Stalker Clear Sky + Far Cry 2

[Lemur]

Okay, is anybody but me kinda jazzed for these two titles?

Trailer for Far Cry 2 (with excellent music)

Stalker Clear Sky developer walkthrough (with no cool music)

[Whacker]

No.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

YES

I didn't really like STALKER, but then again I played it when I was in the worst of my "I'm quitting gaming" slump earlier this year. Might try it again sometime. As such Clear Sky holds no special value for me.

Far Cry 2 looks great, looks like more of the fun that was Crysis. Oddly enough I didn't like the original Far Cry at all, I was playing Doom 3 at the time and Far Cry was just more of the same to me in a jungle setting. Didn't get very far in the game either. The part I liked the most about it was the old WWII Japanese bunker and the skeletons with uniforms when you just start out, if that says anything. Far Cry 2 will hopefully be much more fun and immersive.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Both wonderful games, neither of which i'll be buying anytime before next year, most likely. It sucks that there are so many good games coming out soon, just when i've started saving up money for my new year holiday. Oh well. Only 3 and a half more months and then i don't have to save anymore...

[Lemur]

I gotta admit, it was this sadistic video that got me excited for Far Cry 2.

[drone]

I gotta admit, it was this sadistic video that got me excited for Far Cry 2.

Anybody who saw Saving Private Ryan knows the old sniper bait trick. And didn't the Mythbusters nix the propane thing?

[Husar]

Yes of course, waiting for Clear Sky, release was scheduled for August 28th, lately read September 5th, might have to check stores twice.

Far Cry 2 I will most likely get for the PS3, but since release is in November, I have some time to think about the details.

[Reverend Joe]

I gotta admit, it was this sadistic video that got me excited for Far Cry 2.

Oh hell yeah!

Anybody who saw Saving Private Ryan knows the old sniper bait trick.

Actually, I was thinking more of "Full Metal Jacket." The sniper trick worked a lot better in that one (the sniper got 3 guys instead of 1.)

Edit: having read the Wiki description, I am now definitely interested in Farcry 2. It seems the scifi elements have been removed, which I feel is a good thing, as the high point of the first game was definitely the tactical assaults on the Mercenaries, not so much the generic creature hunt. Also, there are no individual maps, just one giant one, and the story is entirely open-ended. It's like a sociopath's dream come true.

[Decker]

Both look VEEERRRREEE good!! I can't wait for either. And STALKER was awesome and this looks to be much better, I just hope it's not as buggy as the first game's release.

didn't really like STALKER, but then again I played it when I was in the worst of my "I'm quitting gaming" slump earlier this year. Might try it again sometime. As such Clear Sky holds no special value for me.

Hey Whacker, you should check out STALKER's community. There are some really good mods that make the game MUCH better than it's release and actually way better after the devs patched it all up. So if you do play it, look for some of the mods out for it.

And as for Far Cry 2. Well I never played the first one but this looks to be just as good as Clear Sky and I can't wait for it also! The ability to play maps made by the console community and the pc community is going to be very cool. I just hope there is cross platform mp play, it's about time for some of that!

And interestingly, did anybody see the Fallout 2 videos and screenies from E3? It looks pretty cool also but waaay more arcadie compared to Far Cry 2 and Clear Sky...man this year is gonna kill with the games

[Warmaster Horus]

And interestingly, did anybody see the Fallout 2 videos and screenies from E3?

Fallout 3, right?

As for me, it's Far Cry 2 I'm really looking forward to, more than Stalker CS. Since mutants/monsters/unrealistic sci-fi stuff is out, then it's waaayyy more interesting.

[Lemur]

Hey Decker, I tried to install some mods with Stalker, but they all involved unpacking the game data, and that inevitably led to a crash. So I was never able to play around. Know a good FAQ or walkthrough for the process?

Whacker, quitting smoking can make anything feel bad. As a former smoker, I know.

-edit-

Horus, here's a gameplay video of Fallout 3. I gotta admit, I'm nervous about how combat is going to be handled. The whole VATS thing seems hard to balance ...

[Decker]

Fallout 3, right?

As for me, it's Far Cry 2 I'm really looking forward to, more than Stalker CS. Since mutants/monsters/unrealistic sci-fi stuff is out, then it's waaayyy more interesting.

Wups, good catch. Totally meant Fallout 3. Watching the gameplay vids, it reminded me immediately of STALKER. And o really??... radiation, mutated...things, guns, explosions, Russian military, mercs, what's more to like

Hey Decker, I tried to install some mods with Stalker, but they all involved unpacking the game data, and that inevitably led to a crash. So I was never able to play around. Know a good FAQ or walkthrough for the process?

O really...hmmmm....I'll take a look around and see what I can find for ya
I personally only patched up the original and didn't have anytime for moding it sadly
What mods were you looking at if you can remember??

Horus, here's a gameplay video of Fallout 3. I gotta admit, I'm nervous about how combat is going to be handled. The whole VATS thing seems hard to balance ...

Eh, I'd like it to be more realistic and vats does look complicated I agree...tho I like the idea of shooting stuffed bunnies at peoples lol

[TinCow]

Horus, here's a gameplay video of Fallout 3. I gotta admit, I'm nervous about how combat is going to be handled. The whole VATS thing seems hard to balance ...

My experience was that it was pretty easy to use. Hit the VATS button, queue up the actions you want to perform, hit execute, then watch the fireworks. I compare it a lot to the slo-mo powers in Max Payne and FEAR, not in the way that they operate (very different) but in their impact on combat. Like those slo-mo powers, VATS is something that you'll probably only get to use once in most battles because of the recharge timer on it. You use it to give yourself a temporary huge advantage over the enemy and try to make the most of it in that time. When it's over, you'll usually have to finish off the rest of the enemies in realtime unless the firefight is a long one and you've got time to hide and recharge.

[Lemur]

Okay, here's a so-so bordering on negative preview of FC2.

The actual game, however, proved to be less impressive. Though there have been some substantial game play tweaks, Far Cry 2 still feels like its predecessors, only with more open-world elements, fire effects, and injuries. Players traverse a thick jungle, procuring weapons as they go and completing objectives as they see fit. An in-game day-night cycle allows players to choose between doing a mission stealthily or going in, guns ablaze, but aside from that, the choice is very much as it was in Crysis: it's really up to you to make your own fun. [...]

Fire propagation, which is an advanced real-time fire feature, causes fire to spread to combustible objects. It is a neat toy, but its novelty wears off when you realize that you can only burn wood huts down so many times before it becomes boring.

The injury system is another novelty that wears thin quickly. When the player character is shot or injured, he is hit with the appropriate wound. Bullets deep in muscle, dislocated shoulders, and more can result from careless gunfights, and it's up to the player to amend the problem. This results in some pretty gruesome "healing" animations, as the player digs slugs out with a knife or snaps his arm back into place.

[Warmaster Horus]

I wouldn't trust that preview. The guy clearly says his only interest in the FC series is technical.
Another thing that bugged me in there is when he said: "What Far Cry 2 doesn't have that Crysis does, though, is the variety afforded by super powers."
The nanosuit in Crysis was a good idea, but the novelty wore down pretty fast too.
Meh, to each his own, I suppose.

[Husar]

I don't expect any wonders from the game, I like the african setting and the beautiful landscapes, that the fire stuff will wear down quickly should be obvious, they're just propagating it everywhere because it's new, soon every game will have it anyway and then they will have to think up some other marketing gag, like the character can make bubblegum balloons that are physically correct and historically accurate or something.

[Mikeus Caesar]

HISTORICALLY ACCURATE BUBBLEGUM BALLOONS!?

THIS IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE HALO INVENTED MULTIPLAYER GAMING!

[Whacker]

Kinda like "soil erosion" in Oblivion eh?

[Kekvit Irae]

I gotta admit, it was this sadistic video that got me excited for Far Cry 2.

1:30 reminds me of what I used to do in Battlefield 2

[TevashSzat]

I personally loved the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R (that must be the most difficult name to type fast ever....) so I'm probably going to get Clear Sky pretty soon.