Fallout vs S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Fallout
Fallout is world's first post-apocalyptic-themed open world RPG where your decisions and actions actually matter. Although your choices will not change the entire world, it will affect your relationship with the many NPCs in the game. In addition, Fallout made the Hall of Fame when it comes to RPGs due to its incredibly immersive storyline, which is written as you venture out into post-fallout wasteland, meeting people trying to eke out a living as well as hostile enemies (some are also mutated to a certain degree) alike.It's also interesting to note that the game has a really simple S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats system, which consists of (obviously) 7 stats, and a skills system, consisting of 8 unqiue skills, that you can access via your unique PipBoy interface. Naturally, your skill proficiency is determined by the amount of points you invest in them, so basically, you can still use the skills you have despite having just 1 point in it, but the chances of success will be incredibly low. It's not possible to be proficient in all of the skills, so you'll need to decide which skills you use the most.
The Fallout series is perhaps one of the largest franchise to date and it has evolved so much since its conception, but the success that it has enjoyed can be attributed to the groundwork laid by this very first game. In fact, many games owed their open world, decision-driven origins - like many shooters that are associated however remotely to Doom - to Fallout. It may be a classic now but it was a revolutionary game of its time.
But the most interesting thing is that the game is still fun to play. If you love the latest Fallout and have never minded old-school games and their graphics, you should definitely check this game out. It'll blow your mind!
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.