shittiest artifacts) outside of any anomaly. This games world feel alive. Also, Yanov best location, no doubt.

[@TalkingRaven_]

I think what sets Stalker's atmosphere apart from the rest is because the atmosphere feels natural. In other games the atmosphere just felt forced by implementing some atmospheric elements. But in Stalker, everything is just there and they all exist individually not to simply create atmosphere, the mere existence of these individually designed elements alongside each other creates a naturally atmospheric vibe to it.

[@edindjc8735]

“You’re not gonna believe this. He killed 16 Monoliths. The guys an interior decorator!” “His AS Val looked like shit?”

[@АнтонГребенюк-ф6о]

This game clicked when I was like... 11 years old in 2007 ?) And it clicked right when I entered main menu and heard that music. It tells you everything you need to know or feel. The feeling of loneliness, mystery, fear and desolation. It's so happened to be that I came from eastern Ukraine, where those remnants of soviet's industrial machine are still standing. Large AF abandoned factories, plants, mines etc, as well as almost empty villages, once being like... really developed for it's time because of soviet union's heavy emphasis on this area due it industrial potential(lots of metal, coal and other resources). So the atmosphere hit right home with me. That feeling of desolated, but once enormous functioning industrial sites, which purpose is long forgotten now. But gameplay-wise ? I think at that time when you descend into Agroprom's underground. That sound of alarm lights rotation screeching and distant bursts of electro anomalies. That's the moment when you know - you should thread way more carefully from now on. Mutant pigs/dogs - are not the worst thing that can be lurking here. But simultaneously, you get rewarded with rapid-fire AK (which is a literal lead-spitting hose, and completely neglects game's aiming difficulties due to it's minigun-level firepower.) and your first worthy armor (yes, I know that you can find it in 1 minute from the start in old patches, but we're speaking about first experience). So now you're loaded, and you have that unique feeling of being ready, but nevertheless somewhat afraid of what's waiting for you. "I have the tools, but it's not gonna be a walk in the park". This is also supported by the fact that you get to encounter 2 completely new mutants, and they're both are no joke for an unprepared rookie. So it's like, just 1/4 of the game, but you've already seen some shit, and dealt with it. And then you climb a ladder to the surface, and get really happy that it's regular people you're fighting with once again.

[@addictedtoRS]

I played this game for the first time in 2018. It was a truly remarkable experience. It's only been 3 years and I have great nostalgia with the game, as if I grew up playing it. Especially when I hear the 100 Rads music. It's very odd I know and I can't explain why this is. When it comes to gaming, there is nothing I wish more than to be able to wipe my memory of this game and play it for the first time again.

[@lukasgroot]

"I said come in don't stand there"

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

I played it when i was 17 or so. I would pay for having the same experience again. Im 31 now, and had never such an experience again.

[@000Gua000]

1:26 I fall in love with it as soon as I've heard about it. I planned to upgrade my shitty PC, but it got released 1 weak before that upgrade. My plan was to play it after that upgrade, but I decided to launch it on my crappy PC just to take a look. But when I've launched it I've got immediately hooked and just couldn't turn it off. I was so immersed in it, that when I took a look in my window, I wasn't sure whether I'm looking at sunset or sunrise. Because I had shitty PC, I've played on minimum graphics quality with poor performance, but despite that it became my favorite single player game.

[@MartianBuddy]

It click for me when I got to the first underground section, before then was a uphill battle firefight after firefight. Taking breaks eating lunch of canned beans at the campfire between helped.

[@ReprobiCrucesignati]

Yo...Its me...From the future. We are finally getting stalker 2! And the release is in less than a month away!

[@Snaffdude]

The concept of the controller and its attack has lived rent free in my head for years and years!

[@C.Malefac]

This video convinced me to start playing stalker and I hvent looked back since!

[@douglasbubbletrousers4763]

BoulderPunch: “Stalker 2 was said to be releasing in 2021-“ Me, looking at the calendar: *CYKA BLYAT*

[@bazzy5644]

Not only that, but before he said that, I was fooled into thinking this video was from 2024. :O Damn...

[@franzpattison]

The moment stalker really clicked for me was when I began editing the ini files

[@Torgo1969]

Still alive? That's great!

[@AdamBorseti]

Welcome to my addiction since 2009. Great video! I love how you called the loot "swag", and then as I was wondering if you lifted that from the book, you confirmed it.

[@-Gatsu]

For anyone wondering, the song played during the "Making Of" section is called Gurza Dreaming from Shadow of Chernobyl

[@RoadRunner1980]

I'm playing games for 30 years but this has to be my most memorable one... unmatched.

[@pastelfromgreece9603]

I knew nothing about the game when I first played other than seeing the game was "good". Didn't knew what hell was it, and why was it called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I knew zero of this game before. But getting out of Sidorovich's bunker and heading towards the first bandit shootout made me fall in love with the game. I have never played a game like this before and it is a goddamn masterpiece!

[@vanyaimportant669]

I see stalker, i upvote. Keep it up. I´ve dedicated my channel to stalker. Have my sub!

[@RegularCody]

Love to see some Sopranos love. I can't think of a joke Gabagool

[@BoulderPunch]

Strelok never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@concon1629]

@@BoulderPunch JUNIOR!

[@RegularCody]

@@BoulderPunch You got an anomaly on your hat

[@majorgruber5925]

The game first clicked for me the first time I successfully navigated the radiation and anomalies in Garbage and got my first decent Artifacts. Was totally hooked after that. That was on disc the year SoC came out.

[@ra_0374]

I have no idea how I booted up SoC and kept playing but thank god I did keep on playing, such a great series, hope Stalker 2 is what everyone hope it will be

[@wunsen95]

I was gifted this in 2007, the stainless steel case edition and everything. I tried a couple of times but it never clicked (my pc was also shit). Decided to play it again recently after watching Jared's videos and holy shit, i'd say it clicked around Agroprom, but it was the x18 lab that made me realise truly how much of a hidden gem this game is.

[@ShahStark]

Great review but I’ve honestly never modded the base game. I think it’s totally unnecessary.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

All you people talking about stalker 2. Meanwhile, I, a man of culture, already own THREE stalker games.

[@DaedalusRaistlin]

I remember playing the leaked alpha back when it ... leaked. I could not believe a game "level" could be so large. It seemed you just walk forever. The ambition for this game was awesome, helped by letting the imagination run wild about the consequences of Chernobyl. It's just too bad it released in such a poor state. The mods to fix all that took time to come out, and people had given up on the game in the mean time. A bit overlooked. Anyway, great video, quite liked the depth you went into.

[@lpj2216]

5:08 how can you forget the 2nd best fanbase of a tv show alongside the sopranos? im talking about nbc's Chuck

[@mothertrucker-u9m]

first lab had to be the click - not story wise, but damn was it intense in terms of atmosphere.

[@papalegba6759]

yep, and when i finally left the lab then got ambushed & rekt by fkn spetsnaz it was one of the most harrowing gaming experiences of my life.

[@lukalaa1764]

As DJ Peach Cobbler said "STALKER has many rough edges, but that's the thing about rough edges, they lend a certain texture"

[@fordprefect80]

It clicked for me back in 2007 when I bought it and started playing. Its an incredibly hard core single player fps experience. I love the mods but they shouldn't be used for the first play through. I'm currently playing vanilla with the 1.0006 patch. I'm about half way through and haven't had a single crash. I put that down to the game engine works more reliably on a modern gaming pc. In my opinion someone should release the game tunes in a album, there's some fantastic music in both the vanilla and modded versions of the franchise.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Same, but I did have an annoying crash bug, the one where after loading the game crashes within 10 seconds. I went back to a previous save and lost about 30 min of progress so not a big deal. Having backup saves does mitigate the risk.

[@thespheregridisrunonchemtrails]

It clicked because I was a dumb kid and I kept smashing my head against it until it worked. Game taught me how to headshot

[@stolenname94]

Tried this game back in 08 and just couldn't get through it for 2 reasons. It was harder than I expected ,and I was dying all the time I was useless. Then I went off exploring and found myself a blood sucker! (Didn't know what it was then) and I absolutely shat myself. I eventually got back out the way I came and was getting attacked by guys left right and center. I kept dying and then started getting jump scared by almost anything lol. I gave up because it generally made me too anxious, and it was clearly abit too complicated for me. I brought it again about a year ago and never touched it. I've been playing for the past 2 nights now, and I'm glad I gave it another go. It's still hard and it still scary even now. But I've managed to make quiet a dent in its story and gathered plenty of good weapons and gear. I've started to win gun fights more often and use less resources. It's got a great atmosphere and I can't wait to play call of pripyat when I'm done.

[@000Gua000]

7:00 Game looks too colorful. I guess it's one of the mods that you've used.

[@pedroramires7051]

Finally, a review from someone who read and watched the source material ❤️

[@tomsimpson357]

Had the exact same thing you talk about in the beginning of the video, really couldn’t get a hold on it until my fifth restart, learning to save, and learning to crouch for firefights. Getting through that military base is was forged the right gameplay out of me, but I swear I get glitches ALL the time, like my carry weight being like 40 something with just one gun and a few healing meds, and other times being able to carry 6/7 guns and tons of ammo. Not sure what’s going on. I’m playing on the recent Xb x version, so can’t patch it with mods unfortunely

[@CarmineProspectus]

Game was so ahead of its time. Can’t wait for Stalker 2. Only a few months to go!

[@DrJellyFanguzzz]

The cheekiest of the breekis

[@mrmyme]

Great breakdown bro! I just purchased on ps4 2024 😊 excited to check it out.

[@dr_zotiac]

Me currently 13 hours into my first playthrough in 2024

[@GayFrogsTho]

I'm really fortunate in that I downloaded and started playing Shadow of Chernobyl with zero knowledge or expectations of what I was in for. And my God did this game suck me in. It's a true masterpiece, imperfect, but a masterpeice.

[@QuxMax]

Only a few months now and stalker 2 is finally here

[@jeremieh5009]

I wouldn't call the brain scorcher a macguffin, it's got a tangible importance to the plot and comes into play rather seriously so it's more of a chekov's gun kinda deal

[@ianaruto1]

I thought that dots in the name stalker are just to avoid copyright and that they dont really hide any meaning, curious to know where did you find that acronym.

[@BoulderPunch]

IIRC it's mentioned in the lore dump at the end.

[@ianaruto1]

@@BoulderPunch You mean in the last part of the game where you talk to C-consciousness? I played it in Russian and there is no mention of acronym at all, just the fact that they indeed put a tatoo and that STALKER is the name of the program. Looking on google i couldnt find anything official confirming it either (just fan theories, like also the fact that you can combine every letter's numbered position in aplhabet to get the year of the disaster at Chernobyl).

[@ageofanxiety6000]

With Johnny Sach awaiting trial, who do you think is keeping Ginny in butter brickle?!

[@XxsniperxelitxomegaxlmaoxOwOxX]

the game is janky. but the good janky.

[@golemkid7209]

for me it was the first encounter with a blood sucker.

[@TheRama2299]

It'll always remain with me just how terrible early hours of gameplay are in this game, having to use a PM which fires bullets that disappear after two meters, then you progress to an MP5, AK's, the LR300 and so on. It was after the first visit to Agroprom that the gameplay took a step forwards and really started to shine

[@tras500]

please make one about anomaly

[@agrashh]

The first stalker was a good game, but it felt a bit tedious and boring towards the end. The underground sections were very cool though. I also played the first expansion but I did not like that one. I like the atmosphere / gameplay and story way more in the metro games.

[@hidetakamiyazaki7311]

really nice video

[@steelbear2063]

Clear Sky is a prequel, not a sequel

[@erikcarrillo7378]

"Stalker isn't a run and gun game" shit that first encampment you have to take out with the group of stalkers i always just run in and start blasting dudes with the Makarov point blank. Then i head over to the train tracks and blast the soldiers there with a shotgun point blanks and badabing badaboom i got an AK and am now the most dangerous entity in the first area lol. After that i always swing back to the military base at the start of the zone and wipe it out again i run in blast anyone in the way and run up to the watch tower where i just sit and wait while soldiers run up just to get dropped once they round the stairs. This is most definitely a run and gun kinda game you just gotta know where to run to and where the guns are at lol. Also everyone starting out should always pick up that hidden armor inside the roof of one of the houses in the very first area you're in. That armor alone changes things completely.

[@TheDragonfly256]

3:03 Im gonna be the "actually" guy. S.T.A.L.K.E.R acronym doesn't stand for those at all, why would stalker acronym that is given to agents of c conscious mean all that... the mark in deleted line in original ukrainian/rusian stands for name of scientist that made brain washing machine and the name of said machine, that is the true acronym of stalker. It was really hard to make Russian cyrylic acronym translate well so they just deleted the line of actuall meaning in original.

[@TheKillboy1000]

There's only one kinda fan drama, the call of Chernobyl team added a very bland character called hip and made her the only woman in the zone.

[@mariothoughts]

It clicked in the first minute for me

[@Milkjiest]

"stalker 2 is supposed to come out this year" -boulder punch 2021 ...maybe next year.. 2024

[@nomenium]

I doubt it honestly GSC doesnt have a good track record when it comes to releasing games when promised

[@Moth_of_Yuggoth]

I may go unnoticed here but i really would appreciate help. I accidently shot a lone merc enemy at the bar location. For some reason the duty faction won't stop shooting me, must be a bug. I cannot load a previous save. Is there a mod which i can install to get past this?

[@Krahamus]

Its not a bug, bar area is neutral, and shooting someone will result duty shooting you, as they are security of that area.

[@Moth_of_Yuggoth]

@@Krahamus cheers. I eventually gave up trying to make amends. Duty would shoot me but not all duty. Just Voronin's bunch. I ended them all!

[@elmatajotos-vd2qc]

i liked this video, but comparing it to metro 2033 is kinda not ideal, as metro 2033 is a reverse on stalker sort of, the unsettling parts are not underground, because that's where you (artyom) grew up thats all you know, just like how in stalker the less kick your ass parts are on the surface, the surface scenes in 2033 are like the underground scenes in shadow of chernobyl, but polar opposites, stalker embraces you in darkness while underground, a not familiar darkness and not familiar beasts, while 2033 shines too much light for a game that for the most part keeps you in the shadows and stealthy, you cant stealth on the surface for most misions, thus taking your biggest advantage

[@BlazedLizurd]

the s.t.a.l.k.e.r. acronym doesn't canonically have any meaning, every interpretation is fan made

[@thc_freebaser]

comparing furries to nonces is pretty cringe straight up

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

one of the best,will always be....

[@TheLucidChiba]

It clicked for me when I tried the Anomaly mod, it really made the experience tailored to my tastes

[@petarvsgaming7893]

Good vid

[@ArcGamingStreams]

No furries? I mean.. must that be a bad thing? Right guys..? G.. guys…? Okay fuck.. but at least we don’t wear crocs

[@KyivandChornobyl]

I have been to the Chernobyl zone hundreds of times and am ready to share my knowledge with those who are interested.

[@thelegendofner0]

So are there horribly mutated animals, a monolith cult and anomalies there? If not, I'm not interested lol

[@douglasbubbletrousers4763]

Were you worried about radiation at all?

[@KyivandChornobyl]

@@douglasbubbletrousers4763 Of course, I and all other visitors to the Zone are worried about radiation. But every person after staying in Chernobyl goes through sensitive radiation sensors twice, at least. Each visitor has an individual cumulative sensor. Besides, I have my own dosimeter. Nowadays radiation is not a threat to visitors to the Chernobyl exclusion zone. When are you going to visit Chernobyl?

[@Biojack222]

Game clicked about when i got to Garbage and left the cordon

[@taavipent8901]

Fantastic!! ❤️❤️

[@lumenumbra3257]

Lumped in with the kid diddlers, damn... I suppose the loudest are usually the worst with any community. Most things I see furry related I don't care for either lol

[@andraskovacs5431]

They're not bugs. They're anomalies

[@douglasbubbletrousers4763]

Bug traps

[@piggosalternateaccount4917]

Entering Wild Territory and massacring the Mercs was my click

[@lancedavidson2995]

I really could never get into stalker, I’ve tried many of times…I commend their effort and I’m glad it’s a cult favorite..I heard the new stalker got delayed another 7 months…I just can’t see the everyday normal gamer downloading stalker 2 (if it’s anything like the first one) and waiting out the bullshit..todays audience can barley watch a minute tik tok.

[@darkfox4100]

Getting to know the lore (factions, how they operate, what they believe, etc.) of the world around me (the zone) helped me a lot. It really made the game come alive. If you have tried that, and its just the game play I completely understand, as the style of game play isn't for everyone. If you haven't, i highly recommend learning about Freedom, Duty, the Ecologists, etc. Maybe the world building could invigorate the world for you. Cause you to want to adventure within it, and to allign yourself with one of these groups' morales, and you'll feel more immersed. Maybe save monolith lore for after you complete the first game (if you do) because it is better to not have any idea who they are until the end :3

[@elbarto6668]

Nice

[@incaseofimportantnegotiations]

2:03 you mean one of the smallest the barely did anything before or after gsc himself has great ambition and ego but poor management skills

[@thomas-son9281]

This game do be a janky masterpiece tho

[@TheNateness123]

You need to try call of chernobyl if you haven't already

[@MrBadApple999]

My minimap wont work...

[@BoulderPunch]

Become a patron to get access to videos early: www.patreon.com/boulderpunch Get the game on GOG (affiliate): bit.ly/gogbouldersoc 🐦 Twatter: twitter.com/boulderpunch1 💬 Join the Boulder Punchers Discord: bit.ly/boulderpunchdiscord

[@insane7718]

Hahahaha stalker 2 is supposed to launch this year (3 years ago)😂 Its 2024 and it got delayed again and again

[@judsongaiden9878]

No other series of games has Oink Oink Fleshy Piggy! 🙃 5:22 There are plenty of furry zoners out there. (I'm one of them.) 9:24 Try nailing snorks in the head with a pistol. In the words of James Bond: "Such good sport." 10:05 Missed a Droplet. Not a big deal since those are a dime a dozen. 14:41 "In a perfect world..." 16:45 "Come to me.... You will get what you deserve." 17:15 Never thought about this before, but that's not how you take that kind of glove off. It has a Velcro strap. 20:13 "West Games" might be an homage to "Vostok Games" since "Vostok" means "East."

[@JackMK-h2o]

its 2024 now

[@kangzchan5253]

Yes the fetish mods exist and yes the are shunned

[@clydemarshall8095]

I finished STALKER, but my experience was more frustrating than fun

[@leonzawodowiec5151]

Jesus Christ, Boulder Punch, seeing the kind of games you talk about I assumed you'd know better than to recommend modding a slav jank game for first playthrough. I was wrong. Shame. Do better next time.

[@hulawife]

exactly what i was thinking, the purest stalker experience you'll have on your first playthrough is completely vanilla

[@addictedtoRS]

@@hulawife This is absolute BS. SoC was rushed to meet deadlines and was greatly unpolished in the end result. Mods fix these glaring issues within vanilla SoC. Issues that the developers clearly did not want in game, but had no time to fix. This is like saying when you eat steak for first time it has to have no seasoning to get the authentic taste of bland meat.

[@steelbear2063]

@@addictedtoRS You don't understand Stalker

[@mariuszpudzianowski8400]

I remember playing one of the sequels. Terrible design, had no idea what is my goal, what is going on, who is my character. Ended up running around random places, sometimes killing enemies, more often dying. Uninstalled it after around 30 minutes, never played it again.

[@Darkest_matter]

ohh stalkers giving me fallout 4 vibes. (never played it before. but i've played metro 2033.)

[@Oleksandr-snk]

On my first walkthrough 15 years ago I abandoned the game in x18 because it was too scary

[@RegularCody]

Is this an ImmSim?

[@ajensen-zx1tu]

Not really. It's hard to explain. You do have freedom in how to approach some firefights, and there is plenty of exploration; however the mechanics of the game in regards to player freedom are not as vast as even some light immersive sims (like prey 2017, or bioshock). The game will make you feel things though, I highly recommend as an immersive sim fan

[@RegularCody]

Duely noted. It's on my list. Is Prey 2017 really a "light" Immersive Sim really though? I found eternally satisfying

[@ajensen-zx1tu]

@@RegularCody oh, I loved it as well. I mean that in comparison to like Deus Ex or System Shock 2. But now that I think about it, maybe that was a wrong analogy

[@RegularCody]

@@ajensen-zx1tu the original Deus ex is one of the only holes left in my ImmSim education

[@BoulderPunch]

There's some of that design philosophy in there, especially the older builds.

[@getoutofherestalker500]

get out of here stalker

[@lynchmobb119]

Bro said stalker 2 is supposed to come out this year, then I saw this was 3 years ago 💀

[@krolikthemself]

>no furries >no child diddlers little guy you summed up every gaming community and sided furries with illiteral predators, why the skill issue lmao