Strategy Informer writes: "How many glitches can a sane gamer take? You often find yourself excusing texture problems or AI inaccuracies, but game breaking bugs are often the final straw. That would have been the case for the original STALKER if it wasn't for its superb sense of atmosphere. Alone in the Zone, (the aftermath area affected by the Chernobyl disaster) PC gamers were treated to a harrowing look into what was easily possible. The original game might have been a tad unfinished and it definitely required the series of patches it got, but many overlooked its technical shortfalls as a minor annoyance. Its lengthy development time was soon forgotten as you lost yourself in a living-breathing world. This was a birth of a new IP.
It wasn't much of a surprise that soon after its March 2007 release date; GCS Game World announced that a prequel was on its way. Titled as STALKER: Clear Sky, its pre-release hype machine boasted improved lighting, a more powerful X-Ray (the game's graphics engine) and a world-wide faction system that allowed you to start wars between the game's inhabitants. That's not forgetting the simple joy of being able to enter the barren wasteland and settle down next to a camp fire with your chums. With its release last Friday does Clear Sky manage to make it two for two or does it miss the mark?"
Review - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky should be seen as an expansion rather than a full prequel, but it is one that fans will enjoy nonetheless.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games have greatly influenced the Eastern European games that came later. In this, the second of a two-part miniseries exploring these influences, we investigate the gameplay mechanics that make "Stalkerlikes" what they are.
DSOGaming writes: "RemasterStudio has released the first beta version of a graphics overhaul mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. STALKER Clear Sky Remaster ports the game to the latest version of the X-Ray Engine, and introduces a lot of modern-day graphical features."
