I bought Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl last year on steam, and got the complete mod as well. I couldnt be bothered to put it all in place and wasn't dying to play the game. There was other stuff to do and play instead. Last week, I started playing it.
This game is brilliant.
It's the most immersive and immediately atmospheric game I've seen in a loooooong time. Within seconds, I am in the mindset the world wants me to be in. It's the kind of game that could be used to create those blogs where people write the narrative they create in the game... if you get what I mean.
It's exactly what Fallout 3 should have been. It's exactly what a good Action RPG FPS should be. It reaches and aspires to so much.
The world is so full, the inhabitants are so alive. Everyone has a name, everyone has competent AI where they go around and do stuff. The animals live and breathe and run around. They eat things, they investigate things, they chase things down, and chase things away. All of it is AI. Its beautifully done.
The world is grim, the world is dark, the world is frightening, the world is depressing... and I love it.
I haven't even gone that far into it. I've only gone through one in-game day.
I said world a lot... and the world deserves the praise.