S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky vs Tomb Raider
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the second installment in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and yet is the prequel to the original game. In this game, a group of stalkers have unwittingly triggered an explosion of anomalies when they ventured into the heart of the exclusion zone - the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself, turning the entire zone into an unstable mess that continues to quake with anomaly outbursts. Stalker factions have also erupted, further adding to the overall chaos of the region.S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is essentially similar to the previous game, though it does have some significant improvements. For instance, the game is a lot more stable, which is ironic considering that all the storyline in this game talks about is how unstable the zone is. The weapons and armor in the game work better than in the original since they can, finally, be repaired. Artifacts are harder to find here but is a lot more rewarding and well, generally the overall setting feel a lot more realistic.
This is definitely a nicer game to play than its first game, but it's not really comparable to the third game of course. However, if you love the S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you might still want to consider buying all three games via its Steam bundle.
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider (the 2013 version) has been touted by many as the best Tomb Raider of all time. The game doesn't only introduce a series of exciting changes to the usual adventure-based gameplay including a fun survival element, which will see you salvage resources to upgrade Lara's tools and weapons, a ton of much improved puzzles, incredibly intuitive combat and a wide range of mysterious tombs to explore. The game even includes a new multiplayer game mode which will allow you to work as a team to sruvive either as Lara's Shipmates or Yamatai's Scavengers.Best of all, the game has a really heartwarming and intense origin story about how Lara had to adapt to her circumstances and become the hardened survivor that you know today.
If you are a fan of Lara Croft or even if you're simply looking to get into the franchise, this is definitely the game to play.