S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - most atmospheric series ever. Anything similar?

[MysticSlayer]

Hyrule and Bionis/Mechonis are nowhere near as believable.

You're still applying a very specific, rigid definition for what makes a game "atmospheric" and "immersive" where none exists. Just because some games take a more fantastical setting than S.T.A.L.K.E.R. doesn't meant they are any less atmospheric. Part of the idea of fantasy, sci-fi, or any combination of the two is to get you to connect to the world regardless of its lack of realism. It is one reason that Middle Earth, regardless of its fantastical elements, is still endearing to many people today. If I find a strong connection to Hyrule or Bionis/Mechonis and the different ways that they develop their worlds, regardless of the "destined to beat the bad guy" story and "usual JRPG crap", then it doesn't matter how realistic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. might be. I simply can't declare The Zone to be any better than those worlds, as there isn't a comparison to be had. I'm attracted to the fantastical settings for one reason, and I'm attracted to The Zone for another, but I find them all equally endearing in their own right.

 

[5ilver]

Certainly not in the same milieu. I really enjoyed FO3 and New Vegas, but neither of them is close to STALKER in terms of atmosphere, and I consider "atmosphere" to be a strength of both games.

Metro 2033 isn't a patch on STALKER. Rubbish game.

I think Metro 2033 had way better atmosphere and was the better game overall. Funny how opinions work eh.

OT: Spec Ops: The line comes to mind. Though it's generally more polished and the "atmosphere" only really comes into play for the latter 50% of the game.

 

[Zetacross]

Probably Skyrim or Fallout 3 (not NV) would be close.

Atmospheric wise ,Deus Ex, Half Life 2,
Non-mainstream recommendations: EYE: Divine Cybermancy, Prey, Chronicles of Riddick, Vampire Bloodlines

So far nothing comes close in terms of immersion comparing to COP. Especially the freaking storm - every half hour or so the sky turns blood red and you have to find shelter, else you die. It wasn't so groundbreaking till I saw other stalkers, dogs, even mutant creatures run to shelter. I was huddled in a dark basement in some random gas station with just my flashlight, hoping that whoever comes won't try to shoot or eat me(which it did happen a few times).

When I came out of the shelter, often I would see bodies of both human and mutant who was lost in the storm. That's when I know I was in an environment - not some scripted event. It's not you versus the world (Metro LL), it's you in a world full of stuff, and you don't know one bit about it. There are so very few games which can pull it off.

Also ANY game which I see NPCs fighting each other in a non-scripted manner is worth a lot. Maybe we can start looking at that for closely related games?

 

[Lygus]

It's no news STALKER series has one of the best AI ever programmed and implemented perfectly. It's so dynamic and flexible.

What attracted me to The Zone even more, is the monster / enemies / factions of STALKER. They're realistically crafted with a minor addition of sci-fi to create a more varied adventure. Also, anomalies and artifacts - never seen these elements having so much impact on the environment in any other game. I think they were a major improvement on a truly dynamic gameplay.

Blowouts, I agree, are one of the most terrifying events in games history + Fallout Rain with Atmosfear 3 mod for CoP or SHOC.

Wait for STALKER: Lost Alpha release. Hopefully, a dream will come true. At least for me.